Violetta's POV

It felt odd waking up on a soft bed, in a spacious room, without thumping my head on a wall above me. I didn't need to wake up by 5 am anymore but I couldn't help it. It only took about one hour for everyone to have their baths, brush their teeth, and eat but now that the house is much bigger with more than one bathroom, things will be much faster. To add to that, the office is nothing more than fifteen to twenty minutes away.

I did my morning prayers and got out of bed, hoping to find something reasonable to do. Breakfast! I'll make a first day at a new school breakfast! I got out of my room, still examining the luxurious environment, and walked over to the kitchen that I had yet to check out. It was ample and neat. The floors didn't have a stain, the white cabinets were spotless, the fridge stood right beside the freezer, and the big electric cooker was as clean as it could be.

The opposite of my old, shabby apartment.

There was no food anywhere at the moment but Anna did say everything was up and running by 6 am, so I decided I would go shopping a bit with the ten grand I was given. I was also informed by the receptionist after Anna left that there was a cafeteria that served five meals a day. I didn't know rich people could have five meals a day. I would consider myself lucky If I could get one.

They had breakfast from 6 am to 11:59 am, snacks from 12 pm to 1:59 pm, lunch from 2 pm to 3:59 pm, another snack from 4 pm to 5:59 pm, and dinner from 6 pm to 9 pm. That meant I didn't have to cook, but we all know that homemade food is the best food.

The apartment door shut after I stepped out, making a clicking sound. The hall was empty but all the lights were still on, shining brightly. I took the elevator downstairs since it wasn't busy.

The elevator door soon opened after reaching its goal, revealing a neat room with only a few people present who were mostly workers. Walking over to the receptionist who was surprisingly already at work, I couldn't help but notice a narrow hall leading to a busy place.

"Good morning sir", I announced earning a friendly greeting from the blue-eyed middle-aged man. "Do you know where the cafeteria is and are stores outside open yet?" I asked eagerly, all in one. "The cafeteria is down the narrow hall and all stores open by six on the dot and close by eleven pm, except for a few places for activities that are open twenty-four seven", he answered promptly. "Thank you!" I exclaimed, leaving the man behind to check out the cafeteria.

The narrow hall led to a glass door with golden outlines that revealed a massive eatery. The place had many numbered groups of chairs and tables, some tables for two, some for four, and some up to ten. The floors were brown and wooden and the walls grey with many paintings of luxurious-looking food and ornaments placed around.

After gawking at the sight, I put my shit together and went back to the receptionist, remembering I had to get directions to the shop. He told me and I walked out, repeating left right forward.

Many cars were parked outside, some inside other hefty buildings and it was obvious that the estate was truly big, as you could see roofs from miles away. I remembered once more the pattern, left right forward, following it strictly to reveal an average-sized supermarket.

I entered the shop, causing the bell on the entrance to ring loudly, alerting the owner who looked to be an elderly man. I bowed down in respect, picked up a small cart, and walked off to pick out a few groceries. I put eggs, milk, two loaves of bread, apples, orange juice, bacon straps, and cheese into the red carriage and went over to the man to pay for the groceries.

"I was shocked to find someone respectful. It's been a while", the man chuckled. "Oh, thank you," I said sending him a sweet smile. Everything summed up to forty dollars which seemed a bit much for what I had bought compared to the supermarket in my old house, this was a lot.

I reached into my pocket when the man spoke "For your respect, have it on the house". My heart throbbed with joy and it showed on my face. After thanking the man for everything I had, I left.

I got back to my apartment door, put in the pin, and cooked. The fried bacon and eggs, mixed with the aroma of warm bread and cheese as well as hot tea filled the kitchen, making my stomach grumble. Everything was ready and served neatly on the dining table with cut-up apples leaving me satisfied and ready to wake up my kids.

It was finally 7:00, so I went over to Nickolas's room to find that him already awake. "Hey buddy, I thought you'd be getting your extra sleep," I said, giggling lightly. "Aren't we late for school?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "I already brushed my teeth, had my bath, and prayed."

"That's great, but darling, you don't need to wake up by five anymore, you can sleep till it's six thirty." I analyzed. "But why?" he inquired with a frown. "Well, you're going to a new school and you're not going to walk anymore, instead, you'll drive a big nice car. And that takes less time," I explained further. "Ohhh"

With that said, I woke Naomi and Nora, who were getting their beauty sleep. I set out their uniforms, got them all ready, and had breakfast with my children as we talked a bit about the move. They had finished up their meals and we were all ready to go by eight. A knock was heard on the firm door, which I assumed to be Heli. I walked over and opened it up to meet the tall man standing outside.

I said my goodbyes to my children and wished them luck at their new school, hoping they would have a great day and make new friends. It was time for me to get ready, so, I went over to my bathroom and opened the door to reveal a huge room with both a shower and bathtub, a sink with a mirror above it, and a jacuzzi at the end of the room. It also had a long and wide mirror placed on the wall that let me see my full body.

After doing the necessary, I got into the walk-in closet in my room and picked out my outfit for the day, which consisted of a white baggy crocheted gown that I held with a snake-patterned belt. I carried a grey handbag and matched it with grey high boots.

I put my hair up in a long ponytail, leaving two chunks at the front that I braided. My makeup was light once again, with mascara, eyeliner, blush and lipgloss.

It was about thirty minutes to eight so I waited patiently for the driver that was to be assigned to me to arrive. I scrolled on TikTok for the remaining time left and at nine on the dot, a knock was heard at the entrance to the apartment.

I opened up and looked ahead to glimpse a tall man with brown hair and grey eyes just like Mateo. Wait! "Mateo?" I screamed, scaring the receptionist who had gotten to her post. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that", he said back, shocked to see me. "Wait, are you sleeping with some sugar daddy or something", he continued, trying to peep into the apartment. "No! Of course not", I replied, a bit angry he thought of that.

"Remember that job I got? This is it," I explained. "So you're getting paid to move into a fancy hotel. Where do I apply?" he joked. "Ugh. Stop with your nonsense, what are you doing here?" I questioned. "It kinda hurts that you're not happy to see me", he said wiping fake tears from his eyes. "But anyways, I'm earning money just like you."

Is he working for Mike too? I wonder if he has a whole section of the building made for drivers. "We're getting late, let's go" Mateo spoke, dragging me to the elevator. We got out of the building, into the car, and drove off.

"Nice car", I complimented. "Only if it was yours," I added, making fun of Mateo. He laughed along with me before we broke into another conversation. "I'm happy to have you here. At least you'll calm me down a bit more." I said, appreciating his presence.

"Same here. The pay is really good for sitting down all day, waiting for you to want to go somewhere," he snickered. "How much do you get?" I asked intrusively. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"Fifty dollars every hour and I work from 8 am to 9 pm, which means I'll earn a whopping seven hundred bucks every day. I'm set bro," he said proudly. "But what about you?" he asked. "I think it's forty grand a month," I responded, leaving him stunned.

"Not fair. But when you get your paycheck, make sure you give me my salary for being your best friend, it is stressful taking this opportunity if you didn't know." he fooled. We arrived at the office about fifteen minutes later, using five to leave the estate and the remaining ten to get here.

Mateo opened the car door for me like the gentleman he was, uncovering the massive office I never failed to gape at. "It's huge," he said. "Yep"

I hugged Mateo tightly wishing him luck on his first day, leaving him for the corridor of the tall facility, but halfway there, Mike was spotted looking in my direction. "Good morning", I greeted cheerfully but he didn't reply. I knew he was only being slightly less of a dick head because of my outburst at his scheme yesterday.

The office was as usual. The receptionist was at work and the waiting area was filled. Stradling to the elevator with Mike in front of me, I dusted myself off while walking fast trying to keep up with him. We got into his private elevator and were taken to the sixteenth floor where his office was.

"My coffee?" he asked with an expressionless face. Shit. The coffee! "I see you're already messing up", he scolded. "Get your act together and remember the contract said I'm allowed to fire you", he finished, walking off quickly before I could apologize.

I got into the public elevator after waiting for it to get to my floor, then went over to the cafeteria where I got the coffee for the mean baby. I went back to his office and knocked, obtaining an entry pass by his low voice. "Sorry, I forgot" I apologised, dropping the coffee in front of him. "Sure, whatever," he murmured rudely. "And stop knocking on my door. Just come in."

"Ask the receptionist for the directions to your office and get this done," he ordered after handing me a pile of paper. "If Anna didn't tell you, you have two breaks. The first is thirty minutes by 1 pm and the second is one hour by 5 pm." he elucidated. "With that said, you can get out. And I expect that to be on my table, 10 pm sharp."

Why is he so arrogant and bossy? Well, he is my boss but still, he could be nicer. I did as he said and was directed to a room beside the elevator. My very first office.

It was large and neat. A big table was placed in the middle of the room with a telephone on it, along with a rolling chair behind it and two chairs in front of it. I guess I'll be attending to people.

A long bookshelf was to the left, resting on a wall and a couch, TV, and coffee table were to the right. Basic and simple, just the way I like things.

I got to work after loosening up on my chair. All I did was a few calculations as well as profit and losses. I finished it up in twenty minutes, appreciating the large amount of time Mike had given me. Did he think I was slow or something?

I submitted the finished work to his office and stood before him, waiting for what to do next. "That was quick. The telephone on your table will be used to contact you when you're needed. So stay in your office till you're called and stay there always till it's time for your break." he instructed, sending me back to the room.

Not up to thirty seconds after I got into the room, the telephone rang so I promptly picked it up to hear Mike's voice. "Get here now," he said before hanging up. He made me come all the way here just to call me back. What did I do to this guy that made him hate me so much?

I stormed off to his office, swinging the door open with an attitude to show my displeasure. "You could've just told me what you needed before sending me away", I said with a temperament. "I know, but I wanted to see if the phone worked", he said grinning evilly. Dumbass!

"These are your gadgets", he asserted, handing me a laptop, iPad, Apple pen, and the latest iPhone. "You can transfer your contacts to the new phone but mine is already there. Everything else has been set up for you."

The rest of the day was dreadful. Mike would send me to my office, then ring me up to come back to his, doing it repeatedly. Not only that, but he would send me to the same floor twice to drop documents when I could've gone once. More tasks were given and my thirty-minute break had gone by, used up by eating food and watching Netflix.

I was given more paperwork to take care of and cash book recordings to cross-check. I also wrote a letter to some man on behalf of Mike rejecting his application to work in the office.

After all the work was complete, I took an hour class on writing letters and how to keep it short and professional as I would be writing many for Mike.

My hour break had come and I was happy to get out of the tall structure. Mateo woke up from his nap in the car as I entered it, slamming the door. "Hi cupcake", he said with a tired voice. "How was work?"

"Can we switch, I'm fine with your salary. This tall idiot has been sending me around the whole office, for half the day. I don't mind the real work he asks me to do but it boils my blood when he calls me from my office to give something to the receptionist that's right in front of him. And every task he gave, he put a time limit to it and still took out of my break time by sending me to some random floor of the building." I screamed, ranting angrily.

"Danm, he sounds like a dick. But aren't you meant to be in there?" he interrogated. "I'm on my break. It lasts an hour." I answered. "Oh, then where would you like to go madam," Mateo laughed, lifting my mood immediately. "To the estate," I grumbled, delivering him a laugh.

Mateo drove me to the estate, telling me about a good-looking woman he met while working. "You sound like you plan to marry her," I taunted. "Maybe," he announced while beaming. We got out of the car and walked to the mall inside the estate.

I bought stationaries for myself and my children as well as some accessories to put in my office. I also got some more food and snacks like Pringles, yogurt, and juice boxes. I made sure to get an ironing stand and an iron, hair accessories for Nora and Naomi, a toy car for Nickolas, toiletries, and house linens.

I went home and dropped off the items, arranging little things I had time to do, and returned to the office. I had about six minutes left, so I stood outside the car with Mateo, just talking and listening to his dad jokes that I found funny. Two minutes to the end of my hour break, I said my goodbyes to Mateo and got back in the building where I saw Mike once again.

"Are you following me?" I queried. "Are you?" Mike said, shooting my question back at me. "Never mind, is there anything you want me to do before I go upstairs?" I questioned, trying to avoid doing my daily exercise and walking around the office. "Yes actually. Stop flirting with the driver and focus on your work. I don't want some romance shit going on in my car." he said on a serious note.

"You're just jealous it wasn't you", I insulted, rolling my eyes and walking off to continue some tasks he had given me earlier. I couldn't help but wonder if I went too far, considering this man held my future in his palms.

The day ended quickly with a few more errands and I learnt that I could use the telephone to order food to be brought for me to my office. I made sure to take advantage of the perk and got myself a coke and some chips.

Eventually, I went home with Mateo and returned to the apartment. I put in my code and got in, inviting Mateo inside. My kids were sitting around the dining table doing their homework which was guided by Heli. That's strange. How did he get the passcode? "Good evening ", Heli greeted. "Evening", Mateo and I said in harmony.

"Heli. How did you get in?", I interrogated. "You must have forgotten your children close by three. Mike gave me the passcode," he explained, leaving suspicion rising in me. "But I came home by five and no one was here," I said.

"We went to the playground after school and I made a new friend. He lives in one of the big houses." Nora spoke, excitement visible in her voice. "Oh, that's great," I said. That clears off everything.

Mateo and Heli left a while after. I and my kids ate delicious lasagna at the cafeteria in the building. Nicholas, Naomi, and Nora all shared their exciting day at school and I was happy to hear that they were fitting in well. Anna thought through the new shoes and backpack. My kids were looking forward to their second day in school but I was dreading mine.

Either way, if my kids are happy, then so am I.

Today was good. Despite the errands and troubles from Mike, it was good. My kids were happy and for the first time in a while, I ate three meals and even a snack. It would sound funny to someone rich but that's just the reality.

It truly hurt my heart to know there's someone out there hoping they had a breakthrough opportunity like me. Hungry, tired, and stressed out, working many jobs that could barely pay their bills.

Living the life of the old me.

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Things seem to be getting better. Hope to see you guys on the next post.

Q and A
1. What do you think about Mike's behavior?

2. Do you think Mateo working with Violetta is a good idea?

:            Stay tuned for the next chapter❤️