Pains
"Why aren’t you wearing a mask!" Natalie roared.
That’s it? That’s what this is about? Gia thought.
She despised Gia. She couldn't stand that a lowly servant bore a resemblance to her. She wanted nothing more than to tear Gia's face to shreds.
“I was working. I didn’t think anyone would be here,” Gia said, quickly.
"You don’t think Gia, it’s simple. If I see you again, believe me, I'll scar your face with a knife!" she spat with utmost loathing.
“I probably should have done that a long time ago.”
How could this despicable maid, who hardly took care of herself, have a face more delicate than hers? Natalie wondered. Just looking at her, dressed in a faded and worn uniform made her blood boil because it was like looking at herself in utter poverty. The idea made her want to attack again.
Natalie hated it more that Ezra spent the night with Gia, when it should have been her tangled in the billionaire’s sheets. This wretched creature was nothing but trouble!
Natalie stared at Gia's face, her eyes filled with venomous contempt, as if she were a snake ready to devour her whole.
When her ringtone pierced the silence Natalie’s face softened as she glanced at the caller ID. With a tender voice, she answered the phone while staggering out of the kitchen, leaving Gia as an afterthought.
"Ezra, yeah, I haven't gone to bed yet..."
Gia finally exhaled in relief, running home as if fleeing from disaster, Gia locked the door behind her. How long would she have to life like this? She didn’t even have the right to look like herself in this house because of Natalie’s insanity. Gia knew if she let her rage out she would be thrown out of this house and probably sued for assault but she had a Mother to think about. Her Father was gone and they didn’t have family to relay on.
Her heart was still racing when the quaint ringtone of her old phone sounded.
It was her good friend, Sienna. She picked up the phone from the desk near the window.
"Gia, why'd it take you so long to pick up? I've been calling you for ages."
She steadied her breath and replied softly, “Sorry, I just didn’t notice it. What’s up? Why are you calling so late?”
Gia picked up a text book and mindlessly flipped through it. She didn’t have time to go through her notes or catch up on her assignments because of her workload.
"Your birthday's the day after tomorrow! Let's skip class and go out to have fun. It's only once a year, and you have to celebrate it. Come on when was the last time you had fun?"
A smile crossed Gia’s face; she had been so engrossed in caring for her mother that she had forgotten her own birthday. She was touched that Sienna remembered.
"Thanks. I totally forgot about that Sienna. What am I going to do?”
"Don’t thank me. I've got your gift already. Don't get too emotional though!"
A gift? Gia put the large text book aside and smirked. What could it be?
“You’ll have to wait and see, but why do you sound so down? Is Mom doing well again?”
Gia couldn’t reveal she gave her virginity to a stranger and it happened to be one of the best nights of her life but she couldn’t tell the man who gave her first sexual experience that it was her nor any other living soul. Gia tried to put a bounce in her voice for Sienna’s step.
“I’m just exhausted. You know Natalie’s getting married and I’m stuck with most of the work.”
“For people so rich they should hire more people.”
Gia chuckled. “I think they enjoy overworking me!”
“Alright, I’ll call you later about your birthday.”
“Fine, nothing too fancy okay?”
“We’ll see.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Sienna, she hung up and rummaged through her bag. That's when she found a white pendant. She was taken aback. How much had Sienna spent on this? It must have cost her a small fortune.
The pendant was clear and flawless, with a cloud pattern etched delicately onto its surface.
When had Sienna slip this in? With everything going on, her head wasn’t in the right place which was why she kept getting in trouble.
Gia sent a message: "Saw the gift. I love it, thank you, Sienna."
Setting aside her phone, she wore the pendant around her neck. Although she knew little about jewels, the pendant was pure, smooth and expensive. She’d never owned anything this nice.
She considered for a moment before tucking the pendant inside her clothes, which gave her a sense of comfort. This way Natalie or anyone else wouldn’t conjure an excuse to take it away from her. Now that she thought about it, Natalie hadn’t returned the necklace she snatched from her at the hotel. Gia hoped Natalie hadn’t lost it.
“Everyone is talking about it!” Sienna squealed.
“About what?” Gia asked as they left their philosophy class.
“About how Ezra Warren dumped the precious princess Esme for spoiled Natalie. How awful!”
Gia swallowed. She hated that she had a hand in destroying Esme’s engagement.
“Were they in love?” Gia asked.
“Who knows? The rich barely marry for love. It’s about marry that’s why so many of them had mistresses.”
Gia glanced at the time on her beat-up phone. “Shoot, I have to go.”
“Why? I thought we could go grab a smoothie?” Sienna frowned.
“I’m sorry, but the Warren’s are coming over and I have to work.”
“Oh… geez, are the Bentley’s hiring, I’d love to work for them.”
A bitter taste formed in Gia’s mouth. “Take that back.”
Frank warned her the night before to be on time or she and her mother would be thrown out of the Bentley household. The threat had been said lots of times but since Gia kept Natalie’s dirty secret in her heart, the heiress had more reason to want her gone.
Just as she dashed out of the school gates, a red sports car came rushing towards her. Gia looked up just in time to see the vehicle racing at her. Gia screamed and dropped her phone.