"Alright, here we are, Jenny," Alfredo stated as he knocked on the open door to Jenny's room.
Jenny looked up from her task of placing bobby pins in Isabella's hair to see the offered black card in Alfredo's hand. "Oh, thank you, Alfredo. If you don't mind just putting it on the table there," she said as she gestured to the table near the door.
She would have been polite and taken the card from him, but her fingers were currently threaded in her young niece's dark locks, arranging them into a French braid.
"The PIN is on the paper with it," Alfredo said, and Jenny nodded her gratitude as he turned and left the room, his heavy footsteps receding down the hallway.
The young woman's attention returned to the task at hand as she grabbed the hairbrush.
Having one's hair brushed was a simple pleasure often forgotten by the world. There was just something so soothing about having a brush stroke through your hair. Jenny always made a point of doing her niece's hair for just that reason. It seemed to brush all the problems away with it.
And Jenny has always loved Isabella's hair that she couldn't resisted playing with it. It was always so full of life, and the darkness of her tresses could almost possess a blue hue if the lighting was right. So much better than her aunt's plain chocolate brown.
Isabella hummed a tune that Jenny often used to sing to her as she sat patiently with her eyes closed and shoulders relaxed. Jenny was doing the finishing touches when a soft knock reached their ears. She glanced towards the door, and her fingers paused when she noticed Rosa standing there, her gaze to the floor and hands clenched in tiny fists.
"Miss Jenny?" Rosa asked, her voice strangely timid as she shifted her weight to one foot.
"Yes, Rosa?" she asked as she twirled a band around the end of the braid.
Rosa's gaze slowly moved from her feet, and her sapphire eyes locked on the movements of Jenny's hands. She watched the woman fasten the band and lay the braid over Isabella's shoulder before trying to find her voice.
"Um," she hesitated.
When Jenny heard the hesitancy, she turned her full attention towards the young girl. "What is it, Rosa?"
Rosa shifted her weight to her other foot, and her eyes moved to Isabella for the briefest moment before looking back at Jenny. Realizing that the little girl didn't want an audience, Jenny tapped her niece's shoulder and suggested she use the restroom before they leave. Isabella nodded and climbed off of the bed before making her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Jenny then stood up from the bed and walked to the little girl before crouching down in front of her.
"What's wrong, Rosa?" she urged, her voice as gentle as a lamb.
Rosa hesitantly licked her lips as her hands balled into fists then uncurled. "Miss Jenny, could I ... I mean, is it possible for me to ...?"
Jenny's concern grew. Although she's only been here a day, she knew that this was out of character for Nathan's daughter. "Rosa, you know you can tell me anything," she said and offered her an encouraging smile.
Rosa observed the comforting smile offered to her and took a deep breath. "Can ... I come with you?"
Jenny stared at her a little dumbfounded She had not expected her to ask that. She didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't that. She thought Rosa would be happy that they would be gone for a few hours.
Jenny opened her mouth, but nothing came out as she stared at the small girl flabbergasted. Of course, she would love for Rosa to come with them, but they had already made arrangements to have someone look after her. It would be extremely rude to cancel on such short notice.
However, before she could respond, the two heard the distant sound of the front door's bell chime. Almost as though a switch was flipped inside Rosa, the little girl's shoulders straightened, and her gaze moved back to the floor.
"Never mind," she muttered and stepped away from Jenny.
"No, wait, Rosa. Why did you want to-"
Jenny didn't get to finish asking her question, as she heard the loud clicking of heels against the marble staircase. She straightened and turned to see an elderly woman walking towards them, grey hair in a tight bun.
For someone who had reached the age of retirement, Mrs Jenkins looked remarkable. Her shoulders were square, walk brisk, and her jacket showed the well-tended state of her figure. But her face was a firm, solid expression with dark eyes that glanced at Jenny.
"You must be my replacement," the woman stated, her voice as strong as her face.
Jenny blinked at her tone before giving a small smile. "Yes, ma'am. You must be Mrs Jenkins. Pleasure to meet you," she said and offered her hand to the woman.
Mrs Jenkins perfectly plucked eyebrows pulled together as she stared at the offered hand. After an awkward moment of silence, Jenny's arm returned to her side.
The old woman's sharp eyes moved to the young girl standing a small distance behind Jenny. "Good morning, Rosa."
"Morning, Mrs Jenkins," Rosa responded in a meek voice, which did not go unnoticed by Jenny.
"Stand up straight and speak nicely, Rosa," the woman barked.
Rosa instantly straightened her posture.
Jenny frowned at the exchange and turned to look back at Mrs Jenkins.
"Why haven't you started practising the piano yet, Rosa?" the woman questioned, and Rosa swallowed the lump in her throat with a quiet gulp.
"It's my day off, Mrs Jenkins," she replied, and the woman narrowed her eyes.
"There is no such thing as a day off when your future is in mind, child. Now get going," she said and gestured to the staircase.
Rosa bit her lip as she glanced at Jenny for a moment before walking in the direction of the stairs.
Jenny's eyes slowly gravitated towards the old woman. The retired housekeeper was used to giving orders.
The woman's dark eyes returned her gaze for a moment before she turned and made her way down the staircase, her heeled shoes clicking against the marble as she walked.
Jenny looked to the side when Isabella walk up to her. Pushing away the feeling the woman gave her, she crouched down to straighten her niece's scarf. She then took the card and memorized the number before shredding the paper and throwing it in the bin.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Isabella responded with a nod, and Jenny grabbed her small, gloved hand before leading her out of the room.
The swirling sound of music filled the penthouse as they descended the staircase, and Jenny looked ahead to see Rosa seated in front of the grand piano, her small fingers scuttling along the white keys in the motion of a scale. Mrs Jenkins loomed over her as she watched her practise.
"I'll see you later, Rosa," Jenny called to the small girl who's feet didn't even touch the ground.
She noticed her fingers pause for the briefest moment before continuing to play. She didn't look up from her hands.
Jenny pressed her lips together when Mrs Jenkins' sharp eyes turned to the two of them in a cold glare. Her gaze told them to leave immediately, and it caused the younger woman's eyes to narrow. She didn't like the feeling this woman gave her. She was too controlling.
However, instead of saying anything, Jenny merely strengthened her hold on Isabella's hand. She would be sure not to waste any time. The two of them left the penthouse silently, the only sounds being the swelling music of the piano and Mrs Jenkins' barking orders.
-
Once Jenny and Isabella arrived at the entrance of the building, they noticed the same chauffeur seated in the black vehicle waiting for them. He glanced up when their movements caught his eye, and he climbed out of the driver's seat to open the door for them. Once they were seated, he closed the door behind him and returned to the driver's seat.
"Where to?" he asked, his tone professional and a tiny bit bored.
"Um," Jenny muttered as she scrambled for the piece of paper in her old, torn purse and handed it to him.
The man took the paper, and Jenny watched his eyes glance over the address before raising an eyebrow as if to say 'Really?'. However, being the professional person that he was, he didn't respond and shifted the vehicle into drive instead.
Jenny took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat as she stared at the outside world. She had expected the chauffeur to react like that. The address she had given him was in the same area where she and Isabella used to live. It was a small, rundown shop close to the diner where she used to work.
She shopped there whenever she had money. Although it was tacky, the clothes themselves were good quality and cheap. Even though Nathan had given her a limitless card, she would try to spend as little as she could. The thought of using someone else's money unsettled her.
"I don't like Mrs Jenkins very much," Isabella stated, and Jenny turned her attention away from the buildings and towards her niece.
"Why would you think that, sweetie?" she asked.
The young girl shrugged. "She just doesn't seem like a nice person." She paused for a moment before her face turned into a small frown. "Neither is Rosa. She's a brat."
Jenny was shocked by her niece's words. "Isabella, you can't say something like that!" she scolded, and a look of frustration crossed the small girl's face.
"Come on, Aunt Jenny. Her first words to you were that she didn't think you were pretty! That's a very ugly thing to say to someone, and those words hurt you; I know they did," the little girl retorted, her cheeks flushed with anger.
Jenny sighed. "Isabella, I'm not condoning Rosa's words, but calling her a brat isn't going to make it right. Two wrongs don't make a right, remember?"
Isabella released a loud huff. "But-"
"No, Isabella. I don't want to hear you call Rosa that again. Understand?"
A small staring contest ensued between the two for a moment. Jenny raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to respond.
After another moment, her niece sighed and looked away. "Fine."
Jenny nodded in satisfaction and noticed that the car had pulled to a stop in front of the small clothing shop. She turned towards her niece with a smile.
"Come on, let's go shopping."
-
"No, no, no, Rosa. You are doing it completely wrong. You must keep in time with the metronome. Again!"
Those were the first words Jenny heard upon entering the foyer of the apartment, arms laden with bags.
"She's still playing?" Isabella asked as she walked in after her aunt, her arms barely visible due to all the bags.
Jenny frowned as she walked into the living-room and noticed Rosa and Mrs Jenkins in the same position they had been when they had left a good couple hours ago. Jenny slowly lowered the bags to the floor beside one of the coffee tables.
Neither of the two had noticed Jenny and Isabella's return.
Rosa was focused on the pages in front of her, her fingers moving across the keys gracefully until they slipped onto a wrong key.
"Stop!" Mrs Jenkins roared as she loomed over the small girl, who seemed to curl in on herself as she stared up at the furious woman.
Rosa's forehead was covered in a light sheen of sweat, her cheeks flushed from exertion, as her tiny hands trembled from fatigue.
"How many times must I get it through to you that it's an E-Flat, not a D? What have you been doing in the time that I've been gone? Playing with those dolls and letting your talent go to waste, I'm sure. Now start from the top!"
A look of horror crossed Rosa's exhausted face as she stared at the seething woman, the trembling in her hands moving through her arms and to her shoulders. Although it was subtle, Jenny saw it, and she knew she had to intervene.
"I'm back!" she called before Rosa could continue, and their heads snapped around to look at the young woman walking towards them.
Mrs Jenkins' expression instantly narrowed into a deep scowl.
"We're busy," she said, her tone as cold as ice.
Jenny played ignorant. "Yes, I'm sure you are. So I won't keep you here any longer. Come along, Rosa. It's time for a snack," she said and smiled at Rosa.
The little girl's expression was nothing short of bewildered.
"She's not going anywhere until she gets this movement right," Mrs Jenkins snapped and stood in front of Jenny when she tried to reach for the girl's arm to tug her off the chair.
Jenny blinked at the action, and her gaze slowly gravitated towards the old woman's sharp eyes. "I'm back, Mrs Jenkins. You don't have to stay any longer."
"No."
Jenny's eyes narrowed. What was with this woman?
"Mrs Jenkins-"
"No, I'm not leaving. I never should have left in the first place, I see that now. I'm gone a day, and this child's already missing notes and playing like an imbecile!"
Jenny noticed Rosa shrink into a smaller ball out of the corner of her eye. She straightened her shoulders and levelled her gaze with the old woman's piercing glare.
"Mrs Jenkins," she said, attempting to control her tone. She's always had the utmost respect for elderly woman, but this woman was skating on thin ice. "Rosa is no longer your concern. Nathan left her-"
"'Nathan'?" the old woman cut her off with a raised eyebrow. "You're on first name basis with him? Just who do you think you are calling your boss by his first name?"
Jenny blinked at the woman's outburst. "My name's Jenny, and-"
"Wait. 'Jenny'?" the woman interrupted her for the third time, and the young woman felt her patience run thin.
"Yes."
The old woman stared at her long and hard for a moment before realization dawned on her face. Her expression grew sour.
"Oh, you're that Jenny. Well, this just makes it all the more fantastic!" Mrs Jenkins shouted as she raised her arms in the air. "What would you know about looking after a young child? You're still a child yourself!"
Jenny's eyes narrowed, her fuse sparked. She stood tall, her gaze looming down at the petite woman. "Mrs Jenkins, I am more than enough aware to know child abuse when I see it. Do you want Nathan to find out about the way you've been treating his daughter?"
Not even a hint of fear entered Mrs Jenkins' eyes. "Girl, I raised Nathan," she said, hands on slim hips. "He knows that my methods achieve greatness. He was the youngest CEO in the world, and he knows that I'll get his daughter to that same height at an even younger age."
Jenny crossed her arms over her chest. "Or maybe that was why he asked me to look after his daughter instead."
She knew it didn't work out like that, but, judging by the livid expression on Mrs Jenkins' face, she knew that she had struck some sort of nerve within that cold soul of hers.
Jenny leaned forward, her gaze focusing intensely on the old woman. "Now I'm going to ask you to leave one more time. You have no right to order Rosa around anymore. Nathan hired me to look after her, and that is exactly what I'm going to do."
The air was thick with tension as Mrs Jenkins stared back at her for a moment before scoffing and grabbing her coat. "That idiot," she muttered under her breath. "Sacrificing his daughter's future for a debt to an old hag."
Isabella, who had watched the whole exchange between her aunt and the woman, jumped to the side as Mrs Jenkins stormed past her and out of the apartment, slamming the door roughly behind her.
Jenny took a deep breath to slow her racing heart and crouched down to be on eye-level with Rosa. "You okay, sweetie?" she asked, her voice soft and gaze comforting.
Rosa stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding her head as large tears welled in her sapphire eyes.
"Thank you."