Chapter 2 - A Change of Uniform
The next morning felt like a bizarre hallucination.
Tessa arrived at the estate expecting to be handed her gray housekeeping cart.
Instead, the head of security was waiting for her at the employee entrance.
Paul looked down at her with a completely unreadable expression.
He handed her a small silver keycard.
You have full clearance for the East Wing now.
Tessa took the card with trembling fingers.
Paul motioned for her to follow him down the long, sterile corridor.
They bypassed the servant quarters entirely.
He led her to a massive bedroom located directly across from Beatrice's room.
This is your new room, Paul stated flatly.
Tessa stepped inside and gasped out loud.
The room was larger than her entire apartment.
A massive king-sized bed sat in the center with Egyptian cotton sheets.
The windows overlooked the sprawling private gardens of the estate.
A fresh set of expensive medical scrubs lay perfectly folded on the mattress.
They were a soft, calming shade of blue, entirely different from the harsh white worn by the registered nurses.
The boss wants you on site twenty-four hours a day, Paul explained.
You get two days off a month.
Tessa walked over to the bed and touched the soft fabric of the scrubs.
I do not have a medical degree, she said quietly.
Paul crossed his massive arms over his chest.
The boss does not care about degrees.
He cares about results.
Tessa changed into the blue scrubs and walked across the hall to room 104.
The two expensive registered nurses were already there.
They looked at her new uniform with obvious disdain.
What are you doing here? the taller nurse demanded sharply.
Tessa stood up straight, trying to project a confidence she did not feel.
I am taking over Beatrice's primary care.
The nurse laughed a harsh, mocking sound.
You are a cleaner.
You do not even know how to check her blood pressure.
Before Tessa could reply, a deep voice echoed from the doorway.
She will not need to.
Damian Costa walked into the room.
The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees instantly.
The two nurses turned pale and immediately stepped away from the bed.
You two will handle the medical charts and the medication, Damian ordered.
Tessa will handle everything else.
He looked directly at the taller nurse.
If you speak to her with disrespect again, I will have your tongue removed.
The nurse nodded frantically, her eyes wide with absolute terror.
Damian turned his attention back to Tessa.
His gaze softened just a fraction of a millimeter.
Do whatever you need to do.
He left the room, leaving behind a heavy, suffocating silence.
Tessa walked over to the bed and smiled gently at Beatrice.
The old woman looked up and smiled back.
Later that afternoon, Tessa's cell phone buzzed in her pocket.
It was an automated text message from the hospital billing department.
She pulled the phone out, expecting another threat of collection.
Instead, she stared at the screen in complete disbelief.
Your outstanding balance of four hundred thousand dollars has been paid in full.
Tessa dropped the phone onto the floor.
She covered her mouth with her trembling hands.
May you like
She knew exactly who had done it.
She ran out of the room and sprinted down the hallway toward the basement stairs.
