Welcoming

Ezra's mind couldn't decide how to remain calm, he's been anxious from when the elevator's ding sound echoed from the out hall of his penthouse. His security guard has already texted him about her little vixen's arrival and from then his traitorous lips couldn't help but keep on curling. This house which has been called a doom place by him will finally have its another prey to consume into its darkness.

That alone thought is enough to make him more depressed than he already is. What if Stella gets caught up with all the filthy deeds this house offers? He couldn't save the previous woman; will he be able to save Stella?

Realization settled in his brain making his heart heavy. Suddenly the whole place feels suffocating to him.

Terrace.

He should go to the terrace for his redemption.

He turned to make his way upstairs but the knocking of the door made his footsteps freeze. The turmoil of choosing his escape or welcoming the vixen into his dark estate became hard.

"Sir!"

He heard his butler call him, turning back, he saw him standing at the closed door, asking for permission if he wanted to welcome her or not. He shouldn't have brought a modest woman here but still found himself choosing her over his guilt so, he nodded at his butler. Being coward was never in his behavior but this vixen is making him see things differently.

Jones, his butler, opens the door and Ezra's eyes settle on the woman who throbbed his heart even if it was just for mere seconds. His heart doesn't let other people's words affect him but somehow, she touched that line.

He admits in committing a sin but his heart feels helpless. The greed to know why she stands out perfectly in comparison to other women to his eyes even though she shouldn't. Why does her smile tell two stories at a time? Why do her eyes portray desperation yet her posture reflects confidence?

Carly, his supposed assistant did warn him too about this little vixen's vicious cunning effects on him. One could say she's jealous but even he knows, if he loses control over himself and drowns into searching for his answers by uncovering the layers of her truth then, it will be too late to recollect himself from tasting the forbidden fruit.

Stella smiles at him but he doesn't find himself returning the sweet gesture back instead he recalls the red flag warning Carly, put inside his head.

FEW HOURS AGO, IN HIS OFFICE

Ezra's fingers graze on the picture, attached on the resume of Stella Robinson. Her intriguing attitude enlightens a desirable fire within his heart. The challenging tone, when she said, 'nothing as forbidden as you' makes him want to give her the exact taste of it.

He won't back down from her if she gives a green flag. Hell, he's even getting excited for the time they would be spending together from now on. The door to his office opens and in comes his secretary, Carly. He could notice the slight annoyance in her face but nothing about her concerns him anymore.

"Ezra, why did you call off the interview? There were still so many candidates left for the interview." She says while strutting with her heels further close to his desk and sits on it lifting up her skirt a bit in the process to make herself comfortable.

He sighs as she's been getting on his nerves recently. Firstly, after the incident of his previous maid's suicide attempt, she kind of took it as offence thinking he have been screwing other women along with her. Secondly, she wanted to move in with him and offered to be his little sexy maid.

She wouldn't have been demanding shits from him if they weren't screwing. Yes, he won't deny that because she offered him and he didn't see any point in rejecting something he would get pleasure in.

Maybe that's why when Stella said 'nothing as forbidden as you'; it flipped on a switch within him. A reality of how disgraceful he has become. The judgement was clear in her eyes and that's why he wants to taint her with the same colors he's painted with.

Even he knows his thoughts are vicious but that's the person he is now; he became cunning and vicious to the world. He never cared about it anyway as long as he had his riches no one could defy him for anything. This is what he believes.

Carly, snaps with her fingers to grab his attention again, "am I that invisible or not audible at all for you?"

He frowns at her behavior, "first of all get down from my desk and behave like a professional. Second, I'm not and never have been answerable to you. So, stop being too comfortable around me."

She looked taken aback seeing his sudden outburst, she obliged to his orders and stood straight taking a few steps back from his desk. Then she straightened her skirt back to normal, clearing her throat she spoke, "I'm just concerned as to why you called off the interview session."

Irritation filled his vision, he just wants to be alone and yet she's here making him talk unnecessarily, "are you dumb?" He stood up from his chair, "I got my candidate and I don't need any more to interview."

"That day dreaming girl?" She spats her word recalling how she was paced off before the interview. "That girl would be too lousy to be a maid, plus, she paces off quite often. She's a wrong choice Ezra."

"Quit calling me by my name, have you forgotten your place in this office?" He lashes out at her, "and before you comment on others' work have you ever noticed how informal you have been these days?"

"But you like being informal in the office, I'm just following your breadcrumbs." She scoffs at him, making him angrier.

"It's not my concern that you got privileges on your way up to this position today but if you think that pleasing me means having some sort of bigger privilege, then woman; you are getting this arrangement all wrong." He takes a step towards her, "remember this clearly, don't make me ruin you. You know very well I'm capable of it."

She gulps down her lump before averting her eyes from his, "but Sir, she looks too young to be a maid. Will it be even modest to take someone so young in your shelter especially what happened with your previous maid? At least the previous one was in the late thirties but this one seems- twenties."

"That doesn't concern me, Carly." He raises his voice again at her but she seems to be not considering the fact instead tries to put her words before him without even thinking.

"It should because what if you find her as your next prey." Pointing at the resume papers, she makes her point valid. "You are already fascinated with her, what if she's the next Georgina?"

"Enough!" He screams at the top of his voice making her gasp.

She realizes now what she spilled and deeply regrets it.

"I'm- I am extremely sorry."

"Get out!" He turns away from her and looks out the window at the city lights of New York. But before she could go all the way out of the office he asked her out loud, "what did you mean when you said 'that daydreaming girl'? What was that about?"

Carly sighs, "that girl you chose was sitting straight without blinking her eyes, her forehead had sweat drops even in that air conditioned room. I had to call her several times before she finally responded. This is why I'm telling you, that girl is not fit to have such a big responsibility of taking care of your house. She looks weak physically and mentally too, so why would you still choose her among others who have far better qualifications?"

Ezra heard her loud and clear. He immediately understood what might be hidden behind her words during her interview. "That's on me to decide Carly, you should leave now."

The door to his office closed and that's when he breathed out his compressed sadness.

He is being accused of something he didn't do. His nature of being the bastard in every woman's eye did turn more venomous when the news declared, "FORENSIC TEST REPORT REVEALS: GEORGINA LAND WAS INDEED INVOLVED IN FORCED INTERCOURSE. MARKS OF STRUGGLE FOUND."

Even though the test proved that there were no hand prints of Ezra's but still the world called him the devil.

PRESENT TIME

Stella, comes towards him with a broad smile on her face just like how Georgina, was too on her first day. He knows he isn't the one to exploit his worker but still he fears that this vixen has the power to destroy his will power. Sooner or later she's going to get tainted by him and he fears becoming a bigger monster than he already is.

If ignoring her kindness is being coward; then coward it is.

He won't fall into the pit of deception again so, he turns around to the staircase this time without giving so much of a formality to the confused woman. He pauses his pace to call out Jones, "help Ms. Robinson get settled and I do not want to be disturbed tonight." Telling that he leaves to get his escape on the terrace.

Whereas, Scarlett frowns looking at his boss's retreating figure. This morning everything went well, she expected at least a warm welcome. But like everyone says, Ezra Knight is nothing but a stone-cold human and he did exactly what he's been given fame for.