Rejected By Her Family, Claimed By The Masked CEO

Chapter 4: They are good People

The maid stared at the key for a long moment and sighed deeply. "Damnit."

Abigail looked at her quietly. "What happened?"

The maid quickly checked the bunch of keys again, turning them over one after another with growing embarrassment before smacking her forehead dramatically.

"These are the wrong keys!" she cried. "I knew it! That witch girl from the laundry duty mixed them again. One day I’m going to throw her inside the washing machine."

Abigail laughed in amusement. She knew the maid was trying to stop her from feeling awkward.

The maid looked stunned. "You laughed!"

Abigail dramatically covered her mouth.

"No, no, keep laughing," the maid said emotionally. "At least someone in this house should experience happiness today."

Before Abigail could respond, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Anna appeared around the corner, breathing dramatically as though she had just run a marathon for world peace. "Oh my God, there you are!"

The maid’s happy expression immediately changed.

Anna pressed a hand against her chest and forced out a guilty smile that somehow already looked rehearsed.

"I’m sooo sorry," she said, dragging the words sweetly. "This room is actually preserved for my friends who are coming for my birthday in the next two days."

Abigail paused.

Next two days? Would they be celebrating their birthdays on the same day?

Something about that realisation felt strange.

Before she could think deeper about it, Mrs William arrived behind Anna with a forced smile.

"Sorry, dear," she said gently. "We forgot to tell you that Anna’s birthday is coming up, and her friends will be staying in this room."

She walked toward Abigail and placed a hand on her shoulder warmly. "I’ll ask the maids to prepare another room for you, alright?"

Abigail looked at her for a moment. "Of course," she said softly. "I’m the guest here after all."

The moment the words left her mouth, Mrs William’s smile stiffened awkwardly. "No, dear," she corrected quickly. "You’re not a guest. This is your house too."

"Yeah," Abigail nodded politely.

But somehow...

Nobody looked convinced.

Anna rolled her eyes before immediately grabbing Mrs William’s arm. "Mom," she whined playfully. "Remember the surprise you promised me?"

Her tone changed so quickly that Abigail almost admired the talent.

Anna blinked innocently, leaning against Mrs William like a spoiled child, and the older woman burst into laughter. "Silly girl," she said affectionately. "Why would I forget?"

Anna clapped excitedly. "I can’t wait anymore!"

She immediately began pulling her mother away down the hallway while Mrs William laughed helplessly.

"I’ll see you later, dear," she called back to Abigail with a quick wave before disappearing with Anna.

The hallway became quiet again.

The maid beside Abigail looked ready to commit several crimes.

Instead, she inhaled deeply and forced a professional smile. "Please come with me, miss."

The guest room was at the far end of the hallway. And the moment the maid opened the door, both of them stopped.

Dust floated beautifully through the air like the room had been abandoned during a historical war.

The maid stared in horror. "How..." she whispered in disbelief. "How is this the guest room?"

The old furniture looked tired. Not old in a rich antique way. Old in a "please let me rest" kind of way.

One chair leaned suspiciously to one side like it had given up on life years ago. The curtains looked forgotten, and the moment the maid touched the table, dust attacked immediately.

The maid coughed violently.

She looked ready to cry again, especially when she saw Abigail’s calm face.

"I swear this room wasn’t this bad before," she muttered angrily. "These people barely clean anything unless Anna is filming one of her videos."

Abigail looked toward the window quietly. Outside, the evening light painted the garden gold, beautiful and peaceful in a way that almost mocked the heaviness inside her chest.

’Was looking for my family a bad idea?’

The thought came unexpectedly.

Then she shook her head inwardly.

No.

Maybe they were just overwhelmed. Maybe everything felt awkward because too much time had passed.

Maybe... they just didn’t know how to act around her yet.

"Yes," she whispered to herself. "That’s probably it."

The maid turned immediately. "Did you say something?"

Abigail smiled faintly. "Nothing."

Then, without complaining, she rolled up her sleeves and began cleaning.

The maid gasped dramatically. "Miss! No! You can’t clean your own room!" freёweɓnovel.com

"It’s okay," Abigail laughed. "I’ve done harder things before."

That answer alone almost broke the maid emotionally again.

For the next few hours, the two of them cleaned together.

At some point, the maid began gossiping angrily while dusting. "I’m telling you now, miss, this family is too soft on Anna. Last month she cried because her online followers dropped."

Abigail blinked. "That sounds serious."

The maid nodded solemnly. "Very serious. Three maids resigned that day."

Abigail laughed.

And somehow, the room didn’t feel as cold anymore.

By the time everything was finished, Abigail dropped onto the bed tiredly.

Her entire body ached. Today alone felt longer than the last three years combined.

She stared at the ceiling in silence for a while before her phone suddenly rang.

The moment she answered, two voices exploded through the speaker immediately.

"Shut up! What do you mean she’s not doing fine? She’s finally with her family!"

"But what if..."

"Hello? Abbie? Are you okay?"

Abigail laughed tiredly. "Of course I’m okay," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Just very tired."

The people on the other end instantly sighed in relief.

"We miss you already," one voice complained dramatically. "The orphanage feels too quiet without you."

"Exactly," another added. "Even the children are asking where you are."

Abigail’s chest warmed despite herself. "Give me the phone!" another person shouted in the background.

Abigail’s smile deepened. "Madeline."

"Yes, it’s me," the girl huffed. "And you need to know this. When Mummy Perry came back from your house... her eyes were red."

Abigail closed her eyes quietly. She already knew. Lady Perry had tried so hard not to cry before leaving.

But Abigail knew her too well.

"She cried the entire drive back," Madeline continued accusingly. "Even Uncle Ben started crying too, then everybody started crying and dinner became very emotional."

Abigail laughed weakly despite the sting in her chest. "That sounds dramatic."

"It WAS dramatic!" Madeline defended immediately. "One of the kids even thought you died!"

Abigail groaned. "Oh, God."

"Humph! They’re all so dramatic, as if you were always around," another person scoffed.

"But seriously," Madeline’s voice softened. "Are they treating you well?"

Abigail’s eyes slowly moved around the old furniture.

Then she smiled anyway.

"I think they’re good people."