Shameless Mr. Moriarty!

Eve looked at the girl, who continued to sit there in front of the grand piano, her small hands hovering above the piano keys. She was a little girl, and all she would have to do was get to know her, Eve thought to herself.

When she took two steps toward the girl, the girl pressed the piano keys again, and the harsh sound made Eve halt her feet. She turned to look at the door, wondering if she should perhaps wait for the butler. She turned back to look at the girl.

The little girl wore a black dress that stopped right below her knees. She wore a braid over the top of her head while the rest of her hair was let down to fall below her shoulders. She took a closer look at the girl, noticing the girl's posture was stiff as if ready to dart out of the room.

"My name is Genevieve Barlow. Some find my name to be a mouthful and prefer to call me Eve," Eve introduced herself to the girl, but the girl continued to ignore her. "If you do not mind, may I come take a look at the piano, Miss Allie?"

But the girl didn't respond again. This was harder than she thought it would be, Eve thought to herself. Children from wealthy families were often spoiled and didn't like to listen to anyone. It was also one of the reasons why most families hired governesses to discipline the children.

Eve took the liberty to speak again, "Do you hate the thought of having a governess. I can understand that with your free time that is now going to be replaced with someone managing it, you must feel uncomfortable. But I can assure you that learning isn't all bad, and it is quite fun if done in the right way. It helps in shaping your future, and if possible, be the smartest one in the room."

The girl finally seemed like she had decided to turn to look at Eve for the very first time. Compared to the girl's previous actions, her face seemed relatively innocent. The little girl continued to stare at her.

"I come from the town of Meadow. Have you ever been there?" Eve questioned the little girl, which was a dumb question. Because no wealthy family would step into a lowly town like Meadow, lest bring their children there.

In response to Eve's question, Allie shook her head.

"It is a bustling town. Very rarely peaceful. We have music there on Thursday evenings in some of the inns. They play the piano," and on Eve's words, the little girl slid to the side, giving Eve space with a blank expression on her face.

Eve's gaze fell on the space of the bench, slightly surprised.

"Would you like me to play the piano?" At Eve's question, the girl nodded, and without hesitation, Eve walked towards the grand piano and took a seat right next to the small girl. "Hm, what do I play?"

Eve's fingers started playing the black and white piano keys. The music was simple, something that was often played at the inn. She paused after a minute, turning to look at the girl, and said, "I would love to hear you play, that is if you have started learning it. Else it is perfectly fine, after all, we all start from the beginning," she added, wanting to befriend her.

The little girl turned hesitant, her body stiff. But as if obedient to the request, she started to play. Eve was surprised by the little girl's talent because the song that she chose wasn't easy. As if sensing Eve's stunned gaze, the girl turned suddenly aware and pressed the keys together before she stopped playing.

"I don't think I have ever heard any young girl playing as beautiful as you have. Your parents must be very proud of you," Eve praised the girl.

But the girl didn't seem happy with what she played with, and she brought her hands to place it on her lap. For a moment, Eve wondered if the girl was dumb. She then said,

"You shouldn't feel disappointed. You have plenty of time to practice and to improve," saying this, Eve picked the same song that Allie had played a minute ago.

The little girl looked surprised, staring at the woman.

"When I was of your age, I was terrible at playing piano. I made so many mistakes that my aunt believed it was better if I didn't touch the piano anymore. But you are far ahead of me," Eve encouraged the little girl, who looked slightly hopeful.

Curious, Eve asked the girl, "Did you have a governess before?" Allie nodded. "Did she quit?"

"Since when did governesses start to be nosey?"

Eve's eyes snapped to look at the door and caught sight of the familiar man with darkened silver hair. The peaceful look on her face was quick to turn sour.

"What are you doing here?" Eve asked, getting up from the bench and glaring at the rude man.

Apart from the black trousers and a grey vest with a white shirt, the man wore a subtle smirk on his lips. Even though she didn't feel his eyes move, she could tell he had scanned her. Her cheeks turned slightly red, remembering his last words to her.

Stepping inside the room, he said, "This is my house."

"That cannot be true," Eve spoke her thoughts out loud. The man gave her a solemn look before nodding. A look of horror appeared on Eve's face. This was her employer?! "I-Is this your—"

"My sister," replied the man. He walked inside the room and came to stand next to the little girl. "To think you are a governess. Are you sure you hold 'all' the qualification that has been mentioned in your records?" he clicked his tongue.

The little girl's eyes only moved from the man to the woman and then back to the man.

"Of course, I do," Eve replied confidently, staring back at him. There was no way he knew what she had done in the past. The rude man was bluffing, thought Eve.

Eve and the man with coppery brown eyes stared at each other, and as seconds passed, the man finally asked, "You seem to have finished your schooling from a fine place, Miss Barlow. Especially one that doesn't allow children lower than middle class to enroll in it. Aren't you a little too young for the job? How old are you again?"

"Twenty-four years old," answered Eve. She couldn't believe that out of all the houses, she had ended up in this man's house.

"You barely appear to be more than twenty. You must have very good genes," the man's voice drawled, and Eve's body stiffened at his words.

"Yes, I have been told that often," replied Eve, and then she said, "My aunt, Lady Aubrey Dawson was a former governess. She used her connections to help me to get into the institute. I am glad that you have arrived. Is there anything that you would like to know about me? I am very good with children an—"

"How's your bottom?" Her eyes turned wide like saucers. "Going by your anger that day, it seemed like you fell pretty hard." The man asked her with a straight face, that Eve was dumbfounded by his inappropriate question.

Before things could get more awkward in the room, she corrected him, "I meant to ask questions about me as the governess to Miss Allie."

"What a shame," hummed the man, his eyes lingering on her face.

Something gnawed her mind with the way he looked at her with curled lips and arrogance in his eyes. She took in his features without being too obvious—strong jaw, sharp nose, and full lips. His silver hair was unkempt, as if he couldn't bother himself to comb it.

Right on time, Alfie, the butler of the mansion, arrived in the room with a tray of biscuits and hot teacups in it. The butler bowed and announced,

"How many cubes of sugar would you like to take in your tea, Miss Barlow?"

"None. I would like to be excused," Eve quickly offered a bow, "Thank you for having me here."

She doubted she would be able to work under the same roof where this man was. This was the first time she would not take the job even if she were to be offered. The man was not only rude, but also he had not an ounce of shame by asking about her bottom!

"Quitting already? That was faster than I thought," remarked Mr. Moriarty.

"I am not quitting," Eve was careful with her words.

"Of course, that is because you are still unemployed," he reminded her. "I wonder how that feels."

"I think I would willingly choose to stay unemployed, than being hired by a man like yourself," she had met a fair amount of people before, but she had never met a man as rude as this one.

"A man like myself?" Mr. Moriarty chuckled. "Was it my question about your bottom being in pain?" This time it wasn't just Eve, but even the mansion's butler turned startled and decided to stare at the wall as if he hadn't heard a word. "You speak as if it was caused by me."

"If it weren't for y—"Eve stopped mid-sentence before their conversation could be misinterpreted. She noticed the crooked smile on his face. She spoke to the man lowly, "You… don't you feel ashamed for saying such things in front of a little girl?"

"The people in this world took so much shame with them, that they barely left any for me," he replied. "Maybe you can share some with me?"

"I hope you find some then," and she dashed out of the room without sparing another word.

Alfie cleared his throat. Though he had spent quite a few years with Master Vincent, still he wasn't getting used to the unfiltered words from his master.

But it was the little girl who broke the silence by tugging on Vincent's vest.

"Please, ask her to stay," the little girl pleaded with her small voice, and Vincent cocked his head to the side.

Eve climbed down the flight of stairs, not looking behind as she tried to remember where the entrance of the mansion was located.

"Miss Barlow," she heard the deep male voice behind her, and she paused, but without turning back to look at Mr. Moriarty.

"Thank you for the invitation letter but I will have to refuse the opportunity. I just remembered I have something else to do and need to get back home," replied Eve, without meeting his eyes when he came to stand next to her.

"Are you sure that is what you really want?" He asked her, and Eve nodded. "I don't think families would be pleased to find out that you fooled the administration and didn't take quite a few mentioned subjects as written on your file."

Eve's eyes widened. She didn't agree with his words, which would only confirm what she had done.

He smiled at her like a saint, "I am sure you will find this place quite pleasing, considering not everyone pays a governess handsomely. And your little secret will be safe with me."

Eve's hands clenched into fists. Until now, no one out of Dawson's house knew about it, and it had been more than five years since she had finished her schooling. She felt a trickle of fear run down her spine. How did he find out…?

Before either of them could say something, two men with expensive clothing appeared in the corridor, walking not too far from them. One man appeared to be related to Mr. Moriarty because of their similar looks, and when Eve's eyes fell on the other person, who had a scar on his face, it brought bad memories back to her mind.

"W-who is that?" Eve whispered.

For years, she had tried to remember the person's face, but the monster's face who had killed her mother had faded over time. Could this be the same person?

Vincent's eyes lazily shifted to look at the men before looking back at Eve. The look on her face had changed as if the curtain had dropped, and he noticed the anxiousness in her eyes. How interesting, he thought.

"The one on the left is my father Eduard Moriarty. And the other one is Lennon Morris. Saw something interesting?" He questioned her, and Eve quickly looked back to meet his eyes. He then said, "My sister seems to have taken a slight liking towards you and would like you to be her governess."

When Eve didn't respond, he said, "I am sure Allie will understand your reasons." He turned, taking three steps forward when she stopped him,

"Wait!"

With his back facing her, Eve failed to notice the wicked smile on his face.

"I… I will take the job."

"Are you sure?" And Vincent turned his head to meet her blue eyes. Eve nodded. "You are hired then. Cannot wait to see you start working here," he smiled while she failed to notice the underlying meaning of the words.