You Need Me

Chapter 16

Viola was relieved to find Leon had left when she woke up the next day. She could not believe what she had done the night before. She literally cried about her ex in front of his husband. Oh, God... Viola buried her face in her hands. She would not be able to face Leon from now on.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Madam, are you awake?" Aria had come to ask if Viola would like to have her breakfast in her room. Viola came out to tell her she would have it in the kitchen. Nadia was worried when she saw Viola's puffy eyes when she walked in with Aria supporting her by her side. She quickly dismissed the young maid.

"Is everything alright, Madam?" Nadia asked while serving Viola's breakfast. Viola nodded awkwardly and began eating her breakfast without saying anything. Concerned, Nadia took a seat beside Viola after pouring milk into the glass. "If you have nothing to do, Madam - do you want to go grocery shopping with me today?"

Viola looked up. "Can I?"

"Of course! But we will need you to use the wheelchair." Nadia reminded. "Young master thought you might be bored – staying inside the house until your legs heal." Viola almost coughed out her milk.

"Le... Leon?"

"Are you alright?" Nadia quickly brought Viola a glass of water. She wondered if the milk had passed its date. "He asked me to bring you out... if you want to."

"Did he... say anything else?" Viola nervously wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"No, not that I remember." The head housekeeper replied firmly. Nadia was in her sixties − but her memory was still better than some people much younger than her. It was just that she knew there were things that were sometimes better left untold, so she decided to leave out some parts of her conversation with Leon this morning. Leon had mentioned about sending some secret guards to 'accompany' Viola when she went outside. He had reminded her not to tell Viola but did not explain further. Nadia could pretty much guess what this was all about. After all, she witnessed how Leon was kidnapped in front of her eyes 20 years ago. Is there someone targeting the mistress?

"Shall we leave now?" Viola asked after she finished her breakfast.

"Let's go, Madam." Nadia smiled. This time she would not let anything happened to her master's family.

For two weeks after that, Viola would sometimes go out accompanied by Nadia or the twins while Leon spent most of his time in his office. Once, he came back at the early hours of the morning only to let Nadia knew he was still alive.

"Is he always that busy?" Viola asked while peeling her last potato in the kitchen with the twins. Nadia had agreed to let her help after Viola complained about being bored.

"Yeah, young master only loves his work – and maybe Tom." Maria joked about her employer.

"Maria!" her sister glared at her.

"Where is Nadia?" Viola looked around. She had not seen the elder maid since morning.

"Oh, Mrs. Ellis went to see Master Ian. He called her to see him this morning." Aria explained.

"Oh..."

"The potatoes are done." Viola brought the potatoes to Aria who was tasting the soup she was cooking. Aria thanked her and focused her attention back to the soup. Viola saw Maria was still struggling with the onions. Without anything left to do in the kitchen, Viola strode back for her room. Sitting in her room, her mind wandered back to the memories being with Walter. She snapped herself out of it.

I can't go on doing this. I need something to keep my mind occupied. She thought of her temporarily interrupted job-hunting plan. She grabbed her winter coat and bag and went out. The butler saw Viola and offered to let a chauffeur drive her but she politely refused and told him she would prefer to walk to familiarize herself with the city. The secret guards noticed Viola leaving the house alone and silently followed her.

***

"He made my daughter-in-law cry?" Ian was fuming.

Nadia was sitting in a reading room with Ian in his house, her former working place.

"I didn't say that." Nadia just casually mentioned she had been taking Viola out for a stroll after seeing her looking upset lately. She knew it was right to not mention the young couple's sleeping arrangement to Ian. He would burst with anger if he knew her daughter-in-law was now sleeping in a servant's room.

"How is she right now? Should I go see her? What do you think I should bring for her?" Ian asked enthusiastically.

"She is enjoying her time helping out in the kitchen. She is a shy girl. I advise you to invite her and young master to visit you instead." Nadia suggested.

"Leon never comes to see me. It's always me, going to see him." Ian looked away and sulked.

Nadia was used to this. The two father and son behaving like five-year-old kids.

"I'll talk to him." Nadia promised. Ian's eyes brightened.

Nadia watched Ian sipping his tea while feeding strawberries to Rose and Valentina, which were crawling beside him. She hesitated. She did not know if she should tell Ian about Leon secretly assigning bodyguards for his wife.

"Sir..."

"What is it?"

Nadia shook her head. Probably not the best idea to worry Ian with something unclear, she thought. "Nothing, Sir. I see Rose and Valentina are looking good as usual." Ian beamed with smile like a proud father and went on to tell Nadia about their latest adventure.