THE MAID

Second chance

Chapter 5

"You asked me to fire her just a few minutes ago," Alex said defensively, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Julian, who had been lost in thought, snapped his gaze back to Alex. "Did I? Why?"

Alex hesitated. "Umm... Margret—ret," he stammered, unsure how his boss had suddenly forgotten.

Julian’s eyes flickered with recognition. "Oh... The Peacock? You mean she made this?" He said in disbelief.

"Yes, sir. But we already fired her," Alex repeated, still trying to piece together what was going on.

A long silence stretched between them before Julian finally spoke.

"Call her back." His tone was calm but held an edge of finality.

Alex blinked. "Sir?"

Julian’s gaze darkened. "Call her back and double her salary."

Alex stared at him, stunned. "I'm sorry, sir—what did you just say?"

Julian leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "You heard me. Now, leave."

Alex hesitated, wanting to question him further, but he knew better. With a quick nod, he turned on his heel and rushed to call the driver.

"We haven't even gotten to my house yet, Where are you going?" Margret 's voice was sharp, laced with panic, as she realized the driver had taken a different route.

"The boss said we should come back," the driver replied, his tone cautious.

Margret scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "The boss?" She let out a humorless laugh, her fingers clenching into fists.

"Who the heck does that creature think I am? A toy he can discard and retrieve at will?" she muttered under her breath, her anger bubbling dangerously close to the surface.

She turned her gaze toward the driver. "Listen, you better take me home right now, or I'll have you arrested for adoption," she threatened, her voice low but deadly.

The driver swallowed hard, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

"Miss, I—"

"Are you deaf? I said take me home!" she snapped, her voice rising with frustration.

The car came to an abrupt halt.

"But the boss—"

"I don’t give a damn about what he said! Just take me home before you find yourself in deeper trouble!" She interrupted rudely.

The driver sighed, hesitating for a moment before pulling out his phone. With trembling fingers, he dialed Alex who immediately picked up.

#

"She’s refusing to come back," the driver reported, his voice tense.

"Put her on the phone," Alex instructed.

The driver turned to hand the phone to Margret , but she shook her head in defiance. "I don’t want to speak to anyone. Just drive."

Alex let out a frustrated sigh before ending the call. Without wasting time, he ran straight to Julian’s office.

"Boss, she won’t come back," Alex reported breathlessly.

Julian didn’t even look up from his desk. "Then consider yourself and the driver fired," he said smoothly.

Alex’s heart skipped a beat. "Sir?"

Julian’s cold eyes finally met his. "I want her here before noon. Figure it out."

Alex stood there, stunned, but Julian had already dismissed him with a flick of his wrist.

"Where are you guys?" Alex asked the driver over the phone.

The driver quickly relayed their location, and within minutes, Alex arrived at the scene.

Margret sat stiffly in the backseat, her arms folded tightly across her chest. When she saw Alex approaching, she pointedly looked away.

"Margret ," Alex called, his voice softer than before.

She ignored him.

Sighing, Alex leaned against the car window. "Look, I know he was harsh, but he’s not in a good mood today. He wants you back," he said gently.

Margret scoffed, stepping out of the car and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Not my problem."

"Margret , please." Alex ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "If you leave now, we both lose our jobs. Do you think I came here for nothing? Do you think the driver wants to be out of work because of this?"

Margret hesitated.

"He promised to double your salary."

She froze, her grip tightening around the strap of her bag.

Alex noticed the slight waver in her stance and pressed further. "Look, I know today has been a mess. No one saw this coming, but we’re sorry. I’m sorry. Just come back with me."

A deep breath left Margret ’s lips as she wiped the tears threatening to fall.

"Fine," she muttered.

"Do you want to come with me or ride with the driver?" Alex asked, reaching for her bag.

"I’ll go with you," she said quietly.

Alex nodded and turned to the driver. "Meet us back at the house."

As they got into the car, Alex smiled. "You must be a good cook."

Margret rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the small blush that crept onto her cheeks.

"I must say, your meal secured you a job," Alex teased.

Margret frowned. "What do you mean?"

Alex chuckled. "You’re the first person my boss has ever reacted positively to when it comes to food."

Margret ’s eyes widened. "Wait… really?"

"Yep. He didn’t just eat it—he loved it," Alex confirmed with a grin.

A small, pleased smile played on Margret ’s lips.

"Tell me more about yourself," Alex said, steering the conversation toward lighter topics.

As they talked and laughed, the tension of the day slowly melted away.

As they entered the mansion, Alex greeted Julian first.

"Good evening, boss."

Margret hesitated before following suit. "Good e-evening, s-sir."

Julian’s sharp gaze landed on her, and she instantly felt small under his scrutiny.

"Excuse us," Julian ordered, and Alex left immediately.

Julian took a slow step toward her, his expression unreadable. "Remind me of your name again."

"Margret ," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"That’s right. How could I forget?" he mused, his tone unreadable.

"You know I have rules, don’t you?"

Margret nodded instinctively.

Julian’s expression darkened. "You don’t nod when I speak. You respond properly. I do not converse with people who act like they are deaf or dumb."

Margret clenched her jaw. "I’m sorry, boss," she said, her voice laced with restrained anger.

"And another thing—it’s boss, not sir. You can call Alex that, but not me. Understood?"

"Yes… boss," she gritted out.

Julian’s gaze flicked over her, and his lips curled in mild distaste. "Your hair is a mess."

Margret bit the inside of her cheek, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"I expect it to be taken care of by tomorrow. I like my employees to be neat and presentable."

Her fists clenched at his condescending tone.

"That look will get you fired," Julian warned, his voice dangerously soft. "Alex will inform you of the rest of the rules. You may leave."

Margret turned on her heel, but before she could take a step, Julian’s voice halted her.

"One more thing—never forget to thank me after a conversation."

Margret stared at him, her irritation bubbling beneath the surface.

"Thank you… boss," she forced out.

Julian smirked. "You can do better than that." Then, almost as an afterthought, he muttered, "By the way, sorry for earlier."

Before she could react, his phone rang, and he walked away, leaving her standing there—seething.

Her eyes followed him until his figure disappeared.

She let out a breath. "I’m already burning up inside."