Chapter 6 REDUCED TO A MAID

~Rose

I was walking past rows of clothes arranged in a very carefully thought out manner while David had gone to the male section to show for an attire to wear for the ceremony.

I stumbled upon a very lovely red dress which was elastic and soft to the feel. I picked it up and headed into the change room to try it out. I stopped out from behind the curtains and stood in front of the huge dressing mirror.

I looked very ravishing. The red colour of the dress made my color pop. It was an off the shoulder gown which clinged firmly to my body, revealing my body contour. It had a high slit that revealed my skin up to my thighs and stopped at my mid thigh. A very sexy display of my legs.

It was a lovely dress and I instantly took a liking to it. I wrapped it up into a bag and picked out some other accessories to go with it as well as a golden colored stilettoes which was the perfect match.

I walked over to the counter and placed the bag on the table.

"Can I have your credit card, please?" The cashier asked.

I pulled out my card from my bag and handed it over to her.

She took it from me and placed it into the machine. There was a beep afterwards.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but there isn't any money inside it." She said,

I suddenly felt sweat break out from the top of my head.

"Please, can you check again?" I asked her, feeling my cheeks become hot with embarrassment.

She slid the card once again through the machine and it made a beeping sound and once again she looked up at me and shook her head.

I sighed and took the card from her. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I dialed David'a number but then he declined the call on the first ring.

I forced a smile to stretch across my lips, "um...I guess I'll come back another time."

"Alright, ma'am." She replied and took the bag from me.

I turned towards the door and walked out of the King's store. A luxurious store David had taken me to and left me all by myself, with no money to get anything for myself.

I waited outside the store for David for more than two hours. The sun was scorching hot this summer and I could feel it burn my skin.

By the time my knees had become weak with exhaustion, I turned towards the door and saw him walk out of the store with a lot of packaged goods in his hand. The chauffeur had helped him carry a few.

He walked past me like I wasn't even existing. I just trodded along to the car and got in.

The drive back to the penthouse was very silent, just like the drive to the mall was. We were like strangers. We didn't even talk whilst we were in the elevator.

As soon as he opened the door, Charlotte ran up to him and engulfed him in a hug. The both of them engaged in an open display of affection while he handed her the bag containing the gifts he had gotten her.

"The both of you should take your acts away from my living room." Amanda's voice came from behind them.

She walked over the couch and plopped herself into it.

I simply walked past her like the ghost I was.

"Didn't you get anything?"

I turned back, a little shocked that she had noticed my existence.

"Um...no." I replied softly.

Her face contorted to one of pity with her lips protruding in a soft pout, "and why is that?"

I pressed my lips together, fighting the urge to just scream at all their faces at how badly they were treating me.

It was as though she was doing it on purpose, taunting me, humiliating me and making me feel like trash. It made me wonder what exactly I did to make her so bitter towards me. What baffled me the most was that why did they have to pretend at the beginning if they were only going to treat me badly eventually.

"You don't have money?" She asked.

I could see my heart twist and my eyes sting with tears.

"That's because I can't trust you to not spend more than necessary." She said as a means to justify her cruel actions.

If that were the case then why did she bother to give me the credit card in the first place.

"Just take some of the clothes you already have. I'm sure they'll serve you well." She added and returned her focus to her phone's screen.

I stood there for a few seconds, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes.

But then I took in a deep breath and made my way towards my room up the stairs. My feet had already touched the foot of the stairs when she called me,

"Rose, do you think you can go and take care of the kitchen?" She asked.

My brows furrowed in confusion, "why?" I asked her softly.

"Well, there are some dishes there that need to be done. Anyone would have guessed that." She said and let out a mocking laughter.

"But there's room cleaning services."

In case she had forgotten.

She rolled her eyes at me, "well, what's the need to call them when you're available. Just think of it as preparing you for what awaits a wife."

I scoffed at the thought of that. A wife indeed.

I was playing the wife but was treated as nothing but a lowlife.

"It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor. The duties of a wife still remain constant. So, do well to do the dishes before tonight." She added and gave me a small smile that seemed rather insulting to me.

I raised my head up to the ceiling and blinked back tears that threatened to fall from them. It wasn't like protesting would change anything. I could only wish for a day when I would finally wake up from this nightmare I was in.

I turned in the direction of the kitchen to do as I was told, like a pauper, like a maid, like Cinderella who was reduced to a maid in her own father's house but it differed for me because this time, there were no princes who would save me from this nightmare.

There seemed to be no end to it.