Part fourteen

Monae's POV

The feast fit for royalty that Mrs Winchester asked to be prepared is ready and just looking at it makes me hungry. I didn't take I'm breakfast when I came down, I didn't trust myself to work if I had food in my stomach and so satisfied, I'll be feeling lazy asf and wouldn't want to work.

It was a good decision cause we've been able to prepare the food on time and from what I've heard, the Steeles are on their way and almost here.

I was cleaning the plates, cutlery and glasses that will be used when I felt a presence behind me. Stiffening, I initially thought it was Rex at it again, he's a desperate stalker, till her perfume revealed who it was and her voice confirmed it when she called me softly as if she was scared. "Nae?"

"Mnh." I answered, wiping my cheeks that had lather on with the back of my hand.

"Are you mad at me?"

I turned to her, "hell no, why would I?"

"I rushed out of your room, leaving you alone without a word so I figured you were."

"Ha that's one crazy figuring Imo, I'm not mad or will I. I understood you were going through an uncomfortable phase after Rox told us about the visit that's why I let you be and didn't bother coming into your room, bombarding you with questions."

"Yeah you know right, its really uncomfortable but I shouldn't have left you like that."

"Don't worry, do you uhm maybe want to talk about it, you know let it all out now that you are here?"

Imo nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah if you aren't busy, you're the only one I'm comfortable with telling my personal things to, you don't judge me or anything."

Her words really really made my heart swell with gladness knowing she's that comfortable around me and enough to share all her personal issues and thoughts with me.

It makes me feel how much of a good friend and sister even if not by blood, that I have been and I never thought Imo and I could ever end up like this, you know all friendly with no hatred whatsoever, it feels great. "I'm a little bit busy as you can see but, I'll finish soon."

"Let me help you." She offered,no more like said or commanded, she took a dish cloth getting down to business.

I stared at her in surprise, greatly cause I didn't see her as that person who does kitchen duties, her mother wouldn't allow her and she wouldn't be happy about it if she comes in here and sees her.

"Nah I've got this." I declined politely taking the dishcloth back from her. I want no issues with Mrs Winchester especially when she hasn't been mean to me today.

Stubborn as ever Imo shook her head, smiling and took it back from me."No let me do it, we can even talk in the process of doing it."

"You sure you wanna do the talking in hear, you need no privacy?"

She scanned around before nodding in certainty, "totally, I wouldn't be that loud for a third ear to listen since its just us."

"Yeah right, so what do you want to talk about?"

Imo fell silent and started fiddling with the dishcloth she held. I was tempted to tell her to let it be, it seems she isn't ready to talk about it and I don't want to pressure her when she finally spoke up, "he's coming here."

"Who is coming here?"

"Him."

"Him who?" Like I have zero idea of who's she talking about, we have no mutual friends and Rex can't be the him.

"My first love, he is coming here with his family today."

I halted what I was doing, turning to give her my full attention. She also had stopped."Oh."

Was all I could say, I know it didn't help and I finally understand why she was like that earlier in my room. Her first love, the one she betrayed based on a lie and had to split on a really bad note is coming to her house after years have passed. "So you're tensed seeing him again." I said thoughtfully.

"Tense is an understatement Nae and I'm confused as to how I am feeling right now cause I'm having mixed feelings. I'm scared on one hand,I don't know what's going to happen with him here. Nervous to see him on the second hand because of how things ended up. On the other hand, I'm tensed cause I don't know how he is going to feel seeing me after all these years, I don't know if he is still angry or has gotten over it and on the last hand, I'm happy that I'm going to see my first love, the man I'm still in love with." She said the last part with a smile, her eyes also glowed.

I had my eyes fixated on her all this while she spoke as I digested all what she's ranted out. "Girl you're hella confused seriously." I let out a laugh, Imo didn't get scowl or get mad, she smiled and nodded in agreement. "Do you wanna hear what I have to say?"

"Bitch that's why I came to you duuh." She said, facepalming.

"Whatever, stop being confused. I mean stop with all these negative feelings you're having and be neutral or even happy. Stop worrying about what's going to happen and live in the moment."

"Why?"

"I'm saying why because, it's been years that happened and you've both changed. You aren't who you were anymore, you've matured and he's probably forgotten all about it when you're here hurting yourself with all these negative energy."

Imo shook her head, "Junior was older than I was, he was matured and I know how he is."

"You can't be so sure he is the same person he was back then because you haven't seen him since you broke up. He was older then but he has matured, we mature every blessed day so… and what if you're mistaken and he's forgotten about it? Why else will he follow his parents to the house of the girl who cheated on him and broke his heart all because of a lie, I'm sorry for throwing that in your face though, if he hasn't forgotten about it and put it all in the past, where they rightfully belong."

"Don't worry, it's the truth that I lived and have to live with every single day though it hurts cause I didn't trust him that much to know he wouldn't do that and yeah you might be right."

"So stop worrying and live in the moment, if you want to do that, put everything that happened in the past. Be yourself around him, be who you were and let him see what he's missing."

"I was a shy and naïve girl then but now…."

"But now nothing, you're rebuilding your life for the best and that's what matters. Let bygones be bygones and don't bring it up if he doesn't want to make a move so it doesn't get more tense and uncomfortable between you two okay?"

"Okayyy miss therapist, what would I have done without you?"

"In your room right now, staring blankly at your wall like it was the most interesting thing in the world and fretting like something."

"Or stuffing my face into a big bowl of that sweet ice cream and getting diabetes." She retorted, chuckling.

"Either ways they all aren't good and now we've gotten that done with but we are forgetting something."

"What?"

"The wine glasses left sitting in the soapy lime water."

"All because of an emotional wreck like me, let's hurry up before mummy comes looking like an angry Maleficent." We giggled at her joke, going back to washing the glasses.

That was until angry Maleficent stormed the kitchen, looking exactly like Imo described her.

Her anger turned to horror when she realised what her beloved Barbie doll was doing. "What are you doing?" She shrieked in horror looking at the dishcloth that Imo who could care less what her mother thinks had.

"What does it look like mother? I'm working."

"Working? Can you hear yourself? The daughter of this house doing the work reserved for servants." Mrs Winchester said like I wasn't there and she wasn't referring to me either.

Imo turned sharply to look at her mother with a look of irritation. "When will you accept Nae isn't a servant just because she does these kinda work but your daughter?"

"She isn't and will never be! I didn't carry her in my womb for nine months."

"A mother doesn't necessarily mean someone who has given birth, the one who plays a motherly role is a mother and guess what? Your name is written as her mother on those papers blood or not so its about time you come to terms with it." She lectured her mother in a disgusted tone before turning to dry the last glass.

I had my back turned to her so I didn't see how she looked at her daughter considering the words she just spoke and her tone, she would be mad but not at her but at me. I always take the blame, bear the anger and rage any time something goes wrong for her.

"Imogen Winchester!"

"What mother?"

"Stop what you're doing right this minute and get to the parlor!"

"No need to flare in anger I'm done here." Imo tossed the cloth somewhere and stormed out of the kitchen. She was angry and I couldn't blame her, she always gets mad at her mother's behaviour towards me and every worker here in general ever since she came back from rehab.

She isn't that Imogen I knew back in Las Vegas, the spoilt one who defended what her mother did and did what was asked of her by her mother. That's what enrages Mrs Winchester because she can't accept her daughter can't be her puppet anymore.

"I guess you're happy."

"Excuse me?"  I looked at her like she was nuts. What reason do I have to be happy seeing her yell and exchange words with her daughter?

"I said I guess you're happy!" She shouted at me with clenched teeth, "that my daughter is taking your side, going against me and being utterly disrespectful to me. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Her anger was visible in her face and I could feel but not that deep till she slapped me, "answer me you stupid bitch! Isn't that what you wanted? To turn my children against me?"

I couldn't reply her, my hand was on my cheek. All I did was fathom why this woman hates me so much, what did I ever do to her to warrant this hatred from her.

"First it was Rex and now its my baby girl. The one who was so loving and obedient till you came into the picture, you've destroyed everything between us. Now my baby girl doesn't even want to hear any evil against you, she doesn't listen to me and it's all because of you!"

Here we go again! She is never going to see and accept that what's happening between her daughter is no fault of mine but hers. She's so blinded by her hatred to see and work on winning her daughter back but only blames me the more.

"You've done enough, I will make sure all your plans are futile and I'll advise you to watch your back. Watch your back Monae, because your days in this house are numbered and on the last day not even my husband whom you have also wrapped around your finger can save you from me." She said with eyes blazing with anger and her index finger pointing at her before giving me a dirty look and left the kitchen in a hurry.

I was left alone to think about her words. Her threatening words that she just hurled at me in anger. Anger that has no justification because I have done nothing to anger her.

I wasn't affected she threw in my face again that I'm not her blood, it's no more news. What I am affected by is her extreme anger at me.

It is raging like fire, more than that of Hades and I know when it gets closer to me, it will burn and hurt me more than I can bear and even worse, it might be the end of me.

Aargh!😬 I dislike her so much😏