Chapter 3 iii

Ayana's POV Margaret and I worked together to clean the guest bedroom, dusting every single part thoroughly and changing the curtains until the dusty place was now a breezy room. By the time the place was clean, it was already dark. The moment we were done Lia came in to inspect the work, looking around for a moment before giving a nod of approval. Both Margaret and I slumped in relief, as doing otherwise will mean extra work. We left through the back entrance to leave. Omegas were not to be seen after all.

After I arrived back I finished the rest of my incomplete duties, the rest of the day going by in a blur. As I did them, my mind wasn't there. All I could think about was Alpha Callum, and most especially, his female friend. The thoughts got heavier as I lay on my bed in the night and a part of me missed distracting myself with work. Despite the exhaustion in my body, I couldn't sleep as those thoughts filled my mind. The silence of the night brought about many more questions which filled my mind, all centered on the mysterious 'female friend" of Alpha Callum. What was her name? How did she look like? Was she beautiful? How was she like? Did she like him? Did he love her? I imagined him holding a faceless, nameless woman in his arms, laughing with her, pulling her in for a kiss. I pulled myself from imagination as I felt the image was revolting. I could not stand to imagine him being with someone else. Despite that many more images came to my head, now more varying. An image of them playing, another of them lying together, and so many other scenarios breached my mind. I knew I had to stop it once and for all the moment I imagined him smiling beside the faceless woman with a pregnancy bulge. I sat up on my bed and shut my eyes tightly before shaking my head from side to side to rid myself of those unwanted images. 'Stop over thinking things' I inwardly scolded myself once I had a clearer head. Plopped onto my bed once more and laid comfortably. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep despite those thoughts still trying to creep up in my mind. Despite the struggle, I finally managed to fall asleep with some effort. I fell asleep that night with a heavy heart. Early in the morning the next day, Agatha sent me on an errand to buy several foodstuffs from the market. On my way back I passed the Main ward when I heard the slight rumble of a car and turned around. From the distance I was, I could see the entrance of the gate. I saw the car stop right at the entrance and open to reveal a lady. She was had shiny blonde hair and her body was sleek and slender, with all the curves at the right places. Her dress accentuated them with its silk patterns. Seeing her I felt it from my gut which was roiling; this must be the female friend Callum had. Looking at her I felt the urge to crawl into a shell and hide away. I was already aware that my attraction to him was one sided, and any thoughts of us being together will be just wishful thinking, but this was like a hit bringing me to the cold reality. She looked beautiful, I saw. With her luxurious clothes and beautiful hair, she was the perfect mate. She looked so much more beautiful compared to my dowdy black hair and secondhand clothes given to me by Emily. Callum wouldn't even bat an eye at me. I was so lost in my thoughts that I missed Callum coming out. I saw them look at each other for a moment, before he quickly embraced her in a hug, spinning her around. I could hear peals of her laughter, and despite hearing it from the distance, it still brought a painful feeling in my heart. Quickly I turned around and scampered away, unable to stand seeing anymore. After delivering the ingredients, I began my lists of tasks for the day. I did task after task. My chores were a bit harder than the last time and I wouldn't be surprised if they gave me easy tasks first to lull me into safe security. I was given a whole room to clean on my own this time around. I had finished dusting and cleaning the tables in the room. Now that the cloth was dirty I carried it to wash. I went to the laundry room, a place arranged with plenty of sinks for one to do their washing. There they were three other omegas talking while washing. I turned away from them to one of the sinks opposite theirs to wash the dirty cloth. The three girls paid no mind to my entrance and kept talking behind me. At hearing Callum's name my ears perked up and I honed in on their conversation. "I spied a peek at the female friend Alpha Callum brought." One of the maids said, her voice a deeper throaty tone "Yes. What was her name again? Lana or Lilly?" This was coming from the second person A high chuckle came from the other, whose voice sounded distinctively higher than the others "I'm surprised you can remember it." "Oh stop teasing." The second one said playfully before continuing "Oh, by the way, I heard they are childhood friends." "Oh yes. One of the older omegas told me they had been playmates since childhood. They hadn't seen each other for a long time since." The first one piped up "So they are just close friends?" the third one asked, her voice sounding meeker now. "They are close. The question is how close?" The second one says "Considering what I saw back there, they may be a bit too close if you know what I mean." The first person says, making them both laugh. The third person didn't laugh along. "What's wrong?" the first person asked her tone a little worried. There was a slight splat sound, like a wet cloth colliding with something solid. ​ "I think I look better than her." The third of the girls grumbled "Oh hush." The first one spoke "you haven't even seen her. Seeing her from up close, she looked so beautiful, and not that I'm saying that you aren't but against her? There's no contest. Hell, just looking at her made me feel insecure" a deep chuckle came out from her before she continued. "And besides, you of all people know that nobody of a higher position will even so much as look at us. We don't fit in with their standards so there's no chance of that happening." "And you think she fits him more?" the third girl asked snootily. "Of course, just look at them. She is from a wealthy family, it's obvious to everyone. She's beautiful with her hair and face and body. Most importantly, they have been friends for a long time. They are the perfect match for each other. Like calls to like after all." A sigh came from the second girl "If only we could be her. Living the dream life with such a perfect alpha." Another sigh, coming from the first person "Only in our dreams." There was a short pause before the second person piped up "Anyways, I heard..." I zone out the rest of their conversation, halting my eavesdropping as I wring the now clean rag and fight the sadness I feel. Soon enough they leave and I am left alone in the laundry room. Just as that girl said, they were a perfect match for each other. Both of them were equally handsome and beautiful. There was no contest. I thought of the embrace I saw from afar and shut my eyes in pain from thinking about it. I recalled what Emily told me. Someone like Alpha Callum will fall in love with someone of a lower station, especially when he already has someone else much more stunning. Going any further with my feelings will hurt even more. I tried to bury the feelings deep in me, knowing that it was a hopeless feat. Perhaps the best I could hope for was to mate with a fellow omega. I tried to convince myself that it was for the best. I wrung the now clean cloth for one last time before I went back to the room to continue my cleaning. Looking at the mildly cleaner room which still had a long way to go, I inwardly sigh and look determinedly. I set my mind to devote myself to on every task I was set to do today, putting extra efforts on everything I was going to do. Yet no matter what I did I could not escape the hollow feeling in my heart.