Chapter 3 Three

A MONTH AGO

Lillian watched as her father continuously scold the maids, raising his voice and raising her heartbeats with it. The maids couldn't even do or say anything except bow their heads and take every single insult.

They knew trying to defend themselves or even looking him directly in the eye means loosing their job. Getting a job is not that easy, especially a job that pays well so they knew better.

All this because of a little fall? Lillian thought. She didn't even do anything but she feels bad. And their family doctor already tended to her ankle, telling them it's not that bad. All she wanted was to get a bottle of water from the kitchen. She did get it but on her way back, she slipped on the stairs and although she managed to catch herself, her ankle twisted.

Now, according to her father, it's the fault of the maids. She was supposed to just ring a bell from her room and have a maid get her what she wants but they were not effective enough and that was why she felt the need to do everything herself; all this was according to her father and that was why he was angry at the maids, especially since she got hurt.

But that wasn't the truth. The maids were in fact more than effective and does their jobs well but Lillian doesn't fancy the idea of just sitting her room while having everything done for her by them. It just doesn't make sense nor does it feel right to her.

"Dad. Please stop." She pleaded.

"Lillian baby, don't take their side this time. What if the fall was bad and you had gotten a fatal injury?" Her father asked.

"But it wasn't really their fault." Lillian sighed.

Her father just ignored her and continued scolding the maids.

She let out a small yelp of pain as she attempted to stand up, all she wanted was to go to her room. She looked around, hoping Sage would miraculously appear so he could take her to her room and comfort her like always, but he wasn't around.

But at least her mother wasn't around and she was glad. She would only join her father in scolding the workers anyway.

"What are you doing?" Her father was by her side in a flash.

"I want to go to my room, dad." She said.

"Hey." Lillian watched him call the head of the bodyguards.

His name was Oliver but her father obviously didn't care enough to learn the names of his workers. Lillian knew what he was about to do and she doesn't want it. Her absence from the living room would only made her father scold the maids the more.

"No. Take me please." She asked and her father didn't waste any time to agree as he dismissed the bodyguard.

Lillian wrapped her arms around her father's neck as he carried her in his arms and up to her room.

"Dad. Can you please stop blaming the maids?"

"Alright." He answered after a few seconds.

"Your graduation is in a few days, I hope your ankle heals before then." He placed her on her bed and examined her ankle with a frown.

"You worry too much. That's why your gray hairs keep increasing rapidly." Lillian pouted, which made her father smile.

Seeing him smile warmed her heart and made her smile too.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Lillian" He said, pecking her forehead.

*** *** ***

A DAY EARLIER

Lillian frowned as she looked around the whole area, wherever her sight could reach, searching for the only person that made her four years in college bearable; her twin brother, Sage.

Lillian and Sage just finished college and the ceremony was over. Their parents urged Lillian to go take at least one picture with her colleagues and succeeded in persuading her after several attempts.

Lillian wasn't at all sociable and she has been home-schooled since she was little, which stopped when she finished high school, due to her going to a private college.

To her, everything about the college was strange. Of course, she never experienced what going to school with other students felt like but the first day she stepped foot into her college, it just doesn't feel right, the whole college settings were weird.

From the first day till today where she just graduated, Lillian never had anyone she could call a friend and she was okay with it because she always has Sage by her side.

It wasn't an ordinary school and you could tell that every single student in the school came from wealthy families. Everyone minds their business, with only a few people having cliques. It was like a school for robots, to Lillian.

Whenever she questioned her parents about the whole school mystery, she's always given vague answers that never satisfied her. Lillian loved her parents but sometimes, she just wanted to fly away from them, see the real world and experience life.

But alas! We don't always get what we wish for, her father would haunt her down. He's very overprotective of her and as much as Lillian try seeing it as a manifestation that he just loved her too much, she found it overbearing most times.

"There you are." The voice spoke into her ear and she jumped at the suddenness, due to the fact that she was already lost in her thoughts.

"Sage! I've been looking all over for you. Where's mom and dad?" Lillian asked, not failing to notice that Sage already took off his graduation gown.