I could still vividly remember the first morning I had spent in the Luo family. The morning sunlight shone
into the room through the curtain's gap, and the faint fragrance of lavender didn't dissipate for quite a
long time.
Then, I pulled open the curtain to welcome the bright sunshine. There, I took a peak at what was
outside the window and saw the different flowers that grew in the luscious garden.
I couldn't help but look back at the room where I was in. It was much larger than the one I had been
living in. At that moment, I felt like I was in a dream.
Rogelio was still sleeping. Well, he had been sleeping for a very long time. I couldn't help walking up to
him and looking at him carefully.
Even though Rogelio looked pale, and thinner than Robbie, his exquisite facial features still made
people feel that he was particularly good-looking.
Then, a thought struck my mind—what was Rogelio like in the past? If he had been as healthy as he
was before, then surely, many women would have fallen in love with him.
"Hello there, I'm Jasmine. Do you still remember me?"
Of course there was no response. I shrugged and laughed at myself for being childish.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door so I quickly tidied up my clothes and went to open the door.
What greeted me was a strange woman's face. Judging from her clothes, I guessed that she was one
of the servants in the Luo family.
I nodded at her politely and said "Hello".
Apparently, she was there to give me a message. She said that Mrs. Nancy had asked me to come and
see her.
So, I followed the servant into the dining room. Meanwhile, Nancy was there, sitting by the dining table
and enjoying her breakfast.
However, there was only one breakfast meal on the dining table, and Nancy didn't ask me to have a
seat. Obviously, there was nothing I could do but to stand there.
Nancy then wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and looked up at me. "Robbie insisted
on giving Rogelio a wife. I know he wants to make his brother's life complete and find someone to take
care of Rogelio in the future. I don't want to let him down, which is why when he let you marry him, I
didn't object."
Nancy paused as she squinted her eyes at me for a few seconds. Then, she looked at me from head to
toe, making me feel so uncomfortable yet again.
"I didn't say anything against it. But to be honest, you are not the ideal daughter-in-law for me."
In fact, I could understand what Nancy was really thinking at that time. I believed that I wouldn't be
married into the Luo family if it hadn't been for the fact that Rogelio was a vegetable.
"It's true that the Luo family does not have a problem with money, but it doesn't mean that we are
willing to give money to anyone like a money-spinner. If you can take good care of Rogelio, then I will
give you the money you deserve."
Nancy then ticked her finger at the maid who just brought me here. Then, in an instant, the servant put
a bank card on the dining-table in front of me.
I was lost at what Nancy was trying to say. As seeing the card, I didn't know what to do with it...
"No matter who asks, let it be people from the inside or the outside, you have to remember that you
can only answer that you are the personal maid hired by the Luo family to take care of Rogelio. You
cannot take yourself as his wife."
Then, Nancy stood up and said, "This is a wage card and every servant in this family has one.
Everyone gets their wage on time on the tenth day of every month. I don't know how much Robbie has
already paid you, but here, I only have this one for you. Don't expect anything else."
I hesitated for a while, and then finally took the so-called "wage card". After all, this was my only
economic source after I lost my job, and also I knew that only by taking this card would Nancy feel a
little bit more at ease.
Otherwise, she would probably think that I was greedy, and want more than that what she was offering
me.
The corners of Nancy's mouth started to curl up upon seeing that I had taken the wage card. She then
turned to the maid and said, "Maria, let her eat with you in the kitchen from now on, and then teach her
how to take care of Rogelio."
As soon as Nancy went upstairs, I took a look at the bank card in my hand. There, I realized that I was
no more than just a maid in this house.
Then, Maria handed me two pieces of A4 sized paper. The sheets of paper were so full of words. Little
did I know that this would be my daily routine in taking care of Rogelio.
The paper would serve as my guide, more like an instruction manual on when I needed to feed
Rogelio, when to give him water, when to turn his body over, etc.
"Maria, do I really need to do this?"
I asked as I shyly pointed at one of the instructions which said that I should wipe Rogelio's body once a
day, and change his diapers.
I didn't mean to deny the request. It was just that if Rogelio were a woman, then I wouldn't have asked
Maria this question at all.
Blinking impatiently, Maria looked at me with raised eyebrows and then said, "Who else do you think
should do it? Although Mrs. Nancy doesn't want you to announce your relationship with Mr. Rogelio,
don't forget that you are still Mr. Rogelio's wife. As his wife, it is your duty to take care of him."
Then, Maria looked at me with great contempt and said, "If it isn't for this reason, then why do you think
we need to find a wife for the forever sleeping Mr. Rogelio? Do you really think that you could be
married to him?"
Upon hearing those words, I felt that Maria had struck my heart with a dagger.
I tried to convince myself not to look at those eyes full of mockery. Clenching the wage card in my
hand, I told myself that working here and earning money by my labor was not, at all, going to be
shameful for me.
Although I had an official marriage certificate with Rogelio, I just regarded myself as a servant of the
Luo family, just as Nancy hoped.
Even so, when I cleaned Rogelio's body, I still felt embarrassed as I struggled to do it right for a long
time.
Afterwards, I just closed my eyes and turned my head. I could still vividly remember the first time my
fingers touched his skin. As I recalled, my face turned red and my heart beat rapidly.
As a woman who valued the boundary between being the official young lady and being the maid, I only
thought that I should try my best at that time to live up to the wage that the Luo family had been giving
me.
Besides, I still owned Robbie a big deal. After all, he had rescued me from those horrible men in the
first place. Only for that reason, I should work hard here to pay him in return.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda