A MAZE OF GREED

A breeze passed that made the flames of the torches flutter a little. The music played by the orchestra in the hall was pleasant, settling a good mood. People were enjoying each other's company. Little did they knew what was happening at the secluded part of the manor.

Ruth, who had sneaked into the property of the O'Dell family with her friend Thea, was nervous. Her heart was beating faster with every step they took towards the two silhouettes in the backside corridor of 'the great manor'. She had never done anything rebellious like this. And when she got a chance to step out of her safe cocoon, it had to be crossing paths with the O'Dell family.

Thea guided Ruth till they reach the corridor. They hid behind a wall where the light of torches couldn't fall. It was a perfect place to hid.

A woman giggled exaggeratively. "We should stop now. Let me go." She said in a hushed tone.

Ruth scrunched her brows as she was curious to know who the woman was. She glanced at Thea, who was trying to figure out the same thing as Ruth. But they had no clue.

"Why? We have just started." A manly voice fell on the women's ears.

Thea's eyes widened as her doubt got cleared. Indeed, there was a juicy gossip that she could get.

"Oh, no. There is a celebration going on inside. People must be looking for you." The woman said.

The man scoffed. "Then let them. I don't care. Come here."

His sentence was followed by some unusual sounds that made Ruth suck a deep breath and Thea stifled her laugh by covering her mouth with her hands. Ruth made a disgusted face as she couldn't stand there anymore.

"Who are they?" She whispered. Thea replied with a shrug, as she couldn't guess the identity of a couple.

"Master, please. I know, you can't get enough of me, but we need to get back inside. Lady Theodora told me to fetch you to the hall. She will be furious if we get anymore late." The woman's sultry voice made Ruth cringe.

"Tell them that I am in no mood to join them. You can go." The man dismissed the woman's request.

Ruth didn't miss the coldness in his voice. She didn't like the way he said those words to the woman with whom he was having a private moment just now.

The man must have pushed the woman away from him. Ruth could now see the features of his side profile. The light fell on his figure that showed that he was a tall man. He wore a designer dress, similar to the ones worn by nobility. It indicated that he belonged to a family with high social status. The woman, on the other hand, was dressed in a simple dress that gave away her identity. She was a maid.

"But, Master. Everyone wants to meet the sole heir of the O'Dell family." The maid said while adjusting the front of her dress.

Both Thea and Ruth's eyes widened in shock at the revelation of the identity of the man. He was none other than the Edwin O'Dell, also known as the 'young master'.

Before, the ladies react, another servant came there. He didn't dare to glance at his master and his companion. He kept his head hung low and said in a polite manner. "Pardon me, my Lord. But Lady Theodora and Lord Augustus are looking for you. Your presence is requested as soon as possible."

Against the expectation of Ruth, the maid stood there without getting embarrassed when the servant came. Ruth was surprised to see her boldness.

A brief silence passed as no one dared to utter a word in front of Edwin. After some moments he said, "Tell them that I am on my way. Now get out."

The maid chuckled at how Edwin treated the poor servant. But she had no idea that her privilege was temporary. Her face became sour within a flash when Edwin's next words echoed.

"Both of you!"

He tilted his head that showed his cerulean blue coloured eyes that stared at the maid, void of any emotions. At the sight of his luring eyes, Ruth's lips parted a little in awe.

"How much people praise his eyes is nothing compared to watching them in real." The words left from Thea's mouth as she was too stunned that finally, she got an opportunity to see the one and only, Edwin O'Dell.

The servant, who came to call Edwin left after a bow. But the maid was different. She didn't move a bit. Instead, she neared Edwin and put her hand on his arm gingerly.

"I can stay a little longer, you know. We can finish what we have started." She said seductively.

Ruth couldn't see her face as her back was facing her. From her voice, Ruth guessed that she must be young, maybe younger than her. But Edwin's half-face was visible from where she hid. His face held no emotions as he stared coldly at the woman, who was ready to throw herself at him.

Thea and Ruth waited to see what was going to happen next. They held their breaths when Edwin grabbed the maid's hand which she had put on his arm and twisted it painfully.

The maid hissed in pain and pleaded to let her go. The fear was prominent in her voice. "Aaaahh! Young master, what are you doing? Please let me go."

Edwin glared at her with a clenched jaw. "I told you to leave, but you defied my order. Do you think just because I spare you some of my attention, you can act bold enough to not follow my orders?" His cold voice made Ruth shiver in fright.

The shadows made his form look more intimidating than his behaviour. "Listen carefully, you slut. Women like you are meant for our pleasure. So don't mistake my fleeting interest in you with something else. Now get out of my face!" He pushed her away from him.

Ruth could see the shaking of the maid's shoulders and she knew that the woman must be crying. But she was not sure of the reason. Was it because of the ache in her hand or was it the words that the rude man said? Maybe both! Though the maid's first impression was not positive for Ruth, she couldn't help but feel pity for her.

No woman deserves to be treated like this. She thought.

The maid didn't waste the time and ran from there as a sob escaped her lips. A thought of following the woman to comfort her crossed Ruth's mind. But she couldn't do that as people from the manor were clueless about her unwelcomed presence.

"Wow, he is a rude man!" Thea whispered. Ruth couldn't make it, whether it was something that Thea admired or disliked.

But Ruth was definitely disgusted with the man in front of her. If she was not a soft-hearted woman, she would have marched there and slapped him across the face for his ungentlemanly behaviour.

Edwin rested his back to the wall behind him and pulled his left leg in an angle through the knee to rest it on the same wall. Another breeze of wind made his coffee brown hair fall on his forehead. His cerulean blue eyes popped in the dark. Unlike the contemporary fashion in the nobility, he didn't tie his hair at the back of his head. They were of medium length just below his ears. He only combed them backwards to put them in place.

He was lost in staring at the dark sky but his face didn't give away his thoughts. With a loud sigh, he ran his hand through his dishevelled hairs only to make them messier than before. Ruth thought that he looked more like a normal man than a nobility if she hadn't witnessed his behaviour.

Edwin pushed himself against the wall and was about to turn when he halted. He craned his neck in the direction of the place where Ruth was hiding with Thea.

Ruth and Thea prayed mentally that he would not catch them. He was already in a bad mood and would not spare the trespassers. His eyes didn't move from their direction, which made them think that he got suspicious of their presence.

Thea closed her eyes as if it would help her to disappear from there. Ruth held her breath in nervousness.. After some moments of anticipation, both women sighed in relief when Edwin turned to walk back in the direction of the hall without looking back.