Bullied Cinderella - Hollie Hutchins Page 0,22

grand reveal.

“She’s much more than some lowly servant now,” Jorge grumbled. “She was the guest of honor last night. She somehow managed to buy a plot of land nearby. Parts of it line up with our property, as it so happens.”

Mother froze for a brief second, hiding the full extent of her shock. But she was quick to brush it off. “New money,” she scoffed. “Well, nevermind her all the same. She’s still a lowly servant in my book. No amount of money can change that. Only good breeding and being raised in a good family can make a person worth anything.”

Jorge and Dario ignored her and continued going on and on about Lucia’s sudden transformation into a high-society woman. I knew if they kept on, it would only make mom lecture them more. I didn’t want to hear any of it. I had scarfed down my food too quickly and was feeling sick. I didn’t bother getting fully dressed before excusing myself to the garden for a walk. I traipsed across the lawn in my slippers and robe, moaning with every step.

My feelings about Lucia were complicated. They had been from the moment she confronted me in the laundry quarters. She was annoying and stuck-up even though she had no right to be. But she was also undeniably attractive...even without a proper place in society or fancy dresses or makeup. She had a sort of natural beauty that only irked me more. It’s why I had given her such a hard time during her stay here. There were other hot housekeepers and staff members, sure. But none of them quite compared to her, and she thought she was too good for us anyhow.

I tried to march off my frustrations and ended up quite far from the house. I could see the portion of our property lines that lined up with Lucia’s, and just through the trees, I could make out the shape of her hacienda. I imagined her sitting somewhere beyond those walls. I imagined she was feeling quite pleased with herself after last night’s spectacle. She probably thought she was some kind of Cinderella after being paraded around in front of all those people...dancing with all of those men.

Her dress really was...nice. The fabric was fine and expensive, and it hugged her body in all the perfect ways. I had never appreciated the full extent of her curves that were hidden under the brown frock she wore here. But last night they were on full display - cleavage and hips and all. Each wrapped in blue silk that popped against her caramel skin and dark, long, flowing hair. I wondered what she wore on a morning like this. Or maybe...what she didn’t wear. Would she take a shower at this time of day? Could her naked, wet body be somewhere inside of that small house?

I mumbled expletives under my breath and promptly turned to storm off in the other direction, shaking off any fantasies I might have about Lucia. The only thing more infuriating than her plump breasts and ass were her pink, plump lips...which had no problem smarting off to me. The nerve. No woman of her stature had ever dared speak to me the way she had, even when I was still her employer. She should have been kicked out a long time ago. Innocent or not, I was glad Dario sent her away. I only wished she would have stayed gone.

I told myself that Mother was right. Lucia may have had the dress, money, and land to go along with her snooty attitude, but that didn’t change who she really was. She was just some poor nobody who used to barely get by. I’d say she was lazy, even though I knew that wasn’t exactly true. She did make it hard for me to give her too much trouble while she was under our employment. She may have worked hard, but it wasn’t enough to earn her such a big fortune overnight.

I didn’t know if I’d ever solve that mystery or stop the nagging feeling in my gut about her, but I soon came across one of my least favorite landscapers and decided I didn’t have to do any of those things. I only needed to distract myself. This was the perfect opportunity. I had decided to test the gardener’s knowledge of proper fertilizing techniques by giving him a faulty recipe that I knew was sure to kill off anything it touched.

“You there!” I pointed.