Chapter 1: "One Last Job"
It was an early morning in a quiet little town at the edge of the country. Seagulls sang as they followed a rundown minitruck on a road leading to the manor atop a cliff. The driver was a 32-year-old Bryce, a handyman who received a call last night about a collapsed bed needing new legs.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Bryce muttered, slowing down as saw how treacherous the road up ahead was. The road had a lot of deadly sharp turns and the only thing stopping anyone from plummeting into the rocky shores was a weak-looking fence made of branches and twigs.
The brave handyman carried on. He had to. He had a job to do and he needed the money. He's been saving up to escape this boring town and live in the city where the streets were fuller and the nights were brighter.
See, back in high school when he was full of passion, Bryce made a very public confession of love to a girl who stole his young heart. But she rejected him.
The rejection stuck with him for years after that and he's been avoiding any kind of romantic relationship since. He spent the next years focusing on work and adopting a cold and emotionless exterior, only showing emotions when he's drunk or with his close buds.
But Bryce made a promise to himself, a promise he's been working up to. When he moves to the big city, he'll put himself out there again. He would open himself up to a possibility of a romantic relationship again.
His buds have been very supportive. They knew that he was getting close to making enough money for it and that he'll be gone at any moment now. They knew Bryce, and they knew that it would be best for him to start anew, especially with all the enemies he made in this town. Little did they know, Bryce just needed one last job.
After expertly navigating the twists and turns of the road he finally managed to reach the front of the manor. He took a moment to release a sigh of relief, driving through that road felt like walking on a tightrope. He could've sworn he saw a huge part of the fence broken-in but tried not to think of it. The shaken handyman made a mental note to make a complaint about the road when he got back home.
After freshening up, Bryce exited his vehicle with his toolbox in hand and approached the manor. He felt intimidated by the size of the door in front of him, and the walk through their front yard was pretty long. "Rich people," he thought to himself as he raised his fist to knock.
Before his knuckles could land on the door, however, he heard a click. The massive doors were opened and he was greeted to a surprisingly tall woman. Bryce was so used to being the tallest person in the room that seeing this lady tower over him felt odd.
The woman had smooth blonde hair that ended in round curls by her neck. She looked poised and proper, not a single mark or crease on her silky white dress and smoke black shawl. Body-wise, she was curvaceous, possessing the 'hourglass figure'.
"Oh! You must be the handyman I called for," the tall lady spoke, giving him a friendly smile.
"Yes ma'am..." Bryce smiled back, trying desperately to keep his eyes on the woman's face and not her breasts... which happened to be perfectly levelled with his head. "I heard you needed help with a bed?" he continued, maintaining his professional behavior. The tall lady smiled warmly and welcomed him into her home.
As he entered, he immediately got a bad feeling in his gut. But he couldn't explain it, so he simply pushed forward. As he followed behind the tall lady through the empty halls, he admired the furniture and paintings inside.
One painting in particular caught his attention, it was the biggest and most detailed one, it's of the tall lady and a younger girl that looks like she might be a daughter. "Are they the only two in this massive manor?" Bryce wondered to himself.
"Oh yes, that beautiful painting we just passed is me and my daughter, Lilith. We are the only ones living here," the tall lady abruptly said.
"...what?" Bryce muttered, how did she...
"My daughter is a pain, really... this isn't the first time she broke her bed. I think she might be getting too heavy for it. You specialize in woodworking, correct?"
"I uhm..." Bryce snapped out of it, "Yes ma'am I do."
"Good, I'll need her bed to be sturdier. I'm willing to pay however much that costs..."
Bryce was more than happy to do what the woman had ask. He smiled and nodded at the woman as they drew closer to a pair of large doors.
The lady abruptly stopped in her tracks. Bryce's face almost buried into her bosom as she suddenly turned around. "Oh! Goodness me... where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself!" she exclaimed, rubbing her forehead.
"I'm Ludella," she stepped back, reaching her hand out for a handshake, "I am the lady of this manor. And you are?"
"Bryce, ma'am..." the handyman responded as he shook her hand.
