Chapter 6 - Echoes on the Marble
|
Just as Rosa stepped out into the grand second-floor corridor, the heavy oak front doors on the ground floor slammed open with a loud, echoing bang.
The torrential downpour outside had ruined Valeria’s afternoon spa retreat. The luxury resort had suffered a localized power outage, forcing the hot-tempered mistress to return home hours earlier than expected, soaked and furious.
The sharp, rhythmic clicking of high heels echoed off the marble walls.
Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
The sound was heavy, aggressive, and fast.
"Rosa!" Valeria’s voice bellowed from the foyer below, sharp enough to cut glass. "Where on earth are you, you useless old hag?!"
Rosa froze near the glass balustrade at the top of the stairs, her hand clutching the apron pocket where the stolen evidence lay hidden. Her heart felt as though it were going to burst through her ribcage.
Valeria tossed her dripping designer coat onto a velvet chair and began ascending the grand marble staircase, her eyes sweeping the upper floor.
"I asked you a question!" Valeria shouted, her red heels clicking against the white stone steps. "Why isn't there a dry towel waiting for me at the entrance? Why is the paillasson wet? Do I pay you to stand around like an ornament?!"
Rosa took a deep breath. The lifelong fear she had harbored for this tyrannical woman suddenly evaporated, replaced by a searing flame of moral outrage.
She stood her ground at the landing of the second floor, waiting as Valeria climbed higher.
"Señora Valeria," Rosa said. For the first time in ten years, her voice held no tremor of submissive fear. It was steady, firm, and cold.
May you like
Valeria paused on the third-to-last step, just inches below the old housekeeper. She raised an eyebrow, deeply offended by the authoritative tone coming from a servant.
"How dare you look at me like that?" Valeria hissed, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Get down to the kitchen right now and make me a hot tea. And then you are going to scrub my shoes."
