Once Upon A Time

CHAPTER 2

MIRA’S POV

ONCE UPON A TIME

I never imagined my life would turn out like this. Born into a middle class family in the most modest place in all of New York city. My mother was a simple house wife, who took care of me and my sister. While my father was a mechanic who spent most of his time fixing other people's cars, you practically forgot about taking care of his family aside from the money he gave to mother. It was filled with love with a lot of sacrifice. I learned from a very young age that you gotta fight for your dreams to come true.

My childhood was marked with affection, but my adult years were marked with the severity of financial instability, which was a major catalyst to achieve my ambitions. Despite excelling in school, I faced the harsh reality of life. I got a lot of scholarship grants but money was not there to help process it. The few oppo that cane by way, was always taken away given to someone better, someone with a better financial backing than me.

After graduating high school, I knew I had to help out in my family's finances. Because I wanted my sister to be taken care of with her baby. She got pregnant out of wedlock and we're feeding for two. She was my older sister and her boyfriend wasn't making much. And my father's back was hurting after all those years of working as a mechanic. I left home after graduation and moved to the big city. In search of better jobs, I'll send money back home.

My first job was at a high class restaurant, that job made me realize the class disparity that existed among people. My honest way of living as a waiter, made me invisible to the rich and powerful. It made me sad I wasn't noticed or acknowledged, I was just another server, a prop in a movie set or an ugly backdrop. But I was thankful because that was where I met Ethan for the first time with his business associates.

He was a regular patron and face, who was handsome, charming and a charismatic billionaire. He would order a drink, tip me big, and offer me a smile after I served his drink. He was the physical representation of what I wanted but never had, wealth, confidence and success. What drew me to him entirely was when he came to my rescue from a pervert.

“Are you okay?” he asked me in his sweet voice.

It was a question and exchange I've ever had with anyone, since I started working here and I just smiled at him with sincerity. He took care of me, and called the police. All these things made me look his way. This started the chain of reaction with him, we both occasionally talked and we both passed the awkwardness and that's how it started. The more we talked the more we noticed the difference. In our worlds he had enough while I barely had any but he was still nice to me.

I was fired from my job shortly after that incident, and I was happy and eager to work for Ethan when he offered me a job to work in his mansion. I was happy to work for him because I got to see him, and their pay was very good and my family was benefitting from my honest living. So I wasn't surprised when my heart started beating for Ethan. I didn't like it because he was powerful but because he was nice to me. We maintained a professional relationship but there was something about the way he looked at me.

It had started out with innocent conversation around the house, there was an undeniable tension between the both of us. There was an obvious magnetic pull between the both of us, that we both couldn't ignore. Then came that evening that started it all, I was cooking late because I was leaving tomorrow to see my parents.

“You're cooking it's late,” he said in a low smooth voice.

“Uh I'm leaving tomorrow, I wanna stock up for you.” I said my hands were trembling and I wasn't looking at him.

“You're really helpful, can you look at me when talking, Mira.” Ethan said to me.

I didn't respond or do as he said, he smiled and walked closer to me and I could feel his body heat. His presence overwhelmed me. “Hey look at me, I don't bite.” he said and I could feel his breath on my neck.

I swallowed hard and my breath was caught in my throat, I could still feel his body heat radiating through mine. “Uhm don't worry about me… I'm just your help here.” I said in one breath.

Ethan turned me to face him and his lips curved into a smile, he was so close to me that I could perceive his aftershave. “Don't do that Mira. You're more than the help to me.”

I blinked rapidly at him, trying to catch my breath. I stepped away from him trying to maintain a distance from him. “Sir, I just wanna…. work.” I said in a breathy voice.

“Why?” He asked as he shortened the distance between again while having a smirk on his lips. “Don't you like me?” he asked me again.

I was gone because I was looking at his eyes, and I couldn't say anything I was spelled by him. My heart skipped a beat as I felt his lips on my neck. “I can't help it,” he said and looked deep in the eye before he continued in a low voice. “I want you Mira, so bad.”

He got me real bad at this point, because I couldn't remember the mantra I kept on telling myself. Don't cross that line he's your fucking boss. And I couldn't believe the words my brain released, “I want you too.” that sealed my fate with Ethan.

With being told to him, that changed everything immediately. He kissed me gently at first, and I responded back to him and that was the answer that he was looking for. His hands pulled me gently to him, closing the space between and his hands held my waist tightly. The walls between us as billionaire and maid were destroyed, and we both became lovers in that instant.

Our affairs wasn't a one time thing, he was the first man that I've ever been with. And I was happy to give myself totally to him. He was nicer to me and, he couldn't keep his hands off me. This affair made me see that we both were the same, and that I could be wanted even though I didn't Come from his world.

Good things don't last forever because, for a while, we were cool with each other. But recently he has been distant, and avoiding me which was crushing my emotions terribly. I couldn't question him because he wouldn't let me talk to him when he was with his family. My biggest shock came when I got pregnant, I received this news with missed feelings. But I was advised by my sister to let him know. I couldn't bear the embarrassment of telling my parents that my boss got me knocked up.

This evening I waited until he got home, and he settled into his study. I got the courage to knock on the study door, after staying there for a very long time.

The door opened and I walked in, scared of the outcome of this meeting. He was still as handsome as ever, he looked hot in his dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked like a serious businessman who was untouchable.

“You wanted to talk to me?” He asked me his voice curt, devoid of any fondness for it.

I sat down across from him, while fumbling with the pan s that I wore. I took a deep breath. breath, “I'm pregnant.” I said, unsure of his reaction.

He looked at me, his demeanor not changing, he only arched his eyebrows in surprise and his face lacked warmth. “Pregnant?” he asked, saying the word like it's new to him. “Are you certain?” he asked again.

I nodded in agreement, I was scared at this point. “I'm certain. I just had the test done.”

There was a deafening silence that followed, and it held a lot of uncertainty. “That's great news.”

I looked at Ethan and his body language, there was no empathy he was like those rich folks he saved me from.

“I'm sorry I complicated things for you,” I said in a low voice. “I just wanted to let you know.”

“Don't make it go away,” he said in a sharp and curt voice. “Do you realize the implication of what you just said, Mira?” he asked me with a straight face.

I wiped my eyes as a tear came out, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I made you upset, but this is about us not you.” I said to him in a low voice.

He stood up and walked towards the window, he walked back looking at me with anger in his eyes. “This is all on you, you couldn't protect yourself from this.” he said pointing to my belly. “Do you have any fucking idea, what you've done with this? You're my help and I'm your boss, it puts me in a bad light. A child from this, from you is not….” he said with anger evident in his eyes.

At this point my world was crumbling, and I was a crying mess. “I'm sorry I'm sorry.” I kept saying that I didn't know why. My heart was bleeding. I was hurt and humiliated.

“I can't deal with this madness,” he said in anger and walked back to his chair.

I lifted up my bowed head, “Are you firing me?” I asked him to wipe my face.

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “This is unacceptable. And I can't be involved in a scandal with you. it's embarrassing, it's bad for me, my business and my reputation. Yeah Mira you're fired”

His words hit me like a fucking tsunami, I couldn't believe my ears. “I thought we had something going on, I thought maybe that you didn't see me like that…” I said to Ethan as he wrote in his checkbook.

“I don't have time for this madness,” he said and handed me the check. “Take it and leave,” he said to me.

“I don't need your money,” I said and walked out of the office.

My heart was hurt as I packed my stuff, I was ashamed of myself.

“How did I get this low?” I kept asking myself.

I didn't want Ethan to see me like this, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he hurt me. I walked out of the mansion with my stuff, I walked and walked. That's how I clear my head when I'm overwhelmed.

I knocked on my sister's door, and she came to see me and gave me a tight hug.

“You're gonna be fine sis,” she said while patting my back repeatedly.

“Mommy, can you tell me the story again,” Abby’s cute little voice brought me back to reality. She looked at me with those wide and cute eyes.

I carried and removed a strand of hair from my daughter's face. “Which one do you love?” I asked her with a huge smile on my face.

“The one about the princess and the dragon.” Abby said while holding my hands with her tiny fingers.

“My princess wants that one,” I said smiling while carrying the cupcakes to the dinning. “Okay anything for my favorite cupcake.”

I said and Abby smiled widely showing me her teeth, she was pretty and the only good thing about my affair with him.

My mother smiled as she took Abby from my arms. “Darling, you took quite a long time in there.”

“Oh I was making the frosting for cupcakes,” I replied with a straight face.

“Mommy, can I have one?” Abby asked me.

“Of course princess,” I said and offered her one while kissing her cheeks.

My heart was warm as Abby, snuggled close to me resting her head on my chest. I looked at my mother who was looking at me with a smile. The memories and the effect of Ethan’s betrayal faded to the dark with my little girl with me.

“So once upon a time there lived,” I paused before I began pecking her head. “A brave princess.