Chapter 4 23°Celsius

She was beautiful.

An epitome of perfection.

With those loving eyes and welcoming smile.

Anyone can fall for her.

"Welcome miss Stone.. How are you doing?"

Maria asked with a wide smile on her face which was rare as she mostly had a scowl on .

"I am great Maria, how are you and how are my little bundles of joy? Are they going to school regularly?"

She asked referring to the two children Maria has.

Her voice was so sweet and calming.

Each word she spoke sounded perfect and her accent was something I never heard before.

It was a mix of British and Italian I guess but altogether it was a voice you will never get bored listening to..

"I am good and so are Evan and Ray, they were so excited to meet you!!They wanted to bunk school to meet you but I insisted them to go."

"Well I am staying here only ,bring them when they come back. I also really want to meet them.."

She was an angel.

I mean she is the Heir of billions of net worth and still she is so grounded.

I can't believe this.

I can't believe she is for real.

"Good Morning Miss Andrea."

Aria said offering her a glass of water.

She took the glass and replied.

"A very good morning Aria. Thank you."

I stayed silent watching her every move and I must admit I couldn't find a single flaw in her.

I heard Andro's footsteps.

When I looked up there he was making his way towards us with long confident steps.

I was staring at him and I thought he was also looking at me with a bright smile but how badly mistaken I was.

He walked passed me and I realized he was looking at her as she was standing behind me.

He engulfed her in a hug and sounds of aww could be heard around.

It hurts.

A feeling of dread and loneliness engulfed me.

I crossed my arms to stop this uneasy feeling but it still lingered on.

I turned around to leave but his next words made me stop.

"Miss Brown bring two cups of tea!"

He ordered and I replied without turning around.

"Y..Yes S..ir"

I hurriedly ran passed them.

I reached the kitchen and filled a glass of water for my medicine.

Breathing was getting difficult and I placed the medicine in my mouth with shaking hands.

I inhaled and exhaled huge amounts of air.

Breathe ...Saph... Breath

I tried to calm myself but it was easier said than done.

I tried to distract myself and started preparing their tea, getting the cups ready and filling the bowls with snacks.

Aria entered.

"Hey Saph you need some help?"

"No ..Ari ..I am good."

I said trying to act normal.

"Are you alright Saph?Your voice is quivering.."

She asked with concern.

"I am fine...It's just that I am having. A flu...it's nothing.."

"O okay let me know if you need something. And Sir is in the drawing room he asked you to serve his tea there."

"Okay.."

With this she was gone.

I poured the tea into the golden lined teacups and placed them in the tray

My hands were still shaking a bit and I closed my eyes to relax myself before I face them again.

With a strong grip on the handles I lifted the tray.

I made my way towards the drawing room and as I came near I could hear their conversation clearly.

"I told you I am feeling alright Alessandro don't worry."

I looked up to see them sitting next to each other staring into each others eyes.

Their hands intertwined and smiles evident.

"Are you keeping your promise to me."

She asked and I wondered what this promise was.

As I made my way towards them with each step I took my anxiety worsened.

"Yes Andrea I am keeping it..I haven't..."

He stopped when he heard the clattering if the teacups my shaking hands were making.

I looked down to show respect and to try to stop my anxiety but it was making my situation worse.

The silence in the hall was interrupted by the irritating sound of these tea cups and I felt both their eyes on me.

Please don't look.

Please don't look.

I was pleading in my mind.

As I approached them and his strong cologne entered my sensors my anxiety went to next level.

I had a full anxiety attack.

Black dots entered my vision and I felt light headed.

I tried to shake the hazy images but it resulted me loosing my balance and the teacups having burning hot tea slipped from the tray.

I tried to process what was happening.

The hot tea was going to land straight on miss Andrea.

I acted fast trying to break the fall.

My hand broke the fall and it resulted in the cup hitting my hand and then breaking down into numerous tiny pieces on the ground.

Miss Andrea shrieked with pain as some of the burning tea drops landed on her.

Andro sat up worried and pushed me out of the way to look at Andrea's injury.

My hand was numb just like my mind.

But I didn't cared.

My thoughts were pre occupied with the view in front of me.

Andro was scanning her injuries very carefully and his eyes held so much worry.

"Are you alright....O My god...it looks bad.... Maria...Maria bring the first Aid box ..hurry........"

Her beautiful dress was now stained and her hand had a small red mark

"It's burning .....aaahhhh.....it will be fine.... don't worry ...I am fine.."

her voice came out shaky.

"Oh my ...Miss Andrea apply this coolant on it...here..."

Maria said rushing with ice packs and creams.

I didn't even looked down to see my own hand as my eyes were fixed on the amount of pain I caused her.

Stupid!

Stupid!

How can I be so stupid!

I burned the daughter of a millionaire.

Her family will sue me.

I was cursing myself in my mind when Andro turned around to look at me

"How dare you!!"

His voice held so much anger that I felt like crying.

His stare made me step back with fear scared of what he will do.

"You clumsy woman!! Keep those disgusting hands of your steady or go die somewhere!! How dare you hurt her!! Do you even know who she is!!"

"Alessandro..stop..it's alright.."

Andrea pleaded from behind but he continued to use the words which were breaking me piece by piece.

"Lowlifes like you don't even deserve to step into a place like this bit we were generous to offer you this job....but you being a ungrateful brat couldn't do one thing right.......Hell you can't even walk properly how come you were hired for this job!!"

Endless tears were flowing down my cheeks as he continued to reprimand me.

"Alessandro..Please...stop."

"No Andrea I will not stop. Can't you see what she did.....You are too innocent and generous... you don't know girls like her.....they envy you and when they can't compete against you they engage in these dirty tactics .....bloody disgusting people...."

I looked up into his eyes ....my eyes asking him if this was what he thought of me...

I was never this low...

How could he even think I did this deliberately!

"Oh my god...your hand..."

Andrea said looking at my hand.

Everyone looked at my hands and had a shocked look.

I looked down to see my entire hand turned red with blisters everywhere.

I felt numb earlier but now as I saw my wound I started feeling the suppressed pain I was feeling.

My teardrops were not just because of his words but also from the pain of this burn

Andrea rushed towards me with a worried look at her face.

"Maria..bring ..the coolant hurry. We need to call the doctor.."

She was something else.

So pure and caring.

My eyes lifted to see Ando

He had a expression I couldn't decipher.

His eyes were fixed on my burn but I couldn't tell if he was worried or not.

But soon that expression was gone as he turned around and left.

I looked at his retreating back wondering since when did he become so heartless.

"Take these medicine for 1 week and the inflammation will be gone. But these marks will remain...."

The doctor said looking sadly at me but I didn't cared.

These scars were nothing compared to the scars on my soul.

Andrea was still sitting with me talking to the doctor.

"I am really sorry ma'am."

I said referring to the burn on her hand.

"It's alright they will heal but yours may not.....I will get you a special scars medicine ..it definitely works...don't worry they will vanish with time."

She said with a assuring smile.

"If it weren't for you my entire thighs and hands may have burned ....thank you ....."

"Sapphire."

I said and she smiles.

"If it weren't for me this entire accident wouldn't have happened....Madam Andrea this was all my fault ..you should scold me instead of thanking me.."

"Sapphire mistakes happen all the time ,we should learn to accept forgive and move forward in life....life is too short to worry about them even for 5 minutes when you definitely won't remember them in 5 years."

Her words had so much meaning and reality that I felt blessed to be in her presence.

She was truly what Andro said about her.

She was truly all that I could never be.

She was a replacement which was original while I was actual which was a replica.

Once she left wishing me fast recovery.

I picked up my diary and entered another entry into like many others.

28th may, 2018.

Dear diary.

I write with a burned hand and a scarred soul.

All those events my eyes behold.

She is meant to be his I know this for sure.

But my heart can't stop loving him more and more.

She said moving on is life.

But how can I when my mind is stuck on that night of 29th.

Love is a disease I heard people say many times.

And now when it stuck me I realized they couldn't have been more right.