Anyways, a pure conscience fears no harm. But one thing she was sure of was to never let down her guard in this place. Once beaten, twice shy.
Putting the unsettling encounter out of her mind, she focused on the butler's brisk pace as they navigated through the maze-like corridors. Finally, they reached a set of double doors adorned with intricate carvings.
"Your room, Miss Fowler," the butler announced, opening the doors with a flourish.
Grace wheeled herself into the room and gasped in awe. It was a haven of elegance and comfort. Sunlight filtered through sheer curtains, casting a warm glow over the tastefully furnished space.
A plush bed with embroidered linens dominated one corner and she wheeled herself to the cozy seating area which beckoned to her from another corner, complete with a velvet armchair and a small coffee table.
The walls were adorned with delicate paintings and framed photographs, giving the room a personal touch. A vase of fresh flowers adorned the bedside table, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
Grace couldn't help but smile as she took it all in. Despite her initial apprehension about the job and the strange encounter with the servant, she felt a sense of peace wash over her in this beautiful room.
"It's perfect," she whispered, turning to the butler with gratitude.
The butler nodded with a faint smile. "I'm glad you approve, Miss Fowler. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."
As he left the room, Grace pushed herself to the plush armchair and sank into it, and closed her eyes as the events of the day replayed in her mind.
"So I'm officially a nanny- to an autistic child," she added with a grimace.
"How am I ever going to cope? I practically know nothing about taking care of a normal child, not to talk of a special one at that?"
"But what could have possibly angered the little boy so much that he almost got himself killed?"
"Such a poor little thing," she said as she remembered how tightly he had held on to her when she had saved him.
On the two occasions that she had saved him, he had been so frightened that she couldn't help but feel pity for him.
Somehow, she felt that she was destined to take care of him considering the circumstances that have characterized their two chance meetings.
"Well, I guess I have to diversify a little from my awesome career of a world class designer into child rearing."
After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and found her way to the bathroom to freshen up. But a problem arose- there was nothing she could change into.
So she resorted to just splashing some water on her face and cleaning off as much dirt as she could from her dress.
She checked her appearance in the huge mirror and felt it was passable.
Meanwhile as soon as the butler left Grace's room, he was surrounded by the servants.
"Mr Fitz, who is she? What is she here for?"
"Mind your business," the butler reprimanded the gossipy servant who asked the question. He had sensed their animosity towards Ms Fowler miles away. "All you need to know is that she is here to stay."
"What?! As what?" asked Regina, the servant who had given Grace a bitter look. She deliberately paid no heed to the warning in the butler's tone.
"She will be taking care of young Master Charles," Mr Fitz stated coldly.
"What?!" Chorused the rest servants as soon as the words left Mr Fitz's mouth.
"How can that be? She is clearly a cripple that needs to be taken care of. I bet young Master Charles is the one that'll be taking care of her," Regina said sarcastically and everyone burst out laughing except Mr Fitz who had a stern look.
"Hold it right there. Remember to be in your best behaviors around her and don't forget the consequences of deliberately going against another staff," he warned authoritatively, straightened his suit jacket, squared his shoulders and walked off.
"I guess that does it," a servant murmured while the rest nodded in resignation.
They had all signed a contract before they started working here to that effect and nobody wanted to lose their jobs. The pay here was better than the salary of most company workers and no one was ready to kiss goodbye to their lucrative job.
So they had no choice but to keep whatever opinion they had about the new employee to themselves and mind their business as Mr Fitz had told them.
They were all surprised when Mr Brandon came back with someone in a wheelchair and were skeptical about her identity when they had seen her highlighting from Mr Jace's special car.
Not only that but the person who pushed her wheelchair was none other than Mr Suresh, Mr Brandon's special assistant who wields almost the same power as the boss's younger brother.
So when they had seen her being taken to the study where most of them had never stepped foot in throughout their years of working in the mansion, they were further baffled.
When again they saw her being led to the special guest room and not the usual servant's quarters, they had concluded that she was someone important.
Little did they expect that she was a mere nanny, even lower than some of them and a cripple at that.
'What was Mr Brandon thinking— hiring a cripple to take care of his son?'
Regina almost slapped herself when she thought of how she had even bowed to her when she arrived. She was so chagrined that she made up her mind to get that bow back in a million fold.
How can she, Regina, the most beautiful servant in the house bow to an ordinary Nanny.
But when she remembered that the person she'll be taking care of was the impossible young master she smiled evilly. Let's see how she is going to succeed.
'I'll make sure that I help the young master love her so dearly that she will pack up and leave due to excess love.'