Ch 3: Let's have a talk - part 1

Anabella took some time to get back outside after James left.

Even if she had nothing to do around the house, she liked to follow a routine that kept her busy (in her mind). It somehow got her through her day without worrying about much.

She was sure she would have gone mad if she did not have her routine to follow.

It took her about an hour to get things ready. It was already nine by then, and Anabella made her way down only to be greeted by an interested housekeeper.

The older lady had been working for Daniel for a few years and had been well acquainted with Daniel's previous wife.

In the older female's mind, only one mistress was dead in this household.

As Anabella entered the household, the housekeeper looked at her and said her position was not high.

Since Anabella did not have her husband's support, there was only so much Anabella could do.

The housekeeper knew that, and she used it whenever she could get away with it.

Of course, the housekeeper never showed her true colors when Daniel or James was around, but she was free to do whatever she wanted when no one was looking,

'Another day, another problem. Maybe I should skip breakfast today. I don't feel like I am in a mood to eat much.'

Despite Anabella complaining, her feet forced her to walk into the dining hall.

The caretaker took one look at Anabella before ignoring her. She neither asked her what she wanted nor did she ask Anabella if she needed her breakfast.

The old lady was tasked as she watched Anabella grab a plate and get food. But her expression soon turned to satisfaction as she watched Anabella plate her food.

That made Anabella believe something was wrong, so she carefully looked down at her food.

It saved Anabella's life since it made her notice the peanuts in the food. They were not even mashed up properly and left for her to see.

'Thank god I noticed this beforehand. If I had eaten this and spoken up, the maid would have pinned it all on me, saying I should have checked my food before eating it.'

Anabella breathed a sigh of relief as she pushed her plate away from her hand. She no longer wanted to eat it.

"What's wrong, miss? Is the food not to your liking? I don't mind getting you something else, but people should be less picky about their food preferences."

The caretaker subtly tried to jab Anabella with her words.

Her words were not heavy, but Anabella still felt the sting of her.

But hearing such words ridiculing her never got easy. 

'Don't show your reaction! She is waiting for you to show that you are angry at her. Just keep a smile on your face and look forward.'

Anabella forced her face into a smile as she looked toward her plate of food.

"I am usually not so picky, but something about this food makes me feel a little off. Or maybe it is just me. You don't have to worry about this, Aunty. I will get some rest, and I will be fine afterward."

Anabella's smile caused the house worker to bite her lip in anger before she quickly left the room.

As soon as she was gone, Anabella breathed a sigh of relief. She did not have to worry about the worker for the rest of the day.

But that left her questioning - what next? She had nothing left to do to occupy her day.

Usually, she liked to head back to her mother's house and listen to her complain, but it was likely not a good idea after what happened the day before.

But because Anabella did not want to face her mother, it did not mean that her mother did not want to face her.

Around half an hour later, Anabella got her mother's message, which said only one word.

{We need to talk}

This could have been about a hundred different meanings, but Anabella already knew what her mother wanted from her.

"And here I thought I could get away from her nagging this time since she did not call for me. But I guessed wrong. I better head out and see what she wants from me."

Anabella never considered ghosting her mother. She knew from experience that running away from her mother was impossible.

She had a feeling that her mother would be able to follow her even after she died…not that Anabella had any credible source to say this. She just had a feeling that this was what her mother would do.

The housekeeper was gone by the time Anabella got ready to leave.

Even if the housekeeper was supposed to always remain with Anabella, the older lady hardly ever did that.

This was the first rebellious act of the housekeeper that Anabella supported. It helped her when she wanted to sneak out and have time to herself.

Anabella had a license, but she did not like using the cars her husband provided. 

Rather than using these cars, Anabella would much rather use public transport whenever she could.

"Thank god I snuck some everyday clothes in when I got married. Getting out would have been a hassle in my normal clothes."

Her mother or sister-in-law brought most of Anabella's clothes. They both had matching lavish tastes and liked to flaunt their wealth.

So, while it made Anabella uncomfortable to spend this much money on clothes, she had no choice but to wear them because that was all she had.

Thankfully, her friends had taken her shopping before she married, leaving Anabella with some normal clothes. 

The biggest downside of this whole thing was that she had to carry a heavy dress around when she did this. Her mother disliked Anabella dressing in clothes that were 'beneath' her station. 

In her mother's words, Anabella was 'above' such things and should have behaved like that. They had even argued about it, but that was before Anabella had presented as an omega.

Her mother's behavior had only worsened once the classification came through.

Anabella had learned the timing of her stop by heart, so she knew when to get off.

The local store clerk nodded as she noticed Anabella entering the place and heading toward the bathroom.

The sweet young beta was someone familiar to Anabella, and she helped her hide her secret.

The small blush on the clerk's face was clear evidence of her interest in Anabella, and it made Anabella feel a little evil to ignore this obvious crush.

However, she was married and was not interested in changing her relationship status.

Anabella looked entirely different in and out of her costly clothes. Her new looks made many alphas and betas turn their heads toward her.

She kept her face straight and headed out. But before she left, she picked up a small gift to take back home.

Anabella did not need to bring any gift home, but a part of her always felt fearful that she would run into her mother while she was out there, and the older lady would ask her what she was doing,

That fear made her always act prepared, even when there was no need to.

Even though Anabella did not run into her mother this time, her fear did not ease. She knocked at the door, and her heart skipped a beat as she opened it to let herself in. 

The housekeeper here had a similar attitude to the one she had as her husband. But unlike her current housekeeper, this one was not hell-bent on killing her.

That was a huge relief for Anabella, who followed the maid inside quickly.

"Miss is waiting for you inside. Please call me if you need me to bring you anything else."