Chapter 292: As mother
In disbelief, he turned to look at the old butler whom he had taken a pity to earlier. The man was still bowing towards Ryle but in one of his hands remained a gun, the tip of which was pressed hard against Benjamin’s neck. ’This bitch...’ Benjamin cursed the man’s seven ancestors, suddenly realizing why Ryle had not taken pity at him and asked him to drop the formalities. It all made sense now. Boss must have known this oldie for the bitch that he was.
Benjamin was an alert man. Despite all his whining and self wallowing, he had been on his guard the moment he stepped inside the mansion but even he had not noticed when this old geezer moved. It was just one old butler yet his formidable strength had Benjamin realize why Nathan Kingsley did not seem the least bit bothered at all. He had it all under his control.
’’You brought a harmless one with you, I see,’’ the man nodded his head as he turned to look at Ryle.
A soft gasp resounded in the quiet living room. When Nathan turned to look at the source of the voice, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Benjamin had a gun still pressed onto his neck but that did not stop the man from holding a gun against the butler.
’’That’s a self sacrificial move,’’ Nathan remarked.
Ryle folded his arms in front of his chest, ’’My people would rather die that let you use them against me.’’
Nathan paused then after a beat, he waved his hand. The old butler retracted the gun that he pressed against Benjamin and slowly retreated.
Under Ryle’s gaze, Benjamin reluctantly retreated as well. He did not find it safe for his Boss to remain here any longer but at the same time, he was aware he would not be of much help even if he did not leave.
’’I don’t want to use anyone against you. At the end of the day, you are my son, despite the disappointment you tend to be at times,’’ Nathan shook his head as he walked forward and took a seat on the couch.
The moment he took a seat, two maids approached them while pushing food trolleys. One of them kept her head lowered as she arranged the wine and the ice bucket on the table with shivering hands.
The other woman’s movements were neat but she seemed rather nervous as she looked at her partner. The table was filled with exquisite drinks and some supper.
But the silence in the place was suddenly broken by the shattering of a glass right next to Nathan’s feet. The maids both turned pale and the fearful maid dropped to her knees.
’’M-M-Master, I-I-I was reckless...’’ The woman had a scar on one side of her face which stretched from the corner of her eye and reached to the side of her neck while the other half of her face was covered in some garish burn marks which had been initially covered by her hair.
Everyone knew once you stepped into the Kingsley Mansion, regardless of what work you did, there was no resignation to it. You would not be fired but killed. For people who stepped inside were suspected to have become a close eye to family secrets. So, the woman screamed and struggled even more.
When she cried, tears covered her badly scarred face and made her look somewhat disgusting in Nathan’s eyes.
The woman kept kneeling and crying, apologizing amidst her sobs until a boot thrust into the back of her neck and slammed her face against the floor, the force of it making her scream so hard that the other maid shivered and quickly knelt too.
"Master, she is new here. It is her first day today...’’ Although she was standing up for the scarred woman, her voice was meek, and hesitant, laced with fear.
A faint cracking sound interrupted the woman’s words as Nathan’s boot dug even harder on the maid’s neck.
’’Did you call me over to witness this fiasco?" Ryle said uninterestedly as he came to sit on the opposite couch.
Nathan paused, tilted his head to glance at Ryle and sighed, ’’Now that you put it like that, I feel like an irresponsible father. Let’s end this quickly before we move on to our discussions,’’ As he spoke, he pressed his shoe harder onto the maid’s neck till the sounds of her screams became fainter and fainter.
’’Master,’’ the butler appeared at this moment, his old face carrying an urgent expression as he spoke, ’’Master, this maid was handpicked by Madam herself. These are the new batch and they were all personally chosen by Madam, so they have yet to acclimatize themselves...’’
The boot that was crushing the maid’s neck lightened significantly even though it still kept on pressing that head to the floor, ’’They were chosen by my little cat?" Nathan lifted his foot and crossed his leg above the other as he looked at the maids.
Visibly worried that Ryle would be confused, the man made an effort to turn to his son as he clarified, ’’You will see her later.’’
’’What part of me seems eager to meet your mistress?" Ryle propped his forehead on his palm as he looked aside, his gaze still lingering in the non-living things in the place as if declaring his disinterest in the living ones.
’’That’s quite rude. In the future, address her as mother.’’
Ryle’s jaws ticked, ’’Are you not worried such a form of address from me would cost her her life?"
’’Quite not, son. While I live, I control things. I decide who dies and when. That reminds me,’’ Nathan turned to face the maids, one kneeling and one standing while the butler stood behind them with his back slightly hunched, ’’Your names?"
The scarred woman who was kneeling on the floor, shivered and answered abruptly, ’’M-Maria...’’
Nathan looked at her for a while but that disfigured face disgusted him within seconds and he shifted his gaze to the one who was standing with a pale face. At first glance, she seemed rather plain but on a second glance, she was pleasant to look at with her delicate stature and soft features, ’’What about you?"
The woman spoke, her voice seemingly trembling from the fright she received earlier as she said, ’’I go... by the name Daze...’’
Ryle’s entire body froze in spot.
