章 20: He Is The Master
"No need to apologize. We are family. Sit down."
Iris's jaws dropped on the floor with what she heard from Theo. She had never experienced any kindness for the man she called Papa. She knew many years ago that Theo wasn't her biological father. None of them were related to her by blood. How she ended up in this family, she had no idea.
"Sit down," Minerva called the attention of the server who was waiting in the corner to fill Iris's cup of coffee.
Iris, still bewildered by what was happening, pulled a chair and sat down. She quietly watched the helper who poured her a cup of coffee. When the young server that poured her coffee bowed down and stepped away, she noticed that she hadn't seen her in the house before.
"Is she a new hire?" She asked, sipping her coffee.
Minerva and Theo exchanged meaningful glances before Minerva faced her.
"You see, Iris, there are a lot of changes in this house that confuses us. I wonder," she cleared her throat, "do you know what our master was thinking? Why is he changing a lot of things?"
Iris swallowed a grimace. She had now found out what was the reason why they invited her to eat breakfast with them when in the past, she never sat at the same dining table with them.
"You mean, Calixto hired the helper."
Monette scoffed at how Iris's eyes were widening in shock.
"There are a lot of things that our master did in this house. Not only that we are thrown outside the main house," she stopped talking and rolled her eyes at her father. "New helpers are hired, the basement is renovated, and the family of the carpenter is now going to live in the main house," she glared at her mother this time.
"And most of all, we are—"
"What?" She asked, annoyed that Monette stopped talking when she wanted to listen to her. If she didn't want to listen to her, she wouldn't shut up. Just like what she did in the library.
She was about to ask her more questions when she felt the sudden change of temperature in the room.
"Continue airing all your grievances with the changes I have in the house. If you have something to keep or improve from the outside, let me know."
Calixto pulled a chair next to Iris and sat down. He stapled his hands together on the table and scanned the faces of the people at the dining table who suddenly became quiet.
"Please, continue talking. I want to hear what you're complaining about."
Monette turned pale and lowered her head. Theo and Minerva glanced at each other but didn't say anything.
Iris looked at the three and wondered if she should say something. In the end, she just ate in silence. She didn't really care about anything about Calixto.
She knew what he wanted from her. Her blood and nothing more. She knew that she would not be able to run away from him and she had no plan to do so…not yet.
"If you're not going to say something. I'll do the talking."
Iris felt Minerva stiffen in her chair and she could not help but smirk. With her attitude, she deserved to be put in her place.
"You can no longer enter the main house. All you three should stay outside. You have everything you need at the employee's house."
Iris felt pity for Monette for the first time. Because she was crying without a sound.
The employee's house that Calixto was talking about wasn't small in any sense and indeed it has everything one needs.
The employee's houses are rows of studio-type apartments located on the south part of the property. One of the apartments that Theo and his family are currently using is the bigger apartment. It has two bedrooms. For a family of three, it's a good size but the problem is, Theo and his family had been used to being in the lap of luxury.
And a sudden change in their lifestyle was something that they could not fathom.
"But Master," Theo stammered when Minerva pinched his thigh so he could disagree with what Calixto was saying.
"My family has been loyally serving you for so many years." He cried in agony. "Don't we deserve better treatment than what you're doing right now?"
"Loyalty! Huh?! Do not speak of such things. The only reason why you're serving me was because of my money. I gave you money last time but what did you do? You wasted it on a stupid investment!"
Theo glanced at his wife in resignation. What Calixto said was true and it was Minerva who convinced him to invest the majority of the money that Calixto gave them in a start-up business that ended up as nothing but a scam.
The money disappeared in thin air like smoke. They didn't think about it because they knew that Calixto was filthy rich and that money was nothing to him until one time, he called them to ask about the money and they had nothing to show nor say.
"With the years that we stay here in this house serving you…we deserve a second chance and–"
They all jerked up their chairs when Calixto slammed his hand on the table and broke it into two. Silence ensued in the dining room after the sound of dishes clattering on the marble floor and the broken table crashing down like it was made of something fragile and not of thick oak wood.
"You deserve nothing!" He said in a booking voice. "Keeping you in the servants' apartment was my kindness towards you all. Don't you ever question my words!" He shouted and snapped his fingers in front of Theo and Minerva.
Monette groaned like a wounded animal as she gasped for air and her tears fell down her cheeks. Her parents just stood there like a pair of statues with eyes glassy and unmoving.
They were like Elmer when he was working in the basement under Calixto's hypnosis.
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