MADAM ALYSSA COOPER

I felt like an illegitimate child and learned to keep my distance. I didn't ask for much and followed orders without hesitation. Eventually, I began working with the only servant my mother hired to care for my sister, Felicia. I desperately need a way out of this place that feels like a prison.

On the month after we turned twelve, my father's aunt Madam Alyssa Cooper, who was the most feared person in our family, came to visit us. Although I had never met her before, I was certain that Felicia had seen her before. As soon as she arrived, Felicia greeted her with a smile and addressed her as "Grand aunt". However, Madam Alyssa looked at Felicia with suspicion. I had heard stories about her, and I knew that she was someone who refused to pretend and was always clear about her feelings.

"Aunt Alyssa," my father said, feigning happiness. According to Uncle Matthew, no one is ever happy to see her visit because she always brings trouble.

"I have been informed by residents of my villa that you are mistreating one of your twins," she said with a serious expression. I am curious to know which villa she is referring to and who the people are who provided her with this information.

"I'm only disciplining her, Aunt. It's not what you think," my father said shivering. It was satisfying to see him scared.

"I want that twin, Frederick," she said coldly. Upon hearing this, my heart sank with mixed feelings. I was leaving this horrible house to live with the most feared person in the family, and that meant losing my best friend. Madam Alyssa Cooper lived on the outskirts of town, which was more than a four-hour ride away.

"There she is," my mother said, pointing at me. I hadn't noticed her presence, but her reaction would have been interesting to watch. I turned to look at her and saw her pointing at me. This wasn't surprising, as I was the mistreated twin. Madam Alyssa Cooper was now looking at me. She walked up to me and examined me carefully.

"Let's go," she said, walking away gracefully. Everything happened so fast that I didn't understand anything. I ran to my room, packed my necessities, and went outside to meet her. The driver opened the backseat door, and I sat next to her.

"I will let this slide since you don't know my rules yet," she said. The car zoomed off, leaving me feeling sad that I hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to Emily, my best friend.

The four-hour ride was silent. Madam Alyssa was working on her laptop while I was staring at the empty road. Soon, we arrived at a Golden Gate, and the gate opened to let us in. It was like an entire state on its own, with people walking up and down the place. I watched in admiration as I saw big houses, stores, hospitals, security offices, and other amenities that a state or country is supposed to have.

I didn't notice that we had already spent another hour in the so-called villa. The car entered a gate that opened by itself and parked a few miles away from the main building. Madam Alyssa got out of the car, and I followed her as she walked inside the building. The house was beautifully decorated with black balloons and a "welcome home" sticker. I felt happy as no one had ever done this for me before. I was always left out.

I was still lost in my thoughts when I suddenly burst into tears. Madam Alyssa looked at me with cold eyes before walking away. She was the first person who didn't sympathize with me.

An elderly lady approached me with a smile, appearing to be in her early seventies.

"Welcome home, young miss," she said sweetly.

"Thank you, ma'am," I replied politely.

"Let's go to your room," she said, taking the small backpack I was carrying. I knew it was too heavy for her, so I took it back.

"Let me help you," she insisted, smiling sweetly.

"It's a bit heavy, ma'am," I replied politely, and she allowed me to carry it.

We followed the same route as Madam Alyssa, and we arrived at an elevator. The old woman pressed the button, and the door opened. We got in, and she pressed the seventh-floor button. I hadn't realized how big the place was, and to my surprise, my bedroom was on the seventh floor. I was excited to see what kind of room awaited me - whether it was a basic one or a typical girl's room.

We reached the seventh floor, and the elevator door opened. We walked down the hallway to a door entrance - the only one on the seventh floor. The old woman pressed a button that seemed to access a fingerprint scanner, and the door opened.

As soon as I walked in, I was stunned. The room was breathtakingly beautiful, and I was at a loss for words. In front of me was a large, black-framed tufted bed with a marble top nightstand and a black sconce lamp.

"This is your room," she said as if she could read my thoughts.

I looked at her with happiness, and she smiled sweetly.

"Let me show you around," she said as she walked further into the room. Initially, I mistook the lounge area for the bedroom since I could see the bed from the door. However, I later realized that I have a lounge of my own. I felt privileged to be there as they had paid attention to every little detail. They incorporated my favourite colour and added a touch of white to the room. I followed her into the magnificent bedroom. The duvet colour, bedside clock, sheet set, throw pillow, and fur pillow were all luxurious. A wall-mounted bookcase with interesting books and a black butterfly wall paint sat on the other side of the bedroom. The room had a couch and ottoman, and it was decorated with bright light, white glitter paint, and other room decor. The room decorations I brought from home would be useless in a room like this. While checking out my new bedroom, I discovered a door in the wall.

I opened it and was once again awestruck by the vast walk-in closet. It was like a luxurious boutique, with accessories in clear acrylic organizers, a chic woven basket, a big bright chandelier, LED strip lights under shelves, vertical shoe storage, crown moulding, different display artwork, a full-length mirror, and a large hanging mirror on the opposite wall with a beautified sitting area. Who would have thought the mistreated twin would one day have such a walk-in closet? I became emotional and shed tears.

Suddenly, I heard a stern voice say, "Crying for every little thing makes you weak." I turned around and was surprised to see Madam Alyssa standing behind me with her hands folded.

"Call me Mom," she said strictly, and I nodded.

"Is there anything you would like to change?" she asked, looking at the bedroom.

"No, Mom," I replied. She left the room without saying another word. I wondered why she wanted me to call her mom when she was only my grandaunt.

I walked up to the old woman who greeted me with a sweet smile despite my confused expression.

"What may I call you, ma'am?" I asked, realizing I did not know her name.

"Nanny," she replied, still smiling. I began to wonder why everyone around me seemed to be forming a relationship with me. First my grandaunt, and now her servant.

"She doesn't have a child of her own," the woman said, as if she could read my thoughts. Hearing this, I felt a sense of sadness for my grandaunt. All I knew was that she never got married because she was too wealthy, and I could see this reflected in every aspect of the room I had just entered, which she called her villa.

I wanted to ask more questions, but my nanny walked into a hallway next to the wall-mounted bookcase and opened the first door. Once again, I was awestruck. The room she opened was magnificent and beautiful; it had everything a bathroom is supposed to have, and I loved the fact that they paid attention to details.

"Why do you love black?" she asked me with a sweet smile.

"I've always loved black since I was a kid," I replied with a smile.

"I think you're still a kid," she said with her usual sweet smile.

We moved out of the bathroom to another door at the end of the hallway. It was a study room with different books, a reading nook by the window, and a cozy swing chair at the other end. The study table had a computer set and a comfy chair in front of it. What more could I ask for if I have all this? I was about to cry when I remembered what Madam Alyssa had said a few minutes ago.

After leaving the study room, we made our way back to the bedroom. As we entered, my attention was immediately drawn to the large glass French door that led to the balcony. I had seen many luxurious things in the room, but the balcony was by far the most impressive. It had a beautiful swimming pool with a patio area beside it.

As I looked around, I noticed that there was even more to the balcony than just the pool. At the end of the balcony, there was a comfortable-looking couch and a table.

"This is truly stunning," I exclaimed, admiring the incredible view from the balcony.