Chapter 4
4
Lorenzo
My hands feel raw. The skin split at the knuckles, soap getting into every scrape. I’ve been here for hours.
Rinsing. Scrubbing. Stacking.
Repeating the same motion for so long that I’m not sure if I’m alive or if I’m dead, and this is hell. Maybe this is what my penance looks like. An endless cycle of dishes.
At least I’m alive.
And Mom and I have a roof over our heads.
Not that we’ve ever been homeless, but there have been times when shit got rough. Most recently because of me.
“Stop daydreaming.” Elise cuts through my thoughts, bringing me back to the here and now. “Concentrate on your job p>
I turn over my shoulder and find her leaning against the counter beside me. Elise is small and sharp. She’s the kind of woman who could charm the devil and then sell his secrets when all is said and done. She’s not one to fuck with, but also, she’s a good one to have on your side.
I flick a handful of suds at her. “Maybe I’m waiting for the dishes to talk back p>
She laughs, a quick, bright sound that doesn’t belong in this place. “I have a feeling you’re waiting on something else entirely p>
My brow rises. “What does that mean p>
“It means you’ve got that look again. The one that says you’re thinking about something you shouldn’t be p>
“Maybe I am.” A certain blonde that I shouldn’t be thinking about.
Her grin widens. “Let me guess… a certain girl p>
I turn my eyes back to the sink. “I have no idea what you’re talking about p>
“Sure, you don’t. So… you’re not daydreaming about the princess?” Elise’s tone changes to a tease.
“Princess? Didn’t know this house had one p>
“Cute.” She scoffs. “Victoria is practically sainted. Pretty, polite, rarely speaks. Says thank you to the staff and means it. She’s the perfect accessory for her parents to tote around p>
I’m not sure why what she says irritates me so much, but it does. What Victoria does, or what people think of her, shouldn’t bother me.
She means nothing to me.
Nor I to her.
So then why have my hands formed fists under the warm suds?
I’ve hardly spoken to her, and I already feel protective.
Not a good sign.
This won’t bode well for me.
A flash of her pale skin and soft laughter plays through my mind. The way the light spills through her hair is like an angel.
Shit.
Head in the game.
No thinking about your boss’s daughter like this.
“Same age as you, I think.” Elise bumps my shoulder. “It would be quite the scandal p>
“Scandal?” I arch a brow. “You make it sound like I’m plotting something p>
“Please.” She laughs from beside me. “You have that look. The one people get before they ruin themselves p>
Before I can answer, a low voice cuts through the noise of the sink.
“Don’t encourage him, Elise.” I turn in the direction of the man’s voice. “I’m Rob, work here too.” He’s tall and broad with grease on his hands and shadows under his eyes. He looks like he’s been around a long time, or at least longer than Elise and certainly longer than me.
He wipes his hands on a rag, eyes flicking over me. “If you’re smart, kid, you’ll stay away from her p>
Elise groans. “Here we go p>
“I mean it,” Rob says, his voice calm but edged. “You’re new here. You don’t know how this place works. The family’s bad news. Especially for people like us p>
“People like us,” I echo. “You mean the help p>
He doesn’t deny it. “We clean up their messes, pretend not to see the blood, and they keep the world spinning. That’s the deal p>
Elise rolls her eyes. “You make it sound like we work for vampires p>
Rob’s gaze doesn’t flinch. “You think I’m exaggerating? These people will eat you alive. Money and privilege don’t play by the same rules p>
I lean against the counter, watching him. “Yet you’re still here p>
He gives a humorless shrug. “Some of us don’t have anywhere else to go.” His eyes linger on me, measuring. “Don’t get ideas about the girl. She’s not for you p>
That strikes a nerve. Not because I want her—hell, I barely know her—but because of how easily people decide who belongs where. I’m already marked, and I haven’t even been here that long.
Before I can say anything else, Mary, one of the housekeepers, steps into the kitchen. “Can someone help me move the linens to the west wing?” she calls out to no one in particular.
“I’ll do it,” I say way too fast, making Elise snort.
“Volunteering for laundry now? You must really be bored.” Elise is clearly enjoying my pain.
“Better than dishes.” I grin, wiping my hands on my apron. “Just trying to earn my keep p>
Rob mutters something under his breath that sounds a lot like idiot, but I ignore him as I walk past him and follow Mary.
The estate stretches for what seems like forever, with endless corridors of polished wood and chandeliers that glow as if lit from beneath. Every step echoes beneath my shoes, and the air smells faintly of lemon polish.
I tell myself that I’m not looking for her. That I’m here just to do the damn linens.
But when I turn the corner and see her—everything in me stills.
Victoria stands by a tall window, sunlight slipping through the sheer curtains, turning her hair to gold. She’s laughing. It’s soft, real, and unguarded. It fills me with a sensation I haven’t felt in years.
Warmth.
She turns her head slightly, and our eyes meet.
The world goes silent.
For a heartbeat, it’s just her and me.
Two unlikely friends caught in each other’s orbits, staring at the other like we’ve known each other for a lifetime. Her expression is curious and cautious, but there’s a spark there, too. A flicker that shouldn’t be there at all. Not for a man like me.
And then she smiles.
It’s small. Hesitant. But it hits harder than it should.
Knocking the wind right out of my lungs. Something about her makes my chest tighten, makes me suddenly aware of every wrong thing about this moment.
I don’t smile back. I can’t. Not with Mary so close.
More footsteps sound down the hallway, and with that, the spell is broken.
Rob again. Of course.
He strides past, surveying me, and leans in close so only I can hear him. “I told you,” he says under his breath. “Stay away p>
“I’m not doing anything p>
He drills me with a stare that says I’m not fooling anyone. “You’re looking. That’s enough p>
I clench my jaw. “You sound like her bodyguard p>
“I’m trying to keep you alive p>
He grabs one end of the linens, forcing me to pick up the other. I follow him down the hall, though my eyes still linger back toward her.
Victoria raises a hand in a soft wave—half shy, half brave.
But I turn away before she can finish it.
Not out of pride. Out of survival.
I know that look in her eyes. The kind that can ruin a man like me.
A few minutes later, and no longer holding the linens, I make it back into the kitchen. Elise waits by the door, smirking. “So?” She crosses her arms. “Did you see her p>
“Briefly p>
“And p>
“She looked… normal p>
She barks out a laugh. “You’re the worst liar I’ve ever met p>
I don’t answer. I just head back to the sink. To the new pile of dishes stacked on the counter. The water is still hot enough to sting. I let it run and watch as the suds swirl down the drain, trying not to think about the way she looked when I didn’t acknowledge her.
A tight feeling spreads in my chest.
I shouldn’t seek her out. And I certainly shouldn’t want her.
But the lie sits heavy on my chest.
And I can’t decide if that scares me or thrills me more.