On the sidewalk of Lincoln Park, over forty miles away from my crappy apartment in West Englewood, I stood waiting for Holden secretary to show up. She was more than thirty minutes late and I was starting to get irritated. Was she holding me up on purpose or has something happened to cause the delay?

Could this be Holden's revenge? Making me show up for a job he never planned on giving me?

No. Holden wouldn't do something so petty. At least not the old Holden.

Was this even his townhouse?

I turned to the fancy black steel gate and then lifted my head to look up at the cream coloured bricks. The townhouse was Parisian style. It was elegant and classical. It was far from what Holden wanted his dream home to be. He always spoke about owning a huge mansion that he could fill with kids. This hardly fits the description

I guess he changed his mind.

Who wouldn't after the woman who claimed to love you shattered your heart?

I took a deep breath.

You had no choice, Kat.

You had to break his heart.

I closed my eyes and shook the memory from my mind.

I was here to work for him and I didn't need memories of the past clouding my judgements and my mind. It's good that I won't be seeing him around either. The less I saw him the better it was for my emotional health along with other things.

I turned from the house just in time to see a black Mercedes parking in the lot in front of me. A few seconds later the object of my thoughts was stepping out of the vehicle.

I guess I spoke too soon. Because there he was, six foot three and looking handsome as the devil.

I cleared my throat and looked straight at him. "I thought your secretary was coming to meet me."

"She had other arrangements," He answered in a blank tone. His eyes travelled down to my garment and frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

He lifted his eyes to me, "Not at all." he gripped the grey bag in his hands tighter. We stared at each other for a few seconds in awkward silence before he spoke again, "Well, come on. I don't have all day."

He opened the gate and motioned me forward.

At least he was still a gentleman. I entered his yard and walked up to the steps of his townhouse. I stepped to the side and waited for him. He brushed past me, his shoulder touching my own. He smelled like Creed — Spice & Wood with a mixture of another cologne I couldn't put a name to. Holden had always taken pride in himself. He always smelled good and looked equally ravishing.

I shook my head. No, Kat. You don't need these thoughts in your head. Focus on doing a good job. You need this job.

I drifted my eyes to Holden who was pressing his thumb to the fingerprint reader attached to the door. The sound of the door unlocking impressed me. Holden was always tech savvy and he didn't mind spending the extra money to improve his security.

"Step towards the door." He commanded. I frowned and was about to ask why when he pointed to the face scanner that I failed to notice before. "I need to register your biometrics into the system, so you can have easy access."

"Oh," I muttered stepping forward to the tiny camera.

A beeping sound frightened me, sending me straight in his arms. I quickly pulled myself away from him and apologized. "Sorry."

He removed the beeping phone from his pocket and started pressing some things on the screen. "Okay, your face is registered. Time for your prints. Place your right thumb on the sensor."

I did as instructed and his phone beeped again. He touched the screen a few times before looking back at me. "You have full access to the townhouse now. I get a notification anytime someone that's not me enters my house. I'll be able to see when you arrive and when you leave."

His tone sounded ruthless and I knew immediately what he was implying.

"I'm an honest woman. I won't steal anything from you."

He gave me a black look, "Of course, you won't. The next time you steal something from me, you'll not like the ending so I suggest you do what you're paid to do; which is to clean the townhouse."

I've never stolen anything from him but he wouldn't believe me if I denied it anyways. I pushed open the door and entered the townhouse. I followed behind him and closed the door.

He pushed the grey bag in his hands towards me. "Your uniform."

I took the bag from his hand and peeped in it. I frowned at the black and white cloth. "My uniform?

"Yes, that's exactly what it is," Hold told me stony-faced. "You'll dress for the job while working here, I suggest you go to the powder room and put it on." He pointed down the passage with his pointer finger turned left.

I nodded and turned to where his finger was pointed. I quickly walked down the passage, passing the stretched below the stairs.

There were only two doors down there, the powder room's door and the one in center that led to the backyard. I opened the door and entered the powder room. I closed the toilet seat and placed the bag on it. I tugged the black and white fabrics out of the bag and looked at them with a frown.

He wanted me to work in this? I don't remember Mrs. Brown ever where anything this ugly; at least not while Holden and I were together.

He was obviously making me wear the dress to get back at me for what I did to him. But you know what? I'm going to fight this. I needed this job and there was no way I'm leaving a job that pays so good, especially when I needed the money so badly.

I gave the dress one more look before I quickly removed my jeans and my oversized T-shirt. I placed the ugly black dress over my head and tugged it down. Then I lifted the white fabric in my hand. I frowned before putting on the apron.

I lifted my gaze to the mirror and frowned.

The housekeeper's uniform was the most hideous thing I had ever seen.

I could hardly bear to look at my reflection.

A Victorian maid dress?

Out of all the possible uniforms a housekeeper could wear, he chose a Victorian Maid Dress.

The shapeless black peter pan collar dress put together with white a apron thingy. Ruffled straps on each side of my chest and a long white bib hang from my waist

I looked like a Victorian housemaid.

He expected anyone who worked for him to wear this rubbish?

No. I'm sure as hell he doesn't.

He only wants to torture me!

I am going to have it out with him—

No.

I took a deep breath. I need to calm down right now, and accept that I had no alternative but to wear this ugly uniform, at least for the time being.

I looked at myself one more time before leaving the powder room. Holden was right where I left him standing. He looked at me with a slight smirk on his face, so I was right. He was doing this to get back at me.

I smiled. "You're not playing fair Holden."

The smirk instantly disappeared from his face. "You'll be working a strict timetable. I'll fax you a draft of my requirements later, but one thing will never change. Never enter my office, it's the first door on the right when you're upstairs. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Good. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, my office, the powder room, the kitchen and the living room. The gardener comes once a week. The basement will have all the supplies you need. I won't be giving you a tour." He looked down at his Rolex. "I'm late for a meeting. The door locks automatically after two minutes." With that, he turned and walked out the front door.

I looked at the closed door and sighed. He's never going to forgive me and I will never forgive myself for what I put him through.

I should be glad he decided to give me this job, even if I had to wear this ridiculous outfit.

I turned around and let my eyes travel around the grey colour scheme. The house was nicely decorated and fitting for a man of his decorum. I looked to my right, beyond the staircase and noticed the kitchen for the first time. I took a few steps and entered the glossy marbled kitchen. The kitchen was aligned with the colour scheme. It was spotless except for the heap of dirty pots and plates in the sink.

Deciding to take a tour of the place before I washed the dishes, I turned towards the staircase. As I walked up the stairs I let my eyes drift around. It didn't take long for me to notice that every surface was spotless. The place was totally devoid of any human touch. There were no pot plants, no pictures, nothing too colourful.

It was chilling.

Holden's home had no heart. So unlike the man, he was three years ago. The old Holden was vibrant and he loved colours. Could this new Holden be the consequence of my actions? After all, He was still single after all these years. Did he give on love and marriage?

Did I break his heart so badly that he gave up on his dreams to have a big family, a big happy house?

Yes, I did.

My heart lurched because I knew I was the cause of his significant change in personality.

I broke him.