Chapter 2: The smooth Trap

~Isabel~

Aunt Joey walked into the room, wearing her stained work smock from the salon downstairs. She looked wiped out after a long day. Her shoulders slumped with weariness that matched mine, and she leaned against the painted doorframe with a sigh that told me she suspected what my mother had done.

"She called you, didn't she?" Joey asked.

"She got married, Joey," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "To Arthur Sterling. The billionaire."

Joey whistled, the sound echoed in the quiet bedroom.

"Well. Sarah always had a thing for the fancy life. What does she want this time?"

"She wants me to move to London," I said, gesturing toward my phone on the nightstand.

"There is an internship waiting for me at his firm. She claims it will pay for my university tuition and cover my living expenses. She told me Arthur plans to invest in your salon if I agree to go."

I looked up at her, my eyes stinging with tears.

"She is using you and my remaining tuition balance to push me onto that plane."

Aunt Joey walked over to sit next to me on the bed, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

"Bel, listen to me," Joey said, in a steady voice.

"You do not owe me a thing in this life. Not a cent. I did not take you in when you were twelve because I wanted a paycheck from you down the road."

"I am three thousand pounds short for my tuition, Joey," I reminded her, staring at my feet. "The university portal states they won't hold my spot past the end of this month. I don't want to miss this opportunity. If I don't take this internship, I will lose my future."

Joey’s face turned hard.

"And do you think scrubbing sticky floors in here will get you that money before the deadline hits? No, it won't. This Sterling opportunity is your only shot at a degree. You should take it."

"But what about you and the salon?"

"The salon has struggled since long before you were born, kid," she muttered with a shrug. "But you? You have a sharp brain that could run circles around those wealthy people."

She squeezed my arm.

"If this plane ticket is your way out of this neighborhood and into the life you deserve, you need to take it. Take every penny they offer you, and don't look back."

"I don't want to leave you behind," I said, losing my hold on my emotions as I sobbed into my hands.

"I am a FaceTime call away, Bel. Go to England. Show those wealthy Sterlings what a fierce Mayfield girl can do." She gave me a grin to cheer me up. "And if any of those rich people give you trouble over there, tell them they have to deal with me."

I laughed, hugging her harder as I thought everything over.

~~~~~~~

That night and the next day, I packed my life into one battered suitcase. I packed my textbooks, my high school graduation photo, and the few clothes I owned that did not smell like coffee beans.

The floral dress Aunt Joey bought me for graduation was the finest outfit I owned, so I laid it out on the chair to wear for the trip.

After hours of travel, the plane landed. As I pulled my suitcase through the terminal, the squeaking from a cracked wheel echoed across the pavement.

A private driver was waiting for me near the exit. He stood in a dark suit, holding a sign with my name on it. He did not act like he noticed the loud sound my broken suitcase made.

He grabbed the handle with a gloved hand and offered a nod.

"This way, Miss Mayfield. Mr. Sterling expects you for dinner tonight."

The ride to the estate was quiet.

When the car pulled through the iron gates, I saw the mansion, a fortress built with limestone.

An older housekeeper met me at the main entrance.

"I am Mrs. Higgins," she announced, her tone flat.

"Your mother is waiting for you in the dining hall. I will show you to your room. You have twenty minutes to change your clothes and refresh."

"Do not be late," Mrs. Higgins warned as she opened the bedroom door. "The Master hates it when people arrive late for dinner."