The downpour was heavy, the once bright sky had now turned dark as a heavy rain called nonstop. Ivy arrived in front of the Emerson villa, protected by high fences and a high gold gate that bore the letter 'E' carved beautifully with metal. She hurriedly knocked on the small walk-in gate, shivering from the cold and the heavy beating of the rain against her skin. The gate opened and she staggered inside, already sneezing.
"I'm lo-looking f-for a j-j-job." She shivered as the gatekeeper looked at her with confusion.
He mouthed an 'oh' and let her under a small shade in front of the gate. She made a call and soon, a girl, not older than Ivy herself emerged out of the mansion holding a transparent umbrella and dressed neatly in a white basic top and black skirt.
"Hey. I'm Brenda, the house keeper. Come, let's get you dried up." She said with a smile and led Ivy into the mansion.
★
"Sir, I promise to be better. Please. I won't try anything ever again." A maid, probably the chef because of the uniform she wore, begged on her knees, desperately tugging on Mr Emerson's trousers. Ivy walked in then, now in dry clothes.
"Good afternoon sir. I heard you were hiring a new chef." Ivy mumbled shyly.
"A shy chef? How do I get her to scream my name?" A voice asked sarcastically and Ivy finally noticed three guys in the room; the Emerson sons.
Matthew Emerson, the eldest and a top influencer on social media and the biggest flirt ever; John Emerson, a computer scientist who was making his father proud in the family business and had no a life on social media; Mark Emerson, his father's favourite. He built a name for himself without his father's help and was currently the youngest millionaire in the West at age 20.
"Aren't people looking for jobs supposed to be sharp and confident?" John added while Mark remained silent.
"What is the name?" Mr Emerson asked.
"Ivy, sir. I promise I can cook well." She said in a pleading tone.
"Pathetic." Mark mumbled and John chuckled. "Listen here. I'm starving and I don't have the energy for an interview. So make breakfast." Mark added, ruffling his smooth hair impatiently. He looked between both girls.
"I want a cup of tea, freshly brewed." Mr Emerson said and before Ivy could respond, three more orders rolled out.
"Waffles, I want it golden brown, no burns, with freshly made orange juice." Matthew added.
"Fruit cereal. I want fresh fruits, perfectly cut, just enough sugar and don't let the fruits soak up the milk." John said nonchalantly as he focused on fixing his hair with his phone camera.
"Hot chocolate with french toast, I want my chocolate with both milk and honey, I don't want too much sugar in it and I want my toast golden brown and add something to make it spicy." Mark finished and the other chef immediately left to the kitchen. Ivy swallowed hard and followed her.
★
Ivy gently set the breakfast on the table right next to the other chef's own and ignored the chef's death glares as she packed their plates of appetizers which she had served earlier to prepare their stomachs. Both chef's stepped aside as the family ate in silence. Ivy was sweating buckets; any chef who can cook to the satisfaction of the Emersons for so long was definitely no joke. Just as she was thinking, Mark suddenly started coughing. He quickly dank water.
"Alina, did you use fresh peppers?" He asked, turning to the other chef. John suddenly started laughing.
"Oh I also practically saw the fruits dripping with milk and I think I tasted just a little spice. Luke what the actual heck?" John teased, eating a spoonful of the fruit cereal Ivy made.
"The orange juice is so fresh also. I can clearly tell Alina used additives, maybe an orange drink to substitute, didn't you?" Matthew asked and Alina nodded shyly.
"Well Mark, who do you pick?" Mr Emerson asked, looking at Mark intently. Mark absentmindedly pointed to Alina and Ivy felt her world crash.
"You're fired." He added. "Asides from cooking up rubbish when you are emotional, you also tried to seduce my father, so leave." He finished and turned back to his breakfast.
Alina started crying loudly and angrily pushed Ivy to the floor.
"She is a fake! She swapped the food!. I won't take this!" Alina ranted as faint blue veins popped up on her neck and she almost used her powers but a bracelet around her hand sparked and she screamed and calmed down. Two security guards came in moments later and dragged her out.
Ivy stood up and bowed, feeling grateful despite almost being attacked.
"Take your measurements with Brenda and a uniform will be given to you." Mark said, wiping his lips as he finished his food and stepped closer to Ivy. She backed away a bit. Marked shoved his hands in his pocket, looking at her with his head tilted.
"What's that?" He asked, looking at the red ornament hanging around her neck tied to a string. Ivy touched it.
"It's a gift." She quickly said, feeling very nervous. Mark shrugged and took her arm suddenly, pulling up her sleeve and strapped a gold bracelet around her wrist, same as the one Alina wore.
"If you take it off, you're fired." He warned before releasing her hand and Ivy looked up at him and instantly looked away. A finger suddenly lifted her face up and she locked gaze with Mark and in that moment, she felt his blue eyes peer deep into her soul, telling tales of a deep mastery of his water ability. Ivy felt her body tense up and a chill ran down her spine as distorted memories flashed in her head. She quickly backed away and looked away, breathing heavily. Mark looked at her like she had horns. He stepped out of her comfort zone and walked away. Ivy was still breathless but she already registered one rule in her mind; stay far away from the first son.
*
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But can she actually stay away from him?