Chapter 5 I Don't Like Being Touched... Mr Hugh

Early the next morning, Mia and Ralph were already out to prepare breakfast.

The guard positioned at the door let them in.

Mia walked in, studying the interior while trying not to look suspicious. She kept in mind the number of CCTV cameras she saw and where they were positioned.

She looked at the stairs at the far end of the sitting room leading up.

She needed to get upstairs, but her business was only downstairs.

She saw some maids making their way up to clean, then smiled. She had an idea, but it wasn't to be applied now.

They entered the kitchen and began preparing breakfast, working almost in silence.

Ralph wasn't really a quiet one, so he tried to start a conversation, but the problem was how to address her.

"Ma'am?"

"Don't call me that," she shot at him quickly. "Call me by my name."

"Okay, Miss Natasha, can-"

"Natasha."

"Okay, Na...tasha, can I ask you something?"

He felt uncomfortable calling her by her name.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you so distant?"

She looked at him with her brows raised.

"Distant?"

"Yes. We stay together and work together, but you act as if you don't see me. I'm not saying we should be close or something, but at least have a... worker's relationship." He was uncertain about the right term.

"A worker's relationship, huh? I can try, but don't hope for too much."

Ralph smiled.

"You know, the first time I saw you, I was a bit afraid of you because you looked feisty."

Mia was already bored.

"Really? Tell me all about it."

---

Anton sat on his bed, legs crossed, watching the conversation on his laptop.

His eyes followed Mia as she served his breakfast, and he thought,

"What do I really want with her?"

He couldn't quite answer that. All he knew was that he found her interesting.

He picked up his jacket and a document, then went downstairs.

---

"Good morning, Mr. Hugh," Mia greeted with a bow.

"Good morning, sir," Ralph greeted with a respectful bow.

Anton nodded in response and sat down to eat. Taking the cue, they turned to leave.

"Chef Natasha," Anton called, making her stop.

"Wait behind," he said with authority.

Mia hated that. He made it seem as though she was subjected to him, but she wasn't subjected to anyone except God.

Ralph went on while she stood innocently.

"Sit down," he commanded, and she hated him even more. Regardless, she sat down.

She watched him eat, her heart clenching in anger.

She didn't want to believe she was here, breathing the same air as this murderer, this home destroyer, this cause of pain, this...

"Natasha," Anton called in a higher pitch when she didn't answer his previous calls, his brows already creased in worry.

"Huh? I mean, yes... sir?"

She had been too lost in her curses to hear him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, Mr. Hugh."

"Are you fine?"

"Yes, sir."

He found that hard to believe.

A moment ago, she had just been lost, her brows furrowed in an emotion he couldn't quite name, her eyes fixated on nothing in particular. And now she said she was fine?

He decided to leave it. Maybe it was something personal.

"Okay. Have you had breakfast?"

"No, sir, but I will in a bit."

"Join me then."

"No, thank you, sir. I'm good."

Anton was just stalling. He didn't even know why he had called her back.

What was he supposed to tell her?

After a pause, he finally spoke.

"Chef Natasha, from now on, I want you to be present whenever I eat. You are to stay until I'm done eating unless I say otherwise."

Mia tried not to believe what she had just heard.

Did she look like his slave or something?

She was not his bodyguard for crying out loud!

Still, she said a straight, "Okay," her face void of emotion.

"But for now, you can go. Eat something, okay?"

She nodded, bowed, and left.

As soon as she stepped out of Anton's presence, her blood boiled violently in anger.

Who was he to order her around?

But now, the main problem was-would she be able to stay around him without killing him?

---

The moment Anton got out of his car, he told Robert,

"Get me her details."

"Who?"

"Chef Natasha."

Robert grinned. "I thought you'd never ask," he said as they walked in.

---

Mia decided to take a stroll around the house since she had nothing to do and didn't want to engage in any pointless discussions with Ralph.

What started as a simple walk around her quarters escalated into wandering toward the maids' quarters.

After a while, she decided to head back, but turning around brought her face-to-face with the head maid, Emily.

"Hi, how can I help you?" Emily asked politely.

"I'm just taking a stroll. I was bored," Mia answered.

"Oh, I see. Well, in that case, would you mind if I showed you around?"

"No, not at all. In fact, I'd be grateful."

"Let's go."

Mia smirked.

Emily became like a tour guide.

"...This is the guards' quarters," Emily said, nodding at some guards as they passed by.

They walked further, and Emily pointed.

"That's the garage."

Mia's mouth almost fell open, but she was quick to maintain her composure.

There were about ten cars parked neatly inside, all of them the latest models.

"What does he even do with all these cars? Three or four should be enough. Or is he planning to sell them? Oh wait, he's just a showoff."

Emily led her through the mansion. Mia examined everything closely, committing the structure to memory.

Emily suddenly paused and touched her pants pocket.

"My keys... I can't find them."

"Try to remember where you kept them."

"I used them to open the doors for the maids to clean, then I hooked them to-oh, I remember now! I left them on the table in the room when I got a call. Let's go get them."

Mia smiled.

She was going upstairs.

"Forgot my keys" Emily told the guard and he nodded.

He put in the pass code and they went in.

Mia followed her upstairs quietly, and looked around making sure not to appear suspicious because CCTV cameras were planted almost everywhere.

Emily entered into the room and picked her keys.

Mia acted like a curious little girl as they walked down the hallway.

"What room is this?" She pointed.

"Mr Hugh's room"

"Oh. Okay. What room is that?"

"The former chef, Mr Bono's room. We don't clean it if he isn't present but now he's in coma, Mr Hugh ordered us to respect Mr Bono by not cleaning his room in his absence." She said that with a stiff shrug.

"Hmm...okay"

They made a turn and Mia saw a door on that path.

"What room is that?"

"That's Mr Hugh's study room..." they started the stairs down and she continued "...he doesn't let us clean the room if he isn't present as well."

"Hmm"

Now she definitely acknowledged that he was hiding something in there- she knew that what she was looking for was in there.

When they got out, Mia asked, "Why is Chef Bono's room in the mansion?"

It didn't make sense that she was a chef and she was in a quarter, but Mr Bono was given a room in the mansion.

"He and Mr Hugh are really close, he is like a father figure to Mr Hugh."

"Oh...Okay"

They had reached the quarters already.

"Thank you for today, I'm grateful"

She really was; she had gotten useful information from her and had also gotten a chance to go upstairs.

---

Mia sat watching Anton as he ate his dinner.

This was the stupidest thing she had ever seen, heard of, or done.

She sighed.

Anton didn't like the silence; it was uncomfortable, so he tried starting a conversation.

"Your meals are exquisite, Chef Natasha."

"I'm glad you like them, sir," she replied with an insincere smile.

"How do you like your stay here?"

"It's okay, sir."

"Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable? I can look into it."

"No, sir," she said in a plain tone.

"You can tell me. I want my chef to be comfortable."

"I'm okay, sir."

Anton felt she wasn't in the mood to talk, so he let it go.

She just stared at anywhere but him.

Did he just want to annoy her or what?

How could he indirectly tell her to watch him eat?

She felt like punching his nose, seeing the blood flowing out will be pleasing to her.

Yes, she had sadistic pleasure when it came to people who wronged her.

When he finished eating, he stood up, and Mia did the same.

She stretched her hand to clear the dishes, but Anton held her hand to stop her.

Out of impulse, she almost punched him.

Her left fist was already in the air, inches from his nose.

Anton's eyes widened in shock.

Did she just try to punch him?

What did he do?

She yanked her right hand from his grip and withdrew her left fist.

Anton couldn't shake off the stiffness he felt.

"I don't like being touched... Mr. Hugh," she muttered, her eyes downcast-not in apology, but to hide the anger in her eyes.

She wished she had just inched a bit closer and landed the punch on that pointed nose of his.

What stopped her was, she remembered that she was his employee, and she was not yet sure if he was the murderer or not, also she kind of made a promise to Luther not to be violent.

"Ok, I didn't know that. I'm sorry"

His apology was genuine, Mia knew that.

She wondered if he was supposed to do that-apologize.

Yes she wanted him to apologize, but it didn't feel right; for now he was her boss so...

He was expecting her to reply to that, but she didn't know what to say, so she just started picking up the dishes.

He almost touched her hand again to stop her but realized it before it was too late, and withdrew his hand.

"Don't do that, the maids will do it"

She nodded and stood stiffly, not sure if she was to leave.

As if reading her mind, he said, "You can go now. Good night"

"Good night sir" and she walked out.

Once she got out, she was finally able to breath well.