edit: 4.20.21

Ellie's POV

as I opened my eyes, it was dark in daddy's room, almost forgetting why I was here, then it dawned on me, that he left for London, i sat up and looked around his room for awhile before reading the digital clock and it was 7 at night, then I heard a knock at the door,

"Miss Eliana" it sounded like my butler, Edmen.

I hopped off of the bed, and opened the door,

"Hi"

"Are you ready for dinner?" He asks, while standing at the threshold of the door, I nodded, forgetting I had a appetite. Butler Edmen then led me down the stairs and, i felt loneliness begin to creep up, as I looked at the long dining table, at the end of it was my dinner, usually I'd see my father sitting at the end of it but tonight is different. all the lights were turned off and only the dining room was illuminating light on the first floor,

"Where are the maids?" I asked curious, i wasn't scared of the dark, but the atmosphere seems so lonely.

"They've turned in for the night" Edmen replies.

The thing about being daughter of a billionaire is that no matter how causal you try to be all the people working for your father are so formal.

I think of them as like robots.

That's why I feel lonely in the mansion.

It basically live here by myself cause I got no one to talk with.

I still would need to go to school.

"May I ask a question Edmen" I questioned as he was standing a bit back from me while I sat down and placed my napkin on my lap.

"Yes, Miss Eliana" Edmen responds.

Gosh it feels like a robotic person I'm talking to.

"Why are the maids turned in early" I continued.

"Does Miss Eliana want them to work?" He says in a monotone.

No it's not what I meant, I almost gave myself a facepalm.

"No I'm just asking why can't they just hang around there is no one else around here" I explained.

"Miss Eliana your father restricted any visitors" He replies.

again with the monotone voice, at this rate I might as well talk to siri, however siri is able to tell jokes.

"But they are maids not visitors" I said.

"Miss Eliana, people who live at the mansion are merely your workers" He replies.

humph, is he saying a maid and a child cannot become friends?

"so bring them to me" I demanded.

"Miss Eliana that is beyond my authority" He replies.

Gosh I'm talking to a wall, isn't the butler the head of all traffics?

seeing as we're getting nowhere I continued to eat my dinner in silence whilst Edmen just stood there ready to take orders from me.

"I am finished" I said, before getting off the chair and making my out of the dining room

Then I saw a younger maid maybe 4 years older than me? She was scrubbing the stairs.

"Miss Eliana" she stood up briskly and bowed.

It's funny to have people bow down...

"why are you scrubbing stairs at this time?" I asked.

Didn't Edmen say all the maids are in their dwelling? "Ah, Miss Eliana it's because the head maid told me to do as my punishment" The younger maid replies.

I pondered, "aren't you 12?" I questioned,

"Yes, I am. My mother and I sustain a living under your father's care" She replies.

"I don't see anything dirty about the stairs" I said looking up at the stair case it was a couple 100 steps or so.

"What's your name" I asked.

I had to make use of my alone time.

All the workers are- yeah I've said what they are already.

"I'm Skyla" the girl says.

"Let's play" I said.

Which her eyes widened.

"I have work Miss Eliana" Skyla says.

"Call me Ellie" I said.

Her eyes bulged, as if just gave a grand offer.

"I can't do that Miss Eli-" I put my hand up.

"Should I just get rid of you?" I nonchalantly while raising an eyebrow, which she appeared scared.

huh, i didn't realize that just by imitating my father one can become scared.

"Miss Eli- I mean Ellie no please don't" she pleas.

Shouldn't she be in school? I wondered how daddy acquired this person

!? don't tell me he bought her off the dark web.

no nonsense and how do I know about the dark web even..

"I was kidding" I beamed then I saw her perplexed look.

"I have to finish cleaning the stairs Ellie" Skyla says.

I frowned, she is still adamant about cleaning the stairs, I grabbed her hands and marched my way to the dwellings of the maids, it was apparent my sudden appearance made the maids all fluster and suddenly bow. do I look like a goddess or a princess? well of course I am a princess.

"Where is the head maid" I asked, "I'm here" the head maid's voice said.

I looked to her.

"The Miss shouldn't be here" she begins to say, preparing to lecture me.

"What did Skyla do to deem such a punishment" I said a bit angry.

I bet daddy would be proud of me!

"Miss Eliana Skyla broke a very expensive vase while cleaning" she explains.

Then I let out a giggle, then they all looked at me like I was some mad cow

"I have broken 100 expensive things." I begin to say.

"Miss Eliana it's different because your Antonio Smith's daughter" the head maid said.

"What's your name" I asked the head maid.

"I am Rebecca" she answers.

"Rebecca, Skyla is 12. You are how old?" I asked.

I gained some giggles from the other maids.

"Miss Eliana I have you know I am 52" She replies.

OH MY GOD. She is so old! Older than my daddy.

I wonder how it feels to work for someone who is much younger than you.

"Shouldn't a child be learning instead of cleaning anyways?" I continued, stating the obvious.

"Miss Eliana it's her job" Rebecca replied.

I gave her a dull expression, a child shouldn't be working.

Daddy always did that whenever he wasn't interested in something or didn't like the answer.

"Skyla will be playing with me" I said.

"Miss Eliana I am the head maid and head of the house while your father is absent" she begins to say I could hear the sternness in her voice.

I went with my last resort.

I quivered my lips and I could see all the horrified faces in the maids dwellings and the Rebecca's was worse! Then Skyla was worried.

"Ellie please don't cry" she said giving me a tissue in case I did.

Then what Rebecca did made my blood boil.

"Skyla! You do not address the Smith's in such a improper manner!" Rebecca smacked Skyla on the cheek.

Which made my memories of Henry Locks.

I began to cry for real.

That was triggering enough.

"I want DADDY" I cried.

"Now look at what you did" I heard a maid say to the head maid.

She was the lady who always did my laundry I took a liking to her.

"Miss Eliana please don't cry" Rebecca says in a desperate attempt to shut me up.

That's when Edmen came down.

We all knew that once the butler came all hell would break lose.

Rebecca may be in charge of the maids and supposedly the house but Mister Edmen is basically the manager of everything except he takes orders from me.

He may be boring and dull and speaks in a monotone but when I cry he always finds a way to cheer me up.

"What the hell is happening" Edmen questions mostly at Rebecca.

Edmen is like 30 years old or something but he looks pretty young like daddy.

"It's all Skyla's fault" Rebecca says.

I was stunned.

A 52 year old.

As old as my grandma is blaming a child like myself?

"Sir. I didn't do anything I handed Miss Eliana a tissue. She insisted I call her Ellie so I did. Then Rebecca smacked me on the face. That's when Ellie began to bawl" Skyla explains trembling.

I looked down, then Edmen engulfed me in a hug and i stopped crying.

"Skyla since Miss Eliana has taken a liking to you. You may grab your stuff and move your stuff to the spare bedroom next to the Missus." Edmen says this time without any monotonous it was like I don't know how to describe it but it was more friendlier.

I wiped my tears away I saw Rebecca with the most ugliest expression she was fuming.

Skyla was surprised, so was I, I never seen this side of the butler before..

"Miss Eliana no one will hurt you okay?" He says with concern.

Father probably told him of my past and what I experienced.

But I nodded. I was sniffling.

"Once the master gets back we'll discuss on replacing her. Her old age is getting the best of her" Edmen replies with...

I think if I was hearing right..

A slight chuckle? I looked at him surprised.

"Miss Eliana I come off dull and boring to you, because I don't know how to act around the Missus" he replies.

I think I was understanding.

"You see, when the master was a young I had observed how he acted he was always throwing stuff and getting mad at the butlers and maids." Edmen replies.

Woah I never knew my father was like that? I kinda want to know what he was like as a young boy...

"tell me more about my daddy" I said.

He guided me towards the sofa and Skyla was sent to make herself comfortable.

"I was 15 when Your Father who was 13 at the time. He got mad at one of the maids for cleaning up his room" Edmen explains.

"Mad for cleaning his room?" I giggled.

"Yes. the young master threw tons of tantrums. His father was away for most of his childhood so he was absent but when he was around he would just scold your father" Edmen continues.

I felt bad for my father.

He endured the same thing as I did just maybe less severe?

"Did daddy ever get in trouble?" I asked.

"Well your father was a very driven to make himself better than his dad. One he provoked his father by refusing to marry a girl that his father chose" Edmen says.

"Marry? What's that" I questioned.

Daddy never talks about marriage or whatever that is.

"Well it's where a person agrees to cherish and love and protect, simply living together by law" Edmen explains.

After talking about daddy I learned that he once snuck in a girl and was caught making out with her so that girl's parents told her to abort that baby.

I didn't know what abort or whatever those words were.

I also learned that when daddy was young he liked to go horseback riding.

I learned about Edmen and his relationship with daddy.

Edmen was living under daddy's father.

Edmen's father was a butler like himself.

It was late but it's a Friday night so I was abled to stay up for however long as I took a nap the next day.

I went to find Skyla.

"Ellie" Skyla stands up from the bed she was sitting on.

"Hello Skyla" I said.

"Ellie I can't thank you! This bed is so comfy and the bedroom is amazing" Skyla says looking around still.

"Well hey want to watch a movie?" I asked. She nodded.

"Skyla I'm sorry I made things worse for you" I said as I propped out a movie called, 'Inside Out'

"Ellie! You've made my living a lot more tolerable!" Skyla says then I beamed.

"I'm glad! I'll tell daddy once he comes back that you are my friend and you. That you and your mother should live in the third floor" I suggested. That was the most I EVER SAID.

"Maybe... but I feel I would be crossing the line" she says.

But I shook my head, then a thought came to me.

when I had been crying and was engulfed in Edmen's arms, I noticed that he spoke in a gentle manner towards Skyla...

"Skyla. Why did Edmen talk so different towards you?" I said aloud.

Then she quickly looks down.

"Skyla what is it??" I asked in a whiney voice.

"You see- um he's my father" Skyla quietly said.

Which I was so happy for her I don't know why but I was.

"THAT"S AMAZING!" I squealed.

Then I think Edmen heard me and he checked in on us. I was in so much giggling fits.

"Miss Eliana is something wrong?" he asks standing at the threshold.

I saw him look guilty at Skyla.

"No, No I'm good!" I said then I faced Skyla again.

"Skyla are you for real?" I asked. She simply nodded.

"SKYLA WHY DIDN'T I MEET YOU SOONER" I basically shouted.

"I've always been in the kitchen and doing small stuff" She says a bit quieter now that Edmen was present.

I turned away from her.

"Edmen" I said.

"Yes Miss Eliana?" he says being alerted by me calling his name.

"Is Skyla your daughter?" I asked.

"Miss Eliana I don't believe I understand" he says.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Yes. Skyla is my daughter" he finally fesses up.

"Why didn't you let me know? I could've had a playing buddy" I pouted.

"Miss Eliana I don't have the best answer for that" Edmen says.

"Does daddy not know?" I wondered.

"He knows but he gave me a condition I was allowed to raise her if I left her mother" he says I could hear the cracking in his voice.

It was Skyla who spoke;

"I thought my mother is Amanda?"

"Skyla, Amanda is your caretaker. While I was busy with the master. I don't know where your mother is if she is alive or not" Edmen answers.

I could see the hurt in Skyla's eyes.

I felt like a third wheel, I pried into their lives without even meaning to.

"Master Smith said you could raise me... but how come you never even spend time with me" Skyla says.

I looked down I was in a awkward positon...

Among the workers there has been a underlying feud.

There was a deathly silence.

"Alright Sky are we gonna watch the movie or...no?" I said still holding the movie in my hand.

Sometimes I spoke like a teenager but really it's because I've been around daddy so much the way he talks to his staffs or employee may of rubbed off on me....

"Yes Ellie let's watch a movie" she said and turned away from Edmen.

"I'll be outside the door if you need me" he said and closed the door.

I turned to Skyla she was crying.

I gave her a hug. "It's okay" I said, I know it wasn't okay, but I really didn't know how to comfort people really.

"Skyla lets watch movie" I put the movie on.