HER ARRIVAL

"Everyone hurry! I just heard a car drive in. It must be that the young miss has arrived!" A young maid's excited voice came through. "Hush! Sophia, we are meant to be working at a fast pace, not gossiping about. Sheila won't take it lightly if she sees you here. Do your best and stop worrying about everything" Another maid told her.

The maids had been summoned many months ago, by the Butler and their madam, Tracy. All the staff in the Chevalier mansion had been very busy in preparation for their young miss' arrival.

Since she left the mansion nine years ago, besides the Butler, and her family, no one else knew where she went. All the maids knew, was that the young miss had a terrible confrontation with their master, and disappeared the next day.

The Butler told them, when they asked, that she would no longer reside at the mansion.

The young miss was finally coming to visit the mansion today, all to the ignorance of their master...and they all worked hard to surprise her, after all she was the only daughter the Chevalier family household had.

New decorations, delicious food and fireworks had been set in place for her arrival. The cooks hurriedly perfected the dishes, and the housekeeper monitored the beautiful decorations hanging all over the mansion.

No mistakes were allowed. After all careful arrangements was made, all the maids gathered at the entrance, to surprise the queen of the moment.

The Butler, Edward, stepped forward to open the car door for her. "Good evening, Miss Scarlett. It is pleasant to have you here again". Butler Edward greeted calmly.

"Same here, Mr. Edward". Scarlett replied elegantly and respectfully, as she stepped out of her Midnight Grey Bugatti Veyron.

Scarlett Chevalier, the only princess of the Chevalier household, exuded a very powerful aura that surpassed that of an average 24 years old lady. She was dressed in a black long-sleeved cropped shirt, baggy black and white stripped jeans, with a pair of baby blue sneakers.

Her shiny dark hair was up in a sleek high ponytail, with a nude smoky eye makeup on her face, she looked like the goddess of beauty.

On her neck was a tiny translucent chain that could buy a whole country, and she had a small black leather purse in her hand.

Scarlett was never one to dress shabbily, rather she always made the headlines with her dress sense. She was famous for her trendy fashion sense and did not fail to turn heads wherever she went.

Her fans all around the world never stopped to refer to her as the fashion goddess. Seems like her Grandfather made the right choice for her in career after all.

"This way, Miss". Butler Edward led Scarlett in. As soon as she walked into the mansion, the maids screamed in excitement, "Welcome home, Miss Scarlett!"

Scarlett was very surprised but her expression remained calm and graceful, as she thanked them with a lovely smile on her face. "Thank you so much for this surprising welcome. It's so good to see you again."

They all presented their gifts and well wish speech to her which she received whole heartedly. One of the maids hugged Scarlett tightly. She was one of the maids that took care of Scarlett up until she left. "Young miss, I'm so excited to see you here again." She said to Scarlett with a lovely smile plastered all over her face.

"You see, when we found out you would no longer reside here at the mansion, we were all sad and downcast. This house is way too big for us all to live in. You brought light and life to this building and when you left, it was so unbearable for us." All the other maids agreed with her.

They felt relieved that this young lady, who was their young mistress had come back to be with them. The house did not remain the same after her absence. Even her older brother, would keep to himself and stare at the window for hours, as though he was expecting someone. "Miss Scarlett" one of the maids spoke up. "Are you coming back to stay permanently?"

Scarlett's graceful composure nearly cracked at that question.

'Stay? She wasn't here to stay. She was here for revenge'. Mr. Edward noticed her awkward posture and difficulty in answering that question. "Whether or not Miss Scarlett will stay is not part of your job description. You may return back to work."

He waived them all back to their various posts. He then noticed that aside form a purse, Scarlett brought nothing else with her. "Miss Scarlett, aren't you...…" He stopped talking as he remembered nine years ago. "Hmm, is anything the matter, Sir?"

"Oh! It's nothing miss. Please have your seat."

Butler Edward led her into the main living room to rest herself. 'It really seems like she wouldn't be spending one more second into the night here. Good thing I shunned that lousy mouth immediately' He thought to himself and sighed. Everyone just had to be careful about bringing up the past.

Scarlett observed the living room's subtle minimalistic design. The whole room was full of cream and chocolate colors. The television which was hardly used hung on the cream wall, surrounded by the gentle blue neon lights.

The chocolate colored couch was arranged in a semi-circular setting, with a cream-colored marble table in the center. Large pictures of skyscrapers hung on the walls, making the room look like a cozy museum of the night life.

A huge and shiny gold chandelier hung from the center of the living room, and cast a soft glow around the whole room. With flowers and plants of all types around the glass doors, the house looked like a haven for relaxation on a stressful day.

Butler Edward noticed Scarlett's keen observation on seeing the major changes in the mansion and he smiled softly. He had always been by her side, since she was a little girl and now she was 24 years old, living away from her family. She must have lived an awfully sad life away from her family for so long. He really wished that his master didn't make that gruesome mistake nine years ago. Because the young lady he was looking at, clearly did not come in peace.

As Scarlett relaxed on the couch, she realized her mother and brother were nowhere to be seen, she asked the Butler, "Where is my mother and brother?"

"Oh! They're...…."

"Letty! Little sis!" Two excited screams came through before the Butler could finish his response. Scarlett's older brother, Rowan and mother, Tracy, rushed down the stairs to welcome her. "Mom! Rowan!"

She gasped in excitement and shot up from her seat to meet them. They were the only people that could make Scarlett lose her cool. She hugged her mother and brother tightly as her eyes welled with tears.

"I missed you so much" she cried, tightening their hug as if they'd both disappear if she let them both go. "Hey sis, we miss you. But its better if you don't squeeze us like sandwiches." Rowan said through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Sorry." Scarlett apologized, sniffing.

"Sweetie, are you okay? Why are you crying?" Tracy asked with concern in her eyes. She thought Rowan had upset his sister by saying that they're being squeezed like sandwiches.

"Mom, it's nothing. It's just that I'm so happy to see you both." She replied, sniffing and wiping her eyes dry. She felt very emotional on seeing her mother and brother. Throughout the period of her absence, they would visit her every three months and bring her gifts, all against her father's wishes. During their occasional visit, they knew better than to talk about him...as they had a terrible confrontation, which led to her leaving the family mansion.

Just then, the housekeeper, Sheila, came over to remind them of their dinner that was already getting warm. "Madam Tracy, Young master, Young miss, the dishes are already getting warm and would lose their original flavor and taste. I suggest you have your dinner now." Scarlett who was still wiping her eyes dry, raised up her head to look at the maid…..so she thought…..as her voice sounded familiar.

"Oh my! It's you, Sheila! You look so much more beautiful. How are you doing?" When Scarlett was younger, both her parents were busy and didn't have time to play with her. Sheila would take her out for walks and make her feel happy. She would sit her down and tell her many fairytales about princesses and unicorns. It was an unforgettable experience for Scarlett as a child.

"Thank you, young miss. I'm doing very well." Sheila replied shyly. "Ok now, you may leave, we'll be there shortly." Tracy said to Sheila as she bowed and turned to leave. Turning to Rowan and Scarlett, she said "Let's go and eat. We'll leave out our table manners and talk as we eat!" The three jolly crew walked up to the dining room for some delicious adventure.