THE MAID

A night with terror

Chapter 6

Margret clenched her fists as Julian’s words echoed in her mind. Messy hair? Of all the things he could have commented on, that was what he fixated on? The nerve of that man! Just because he was rich, he thought he could treat people however he pleased.

A sudden knock at her door interrupted her thoughts.

“Can I come in?”

She hesitated for a moment before responding, “Yeah, sure.”

The door creaked open, and Alex stepped in with a casual smile.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said, relaxing slightly.

“Mind if I sit?” Alex asked, motioning to the chair nearby.

Margret smirked. “What if I say no?”

“Then I’ll stand.” He grinned before settling onto the chair anyway.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m really glad you decided to stay,” Alex admitted.

Margret made a playful pout. “Why do you sound like I did you a huge favor? I mean, it was for my benefit too, so technically, I should be the one thanking you.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You don’t realize what you did for me, do you?” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. “If you had left, I’d be jobless by now. In all my years working for Julian, not once has he ever threatened to fire me—until today. And trust me, I saw a fire in his eyes that I never want to see again.”

Margret burst out laughing. “You mean that was unusual? You should’ve heard the way he spoke to me today. He insulted me from head to toe and then, out of nowhere, apologized. I mean, what’s the point of an apology when you’ve already crushed someone with your words?”

Alex’s smile faded. He straightened, his expression turning serious. “Hold on—he apologized?”

Margret frowned at his reaction. “Yeah? Why? Is that shocking?”

Alex leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Julian doesn’t do apologies. Not to his staff. Not to his business partners. Not even to his parents.”

Margret ’s eyes widened slightly.

“He’d rather order you to thank him after insulting you than ever admit he was wrong,” Alex continued. “If he apologized… that’s a big deal.”

The weight of his words settled on her, but she quickly shook it off, laughing again. “Well, maybe he’s finally growing a conscience.”

Alex chuckled. “Doubt it.”

They continued talking, the conversation flowing effortlessly.

“You know, you’re not as scary as I first thought,” Alex admitted. “Judging by the way you grabbed my boss by the tie and yelled at me over the phone, I assumed you were the aggressive type.”

Margret covered her face in embarrassment. “I—I can be a lot of things depending on the situation. I’m sorry about that, though. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

Alex waved it off. “No worries. But seriously, if you ever need anything, just call me, okay?”

As he left, Margret found herself smiling. It was the first genuine smile she’d worn in a long time.

At exactly 5 a.m., a shrill alarm tore through the house, jolting everyone awake.

Margret groaned, burying her head under her pillow.

What in the fresh hell is this?

The blaring sound stopped, but before she could drift back to sleep, another knock came at her door.

“Hello, Ana.”

Margret cracked open one eye to see Alex standing there with a grin.

“Ana?” she repeated groggily.

“Yeah. I figured calling you ‘Margret ’ might confuse you with my boss, and ‘Ana’ is shorter,” he explained.

Margret blinked, still half-asleep. “Wait—you mean Julian as in Julian? His name is Julian?”

Alex tilted his head, puzzled. “You… didn’t know that?”

Margret sat up, rubbing her temples. “You mean to tell me I have the same name as that monster?! What’s the difference between Julian and Margret ? No wonder he said my name was a mistake! Arrogant fool.”

Alex winced. “Oof. Bad luck on that one.”

Margret flopped back onto the bed. “Of all the names in the world, his parents had to choose that one? Ugh.”

Alex chuckled. “I came to wake you up so you can prepare his breakfast. I’ll be downstairs.”

He left before she could complain further.

Margret groaned again but ultimately drifted back to sleep.

At 6:30 a.m., the second alarm went off, this time shaking her fully awake.

“Crap, crap, crap!” She shot out of bed, sprinting to the kitchen.

She worked quickly, whipping together Julian’s breakfast just in time to set it on the dining table. The moment she stepped back, Julian emerged from his room.

His sharp gaze landed on the meal.

Margret stiffened.

“What did you just do?” His voice was dangerously quiet.

“G-Good morning, Boss.”

“I didn’t ask for a greeting. I asked what you just did.”

“I—I made your breakfast.”

Julian’s expression darkened. “What time is it?”

Margret swallowed. “6:30 a.m., Boss.”

His jaw clenched. “And you expect me to eat it while it’s still hot?”

Margret felt her stomach twist. “I—I’m sorry, Boss. It won’t happen again.”

Alex shifted uncomfortably from the corner. “Should I fire her?” he muttered.

Margret ’s head snapped toward him in disbelief.

Julian’s eyes flicked to Alex. “Go wait in the car.”

Alex nodded quickly and left.

Julian turned back to Margret . “Go trash the food.”

Her hands clenched into fists. The thought of throwing away perfectly good food made her stomach churn. But Julian was already walking away, uninterested in her reaction.

A slow smile crept onto her lips.

Fine. If he didn’t want the breakfast, she would.

She pulled out a chair, sat down, and ate it herself.

On the way to the office, Julian found himself absently staring out the car window, lost in thought.

That girl…

Her defiance. Her stubbornness. That ridiculous fire in her eyes when she was angry.

Why was he thinking about her?

“Sir,” Alex said, breaking the silence. “What do you think about Ana?”

Julian frowned. “Who?”

“The new chef. Margret . I call her Ana.”

Julian’s expression darkened. “And why should I think anything about her?”

Alex smirked. “You seem to like her.”

The air in the car turned ice cold.

Julian turned his head slowly, his piercing gaze making Alex stiffen.

“What silly right do you have to ask me that question?” His voice was dangerously low.

Alex swallowed hard. “I—I didn’t mean to offend you, Boss. I was just teasing—”

“Next time, keep your teasing to yourself.”

“Yes, Boss. I’m sorry, Boss.”

Julian exhaled sharply and turned back to the window.

But no matter how much he tried to ignore it, one thought kept lingering in his mind—

Margret .