102 The Irony Is Not Lost On Me
“I understand that you are used to handling things in a certain way but I do not appreciate you all being
negligible and rude to someone on their very first day in this house.”
Liam frowned as he stood before every member of the mansion staff who lined up in the living room per his command. He shifted his piercing gray eyes to Mrs. Greene and continued,
“I know that Amelie’s arrival was rushed and some
things were not prepared but I was willing to let it slide had it not been for the unwelcoming treatment my wife has received. Every single member of the Bennett family is to be treated equally. I do not suppose you would offer my grandfather the same level of rudeness you gave Amelie, would you, Mrs. Greene?”
The living room was filled with tension to the point that it made it difficult to breathe. It was obvious that
everyone was uncomfortable with the scolding that had never been received either from Liam or Vanessa, and Mrs. Greene decided to express her staff’s
11:59
< 102 The Irony Is Not Lost On Me concerns first. “I apologize if our actions have been perceived as rude, Mr. Bennett, however,” she moved her eyes awkwardly around the room as if making sure that no one else was listening before continuing, “Mrs. Benn—We still regard Mrs. Vanessa Bennett as the mistress of the house; we all will need some time to adjust to such a drastic change. It still feels a little weird to treat Mrs. Amelie Bennett as someone in charge of this estate.” Liam let out a long sigh and narrowed his eyes; the housekeeper’s words only made him angrier. “Funny you should say that, Mrs. Greene,” he took a step closer to her and locked his eyes with hers, “I remember when you first entered this household as our new nanny, and both my late brother and I showed you nothing but respect even though we liked our previous nanny better at first. If two children could do that, then a whole set of grown–ups should be capable of doing that too.” His cold and detached tone had the desired effect on everyone in the room, especially Estelle who felt embarrassed for being put into such an unflattering 11:59, 2/7 C 102 The Irony Is Not Lost On Me comparison. Liam adjusted his tie and concluded, “I know you are used to my fluffy side but I won’t let it get you all confused. Amelie is the new mistress of this house. Either you all treat her as such or you will have to look for another job. Dismissed.“” *** Amelie walked through the gardens surrounding the Bennett residence, savoring both the refreshing scent and mesmerizing view that enveloped her. It had been several days since she arrived at this mansion and most of her time, she had to spend alone as both Liam and his grandfather were busy taking care of their company’s restructuring. ‘I have to admit, I have been way too defensive by hiding myself in here simply because these gardens remind me of my hotel. I have deliberately taken several days off work to explore this mansion and get used to it but all I’ve done was spend my days in here.‘ Her uneasiness was not entirely ungrounded. Although Amelie barely met Vanessa inside the house, and despite the staff treating Amelie with more 317 vis No 102 The Irony is Not Lost On Me respect thanks to Liam’s scolding, it was still painfully clear that Vanessa held significant power inside the mansion. ‘I know quite a lot about Vanessa. She was born here but spent most of her life abroad and that’s how her marriage with Noah was arranged. Her family owns a lot of resorts all around Asia which makes her quite a rich heiress despite her older sisters being first in line to inherit the business. What makes me anxious is that even despite living abroad for so long, her social circles are impressively wide. She has just returned to the country but she is already a number one socialite… And with my being somewhat pushed into the background thanks to my divorce scandal, it will be very difficult to outshine a woman like her.‘ Amelie recalled her very first talk with Vanessa and her request to not fire the help that was initially hired by her. She had to admit that it made a lot of sense to her too. ‘Vanessa is probably feeling threatened by me; she thinks I will push her out. Just like what Samantha did with me when Richard brought her to the mansion. 11:50 102 The Irony Is Not Lost On Me However… Samantha was nobody and only had Richard to support her while I had so many people backing me up while hating that woman’s guts.” She paused, looked back at the astonishingly huge mansion behind her, and sighed. “The irony is not lost on me. Now, it is me who has to live among people who resent me while having only Liam beside me.‘ Amelie wanted to resume her walk but had to stop again as he heard a familiar male voice calling her name. “Lily!” A wide smile appeared on Amelie’s lips as she noticed Liam rushing toward her like an excited child. “You are here again! I guess you like nature a lot.” “You are home early today,” Amelie waited for Liam to align himself with her and resumed her walk while the man was both catching his breath and nervously fixing his appearance. “I decided to make it a short day today because I have been leaving you alone for way too long. Aren’t you hanny?” 102 The Irony Is Not Lost On Me Amelie nodded. “Of course, I feel a lot better with you here.” Liam’s face turned a little darker while his voice changed its tone to a somewhat reserved one. “Lily, I don’t want you to feel like an outsider here. If there is an issue with the staff or Mrs. Greene, I want you to tell me. I want everyone to treat you the way they treat my grandpa or me.” “Liam,” the woman offered her husband a subtle smile and although her voice sounded rather serious, it still retained its warmth. “I know you want what’s best for me but there are things that I have to take care of myself. It’s one thing to respect me because you order them to and the other—to respect me because I deserve it. I’d like to earn my respect.” Liam couldn’t help but sigh; his wife’s wisdom never failed to amaze him. “Alright, but you have to promise to ask for my help if you truly need it, okay?” “Yes, there are definitely some things you can help me with already.”