Loving Madeline

Charlotte's POV

The entire house was quiet after Jack left, and I felt so lonely; I admit I became lonelier after he left. I was stupid for letting Jack go because of my damn pride.

I walked around the house, and I started to worry about how I was going to clean the entire manor. I couldn't stay here without maintaining its cleanliness. I hate specks of dust and bugs. But I don't have money to pay the maids anymore.

I spent my entire morning lying on the bed in the master's bedroom, and Jack occupied my mind. I hate that I love sniffing his intoxicating scent on the bed covers, and I daydreamed about him the whole morning.

I stood up of the bed when I felt my stomach grumble, and I realized it was lunchtime. I hastily walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge, and my face fell when I looked at the ingredients I found on the refrigerator.

"How am I going to cook all these? I don't even know a single menu," I mumbled and hated Jack for buying me meat and vegetables; he could have bought me ready-to-eat canned goods or something I could reheat in the oven.

I get some eggs and bring the pot. I am sure I knew how to boil some eggs, and it was a shame that I didn't know how to cook at this age, but it would be ridiculous if my friends found out I was learning to cook on my own.

After eating two boiled eggs, I drank lots of water to make myself full. I changed into one of my favorite dresses since I wanted to go to the capital, but after I got inside my car, I realized I couldn't drive since I needed to order a new battery.

I didn't know where to buy it; I climbed out of the car and started walking towards the archway of our manor. I could hear the birds chirping on the trees and felt glad my parents ensured many trees lined up in our driveway.

The sun was brightly shining, and if no shades were coming from the trees, I would indeed have sunburn since I didn't put any sunblock on my skin. I felt lazy to bring an umbrella with me.

I caught my breath as I continued walking, and I could feel the sweat that was beginning to form on my forehead and armpits.

"I hate my life!!!!" I shouted when I couldn't take it anymore; I felt so tired, and I wanted to return to the days when I was enjoying my freedom with all the money I could spend.

And this was the first time I realized the value of money. I needed to buy instant food like noodles; I hated eating instant food since I was so used to living in a house with kitchen staff who would cook me anything I wanted, and now, I am starving, and it felt like the end of the world for me.

How could I live without money and food to eat? I don't have pieces of jewelry left to pawn. I don't even have a copy of a resume and application letter since my family owned the Divenson company; I don't need to apply for the position; my parents laid out the job for me.

I wished I had a true friend who would be there for me in times like this, and I felt so ashamed for thinking I had a wonderful life. How could I say I had a great life when I had no one I could call at this moment?

My life was a fraud after all, all the friends I had were fake, not a single one was concerned about me, and I didn't receive any text messages asking me if I was okay; it was sad, and now, I realized they hated me for being the daughter of Clark Divenson.

I arrived at the bus stop panting and sweating, and I hated my life more when I missed the bus, no matter how much I shouted and waved my hands to the driver to wait for me.

I knew I looked like a mess, I always looked beautiful, but today was the worst day of my life. I walked a long distance and felt so tired. I jogged, but it was for my health benefit, and I usually used the treadmill anytime I wanted.

I didn't expect to be walking because my car broke and I don't have any spare I can use, we used to have so many cars here in the manor, and I wondered where my brother disposed of them.

I sat on the bench made of concrete in the waiting shed and waited for the next bus to come. I could see a few passengers waiting for the same bus, and they were looking at me with curiosity; for sure, they knew each other since they came from the same neighborhood, and they only stopped talking when I arrived.

"Excuse me, my dear, are you new here?" An older woman who was looking at me with a beautiful smile on her face asked, and I only nodded my head.

"I am sorry for asking, but we knew everyone who lived around here, and this is the first time I see you here; it would be impossible not to notice because you are so beautiful." She added, and I am sure I blushed.

"Which family were you staying with, my dear?" She asked again, and I didn't want to talk to anyone, but she seemed friendly, and I didn't want them to think I was a snob.

"Hmm, at the Divenson manor," I responded, and her eyes widened, and she was silent for a while.

"Oh, no wonder you looked so different. Are you one of the employees of the Divenson manor?" A younger woman asked as she looked at me from head to toe.

"Yes," I lied since I didn't think they would believe me if I told them I was a Divenson since I was with them at the bus stop and I was not riding a luxurious car.

"Oh, no wonder I haven't seen Cecily going to the manor," the old lady said, and I wondered who she was referring to.

"I heard they changed all the staff at the Divenson Estate," the young lady responded while I pretended to close my eyes since I didn't want them to talk about my family, and I was afraid that one of the maids betrayed me and spread rumors about me.

I don't know anyone from this neighborhood, but I planned to settle here in Barcelonia for good, and I want to have a good reputation.

"Yeah, they said something was going on at the Divenson manor after their father died; it was terrible; the death of Clark Divenson was tragic." The old lady said, and I curled my fists on my lap since I didn't want to remember the pain of losing my father.

"According to my source, the eldest son must pay a reasonable amount of money to the media to stop them from spreading reports about what happened to their father." She added.

"Oh?" One of the listeners exclaimed, and I felt glad when I opened my eyes; the bus had arrived, I got inside the bus ahead of everyone, and I chose to sit at the farthest seat at the back.

When I reached the town capital, it took a lot of self-control not to get inside the expensive boutique. I wanted to feel beautiful even if I didn't have enough money, so I went window shopping.

For the first time, I ate at the food court of the mall, and I realized it was fun after all. I used to feel awkward seeing people dining with lots of people without any privacy, but now, I have learned how to appreciate the simple things in life, which I missed growing up since I grew up in luxury.

I only needed to buy basic goods, so I went straight to the grocery store and picked up the items on my list. I almost gasped when I realized I only had little money left, and I couldn't afford to ride a taxi to go home since our estate is so far from the city center.

I grunted when I carried the grocery bags and realized they were so heavy; I found it so hard to walk, and I wanted to shout and cry since I hadn't done something like this, and I couldn't stop looking back on the days when I went shopping and got maids who would bring the paper bags for me.

I reached the bus stop catching my breath, and I could feel the bead of sweat that trickled from my forehead to my cheeks. I put the bags and wiped my face with the sleeve of my dress.

I collapsed on the bus seat, and if I had known I would be carrying my stuff at the bus stop, I should have skipped window shopping; now, my feet hurt, and I wished I had a car.

I didn't realize I had dozed off, and I shouted when I almost missed my stop. I couldn't believe it was already dark when I got off, and I became more frustrated with myself. It would be hard to walk in darkness, and I am unsure if the street lights leading to the manor are all working.

I slowly walked towards the archway of our estate, stopped once in a while, and put the bags on the ground as I caught my breath.

"I need to ask someone to fix my car; I can't live like this forever; I look so pathetic," I mumbled as I continued walking, and I could feel the soreness of my feet and back.

"If I only set aside my pride for once, I am sure the hot chef is still with me," I added, and I knew I looked like a fool for talking to myself.

I let out a sigh of relief when I could see the archway of our estate and I could see the lighted posts from the outside, and I remembered my father mentioned using solar lamps on the sides of the driveway; at least I don't need to pay for additional expense for the electricity of the lamp posts.

I was resting again when I could no longer endure the heaviness of the grocery bags, the early evening breeze tickled my skin, and even if I felt so tired, hopeless, and lonely, I smiled as I appreciated the fresh air.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the freshness of my surroundings, and I could feel the pang in my chest as I remembered Jack, and I hated myself for feeling so hot as I remembered his hot kisses; I couldn't deny I missed him, and this is the first time I experienced missing a guy terribly.

I was still fantasizing about Jack when I suddenly heard an approaching vehicle, and I couldn't stop smiling as I thought Lucia must come to visit me with her husband.

I turned around and put my hand on my forehead to shield my eyes from the headlights. When it stopped beside me, I realized Lucia's husband must win the lottery, for they had a brand-new pickup truck.

But my eyes widened in shock when the driver's side window opened, and my heart skipped a beat, and I couldn't stop having butterflies in my stomach when I saw the driver, no other than Jack Morigan, who was smiling at me like a model from a magazine.