Chapter 12
A ngrily, I scrubbed my face not unlike the way I’d been washing the brick outside earlier. Edna had fetched me about half an hour after I’d met Henry, telling me I needed to clean up. In fact, it was so important, she was going to put the cleaning supplies away.
After all the work I’d done today, especially outside and after little sleep the night before, I was a mess. That, I could deal with. What infuriated me was Sinclair Whittier demanding I be “presentable” for some unknown reason—perhaps simply because he wanted to boss me around.
And I hadn’t been given much time.
Stepping out of the shower, I toweled off before wrapping my wet hair in the towel. After sweating outdoors, my hair was filthy and messy in addition to the rest of my body. But, with two minutes to spare, I was clean with fresh makeup, my hair mostly blow dried. I’d put on clean clothes as well with a pretty floral blouse, but I wore jeans again on purpose. My sandals showed off pink toenails that wouldn’t last—because I hadn’t brought any nail polish with me and I refused to ask for any.
Before I left my room, I checked my phone, now plugged into the new charger Edna had bought for me. I’d sent my dad a quick text as well, letting him know I’d talk later.
I was surprised that I felt as alert as I did, but I figured that was thanks to the shower. Downstairs, I headed to the kitchen where Edna was waiting for me.
“Mr. Whittier is here and he would like to see you in his office.”
I wondered if that had been the room where he’d been in the morning when he’d been talking with his father, something I only knew because of Edna. And I wasn’t about to give away the fact that I thought I knew. “Where is it?”
“I’ll take you there.”
Soon, Edna and I were walking along the main hallway that cut through the center of the house from east to west. The antechamber was the center of the house from north to the center, ending where it met the hallway.
Soon we were near the stairs on the east side of the house and turning down the smaller rear hallway—and I knew I’d been right. As we approached, I heard two men’s voices coming through the open doorway. Edna said, “Here it is.” Before I could thank her, she’d already turned to head back to the kitchen.
Maybe this made her nervous too.
But why was I nervous? Maybe because I’d been defiant this whole time and was expecting punishment of some sort? With that idea in mind, I decided to play it safe. No more sassing, no more lip.
My father’s health and well-being hung in the balance. That fact was quite the motivator.
I lightly rapped on the open door and tried to make my expression as neutral as possible. “Edna said you needed me.”
“Yes, Ms. Miller. Please have a seat.”
Although there was a highly polished wooden desk in the room with a computer on it, there was also a small sofa and a big round table to the side where the men were seated. The walls were a deep brown with sconced lights on each wall. And, like many rooms in the mansion, the look wouldn’t have been complete without the large ornate area rug. Two windows faced a backyard area I hadn’t seen before. There were cobblestones in the middle of the grass and atop the stones was a black iron bench. To the side was a lovely trellis covered in ivy. Although I couldn’t see the entire area, I spied more flowers, showing off Henry’s green thumb.
I joined Whittier and the other man at the table, wondering what was going on.
Whittier put me out of my misery quickly. “This is James Canterbury, my most trusted attorney.” As I nodded and shook the lawyer’s hand, he continued. “He’s familiar with the circumstances that brought you here and the arrangement we’ve made. I asked him to draw up a contract so that our arrangement is clear.”
“Contract?”
“Yes, Ms. Miller,” said Canterbury, his voice not like what I’d expect an attorney to sound like. Most of my exposure to lawyers had been from television and the one time I was called for jury duty. Although I’d been dismissed, I’d had to sit through the jury selection process and had developed an idea about what a real attorney was like. This man was nothing like my impressions. He wore wire-rimmed glasses over his brown eyes, and the top of his head was bald. Fortunately, he hadn’t made the desperate attempt to comb over his black hair, seeming to accept that the top of his head was bare. “And an NDA.”
“ NDA? ”
“Non-disclosure agreement. It’s standard in these types of situations.”
He handed four sheets of paper to me before giving a few to Whittier as well. “Would you like me to go over it or would you prefer to read it yourself?”
“I can read it.”
It definitely felt like a legal document. It seemed so official, beginning “THIS AGREEMENT made this 26th day of July…”. Both our names were there, but mine was first and last name only, and, after this point, I would be referred to as the Employee . Whittier’s, however, was his whole name: Sinclair Cornelius Whittier , and he would be called the Employer after that point. I glanced quickly at a few of the things I was expressly forbidden to do according to the contract and felt my anger flare again.
Enough that I ventured into defiant territory once more—and felt like taking a few jabs at my employer . “That makes it so obvious that you’re rich.”
As I met his gaze, Whittier cocked an eyebrow. “The contract?”
I shook my head. “No. Your name. If you’d gone to public school, you would have been teased mercilessly for a name like Sinclair Cornelius .” To myself, I admitted that at least his middle name could have a decent nickname— Cory . But there were no real nicknames for Sinclair that I could think of, unless I counted Edna’s affectionate Sinny . And even if I could admit to myself that his name sounded commanding and dignified, I would never admit it out loud. I’d go to my grave first.
“For all you know, I was teased for my name, and you don’t actually know where I attended school. Children tease. That’s what they do, regardless of their economic status.”
He was right. I’d been called Anna-banana for the entirety of third grade. That was before the seriously mean taunting had begun.
“As for the name Whittier , I’ll have you know that it’s well-respected among the people I associate with.”
“My point exactly.” Although I wasn’t looking at the lawyer directly, I could tell he wasn’t appreciating our back-and-forth. Not like I cared. I hadn’t asked for any of this. “But I think I’ll call you Mr. W. ”
I could tell that got under his skin, but before he could snap back, his lawyer said, “Are you ready to sign, Ms. Miller?”
“I haven’t even read it yet.”
“Then please don’t let us stop you.”
Frowning, I decided to stop poking for the meantime—and I began reading the contract in earnest.
It began simply enough. The opening was full of jargon and legalese, but it basically said I was working in order to pay 1.5 million dollars in restitution. There was another sentence about basic needs being provided for me on behalf of Whittier Enterprises, Inc., followed by a section outlining my working hours—8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, with a clause that there could be times when I’d have to work additional hours outside of those listed. It also stated that the location I’d be working was at this address.
Finally, after having read through the legalese of the first page, I went through each do and don’t line by line, forcing my mouth to stay closed as I did. It was that list that infuriated me:
4. EMPLOYER OBLIGATIONS
The Employer agrees to the following:
The Employer will provide all necessary meals to the Employee.
The Employer will provide health, dental, and vision insurance for the Employee and will ensure that any health needs are provided. The Employer will pay for any costs associated with health, including, but not limited to, wellness appointments, other appointments deemed necessary by circumstances, medications, glasses and/ or contacts, etc.
Any items deemed essential for either work or personal reasons will be provided to the Employee.
The Employer will make time available to meet with the Employee upon request within 48 hours of request.
The Employer will account for the Employee’s working hours and track what would be both gross and net earnings. In the event that the Employee were to meet the monetary obligations in less time than accounted for in this contract, she will be released from the contract early.
The Employer will pay in full the Employee’s student loan obligations.
The Employer will make arrangements for the Employee’s father to be cared for when necessary.
The Employer grants the Employee permission to use household utilities, including, but not limited to, wireless internet, satellite, electric, gas, and water. Telephone permission must be granted on a case-by-case basis.
The Employer will grant sick time as needed and may require that the Employee visit with a physician for confirmation.
5. EMPLOYEE OBLIGATIONS
The Employee agrees to abide by the following rules:
The Employee will show up for work on time and work a full shift.
The Employee will not take excessive breaks. Two fifteen-minute breaks taken at the discretion of the Employee and a one-hour lunch break taken between the hours of 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM are permitted.
The Employee will not leave the Residence without permission.
The Employee will not enter floors 2 and 3 of the East Wing of the Residence.
The Employee will not answer the household telephone or any cell phone not belonging to her without permission.
The Employee will not answer the door without permission.
The Employee will not collect mail without permission.
The Employee will not talk with guests to the Residence without permission. “Guests” are defined as anyone who does not reside nor work at the Residence.
The Employee will not use curse words or profanity during active working hours. Curse words include words generally considered profane, obscene, and/ or impolite.
The Employee will not engage in gossip on the residence whether during working or personal hours.
The Employee will not slander, malign, or criticize the Whittier family, its companies, or its employees, whether during working or personal hours, both at the residence or offsite.
The Employee will track time worked along with duties performed on a daily basis using a tracking sheet that will be provided. This sheet will be turned in to the Employer on a weekly basis, no later than each Sunday evening at 5:00 PM for the previous work week.
The Employee will not engage in verbal complaining, particularly around other staff. Any complaints must be addressed with the Employer via appointment. To make an appointment, the Employee must request time to meet with the Employer, either verbally or in writing. Requested meeting will take place no later than 48 hours after the request has been submitted.
When the Employer calls an impromptu or prearranged meeting, the Employee will attend and be punctual.
The Employee will not use Social Media for the duration of employment. Social Media includes, but is not limited to, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, Snapchat, etc.
The Employee will not use items that aren’t owned by the Employee without permission, including when said items are used for the performance of work.
The Employee will not steal. Theft will not be tolerated and will be punished to the full extent of the law.
The Employee will not intentionally destroy, harm, vandalize, demolish, or mar anything, whether physical or digital, in the Residence that does not belong to her. Vandalism will not be tolerated and will be punished to the full extent of the law.
I had only made it through a page and a half of what I considered “do’s and don’ts” and I was sick to my stomach. So many of these rules encroached on my personal freedom—but the last one I read was insulting…and it was a good reminder that Whittier, now Mr. W. , still believed I was guilty for the destruction of the simulation lab.
Quickly, I flipped through the next several pages. One ended in the middle, saying something about my obligation being fulfilled at the end of ten years, regardless of the amount of work I’d performed. At least he planned to keep his part of the bargain in writing.
The last two pages were a Non-Disclosure Agreement—but it felt like they’d already covered that crap in the rules.
I tossed the papers on the table and the lawyer said, “I recommend you read through the contract thoroughly and let us know what questions you have before you sign.”
Unclenching my jaw, I said, “I’m not signing it.”
Mr. Canterbury said, “You can, of course, have time to think about it.”
Whittier’s voice when he spoke wasn’t quite as tempered as his attorney’s. “You will sign it or the deal’s off.”
Canterbury cleared his throat. “We can’t, uh, force her to sign it. If she signs it under duress, that makes the entire contract null and void.”
Whittier raised his eyebrow—and the piercing gaze of his ice-blue eyes were frightening, but I knew somehow that I had the upper hand here. Although the simmering anger could be heard in his voice, he didn’t yell. “All right. Take time to think about it—but while you do, interest on the damages will be accruing every day you do not sign.”
I simply crossed my arms and sat back in the chair, jutting out my chin.
“Add that to the contract. Any interest that accumulates will be converted into time and will be added onto the ten years she must work for me.”
“Okay. Any particular rate of interest?”
“How about three percent monthly?”
Canterbury turned to me. “Does that seem fair?”
Whittier lost it and stood as he started shouting. “It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t think it’s fair! She has the opportunity to sign the fucking thing now as is!”
As he began pacing across the room, I stole a glance at the lawyer, somehow comforted by the fact that he, too, didn’t appreciate the outburst. Before he could look my way, though, Whittier was back at the table leaning over.
His face was close to mine. “Three percent interest is generous on my part. And, for your information, one month’s interest would be equal to about a year’s worth of work. So go ahead and drag your feet. It makes no difference to me.”
Oh, but it did. He wouldn’t be so angry if it didn’t. “You want to rule every single thing about my life. For ten years! I think I should have a little say in what I can and can’t do.”
“You still have the option to return to Winchester and throw yourself at the mercy of the court. Will you sign or not?”
“I will not.”
“Then get out of my sight.”
Canterbury looked like he wanted to say something—but, like me, he probably thought it best to say nothing at all.