38 The Personal Maid

As soon as the car drove into Yang Manor, Lina hurriedly got off the car without waiting for Derek to open the door for her.

She stood with her hands on her knees and her back hunched over.

'Breathe Nana, calm down!' She repeated in her mind.

Derek noticed that something was wrong and immediately rushed to her.

"Young Miss? What's wrong?" He started panicking and was about to run inside to get help when Lina stopped him.

"I'm fine now. Just a little motion sickness and I feel dizzy sometimes." She wiped the sweat from her forehead and tried to reassure him.

Soon footsteps could be heard from inside the house and she signalled Derek not to talk about this anymore.

'I don't want them to panic over nothing.' She saw Butler Ping walking out to see who had come.

"I heard a car but no one entered, so I came to check who it was. Is everything alright, Young Miss?" He asked when he saw that it was Lina and Derek.

"Everything's fine. I was just talking to Derek about my schedule for tomorrow." She then turned to Derek.

"I'll be starting work from tomorrow but I still need you to pick me up and drop me off. Will that be fine?" She asked him.

"Yes Miss, Absolutely. Just let me know what time I need to be here in the morning. I'll drop you off on time, you won't ever be late with me driving you around." He saluted her enthusiastically.

'Am I making the right choice here?' She stiffly nodded at him and tried to walk steadily with her wobbly feet into the house.

She collapsed on the sofa as soon as she entered. 

'It's been so many years, why do I still feel so uneasy and scared?' She held her hand over her eyes to block out the bright light.

She lifted her hand and sat up straight after a few minutes.

'Again? Who is this person?'

 She saw the glass filled with fizzy soda in front of her and looked around but there was no one there.

'Lemon soda?' She sipped the soda and felt that her churning stomach had calmed a little, thanks to the sour drink.

'I will find you one day, you snacks serving ghost!' She chuckled and finished her glass.

She got up when her feet stopped shaking and walked upstairs to her room.

It was six in the evening and she had to decide what she would wear for her first day at the office tomorrow.

"I can't just wear these jeans and hoodies now can I?" She asked Suzie who was standing next to her in the walk-in closet, helping her find something nice to wear.

Suzie was now considered as Lina's personal maid as she had been called multiple times to help Lina. 

"No, Miss you can't. You need something formal, something decent." She snatched away the spaghetti top that was lying on the floor and neatly folded it before putting it in the laundry basket.

"Don't diss the Spaghetti! You have no idea how hot it was when I first arrived here. I'm still adjusting to the new weather." She defended herself.

"How about this? It's not exactly formal, but it will do for now. We can go shopping later if you want more clothes." Suzie suggested.

"Suzie you genius!" Lina held the black trouser with the white V-necked top that Suzie handed her.

Lina's work wardrobe was back in her parent's place and it would reach after a week and hence she had to adjust with whatever was available at present. 

'I'll need to buy some formal wear for this week.' She thought while looking at the clothes in her hand. 

"We still need to find a jacket." Lina pouted and looked back at her.

"You actually don't need it, miss. This would look good by itself." But Lina still insisted on finding a matching jacket.

"Wait, I remember buying a new dark grey shrug. I'm sure that would match." She moved to the rack that held her new and unused clothes. Finding the shrug, she waved it at Suzie.

Though she did not understand why her Miss wanted a jacket, she nodded because they did go well together.

 ------

It was time for dinner and Lina decided that it would be better to eat downstairs as she had not seen the mother-daughter duo from yesterday. 

But at dinner, it was only Lina and Lucille who had a silent dinner. Mandy was missing tonight.

Lucille refused to be the first to speak to Lina and so they had tea on the couch after dinner in silence, once again.

"So Aunt? Where's cousin?" Not being able to bear the awkward silence, Lina caved in first.

"She's gone to meet a friend, dear." Lucille gave a short reply and returned to her magazine.

'It's not too late and I'm bored.' Lina was just about to switch on her Tab to watch her show when she heard a car's noise.

'Speak of the devil!' Putting away the tablet, Lina stared at the door.

Mandy Rong came strutting in with a huge pile of shopping bags that she could hardly walk.

"Can't you see that I'm carrying so much! Come help me." She yelled at a maid who was passing by.

She saw her mother and smiled widely then seeing that Lina was also present, her smile doubled.

'That isn't right. Why does she seem happy to see me?' Wondered Lina and she got her answer when she saw the names written on her bags.

Mandy sat opposite Lina and handed one of the bags to her mother.

"I saw this scarf and thought that it would look great on you." Lucille pulled out a white pure silk scarf with a golden hummingbird embroidered on it and was shocked.

"Darling, This seems expensive…" Lucille looked at the bags around her.

'Where did she get so much money to spend?' She glared at Mandy.

"It's from Phoenix mall, mum. Don't worry about the money. It's a gift" She said proudly and then looked at Lina.

'I'd already guessed that.' Lina applauded her accurate intuition.

"I'm not like someone else here. This is for you." She then tossed a small bag to Lina.

Lina opened the bag and found a headphones with cute little cat ears on it. She looked up with surprise.

"I spoiled your headphones on the first day we met. So here's compensation." Though she ended her sentence with a hmph, her red ears gave her away.

'She confuses me. One minute she's all proud and mean and the next minute she shows such a sweet gesture. Why can't she just pick one.' 

Lina just stared at the headphone, then lifting her head, she smiled at Mandy and thanked her.

"No need to thank me. I've already had my dinner and I'm tired so I'm going to bed." She asked the maids to bring her bags and walked away before her mother questioned her about anything else.

'I can't let Lina know that the only reason I got these was because I followed Jeanette around on her shopping spree.' She then disappeared from there.

After she left, Lina picked up her new headphones and innocently smiled at Lucille.

"Aunt, cousin is so sweet. I love it!" She then walked up to her room.

'Geez, what's with that angelic smile? It makes me want to hug her tight!' Lucille calmed her pounding heart and she too walked to the Exterior block to confront her daughter.

----

Next morning, exactly at six.

Lina was disturbed from her sleep, both by the loud Spongebob ringtone and Suzie's compulsive knocking.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" She yelled and answered the phone while walking to open the door.

"What is it?" She said grumpily to the person on the phone and to Suzie at the same time.

"It's time to get up, Young Miss." Came Suzie's potile answer.

"Wake up, you lazy ass!" Came a not so polite answer.

  "Shut up, Wade!" She yelled at him and gestured to Suzie to come in. 

"If I don't call, you will be late on your first day!" He argued and she could hear the sound of running water on his side.

"Wade? Where are you right now?" She asked wearily.

"In the shower, getting ready for work. Something that even you should be doing right now!" He said.

'Thank God he wasn't peeing!' She rubbed her temples.

"I know that you aren't a morning person but just suck it up and be there on time. I'll meet you before you start work. See you there at 8!" He then hung up.