As expected, my father's call came in barely ten minutes after they left. I declined to answer when the maid handed me the phone.
I knew what he was going to say; I knew what they would say. My mother's call came shortly after, but I still didn't answer. When my phone continued ringing, I gave up and decided to take my mother's call.
"Amera! Moon goddess!" she exclaimed.
"M... Mom."
"Amera, what happened? What really happened? Why are you disobeying their words?"
"You know why," I murmured. She knows.
"But I pleaded with you; you should have controlled your emotions. Your brothers are schooling abroad; do you want them to be sent home? And we don't have money to pay the brothers. We don't have two billion dollars, Amera; you should at least hold on until your brothers are done with their school," she complained.
"What about me? What about my sanity?" I whimpered. Why is she ignoring me?
"They're your mates, Amera. They won't hurt you."
"But they're hurting me. They bully and torment me," I cried.
"Try to tolerate it, please, until your brothers finish school, as long as they don't hit you."
Without another word, I disconnected the call and dropped the phone on the dining table.
This is it. No one supports me. No one sees my pain. The brothers have covered their eyes and ears with money; they can't think straight anymore. They don't see my suffering.
"Are you done with the call?" Ruby walked into the dining room with two hot cups of coffee.
"Here, you can have this." She offered me a cup, but I ignored her and rose to my feet.
"You should drink this," she said.
"No, I'm not interested," I murmured as I walked out of the dining room. I went straight to my room, where the maids were arranging my clothes.
"Ms.," the head maid smiled and came to me. "This will be your outfit for today," she pointed to a well-tailored pink suit, "and this one," she pointed to a black flared gown with a zipper, "will be your after-school dress. Let us help you get ready."
"No, don't worry. I want to wash myself today; you can leave," but none of them moved.
"I'll wash myself today." I looked at them again, but they maintained their position.
"I'm sorry, but we can't do that," the head maid finally responded. "The brothers..." she started, but I didn't let her finish.
"It's okay, I understand," I groaned, shaking my head.
Of course it's the brothers. The four brothers. It's their order. They cannot disobey their orders; if they do, they'll have themselves to blame.
"Let us help you." One of the maids walked to me, and they began undressing me.
They escorted me to the bathroom and washed me before wrapping a towel around me.
They took me back to the room and dressed me, then styled my hair, did my makeup, and even fixed my shoes.
"You're good to go," the head maid smiled, handing me my school bag.
"Everything is in there," she smiled again.
I took the bag from her, and without a word, walked out of the room. The minute I stepped out, my eyes landed on Ruby.
"Let's go." She locked our arms as we walked down the stairs and to the car.
Ruby. Ruby has been my best friend since infancy. She is also the only friend I have. I've tried making other friends, but it just doesn't work out. And no, the fault is not mine, nor is it theirs. The fault lies with the brothers.
They don't let my friendships work. They break them. Once they notice a new friend of mine, they start scrutinizing and investigating the person. They eventually chase the new friend away. That's what they do.
Just like many families, Ruby and I grew up in a poor household. We were dirt poor—well, until the brothers showed up and changed everything about us. About me.
My parents now live in a very big and comfortable house; they don't work, and they even have workers who run errands for them. My two younger brothers are schooling abroad with the best student benefits. Ruby's older brother secured a job at Parker's firm, her parents lead a comfortable life, and she received a scholarship to study beside me.
As for me, I was forced to live here. In this big mansion, with servants available at my beck and call. I don't cook, nor do I clean. And as you saw earlier, I don't even wash myself. The maids do it for me. The only thing I have to do is wake up and go to school, riding in one of the best cars in the world.
Exhausting. Absolutely exhausting. When I was young and dirt poor, I always prayed for a prince charming who could rescue me from poverty and give me the best life in the world. Maybe I shouldn't have prayed for that. I think I made a huge mistake wishing for it. I regret it. I miss my joyful childhood.
"Are you even listening to me, Amera? Are you listening?" Ruby kept nudging my shoulder until I finally looked at her.
"I told my boyfriend that you're the owner of PRINCESS AMERA College, but he couldn't believe me. He'll visit me at school today, and I'll officially introduce you to him. He's eager to meet you; we'll see him after school," she said happily as we reached the garage. We climbed into the open vehicle and sat in the backseat.
"I can't," I sighed, relaxing against the seat.
"Why?" she frowned.
"I'm working after school today, at Bryce's office," I reminded her.
"Oh, shit, I forgot about that," she said. "I think we'll have to reschedule then," she pouted.
And like you just heard, I am the owner of PRINCESS AMERA College, the very school I attend. The brothers created the school for me. They couldn't find a suitable school that would match my ethereal grace and presence, so they created one for me.
And just like the school, they've also created many successful businesses and companies with my name: PRINCESS AMERA Mall, PRINCESS AMERA Airlines, and PRINCESS AMERA Hotels and Suites. All of these companies are registered under my name. Yes, I basically own them.
It's exhausting. Absolutely exhausting.
"So, when will you return home from his office?" Ruby looked at me.
"I'll probably stay in his office until midnight; you know he's a workaholic," I sighed again.
Noticing my mood, she leaned closer to me. "You'll be fine, Amera, you'll be fine." She made a sad face and patted my shoulder.
Yeah, hopefully. Hopefully I don't die from being overworked today.