Chapter 8 A new place

“The Don has finally decided what he wants with you!”, Paula said to Isabella as soon as she sat.

Her entire family's fate depended on The Don's decision, thus, as she anticipated Paula's next words, it seemed like there was a knot in her stomach.

Isabella looked at Paula as she went through the kitchen, she wondered if that was how Paula always was, or she was just trying to evoke some emotion.

Slightly noticing that Mia had brought a filled plate, ready for her consumption, she turned towards her, mouthing a simple thank you.

Noticing Isabella's expectant demeanor, she turned towards Paula and said, “you still haven't said anything madam Paula!”

“Ohh that's right!”, Paula said as she stopped what she was doing, Isabella letting out a sigh of relief.

“Mr Rossi wants you to work the house…!”, Paula started as she faced Isabella now.

Paula's sentence completely eradicated the feeling of a knot in Isabella's stomach.

She sat properly as she waited for Paula to complete her sentence, “... you will be working alongside me and Mia in cleaning the mansion till the boss comes back!”.

Hearing this, Isabella nodded, opening her mouth to ask, “do I start immediately?”

“That all depends on you. Today, tomorrow, whichever one you please. Just remember the sooner you begin, the more time you get to rest!”, Paula answered.

“Yes ma'am, I'll start later today!”, Isabella answered, wanting a good night's rest as she awaited her fate.

“Good!”, Paula said as she turned to leave the kitchen.

However, she turned and went back, Causing Isabella to stand up, leaving the spoon in the plate.

“No, no, sit down! I just wanted to give you a little advice on your stay here!”, Paula said, walking towards Isabella.

“I suggest you stick to the parts of the house I tell you to clean, don't go around snooping, and you certainly don't go asking questions that aren't related to you. Most of all, you mind your business!”, Paula said.

The little advice seemed more like rules to Isabella than advice itself. Nonetheless, she was going to stick to every single one, the wrath of The Don was something she wasn't curious to know.

“Yes ma'am!”, Isabella answered.

“Very well then, go on and eat your food!”, Paula said before she turned around and left the kitchen.

As she ate her food, Isabella continued to look at the awesome features in the kitchen, she smiled slightly as she saw machines she only thought would help in the kitchen, she never really knew they existed.

Mia placed a glass of water beside her food as she kept admiring the kitchen.

“Come on, don't pick at your food. You're going to need the energy for later”, Mia said, getting Isabella to actually eat.

Mia lingered in the kitchen till she saw that Isabella was done eating.

“Are you full?”, Mia asked.

“Yes, yes I am!”, Isabella answered, taking more gulps of water from the glass.

“The Don doesn't ask for much, you just have to do your job right!”, Mia started as she washed the dishes.

Hearing Mia's sentence, Isabella wondered if it was the same Don that basically took her hostage till her father could pay a certain amount back.

“Oh!”, Isabella simply said, not ready to refute The Don in his own house.

“Yes! And the things Madam Paula said…”, Mia drawled as she finished the dishes.

Taking a seat beside Isabella, Mia continued, “... don't skip any of them. Once you stick to that, your stay here will be a breeze!” Mia said.

Isabella simply nodded as she remembered the nature of her presence in The Don's mansion.

“Also, don't go around snooping. The Don doesn't like it…!”, Mia drawled looking at the kitchen entrance before she scooted towards Isabella.

Curious, Isabella leaned in with equal fervor.

“... I used to have a partner before, but she got too curious and started snooping in The Don's business!”

“What? What happened to her?”, Isabella inquired.

“She suddenly disappeared. Till today, I wonder what happened to her!”, Mia answered.

“Really?”, Isabella asked, goosebumps forming on her skin.

“One time, I asked Madam Paula about it, and she simply told me to mind my business!”.

“Wow!”, Isabella said, slightly frightened.

“But you don't need to be scared, as long as you do your job right, you have nothing to be worried about!”, Mia said, a bright smile suddenly appearing on her face.

“Right…!”, Isabella said as she let out a burp.

“Excuse me!”

“It's fine! Come on, madam Paula said to give you your uniform!”, Mia said as she headed out of the kitchen.

Letting out a deep sigh, Isabella followed after.

“Do I get a uniform with the same color as yours!?!”, Isabella asked curiously as they entered a room that looked more like a store.

“Yes, it's the Rossi Housekeeper's uniform! Everyone that cleans the house has to wear it. Except Madam Paula of course, she's the house manager!”, Mia answered, searching through the uniform stack for a suitable size for Isabella.

“Grazie!”, Isabella said as Mia passed the uniform to her.

“You are expected to wear this later when you come down to work later!”, Mia said.

She continued, “do you know your way back to your room?”

“Uhm, not really!”

“Don't worry, in time you'll know how to navigate the mansion!”, Mia said.

“Come on, let me take you to your room so you can rest up a bit!”, She urged.

~~~

“I'll be back in a few hours!” Mia said.

“Okay!, Thank you!”, Isabella responded, Nodding her head.

“Alright! See you later!”, Mia said again, closing the door after her.

Isabella turned, her eyes sweeping the room, like there would be changes if she left and came back.

“I probably should unpack!”, Isabella thought out loud as she approached her suitcase.

She had earlier surveyed the room, thus she knew that the wardrobe was empty.

She quickly went ahead to unpack, noticing that she hadn't brought some essentials like a sanitary napkin and a moisturizer for her skin.

‘Ahhh, how could I have forgotten!’, Isabella thought as she closed the suitcase and placed it beside the wardrobe.

‘I’ll ask Mia first, I don't want to get shunned by Madam Paula. La faccia di quella donna è spaventosa’, Isabella thought as she shook her head.

As she sat on her bed, she wondered if her parents were okay.

She hadn't taken her phone along as she initially planned to escape.

However, sitting on her new bed, she wondered if she should have smuggled it in, she would have had a way to talk to her parents in secret if she did.

She wondered if Luciano was going to let her have contact with her family directly, especially considering the nature of her presence in his mansion.

Regardless, she hoped they were doing alright. She hoped with her presence in Luciano's mansion, they wouldn't be oppressed by The Don.

A loud thump ensued as Isabella laid sprawled on the bed, her eyes shutting close for a few minutes.