A/N: Dedication goes out to marsie100 for her lovely comment on my new story "Smile, Harry" on my side account @loullipop_ . I have decided to create an "Impeccable" story 8-track playlist just because I feel music helps to capture the mood and intensity of a story so well! :) the songs are a mix of genres and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do! Here's the first four songs of the playlist:
1. Young and Beautiful - Lana del Rey
2. Viva la Vida - Coldplay
3. Waiting Game - Banks
4. Latch (feat. Sam Smith) - Disclosure

♡ Odette's POV ♡

I opened another drawer of an old wooden cabinet in my room, surprised to find more clothes in it. Silks, velvets, and other expensive fabrics were neatly folded in piles in the drawer, and I shut the sliding compartment carefully so nothing would be messed up.

I had gone through the walk-in closet, two cabinets, shoe closet, and jewelry cabinet, all full of clothing and accessories. I felt like a kid in a candy shop as I excitedly went through gowns and expensive necklaces, the luxurious diamonds practically oozing out wealth. One in particular stood out to me, a shining mosaic of blue and pure white diamonds, shining flowers made of the sparkling gems everywhere on the necklace. After placing the necklace back into its place on blue velvet in one of the drawers, I quickly got up to explore the bathroom.

The bathroom was just as exquisite as the rest of the room, gold lining decorating the large bathtub and mirror. There was a sink and toilet, and containers full of cotton balls and q-tips, a bottle of mouthwash, a pink toothbrush, toothpaste, face soap, and a fluffy white hand towel on a rack. I blushed a little as I opened a cabinet underneath the sink to find feminine products, a package of razors and shaving cream next to them. I had little time to explore more, because the sound of the door opening stopped me.

"Mrs. Odette? Are you here?" A feminine voice called out, and I immediately hurried out of the bathroom to great my visitor. It was a young girl, maybe around twenty years old, a maid's uniform on her curvier body. Her eyes were dark chocolate brown, and her dark hair was lulled back into a painful looking bun. Her lightly tanned skin was evident of years of summers outside, and I wondered if she was a new maid or had worked here for years. She smiled at me sweetly as she saw me, slightly crooked teeth coming into view.

"There you are Mrs. Odette. I'm Falene, your personal servant. Master Zayn sent me to prepare you for tonight's dinner."

-~-

"And then in the winter the lake in the back will freeze over and Master Zayn and his sisters go ice-skating, it's always great fun for them. They always ask me to make them some of my hot chocolate, they say it's the best they've ever tasted, and then they sit in front of the fire and play games with the rest of the family." Falene rambled on as she curled the long strands of my hair, her small hands surprisingly nimble and quick.

Falene had taken it upon herself to inform me about the Malik family's various traditions and customs, telling me countless stories about Zayn and his sisters. I politely listened and nodded when she paused her story to take a much-needed breath. Falene was a lovely friend, I didn't consider her to be less than me only because she worked for the Malik family. If anything, she was the bubbliest and happiest person I had seen around the house, probably even happier than Lady Malik herself, and that was saying something.

I noticed Falene was much more gentle than Mother when it came to putting pins in my hair, constantly pausing yet another of her stories to ask if my head hurt or if she had accidentally poked me with a decoration. I would always tell her no, and she would continue to twist and pull my hair in various decorations.

When she had finished, I stared in awe at the girl in the bathroom mirror, her makeup and hair picturesque and gorgeous. Falene only smiled as she admired her work, before gently grasping my wrist to pull me to the massive closet.

"Now comes my favorite part! What gown would you care to wear Mrs. Odette?" Falene asked, and my voice vanished as I stared at the numbers of beautiful dresses on hangers. Any one of them would be perfect, and Falene giggled at my hesitation. "Would you like me to pick one for you, Mrs.?"

I nodded, and Falene told me to wait patiently while she rummaged through the closet for the perfect dress and accessories. She came back not too long after, a light blue gown in her arms. I smiled like a fool as I stared at the dress, it was perfect for tonight. Falene allowed me to get dressed by myself as she went to get the perfect jewelry and shoes. I easily slipped the dress on, my hands patting at the princess-like ball gown like a child. With Falene's help, I was able to put on the heels and diamond necklace and earrings, and I couldn't help but feel like a princess. I took a deep breath as a looked at myself one last time in the mirror before telling Falene I was ready.

Falene walked me to the dining room, and I again struggled to keep track of rooms and hallways. I almost bumped into Falene as she stopped in front of two huge wooden doors, and I mentally face palmed myself for not seeing them sooner. The maid gave me one last beautiful smile before straightening out my gown, a sparkle in her eyes as she made sure I was perfect. "This is the time to impress them, make them love you." She whispered, and I nodded before she gently pushed the wooden doors open, bright lights blinding me temporarily.

All eyes fell on me, servants pausing what they were doing to stare as well. Zayn's family was seated at a massive dinner table that looked like it could fit three times as many people than the number it currently occupied. Conversation ceased and laughing stopped, everyone seemed dazed by my presence. I gulped down my nervousness and began to walk towards the dinner table slowly, keeping my eyes focused on the only person I really knew, Zayn. His eyes were fixated on me, never blinking, never leaving, his mouth slightly parted in awe.

I nervously wondered where to sit, there were so many empty seats and I didn't want to pick the wrong one. I felt like a kid on the first day of school trying to find a place to sit for lunch, and I found my hands began to slightly shake at the feeling. Zayn snapped out of his little trance, pushing his seat back to get up and walk towards me. I graciously took his outstretched hand and let him lead me to the seat right next to him, blushing slightly as I heard him whisper "You look breathtaking."

The dinner was nice, I didn't embarrass myself or do anything stupid. Everything was wonderful, and I was happy the main course of the meal was coming because I was starving. Servants brought plates for everyone, and I noticed Falene standing by the doors, another servant speaking to her softly. She gave me a thumbs up before continuing her conversation, and I smiled.

Something was brought onto the table, a huge silver platter and cover concealing its identity to everyone. Zayn's sisters quickly picked up their plates, rushing to get food on their plates first. When Safaa picked up her plate, I noticed something on the inside of her wrist. She had the same Mark as Zayn on her wrist. That was strange, I thought only boys could get Marks so young. Perhaps she was like me and wanted to have her birth family's Mark as a memento for when she got married. But on second look, Doniya and Waliyha had the same Mark. Maybe it was a family tradition?

The servant man who brought in the main course lifted the silver cover, and a delicious smell wafted throughout the dinner room. My mouth watered at the smell, but my heart sank as the servant spoke.

"Tonight's main course is pork with peanut sauce." It was Asian food, which I loved, but an alarm went off in my brain. I couldn't eat it. It wasn't like I was one of those anorexic or bulimic girls who starved themselves or puked up food, I would have been fine with just the pork. The problem was the peanuts.

I was very allergic to peanuts, my parents had found out after a scare with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ate when I was three. Luckily, I was fine, I only needed a shot of epinephrine, but it was still scary. I couldn't eat anything that had peanuts in it, nothing at all. Sad to say, my father's obsession with peanut brittle came to a grinding halt after my PB & J scare.

My heart began pounding heavily in my chest. I was doing so well, why did it have to come to this? Should I tell them I'm allergic? Or should I tough it out and just eat it? Maybe the peanut sauce wasn't very thick or heavy...maybe it only had a tiny bit of peanuts. Then again, it could just as easily shut off my breathing in seconds after one bite. My mind was racing, what do I do?

Zayn must have noticed I didn't immediately grab food like everyone else, because he leaned over while his parents were scolding his sisters for their unladylike behavior at the dinner table. "Are you ok?" His eyes stared into mine, and I felt my inside melt at the thought of lying to the poor boy.

I nodded, and Zayn only raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Are you sure? You look really pale."

I bit my lip before sighing and finally speaking. "I can't eat the pork."

Zayn stared at me in confusion and I sighed in frustration, this was so embarrassing.

"She's allergic to peanuts." A voice explained for me, and once again everyone looked towards the doors of the dining hall. A slim girl, about my age, dressed in a long, sleek black dress with cut-outs at the waist walked towards the table. She had long dark hair, and it was pin straight and stopped just past her chest. She strutted towards the table, I noticed, her walk much like a model, full of confidence and power.

"Ivy, you're late." Zayn's mother announced, pausing her scolding of the daughters to take attention to this new object of attention.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Malik, I was finishing up work. I didn't want to miss meeting Zayn's new girl." The girl named Ivy sat down across from me at the table, next to Safaa, who was quickly finishing her plate.

"How do you know she's allergic to peanuts? She hasn't said anything." Zayn asked in frustration, the happy glint in his eyes from earlier when I arrived now gone.

"Her eyes. She kept glancing at the pork and her fingers kept fumbling on the table. Her breathing rate increased and I could tell. You have to be more observant of these kind of things, Zayn." Ivy smirked, her dark eyes nothing like Falene's friendly ones. While I was impressed she figured out my allergy, I was also infuriated that she could tell something about me so easily.

"Odette, are you really allergic? You could have just said so." Zayn's mother asked, and I blushed in embarrassment before nodding. Zayn's mother quickly ordered a servant to prepare something else without peanuts for me, and I sighed knowing that several servants had to rush and work for me. I wasn't used to it, and I didn't know if I ever would be.

Ivy smiled suspiciously at me from across the table, her tanned arms resting their elbows on the tabletop. Her eyes never left me, and I shrunk in my chair a little. This was going to be a long dinner.

-~-

"Ivy is...interesting." I mumbled to Zayn as we walked to my room, my heels being held in his hand since I began to complain they hurt my feet. They were brand new, and I hadn't had the chance to break them in yet.

"Irene." He said.

"What?"

"Ivy's real name is Irene Salvatore. She's a close family friend and my father's advisor." Zayn spoke, and I found myself rather confused.

"Advisor? What does she help your father with?" I asked, and Zayn pursed his lips before answering. I wondered if it was a habit he did when he was trying to find the right words to say.

"Family matters." He simply replied, and I nodded in understanding. Clearly, Ivy was an important figure in the Malik family, and I accepted that I would have to find out where she stood in the Malik hierarchy later.

"Speaking of family..." I started, "Do you think your family likes me?"

Zayn nodded and yawned. "I'm sure they do. My mother will just have to remember to order a different meal for you when we have something with peanuts. I overheard her talking to my father about ordering a stock of epinephrine pens in case you have an allergic reaction." I sighed in embarrassment once more, making Zayn chuckle and lift my chin with his finger, my eyes staring into his.

"Don't worry about the whole peanut thing. I'm glad we know. It can help me better protect you." Zayn gave me a quick peck on the forehead, and a warm fuzzy feeling blossomed in my chest.

"No PDA children, I would prefer for you to not make out in my hallway." Ivy smirked, and I found myself rolling my eyes before I saw what she was wearing. She only wore lacy black lingerie, a red robe struggling to cover up any skin it could managed. Zayn's eyes were focused on the ceiling, and I felt my cheeks heat up as I diverted my gaze down to the floor. In her hand was a box of chocolates, and she slipped one into her mouth before strutting away, opening a door and leaving to go into her room. I was about to complain to Zayn about her when she cracked the door open again, sticking her ruby red lips and face outside.

"By the way, welcome to Malik Manor, Odette Carlton."