Chapter 4 Hauntful Memories

The next day, Mia was on her way to her late uncle's house.

Luther drove her in his car. It was a quiet drive until they were almost at the house.

"Mia, I want you to promise me that you won't be violent."

"You want me to promise that?"

It seemed funny-she was violent, and he wanted her to promise she wouldn't be herself?

"Yeah."

"I can't make a promise, but I'll try not to be violent. Besides, if I wanted to be violent, I wouldn't have applied for a job. I would have gone for Plan B instead, so..."

"Fair point."

They arrived at the house, and Luther pulled over across the road, a bit far from the house.

Mia sighed and got out.

"Stay safe, okay?" Luther said with a smile.

"You too."

She walked slowly to the house, a flicker of emotions in her eyes.

As soon as she stepped inside and shut the door, memories flooded in-haunting memories.

"Uncle, please," she begged.

"Shut up and lie down."

"Ple...please." She walked backward in fear.

A slap resounded across her face.

She gasped, tasting blood in her mouth.

"Lie down, I said!" he ordered, pressing her chin with his thumb and index finger, her head pinned against the wall.

She knew there was no way out-except to run.

Mustered with all her strength, she pushed him. He was drunk, so it was easier than usual.

She ran to the door, but it was locked, and she didn't have the key. So she sprinted to the kitchen to get hers.

"Hey, little bastard, come here!" he slurred, staggering toward her.

He caught her just as she was about to grab her keys and yanked her hair forcefully.

"You think you're smart, huh?"

She screamed in pain, clutching her scalp, feeling as if he was ripping her hair from her skull.

He tore her shirt and dragged her toward the room.

Desperately, she grabbed a knife from the kitchen table.

He shoved her onto the bed and pulled off his shirt.

"Stay away from me, or I'll kill you!" she warned, pointing the knife at him with shaking hands.

He didn't stop. He kept coming closer.

And before she knew it, her hand was covered in blood. The knife was in his chest.

His eyes widened in shock before he finally collapsed onto the ground.

Trembling, she crawled toward him.

"Uncle?" she called in tears. "Can you hear me? Uncle? Uncle?"

Her shaky fingers hovered under his nostrils.

He was dead.

Her eyes widened, tears streaming down her face.

She was a murderer. She had killed...

Ring.

Mia's phone ringtone yanked her back to reality.

She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Luther, what is it?" she asked, trying to steady her voice.

"Why aren't you coming out? The driver has been knocking for a while now, and I got worried."

"Oh... I'm coming out now."

A knock sounded at the door. She quickly composed herself before opening it.

"Good morning, Miss Natasha. I'm here to pick you up on Mr. Hugh's orders."

She simply smiled and nodded.

The driver led her to the car. She looked up, gave Luther a small smile, then entered.

---

Mr. Hugh's mansion was beautiful, but it was painted cream-a color Mia detested.

She and Ralph were led to their quarters by the housekeeper, Emily. The space was large and comfortable, but the color was a pain in Mia's neck. She hated bright colors; they irked her soul. But she had no choice now. She had to stay in a room painted white. Out of all colors, white.

Mia picked the bed next to the window while Ralph took the other.

They unpacked and settled in.

After a brief rest and introduction, they went to prepare dinner-spaghetti, as informed by the housekeeper.

Mia did all the cooking while Ralph handled the vegetables.

The way she prepared the meal made it seem like she had been cooking for years, but it was just a month's training.

God had made her with a high IQ. Anything she put her heart into, she mastered perfectly.

The cooking was done almost in silence, apart from the little discussions Ralph initiated. Soon, the meal was ready and served as per Mr. Hugh's orders.

They were led out by the guard stationed outside the kitchen door. Mia tried not to look suspicious as she surveyed the surroundings. CCTV cameras were everywhere.

The moment she stepped out, she bumped right into Mr. Hugh.

She wasn't very tall, so her head collided with his hard chest, making her nearly fall backward. But he caught her by the waist.

For two seconds, they locked eyes.

Two agonizing seconds in which Mia had to fight the urge to punch his face.

How dare he touch her?

She would have preferred falling over rather than having his filthy hands on her.

She looked up at him, and her mind screamed: Murderer.

Mia took a deep breath and got back into character.

She lowered her head in an apologetic bow, inwardly vowing to kill him for making her bow to him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hugh."

Her voice is too innocent for her outlook. Anton thought.

He wanted to smile and tell her it was okay, but he remembered-he was CEO Hugh Anton.

"Next time, you might not be so lucky," he said coldly before walking in.

"I don't need luck. But you do." Mia smirked inwardly.

She left the scene with Ralph, who was still bowing respectfully.

---

Anton smiled as he stepped inside.

It was a good way to start the evening.

After freshening up, he came down for dinner-he really wanted to taste the meal.

He opened the dish and smiled in satisfaction. He quickly plated the food, about to take a bite when he remembered something important.

He hadn't checked the kitchen's CCTV footage yet.

He connected his phone to the feed and watched intently as Mia cooked.

He listened to their little discussion, not wanting to miss any detail about her.

But then, he heard something that shocked him.

"Well, my parents died on the same day. They were killed. I watched them die."

Her tone was cold, detached.

How could she say something like that with such indifference?

Was that why her eyes always carried that nonchalant look?

He felt a strange sadness hearing it. It reminded him of his own parents.

The blood on the car seats. His mother's lifeless eyes staring at him. Their mutilated bodies. All the...

He shook his head, pushing the memories away.

He realized his eyes had turned misty. He blinked a few times, forcing them dry.

He had lost his appetite.

But then, he remembered Mia had cooked the meal.

He decided to taste it anyway.

It wasn't exactly exquisite, but he liked it.

---

Mia sat on her bed, staring out the closed window, lost in thought.

She kept strategizing ways to get deeper into the house-especially upstairs.

She was sure what she needed was up there. But first, she had to survey the interior and have a concrete plan before executing her mission.

Time was just...

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing.

She checked the number. From the last two digits, she knew it was Dixon.

She didn't save his number-to be safe. If things went wrong and she got caught, she wouldn't let her friends go down with her.

The first thing she heard after picking up was Dixon's scolding.

"Couldn't you at least call to let us know how your day went?"

"I'm sorry, Grandma. I forgot to."

"You know I hate it when you call me that!"

"Then stop acting like one."

She heard soft laughter-it was Luther.

"How are you, Mia?" Luther asked.

"Okay."

"How was your first day?"

"Annoying."

"What happened?" Dixon asked eagerly.

"Nothing that concerns you."

Dixon frowned. "Why are you so mean?"

"Because you're the best."

"Don't try to bribe me with words!"

"Okay, truth be told-you're the worst."

Dixon groaned, and Luther laughed again.

"Take care, you guys. I'll keep you posted. For now, I need sleep. Breakfast duty calls."

"Okay, good night. Take care, too."

"I will. Good night, Grandma."

"I hate you."

"I hate you too, Grandma," she chuckled, ending the call.

Seconds later, she still had that smile on her face.

Those two-she couldn't let anyone hurt them.

Tomorrow was uncertain. But she was ready.