Chapter 19— No Friendliness

"How could you do that to Itzel? She has only loved you and why would you slap Maya?" Alia's face smudged in a frown as she glared at Lena. Maya narrated a false story to Alia about how Lena made Henderson scold Itzel and when she came to talk to Lena about she just slapped her. "I did not slap Maya, she slapped...." "Shut the hell up Lena, " Alia chipped in cutting Lena off. "Just like I thought, you have been pretending to be this good and you could no longer hold it in so you showed your true colours, " Maya snorted in disdain. "What's going on?" Henderson asked coldly as he suddenly appeared in front of them. His features softened as his eyes wandered to Lena and then he took steps to Lena. The mark Maya's hand left on Lena's face was very much evident because of how pale Lena's skin was. "Who did this to you, Lena?" He asked lifting his hand and delicately brushing Lena's cheek with his fingertips, this very caring act made Lena's breath hitch and she shuddered when Henderson noticed this he withdrew his hand. Henderson stood closely to Lena, his eyes began to narrow when they roamed to Alia and then Maya and his face darkened "Maya slapped her, " Alia blurted realising what she had just done, she put a hand over her mouth. Maya's eyes bulged out, she didn't expect Alia to sell her out so quickly. Her heart felt like a barbed wire had strangled it as fear surged through her the moment she beheld Henderson's pissed gaze. "I didn't..." "Shut the fuck up, " Henderson snapped at Maya before she could finish her words. The tone of his voice made Maya flinch, forcing her to cower back with an aggressive look. Even though her lips were shaky, she still managed to force them open and began to mutter, "I was only..." Henderson raised his hands in the air and the rest of her words were stuck in her mouth. His eyes turned sharp like daggers as his expression simmered in a quiet rage. "I've had enough of your nonsense Maya. Apologise to.." "Leave it be sir, Maya did nothing I hit my cheek against the door," Lena's calm voice came making Henderson turn to her. His eyes crinkled, just now Alia had told him that Maya slapped her why then was she covering for her? "What?" Henderson arched his brows, his lips were pursed as his eyes scrutinised her face. "Maya did nothing." As Lena spoke, she lowered her head and kept her eyes from Henderson. There was guilt written all over her face and it confirmed that Lena was lying to cover up for Maya. Lena sighed and her eyes slowly raised to meet Henderson and she walked out of the room after that. Rage boiled inside Henderson as he glanced at Alia and Maya. "Henderson, please...." Alia started. "Save it, " Henderson snorted giving Alia a dirty look. He was in no mood to listen to her, when he walked in and saw how swollen Lena's cheek was and the mark on it, he almost lost control as fury rose deep in his stomach seeing the hurt in Lena's eyes worsened it. Henderson left the room and ran after Lena who was in tears. "How could you Alia?" Maya frowned when Henderson was gone. She was still very much furious that Alia told Henderson that she slapped Lena when a few moments ago she was scolding Lena for slapping her but in no time she was on Lena's side when Henderson stepped in. A smile took over Alia's lips making Maya more furious as she peeked at her. "You whine too much Maya. I've told you, you be the tormentor and I'll be the mediator. I was only playing my role." Alia shrugged making Maya's eyes crinkle, her brows were raised in confusion. "You still don't get it, do you?" Alia huffed but she smiled afterwards. "You are supposed to be happy, didn't you see all that transpired? You just wait and see how Lena and Henderson drift apart, just like we wanted." Maya grinned evilly. ..... Henderson kept calling out to Lena but she didn't stop walking until she got into her room. Lena stood in front of the mirror peering at her reflection as tears slid down her cheeks. She had been trying to be strong for so long but for how for how much more could she hold on, she was wrecked trying to bury her ill feelings deep in her heart. Her mom hated her, despised her son, kicked her out and when she was finally finding some peace Alia and Maya showed up only to make her life more miserable than it already was. Why did they hate her so much? And think of her as the worst, all she ever tries to do is be a good employee and care for Itzel but they never seemed to believe her sincerity. "Lena, " Henderson called when he entered her room. He would have knocked but she left the door open after she walked in. "Why would you lie to cover up for Maya?" Henderson's agitated voice made Lena veer to face him. A look of concern flashed in his eyes as he saw the tears on her face. "You are crying." A cold expression crept on Lena's face as their eyes met. "It doesn't matter to you, sir. Please I beg of you don't try to defend me, I mean nothing to you. I'm just your daughter's Nanny, it would be best if it stays that way. Friendliness isn't going to do any good." "What are you saying?" Henderson's forehead squeezed in a slight frown and his eyes fixed on her face. "I mean nothing to you just you way you are nothing to me but my boss. So you don't have to stand up for me or do anything else, " she stated again. Henderson chuckled but when he saw the same cold look in her eyes, he kept a straight face, she wasn't joking like he thought she was. "Right, " he nodded vigorously sinking his hands into his pockets. A sad smile formed on his lips as he took one last glance at Lena before he dashed out of the room. Lena strutted to her bed and plopped on her bed, she didn't know why but those words felt very heavy in her mouth when she told them to Henderson. She felt an unexplainable feeling, it felt as though she had just severed ties with a close friend, she frowned slightly trying to suppress the strange feeling. She shrugged it off her mind and thought nothing more about it because she felt that for as long as she remained Itzel's Nanny it was best if her relationship with Henderson remained as that of an employer and employee. Trent's brows were knitted as he stood in front of the door and poked his head into the room. "Mom, are you ok?" His concerned voice came as he sauntered in. Henderson on the other hand groaned as he paced his room like someone whose loved one was in the operating theater. For him, he felt like a part of him had been taken. Lena's words hurt him, almost as if his heart had been pierced with arrows, he was restless trying to control himself from going back to Lena and asking her to take back the words she said and have a rethink but he had an enormous ego, his self-respect was his most priceless possession and that wasn't going to go away from him. Just like she said, she was just his employee nothing more. He was to blame for giving her more than she deserved, it was a privilege to be friends with him, and many were willing to do anything for that and she just threw to his face. He didn't need her in his life, 'Friendliness isn't going to do any good' Lena's words played in his head. Why then did she accept his hand of friendship? And now, she wanted an employer-employee relationship, that she was going to get, after all, she asked for it!