They walked out of their small servant's quarters. The air was fresh and smelled of cut grass.
They headed toward the main Sterling mansion. The house was a giant palace of marble and glass.
It was a symbol of power and greed. Elena used to think it was beautiful. Now, she only saw it as a gilded cage.
Inside the mansion, the other servants were rushing around. They were cleaning windows and polishing silver until it shone.
The atmosphere was tense. Everyone knew that Arthur and Margaret Sterling were strict. If a single fork was out of place, someone would lose their job.
"Elena! go to the west wing!!" the head housekeeper barked.
Mrs. Gable was a woman with a sharp nose and an even sharper tongue. "The young master's room needs to be aired out. He will be here in an hour. Make sure the sheets are crisp."
Elena's heart skipped a beat. The young master. Liam.
In her past life, she had been assigned to his room. That was how they met. He had walked in while she was cleaning.
He was arrogant and mean. In that life, she had shouted back at him. That spark of fire had made him notice her. He had found her "interesting."
Elena walked toward the west wing. Her feet felt heavy on the expensive carpet. She remembered how his smile used to make her feel.
She remembered the way he held her in the secret apartment they shared.
But she also remembered the picture of his dead body in the car and the silence of her daughter's crib.
She reached his room and opened the door. The space was large. The furniture was dark and masculine.
She opened the large windows to let the summer air in.
She began to dust the desk.
She stood by the window and looked out at the long driveway. A black car was approaching. It was the Sterling family limousine. It moved slowly like a predator.
He is here, she thought.
Suddenly, she felt a surge of anger. Liam had loved her, but he had also been a coward.
He had allowed his parents to control his life.
He had married Isabella Thorne while Elena was pregnant with his child.
He had tried to have it both ways, and they all paid the price with their lives.
Elena decided right then. She would not fall in love with him again. She would use him. She would use her knowledge of the Sterling Corporation to build her own power.
She would make sure Isabella Thorne never had the chance to hurt her mother.
She heard footsteps in the hallway. They were heavy and confident. They were the footsteps of a man who owned the world.
The door to the bedroom pushed open.
Elena did not turn around immediately. She kept her back to the door.
She gripped the edge of the windowsill until her knuckles were white.
"Who are you?" a deep voice asked.
The voice was like a ghost from her dreams. It was rich and smooth. It was the voice that had whispered promises of forever in her ear.
Elena turned around slowly.
Liam Sterling stood in the doorway. He was twenty-three years old. He was tall and carried himself with pride.
His dark hair was brushed back perfectly. He wore a suit that cost more than Elena's mother made in a whole year.
He looked at her with a bored expression.
In the past, Elena had looked at him with wonder. She had thought he was the most handsome man in the world.
Now, she looked at him and felt nothing but the cold memory of the river.
"I am the new maid sir," Elena said. Her voice was flat. She did not look down at her feet like a servant should. Instead, she looked him right in the eyes.
Liam paused. He was used to people being afraid of him. He was used to girls blushing when he entered a room.
This girl was different. She looked at him as if he were a bug on the wall.
"You have a name?" Liam asked. He stepped into the room.
"Elena Moore," she replied.
"Well, Elena Moore, you missed a spot on the desk," Liam said.
He pointed to a perfectly clean surface. He was testing her. He wanted to see her get upset or flustered.
In her first life, Elena had argued with him. She had told him he was being a jerk. That was the moment he had decided she was special.
This time, Elena simply nodded.
"I will clean it again sir," she said. She picked up her cleaning cloth and walked toward the desk.
She did not look at him as she passed. She acted as if he was invisible.
Liam frowned. He felt a strange sensation. He felt something was wrong.
There was a weight in her eyes that did not belong on the face of a young maid.
Elena finished the spot and turned to leave.
As she closed the door, she leaned against the wall. Her hands were shaking.
She had survived the first meeting.
However, she knew this was only the beginning.
Elena took a deep breath. She had five years to change her story.
She had five years to become a predator instead of the prey. She looked down the long, empty hallway.
"I will not die this time," she whispered to herself. "But all of you will wish you had.."
Elena took a long breath to calm her shaking heart. She had to move.
If she stood here too long, the head housekeeper would find her.
She pushed herself away from the wall and began to walk down the long corridor.
She reached the back stairs and hurried down to the servant's kitchen. This was where the real work happened. The smell of roasted meat and fresh herbs filled the air.
Several maids were rushing around with silver trays. In the center of the room, her mother was cutting vegetables.
Elena stopped to look at her mother. She felt emotional as she observed.
Martha looked younger. Her hair had less gray in it. Her hands moved with a steady rhythm.
In the past life, those hands had become thin and weak before she died.
"Elena? Why are you standing there?" Martha asked. She did not look up from the carrots.
"Did you finish the young master's room already? You were very fast."
Elena walked over to her mother. She wanted to throw her arms around her.
She wanted to sob and tell her how sorry she was for the future. But she could not do that. Martha would think she was crazy. Instead, Elena picked up a knife and started helping.
"He did not need much," Elena said. Her voice was steady now. "I opened the windows and tidied the desk. He is just as arrogant as the stories say."
Martha sighed. She stopped cutting and looked at her daughter. "Be careful, Elena. The Sterlings are not people you want to upset. We need this job. We have nowhere else to go. Your education depends on the mercy of this family."
Elena felt a surge of anger at the word 'mercy.' The Sterlings did not have mercy. They had a desire for control.
They paid for Elena's college only to make sure she felt indebted to them. It was a chain, not a gift.
"I know, Mom," Elena said. "I will be careful. I promise."
However, in her mind, Elena was already calculating. She knew that in two weeks, the Sterling Corporation would announce a major merger.
The stock price would skyrocket.
In her past life, she had heard Arthur Sterling bragging about it on the phone.
Back then, it meant nothing to her. Now, it meant everything.