BRIANN P.O.V
I was given back my job as Mrs Agnes promised,but I was not pleased with the agreement,there was something fishy about her deeds,I'm definitely sure she would ask for something in return because that's who she was.
And then,I had a call from the same person who i just thought of as I was told to prepare her early breakfast before dawn which I knew I would not be able to beat such time,who eat breakfast as early as three in the morning,that's weird.
So I started really quickly in making her meals out of the menu given to me while Mrs Angeles was busy doing most chores along with the maids.They were so much loaded with works as if they were being punished.
Getting my hands tired of making more breakfast,I just arranged a simple meal into a tray,about to leave when a thought cascaded my bored mind,telling me to add something stupid with what was in my grip and I picked up a can just to sprinkle more spice into the dish even when they had been coated with lots of spice.My condolence anger was not still satisfied.
The clock already ticked pass the time given to me which made me to rush out of the kitchen,unable to change into a clean wear.
In a haste,I got right in front of her door step with the tray in my tight grip,trying so much not to appear unkempt and dirty,but it was nearly impossible because my dress was badly stained with ketchup and so much stew.
I decided to head back to the kitchen in order to freshen up,but then,the door opened and I met a maid at the doorway.She left,leaving the door partly opened just as I sighted Mrs Agnes on livestream by her makeup table.
She was busy advertising few products online including the Damel cosmetics while she was getting her hair dried,her way of life showed how much she love to brag,too sassy and reluctant just to grab attentions on the internet.
I went ahead to drop the tray over the table next to her before taking my time to serve them right while peeping on her and i realized she was pretty famous,one hundred and fifty five million viewers which was still counting every minutes.
She bluffed about how much Massilo loved her and all he had done to change her completely,good comments dropped in like they knew alot about her,some complimented her mode of dressing while some made so much eulogy.
"Thanks!!" Her voice sounded too soft to be real when she turned to face me, giving me the look that said;
Leave this instant.
I responded with a smile,hoping to appear on her livestream,but she managed to send me off with few polite words which was definitely fake.
I took a glimpse of her phone phone before walking away while looking around in awe and slowly letting my desires take over and i ended up at her closet.Every cloth in there all worth more than a million.I glanced over to her necklace collection,they seemed to be like a UMP boutique with jeweries so expensive that they could literally feed my entire generatons.
As soon as I turned around to leave,I didn't even realize my hip had brushed the table until I heard the crash.Glass shattered across the polished floor, and the sharp expensive scent of perfume flooded the air.My heart stopped as I turned to see the damage.Three of Mrs Agnes's luxury perfumes laid in glittering pieces,their liquid pooling on the floor like wasted gold.
From across the room, Mrs Agnes sat at her makeup table,ring light glowed around her face as she spoke cheerfully to her livestream audience.The moment the crash rang out,she froze,her head snapped in my direction.
"What was that?" She said sharply,forgetting the camera for a moment.
I stammered, "I...I'm sorry...."
But she was already on her feet,her heels was clicking like gunshots against the marble.Her eyes landed on the broken bottles and the warmth drained from her face, leaving only cold fury.
"You clumsy,useless girl!" She snapped,her voice was sharp enough to cut. "Do you have any idea how much those cost? Do you have any idea who you are working for?!"
I barely had time to step back before she grabbed the nearest cane she hung over the wall and swung it at me.The first strike sent me stumbling against the wall.
"Please!" I cried,but she didn't stop.Each lash stung worse than the last,her angry words raining down as hard as the blows.
"This is what happens when you act like an idiot in my house! You think you can just destroy my things and walk away?" She spat,striking me again.
When she finally stopped,my chest was heaving,I was trembling and clutching my arm where the cane had left a welt.
Then she turned and froze.
Her phone was still propped up on the makeup table,livestream still running. The comments section was a frenzy, hundreds of messages began to scroll so fast they blurred.
> Viewers:
"Did she just beat that girl on camera?!"
"OMG is that… wait…is that Briann Adrienno?!"
"NO WAY. That's really her??"
"Briann Adrienno?? HERE?!"
"What is she doing working for Mrs. Agnes?"
"This is abuse. Call the police!"
"She's going to get cancelled for this."
"Poor Briann!"
"Mrs. Agnes is a monster!"
"This is going viral"
Mrs Agnes's face went pale as she realized every second of her outburst had been broadcasted live.She lunged for the phone,ending the stream with a shaky hand,but the damage had already been done.The room was thick with the smell of perfume and fear,and I stood there,tears streaking my face,feeling the weight of every eye that had just seen me seen everything.
Mrs Agnes's hand trembled as she set the phone down on the vanity table,the glow from the screen still flashing with notifications.She turned back to me slowly,her face twisted with something I couldn't read.Half rage with half dawning horror.
I stood frozen,my back pressed to the wall,my body was still stinging from every blow.My breath came in sharp,shallow gasps,my chest became tight with the effort of not crying louder.The sharp smell of perfume hung between us,sweet and choking,clinging to my hair and clothes.
"You stupid bastard" She hissed,her voice lowered now and trembled. "Do you realize what you've done? Do you realize the mess you've created for me?"
Her words cut deeper than the lashes.My arms were red where the cane had landed,welts already rose against my skin.The sting burned hotter with every passing second.
"I didn't mean to...." I whispered,but my voice broke,the words came out like glass in my throat.
Mrs Agnes's glare darkened and for a moment,I thought she might raise the cane again.But instead,she turned toward the table,gripping its edge with white knuckles as if to steady herself. The light from the ring lamp haloed her head,making her look both terrifying and fragile.
Behind her,her phone buzzed.Even though she had ended the stream,the screen lit up with notifications, comments, mentions,people already clipping the live.
I could see the words flashed across the screen in bold letters before they disappeared into a flood of others:
> "This is going viral"
"Justice for Briann Adrienno!"
"Report Mrs. Agnes NOW"
"How could she do this on live?!"
My stomach clenched. My real name was out there now.They knew. Everyone watching knew.
Mrs Agnes turned,her chest rising and falling,her painted lips trembled as she whispered,almost to herself, "They saw everything"
Her eyes flicked to me, sharp again,but this time not just with anger,there was fear in them too. For the first time,I saw her shaken.
And in that moment,despite the pain throbbing through my body,I realized something: Her world,the perfect image she had built,was about to crack.And I was at the center of it.
Mrs. Agnes's heels clicked against the marble floor as she marched back to her vanity,snatching up her phone.Her perfectly manicured fingers flew across the screen,deleting the livestream,closing apps,anything to bury what had just happened.But the notifications wouldn't stop pings,vibrations,the screen lighting up again and again with messages she couldn't control.
"Shut up" She muttered at the phone,as if the flood of angry comments could hear her.Her voice cracked with a frustration I'd never seen in her before.
She turned to me suddenly,her eyes was blazing. "Listen to me,Briann" She spat my name like poison. "Not a word of this. Not to anyone.Do you understand me?"
I swallowed hard,my throat raw,my body was trembling from the beating.I wanted to talk back,to stay on my toes and glare into her eyes,but my lips wouldn't say a word.
She slammed the cane down on the vanity,the sharp crack echoed through the room.I flinched. "If you even think of telling someone what happened here,if you breathe so much as a whisper,your life is over.Do you hear me? O..ver! I'll ruin you in ways you can't imagine"
Her words were venom,dripping with power she thought she still had.She stepped closer,so close I could see the shimmer of her makeup under the ring light,could smell the expensive perfume still clinging to her skin.
"You think those people out there will save you?" She hissed. "They'll forget about you in a week.But me? I'll make sure no one breathe a word about it.No one would know the story behind your name.I'll make sure you wish you had stayed locked in that filthy cell instead of under my roof"
My chest tightened.Fear knotted in my stomach,but beneath it, something else stirred,it was anger,faint but burning like an ember.
Behind her,the phone buzzed again,louder this time.Another notification flashed across the screen.She turned,her face pale, and for the first time,I realized she wasn't in control anymore.
No matter what threats she hurled at me,no matter how many times she raised that cane,the world had already seen the truth.