Chapter 4 : The Mansions Keeper

Chapter 4: The Mansions Keeper

Mia

I could barely keep my eyes open as I dragged my feet up the steps of the mansion. I squinted toward the rising sun before sneaking inside quickly, exhausted, but excited by the amount of money I made at the club the night before.

I could hear my step-sisters fighting upstairs, but it was possible my stepmother, Lucia, could be downstairs, so I peeked around each corner as I made my way to the dingy basement I’d been calling home for the past six months.

I shut the heavy wooden door at the top of the steps before using my phone’s flashlight to guide me down the creaking stairs.

Part of me was relieved when Lucia announced that there was no room for me in my father’s huge mansion and if I absolutely had to stay with them, it would have to be in the basement. It meant that I was isolated, sure, but I was isolated from my stepmother and step-sisters, which was really the best-case scenario for me.

I squeezed through the forest of boxes, which were mainly filled with my father’s things since my stepmother, “Couldn’t stand to look at them after his death.” I was surprised she didn’t burn them, but Father had been an avid collector of rare artifacts, so maybe she planned on selling them.

I threw my purse onto my gray sleeping bag before carefully peeling the rock poster off the brick wall. I removed one of the bricks, pulling out the cash I had hidden in there. I added my earnings from last night to the pile before counting it all quickly.

Plopping down on the sleeping bag, I rubbed my eyes as I unwillingly thought about my situation. I supposed things could be worse.

Things were going fairly well considering I had no choice but to become an exotic dancer after my best friend died and my apartment turned into a literal crime scene. What I hadn’t expected was for the NYC ballet to drop me just because I was the one that found Abbie after the murder. Apparently, upcoming shows wouldn’t do well with the dead girl’s roommate in the lead role.

I rolled over onto my stomach with a frustrated growl. Living with Lucia and her daughters wasn’t easy, but it definitely wasn’t going to be a permanent situation. I was determined to get back to the city and claw my way back into the ballet, even if I had to give a thousand lap dances to do it.

I reached into my bag to pull out a notebook, flipping through it until I found the notes I’d taken on apartments back in the city. I wrote down how much I made at the club, proud of myself for already having a few grand saved. It would still be a while before I could safely move out. I’d have so much more if I didn’t have to give some to Lucia to keep her and her daughters afloat.

My head snapped up when I heard the unmistakable creak of the basement door opening before it was slammed shut and a pair of heavy footsteps stomped down them. “Mia!”

I grimaced, standing up as Clarissa appeared between two tall stacks of boxes. Her dark brown hair was tied into a knot on top of her head. She was clad in a skimpy red nightgown with black lace.

I raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you?” I was trying and probably failing to keep my tone pleasant.

Clarissa narrowed her coal-like eyes at me, her ruby-red lips twisting into a sneer. “I’m completely out of clean laundry! Why am I out of clean laundry?”

I barely resisted the urge to smirk. “Because you wore all your clothes?”

Clarissa shrieked at me, like an angry bird. She was somehow able to calm herself and when she spoke next, it was slowly, but impatiently. “Why haven’t you done the laundry?”

My shoulders slumped. I was in no mood for this. I could feel the fatigue starting to settle in, and my bossy step-sister acting like a broken record definitely wasn’t helping. “Look, Clarissa. I’ve been at work every night for the last week. I didn’t have time to wash your clothes.”

I watched as Clarissa’s sneer twisted slightly into a smirk. “Did you have a good shift last night, slut?”

If I hadn’t been running on three hours of sleep, I probably would have let that slide. “I’m not a slut,” I snapped.

Clarissa waved her hand in a careless gesture. “Slut, stripper, whatever title you prefer to describe the little stripteases you do for all those sleazy guys down at the club.”

I looked down at the dusty wooden floor as I remembered the sweet guy from last night. Well, maybe there were sleazy guys at the club once in a while, but they definitely weren’t all sleazy.

I felt my jaw tighten, but I resisted telling her it was my “stripteases” that were supporting her financially, but I was suddenly too tired to even fight with Clarissa. It was six in the morning, and I wanted to get some chores done before I went to bed. I pushed past my step-sister and climbed the stairs, leaving her alone to cackle by herself.

After making myself a large, steaming pot of coffee, I decided to start by cleaning up the kitchen since it seemed to be where my stepfamily did the most damage, despite the fact that none of them could cook.

I set a large trash bag, full of empty snack boxes and old food by the back door. I let my eyes linger on the intricate carvings that were etched along the edges of the door. Wistfully, I ran my fingers over one carving of a bunny hopping over a bush.

My parents had spent hours customizing every inch of this mansion. From the baseboards to the ceiling fans, every room was decorated with images and symbols that represented the love they had for one another.

It was stuff like the bunnies around the back door that was the reason why I cleaned up after my stepfamily. I refused to let them trash the precious home my parents left behind.

I started wiping down the counters and found a few broken tiles on the center island. I balked in disbelief. What did Lucia and her daughters do while I was at work? Did they go to town on the furniture with a sledgehammer?

I clenched my fists at the thought of this damage being done intentionally. I had been spending a lot of my earnings from the club on repairs for the home. Taking a breath, I thought about the way my step-sisters fought with one another, remembering the way they would throw large, heavy objects at one another and pull each other's hair.

No, they probably didn’t break things on purpose. They were just violent and destructive, like unruly toddlers.

I cleaned for a couple more hours, wanting to leave at least the kitchen and the living areas looking presentable. When my phone screen read nine in the morning, I started to put the cleaning supplies away so I could go to sleep. I tossed a broom into the closet beneath the stairs before crossing the foyer toward my basement room, longing for my sleeping bag.

“My, my, look at what slithered up from the basement.”

I took a deep breath to brace myself before I turned to face my stepmother as she descended the stairs.

Lucia Grimaldi was dangerously beautiful, and she knew it. Despite the fact that she let Clarissa and Nicola trash my father’s mansion, she dressed and carried herself as if she lived in a castle, with expensive jewelry always hanging from her neck and wrists.

When I turned to look up at her, Lucia’s hands flew to her mouth, her black eyes that were so much like Clarissa’s widening. “Oh, my dear, you look awful. I’m shocked that you’re able to make any money dancing at that little club.”

I scowled. It just felt like I was having a conversation with Clarissa all over again. “Good morning to you, too.”

Somehow, her black eyes darkened. She took her time coming down the rest of the stairs, her slim red heels clacking against each step. She towered above me at almost six feet tall without heels. I didn’t let that intimidate me, squaring my shoulders.

She glared down at me. “Since you obviously have the energy to disrespect me, you’ll have no issue running to the grocery store for me.”

I drew in a frustrated breath. “I just had a full order of groceries delivered here yesterday.”

She waved a fully manicured hand at me. “Nothing suitable for what I have in mind for the guests I’m having over. You’d best get a move on if you’re to have everything prepared and ready for their arrival.”

Dozens of possible responses flashed in my mind, none of them polite, and all of them consisting of the most colorful obscenities. Instead, I stiffly turned to head down the basement stairs, muttering that I would go change and grab my bag before heading to the store.

“Good girl,” Lucia cooed, and I hurried out of her sight so she wouldn’t see my angry tears. She called after me, “And I’ll let you cover the cost of the groceries. You’re just another mouth to feed in this house anyway.”

I let the front door slam shut behind me and practically stomped down the steps, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my white blouse. What was happening to me? My stepfamily had definitely dished out worse treatment over the past six months than they had that day. Why was I choosing this morning to let them affect me?

I was ashamed, I realized in dismay. I was starting to feel like the rat Lucia and her daughters treated me like. My life had taken such a drastic one-eighty since Abbie died. I had just gotten my dream role in Swan Lake, and now I was essentially selling my body just to scrape by.

But I wasn’t enjoying it. Was I still a slut if I wasn’t enjoying it?

Yes, said a tiny voice inside my head.

I shook my head hard, biting down on my lip until it hurt before I made my way across the large lawn and through my mother’s rose garden until I reached the front gate. I blinked in surprise to see a sleek, black car idling on the street directly in front of the gate.

That wasn’t the most shocking thing to see in front of my parents’ mansion. What was the most shocking was the handsome man, leaning casually against the black car.

I opened the gate and approached him cautiously. “Hi, may I help you?”

He smiled and waved, and it took me a moment to place where I had seen that smile before since the man that owned it wasn’t wearing his usual police attire.

I felt my lips form his name. “Officer Drake … ”

His smile was amused but also seemed relieved that I recognized him. “Miss Grimaldi,” he greeted. He nodded before flashing his badge and his face turned serious. “Would it be alright if I asked you some questions?”