I winced again when the woman next to me laughed. It made my ears feel like they were bleeding. It was loud and high pitched. I sighed and tried to discreetly cover my ears until she stopped.

" This should be over at 8 o'clock sharp." Cameron said leaning slightly towards me. " Jo tends to keep a strict time line." He returned to his plate and continued to shove the food down his throat.

I sighed in relief. I had finished ages ago and was now just sitting in my seat listening to the people around me chatter aimlessly. I tapped my foot along with the tic of the clock that I could just barley hear over the noise in the room.

At last Joseph stood up and cleared his throat. Immediately everyone shut their mouths, and turned their attention to their boss. " It's 8. You may all return to what you were doing before dinner began. I have matters to attend to." He then quickly left the room. I tried not to watch his back muscles flex under his white buttoned up shirt as he walked out the door. I shook my head and stood up.

I thought about the dinners at home. Olivia would talk about what new shoes she had to have, Tiffany would chatter and giggle to herself, and I would normally just sit there and watch while father tried to tame Jocelyn and Olivia from bankrupting him. It wasn't exactly what I would look on as a happy memory, but it was what I was used to. It was home, and this was a strange place where I was to be taken advantage of and used. My eyes suddenly welled up at the thought. I was pretty much alone and my father wasn't there to hug me goodnight like he did when I was having a bad day, and I had a horrible feeling that he wouldn't be anytime soon.

I just stood there for a couple minutes wallowing in my new found misery, until I was shoved from behind sending me flying to my knees. I flung myself back to my feet and faced my attacker.

Mandy stood there with her hands on her hips and an annoying smile set in her lips. She shrugged innocently and snickered slightly " oops."

I laughed darkly. This was not what I needed right now. I picked up a glass of wine from the table and dumped it in Mandy's perfect orange hair, staining it a slight shade of red. " oops." I said and set the empty glass back down on the table. Mandy, as well as some other people in the room gasped in horror. Mandy lightly put her hands on her head.

" You little- I can't,.. You." She stuttered still trying to grasp what had just happened.

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled innocently like Mandy had moments before and walked out letting the doors fall shut behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall glad that I was out of the spotlight.

I slowly dragged myself up to where my bedroom was. Once there I pulled a chair up to the window and watched all the stars slowly start to appear in the sky. My vision started to blur as I started to think about this horrendous room I was forced to sit in, how my so called family hadn't even tried to help me, how I was completely alone here. I thought that I had a friend but he didn't say a word when I needed his help.

The room was pitch black when the door opened. I stayed silent resisting the curiosity that was telling me to turn and see who was invading my space, but I knew if I did that whoever it was would know I had been crying. So I stayed frozen in my spot waiting for the intruder to approach me.

" You dumped wine on my prized whore." He said flatly. I cringed when I heard his voice. The longer I sat there the more I convinced myself that everything was his fault and the more convinced I got the more I came to hate the very thought of him.

I only shrugged not giving him the satisfaction of looking him in the eyes. I could tell he was standing right behind me. "Tell me little one, why would you do that?"

"She pushed me. I wasn't going to let her get away with screwing me over twice." I said quietly.

My eyes stayed focused on the sky as he came around so he could see my face. "You've been crying." He stated " why?"

"I don't like it here." I said, my voice dull. I gave no further information and I could tell it frustrated him.

" Don't tell me you're the girl that gets upset whenever anything doesn't go her way." He said harshly.

I glowered at him. "No. I'm not that girl. And I can take a whole hell of a lot but you know what. When you've got no one to look to for help, or to stick up for you, things kinda suck. You think I'd be used to it by now." I said bitterly shanking my head. " I guess with my fathers recent courage I've gotten used to him being there, but still. I've dealt with it for years and after a couple of weeks of feeling safe I suddenly feel like a lost puppy again when I'm all by myself." Tears started to fall down my cheeks again and I turned my face away from him not wanting him to see me in a moment of weakness.

I watched him rise to his feet from the corner of her eye. " I thought Cameron was your friend." He cocked his head to the side and stared waiting for an answer.

"I thought so too." Was all I said and then I got up and shut myself in the bathroom hoping that when I came back out he would be gone.

...........................

"Good morning!!" My eyes flew open and immediately saw the same girl from before standing there once again way too close. Her bright hazel eyes looked almost yellow from so close. " Time to get up" she pulled the curtains away from the window. The light flooded into the room causing the dreary feeling to flee immediately. The girl headed for the door.

"Wait! What's your name? If we're going to be this close every morning I think we should be on a first name basis." I said smiling slightly at the short hazel eyed girl. She turned around with a smile as bright as the sunlight that had just filled the room.

" You know I have worked here for nearly 3 months now and not one of the other girls have asked my name." I raised an eyebrow in surprise. " It's Ava." Then she was gone, out of sight quietly shutting the door behind her.

What kind of people did Joseph have working here? I wondered to myself as I pulled myself out of the bed.

Complete bitches. People, girls that don't even care enough to ask someone's name. "I will never be like that." I vowed to myself as I headed down to the dining room arriving just on time, for the first time.

I looked around the room but stopped in my tracks when I saw someone sitting in the seat just to the right of the Main-bitch, Aka Mandy. There sat her blond haired blue eyed perfect sister Olivia. She was fluttering her eyes and flaunting her overly exposed breasts to Joseph while he smiled and nodded at her. A flame of unjustified, and completely repulsing jealousy bubbled inside me as I took my seat down the table with an unfortunately amazing view of the 3 of them. I narrowed my eyes at Olivia and stared her down wondering if she had already seen me and was just ignoring me. Wouldn't be the first time.

When I finally looked away from Olivia I glanced up at Joseph and found him already gazing at me. I frowned and looked down. I could tell he was confused.

The waiters came in with platters of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and pretty much anything you could possibly imagine and more toppings to put on all the food. My blue eyes widened at the variety of foods sitting in front of me just waiting to be taken. I almost forgot momentarily about my misfortune as I ate the heavenly food. It was 6:47 when I had finished my plate and sat back letting the meal digest.

"Darling sister it's so nice to see you again." That's sickly sweet voice said ruining the moment.

" Olivia." I smiled a tight lipped smile at my younger sister. " So good to see you." Olivia grinned a sinister grin and it made my heart almost stop. I knew that look. Nothing good ever came after that. "What are you doing here if you don't mind me asking." I questioned her politely.

"Mr. Copland came by the house last night and asked me to come live with him. Said it would please him very much if I would come." She winked at Joseph but he dismissed it and pushed his chair out, standing up.

"We will be ending early today. I have things I need to attend to." He headed to the door and I rushed after him.

"Why is she here." I said the word she with pure disgust.

He stopped and turned to look at me. "Because I want her here." He stared me down observing my expression. "Are you upset."

"She is not exactly a very nice person." I said looking down not wanting to disclose more about my personal life than I already had.

He laughed out loud. "No one here is." He said finally after his laughter had died down.

I frowned and tilted my head slightly at him. "I am." I said softly and looked him in the eyes.

He groaned and moved closer to me shoving my back against the nearest wall. I gasped and my hands flew to his chest to stop him from moving any closer. Both his hands were on either side of my head making it impossible to look away from him. "Why do you have to look so damn innocent all the time." He said gazing into my mesmerizing blue eyes. I slowly licked my dry lips, his eyes followed the action closely. He continued to stare at my red lips until I lightly pushed my small hands on his hard chest. He sighed and rested his head on my forehead for a moment before removing himself completely and moving on down the hall.

I let out the breath I had been holding in the entire time and leaned against the wall. No matter what I did and no matter how much I said I hated him, I couldn't possibly deny that he effected me in a way that no one ever has before.

"Well, well, well. Look at that. The whore proving her whore ways." I sighed in annoyance. Olivia's face appeared in front of me. I rolled my eyes and shoved her away. She stumbled back and she gasped. "How dare you push me." She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.

"What are you gonna do Olivia? Your mommy isn't here to protect you anymore." I said with a burst of confidence.

She smirked. "I don't need my mommy to protect me here. I have him." She said smug. A huge man appeared next to her. His hand bigger than my face.

All my confidence was gone. Anything close to courage had vanished as I peered at the giant in front of me. " Why don't you rough her up a little bit Randy. Teach her not to disrespect me like that ever again." Her voice was that sweet tone again.

He nodded and cracked his knuckles " ok baby."

I shook my head frantically and tried to make a run for it only to be pulled back by the hair and thrown to the marble floor. I groaned in pain when my head hit the floor first. I tried to get up on my hands and knees, my head now pounding. A violent kick was landed to my abdomen sending my tiny body flying into the wall opposite the hall. I cried out when my back hit a table and all the wood came crashing down on top of me.

"Alright that's enough Randy. I think she learned her lesson. Let's go see what Mandy's doing." Then they walked off together leaving me in a pile of wood.

I whimpered in pain when I got to my feet. Each step had me gasping in pain. By the time I reached my room my vision was slowly darkening. I could feel blood running down my face.

Once the door was shut behind me I collapsed onto the floor and my world was encompassed in darkness.