THE MAID

Ruined contract

Epic two

Julian couldn't stop thinking about the deadly deal he made, let alone the sheer audacity of that woman from earlier.

“The nerve…” he muttered under his breath, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the steering wheel as he drove. His mind replayed the scene over and over again—her fierce glare, the way she had the guts to grab his tie, her voice laced with anger as she demanded he pay for her drink.

“Tshh! Ju-lia-n” he hissed, whispering his name like it was venom on his tongue.

It wasn't just the incident that irked him—it was her presence. Her boldness. The way she had spoken to him with no regard for who he was. Did she have any idea who she had just messed with?

Then, suddenly, reality struck him.

“Oh my goodness! My phone” His voice hardened as irritation flared up again. He had left his other phone with Alex.

With a frustrated sigh, he yanked the steering wheel, making a sharp U-turn back to the office.

Alex was pacing back and forth when Julian stormed in. His assistant exhaled in relief the moment he saw him.

“Oh! Thank goodness, here he is,” Alex muttered under his breath, relieved that his boss had returned before things escalated further.

Before Julian could demand his phone, a voice—sharp, livid, and utterly unbothered—cut through the air.

“You monster, you better pay me for my drink!”

Julian barely had time to react before the lady stormed toward him and grabbed his tie, yanking him closer. The audacity! His entire body tensed at the contact, his fists clenching as he glared down at her.

“What is the meaning of this?!” His voice was low and dangerous, seething with fury.

“Margret , stop!” Alex rushed forward, attempting to pull her back. “Do you even know who he is? He’s the boss!”

Upon the realization, she froze, her fingers still tangled in his tie. Slowly, realization dawned on her. Her breath hitched as she locked eyes with Julian, his sharp gaze pinning her in place like a predator cornering its prey.

Her grip slackened instantly, and she swallowed hard.

“I’m so—rr—y,” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper as she quickly dropped her hands.

Julian straightened his tie, his jaw tightening in disdain.

“How did she get into my office?” he demanded, his voice clipped and cold as he turned towards Alex.

Alex hesitated before responding. “She’s the representative for De Ville… I—”

“Cancel the contract.” Julian cut him off abruptly, his tone final. “I am no longer interested in working with them. Send them a rejection letter—make it explicitly clear that it was her unprofessional and lackadaisical behavior that cost them this deal.”

Margret gasped, her heart plummeting to her stomach. Immediately, she went on her knees, grabbing Julian by the leg.

“No… No… No! You can’t do this to me! I just got this job, please! Don’t do this, I—”

Her desperate hands reached out to grasp his hands, but Julian recoiled instantly, his teeth gritting in anger.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” he growled, yanking his arm away as though her mere presence was an affront. Without sparing her another glance, he grabbed his phone from Alex and stormed out of the office.

Margret stood there, frozen, her breathing uneven.

“Are you really going to let this happen?” she turned to Alex, her eyes pleading.

“He’s the boss, Margret ,” Alex exhaled. “I do as he says.” he concluded.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back, shaking her head furiously. “You don’t have to obey him this time! Please, Alex! I just got this job… this is the only way my family and I have been surviving. I—”

“I’ll try and talk to him,” Alex interrupted softly. “But that’s not an assurance.”

Margret bit her lip, feeling utterly helpless. After a brief hesitation, she held out her trembling hand. “Can I have your card? I need to know his final decision.”

Alex sighed before handing her his call card. Without another word, Margret turned and walked away, her heart pounding in uncertainty.

Back into his car, Julian kept soliloquizing as he drove off.

“The nerve…” Julian whispered to himself as he drove back home, his mind swirling with images of Margret’s defiant gaze.

That woman.

Who was she? Where did De Ville even find her? How could they employ such an insufferable, insolent human being?

“She couldn’t even apologize properly for spilling her drink on me! And her name is Margretttt?!” He dragged out her name mockingly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

Everything about her grated on his nerves. She was reckless, thoughtless—someone who had no place in his world. If she had been working for him, he would have fired her on the spot.

His jaw clenched.

She wasn’t even qualified to work for him.

As he reached his house, Julian barely had time to process his frustration before an unexpected voice pulled him back to reality.

“Oh, here you are! I missed you.”

His body stiffened. The voice was sultry, familiar, and laced with unwelcome nostalgia.

It was Lucy, his ex-girlfriend.

Before he could react, she walked up to him with a smirk and pressed a lingering kiss against his lips.

Julian pulled back instantly, his brows furrowing. “What are you doing here? I thought you ended the relationship. It's barely twenty-four hours, or did you suddenly realise I'm the best life can ever offer?”

Lucy pouted. “Well, I did… but I missed you. You came back earlier than I expected.”

Julian’s sharp gaze lingered on her, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

She smiled coyly, stepping closer.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you didn’t miss me too. Besides, I was only playing a prank on you”

Julian scoffed in disbelief. Stepping away from her.

“You really have some nerve, don’t you?” He eventually said, gradually removing her hands from his, as she came closer.

Lucy tilted her head, feigning innocence. “What do you mean?”, She whispered, trying to play with his tie.

His eyes darkened. “You dumped me for my best friend. And now, you’re standing here, acting like nothing happened?”

Lucy sighed dramatically. “Oh, Julian! I’m sorry, okay? I know I made a mistake, and believe me, if I could turn back time, I would. I realized it’s you I want. My love.”

Her fingers trailed along his jaw, her lips parting as she leaned in for another kiss.

But Julian stepped back, shoving her away with a look of pure disgust.

“Do I look like a commodity to you? Someone you can discard and come crawling back to when it suits you?” His voice was cold, yet soft.

Lucy’s lips quivered. “Julian, please—”

“Just get lost! I don’t ever want to see you again—not near my house, not in my office, nowhere!” His voice echoed with finality.

Lucy’s eyes filled with tears. “But… my bags are inside…” she whispered weakly.

Julian blinked.

“Your bags?” His tone was incredulous.

Lucy nodded.

“Oh my goodness. Not just one bag, but bags?! The effrontery!” He let out a sharp laugh before turning away. “Stay here. I’ll have your dirty things brought to you.”

In no moment, Julian brought out all of Lucy's bags she had left in his house. The silence between them was palpable. Just the noise from Lucy's box as it was dragged out, was heard. She stood by the corner, with tears dripping down her eyes.

In about minutes, Julian was done bringing them all out.

“My house keys” He demanded, stretching forth his hands to Lucy

“Can't we just talk this out. Please”. She pleaded, but he angrily grabbed the keys from her hands.

“Don't get close to me, Else, I'll—” He paused, as a black tinted Ferrari approached his house. He took a quick glance at Lucy, then left to attend to the people in the car.

Without a conversation, the man from the car handed a wrapped sheet to Julian and immediately drove away.

Entering back to his room, his eyes directed towards Lucy who was still sobbing. He gave a loud hiss, then walked away.

Meanwhile, across town, Margret sat on her small bed, hugging her knees, which were already soaked with her tears.

“Wicked soul…” she muttered under her breath, trying to control her tightened chest.

She had lost her job. Just like that.

And all because of him.

Julian.

“It wasn’t even my fault. He wasn’t looking! He bumped into me! And now, I’m fired?” Her voice trembled with frustration as she gazed at the message from her place of work.

“Why are you talking to yourself?”

Her mother's voice echoed as she appeared in the doorway.

Margret sighed deeply, glancing up. “I got fired, Mom.”

Her mother’s face paled. “What?!”

Before Margret could explain, her phone rang.

And in that moment, she knew—her battle with Julian was far from over.

“I need to answer this mum, just give me a sec”. She said, picking up the call.