Bullied Cinderella - Hollie Hutchins Page 0,2

with a loud booming voice.

“She’ll do fine,” he barked. “And if there are any problems?”

“Come back to me and I’ll see that we set her straight,” he replied with an ominous grin.

I felt nervous and afraid, and this was not the sort of thing I pictured from Elaina’s letter. It was hard to believe she stayed in this same building and went through this same process and could still write back to us with such a positive report. I could only hope she was not just one of the lucky few who ended up in a good post and that the same outcome was still possible for me.

But such hopes faded as they carted me off from the auction building. It was late at night and darkness surrounded us as they shoved me into their car. They crowded in around me and helped themselves to long, greedy stares at my figure. I squirmed in my seat and did my best to shield myself from their eyes, but I dared not say a word. I could not start off on the wrong foot with them.

The ride to their estate was mostly silent other than the few things they whispered amongst themselves. By all their quiet, discreet jokes, I couldn’t tell if it meant they would be fun to be around once we warmed up to each other, or if it was me they were making fun of.

It remained a mystery as we arrived at their property. I was handed over to staff members to help me get settled in and the cousins vanished. An older, heavyset woman named Camila was charged with showing me around and seeing me to my room. She walked fast and talked even faster. My head spun as she spouted off directions. Once I realized she was giving me orders on the patient I would be caring for, I had to speak up.

“Disculpe, señora,” I interjected timidly. “Sorry to interrupt, but could you speak a little slower? I can barely keep up with where we are in the house, much less what you’re telling me. I wouldn’t want to do anything wrong and…”

She cut me off in a huff and rolled her eyes. “This is exactly what we get when we get help from that damned auction. A bunch of incompetents…” Her words trailed off into a stream of expletives that I couldn’t entirely make out. “Look, everything will make more sense in the light of day. We’ll go over everything more than and you’ll meet Donña Angela. She’ll want to be the one to give you all the instructions anyway. But you’ll have to be sharp in front of her, Miss. You understand? I’m only trying to give you an advantage. Don’t dally with her, and certainly don’t ask her to slow down or repeat herself. She’ll have you thrown out on your ass before you can bat those pretty lashes of yours.”

I was angry and embarrassed and didn’t know how I could possibly respond to redeem myself. Somehow I had already messed up, and I had only just got there.

“About the patient...You were saying?”

She started marching through the halls of our quarters again, talking even faster than before. “Don German. He’s healthy but in a wheelchair. He’s a war veteran. You’ll be his caretaker...serving him meals, taking him around the estate...You’ll be his right hand. Whatever he asks, you do. Got it?”

“Got it,” I nodded confidently, even though a huge lump was forming in my throat.

Before I knew it, I was shoved off into one of the bedrooms and told to report downstairs at precisely six o’clock in the morning. That’s when Donña Angela and Don German would be waiting for my official introduction, but I would start much earlier on most days. German still went by military schedule and liked to rise with the sun. But for tomorrow I was expected to be well-rested, well-groomed, and dressed in my uniform - ready to get to work.

I did my best to settle my nerves with a long bath, but there was no hot water. Our rooms weren’t well-heated either, so I was freezing by the time I climbed into the stiff, crisp sheets of my bed. I missed my warm hand-stitched quilt on my bed at home and the comfort of my own room already. My head was spinning with fears and doubts as I tried to close my eyes to sleep. Had Elaina lied? Had I made a mistake? Everything happened so fast and...I