Chapter 2

"Eleanor Vance, didn't you hear my mother talking to you? Are you staying, or are you going to pack your things and clear out now?"

Important documents in my father's study, and my mother's precious belongings – they're all still here. I can't leave.

"I'll stay."

A flicker of triumph flashed in Liam Harrison's eyes. "Smart girl. Glad you know your place. If you're willing to stay, then do as my mother says. From now on, you're the maid of this house. Lunchtime is almost here, go make some food!"

"Amber will be over soon. She loves honey-glazed salmon the most. Hurry up and make it! And remember, every single bone must be picked out clean!"

I froze.

Maureen suddenly lost her temper. "What are you staring at?! That's my grandchild in Amber's belly! What's wrong with asking you to de-bone a fish? Still think you're the rich heiress you used to be? Your dad's dead! Didn't leave you a single cent!"

"Stop acting like some pampered princess! Get to the kitchen and clean that fish, now!" Maureen quickly ripped off her apron and flung it at me. "Hurry up and follow me! I'm only showing you once!"

Liam, buttoning up his shirt, urged me on. "Faster, faster! Don't drag your feet. If Amber arrives and you haven't finished, you'll see how I deal with you!"

He casually picked up my father's car keys and drove off. I watched Liam's receding figure, feeling a strange disconnect. Just a month ago, he was kneeling before my father, repeatedly kowtowing, thanking him for agreeing to let me marry him.

He was just a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, decent enough, but always lacking courage. He only really started making something of himself thanks to my father's constant support and countless opportunities.

My father had been vehemently against the marriage, but it was Liam's meticulous attention, his always-agreeable attitude, that finally swayed his mind.

Who would have thought that less than a day after my father's 'death', he'd already morphed into a monster.

"What are you looking at?! He's not your man anymore!"

A cold, fishy-smelling pair of scissors clattered onto my foot. Maureen roughly nudged me. "Stop daydreaming! Cleaning this fish is what matters now!"

Ribbonfish bones are tiny and numerous. Maureen, fearing I wouldn't be thorough enough, refused to let me wear gloves.

My fingertips were a bloody mess, riddled with thorns, before I'd even cleaned half the fish. My father also loved ribbonfish, but he was never good at picking out bones.

Yet whenever he asked Maureen to make it, he'd always say she was too old, afraid she'd hurt herself. He never made her de-bone them.

I met Maureen's ugly sneer with a cold smile of my own. Go on, dig your own grave. What goes around, comes around.

Under Maureen's relentless urging, the dishes were all on the table just as Liam walked in, his arm wrapped around Amber Reed's waist. Honey-glazed salmon, barbecue ribs, creamy truffle pasta, and a rich beef stew – every single one was a dish Liam had specified, Amber's favorites.

Only the simple steamed broccoli in the corner – my favorite. Liam knew that, but he merely glanced at it before sweeping it straight into the trash can. "Eleanor Vance, how many times have I told you? Amber doesn't eat vegetables! What's the meaning of putting a plate of broccoli on the table?"

"That's my—"

"Yours? When has my mother, the maid, ever sat at this table in twenty years? Is that a place for you, a maid?!"

"For your insolence, you won't be eating lunch today! Just stand by Amber's side and serve her!"

This wasn't my first time seeing Amber. Every previous meeting, she'd been all smiles, calling me 'Ellie-jie' with sickening flattery. Now, her expression had soured. She daintily pointed a finger at the fish, her voice a sickly sweet whine. "Ellie, darling, could you please get me a piece of that ribbonfish? I'd love to taste your cooking."

"Amber, that fish is closer to you than it is to me..."

"Eleanor! What are you blabbering about?! Amber told you to serve her, so serve her!"

"And 'Amber'? Is that how you address her? From now on, you call her Mrs. Harrison, got it?"

Something inside me clenched. I mumbled for a few seconds, feeling utterly disgusted, but the words still wouldn't leave my mouth. Seeing my hesitation, Amber snuggled deeper into Liam's embrace, letting out a simpering giggle. "It's fine, Liam, don't bother Ellie. Just let her serve me."

Desperate to avoid any more sickening encounters, I picked up my forks and reached for the dish of fish. My forks had just touched the fish when Liam suddenly called out, "Wait!"

He quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket, exchanged a look with Amber, and then raised an eyebrow at me. "The Vance heiress serving others – now that's a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle! How could I not go live? Wouldn't want to disappoint all those guys who used to fall all over themselves for you, would we?"

The moment I reached to serve Amber the fish, Liam went live...