Mrs Martins' Request

"Dorothy, wait!" Mrs. Martins called out, but Dorothy didn't turn back. She quickly walked out of the room, her mind racing with thoughts.

"What does she want from me?" Dorothy thought to herself. "Why would she want me to marry her son? And what does she mean by 'take care of the rest'?"

Dorothy couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right. She had always been loyal to the Martins family, but this request seemed strange and unsettling.

As she walked into the kitchen, she saw Raphael sitting at the table, oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place. Dorothy decided to keep it to herself for now, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"Hi, Raphael," she said, trying to sound normal. "What can I get for you to eat?"

Raphael smiled. "Just a sandwich, please, Dorothy. Thank you."

Dorothy nodded and began preparing his meal, her mind still reeling from Mrs. Martins' proposal. She knew she had to think carefully about what to do next.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Martins watched from the doorway, a calculating glint in her eye. She was confident that Dorothy would eventually come around to her way of thinking...Dorothy handed Raphael his sandwich and poured him a glass of juice, trying to act normal despite the turmoil in her mind. She couldn't believe what Mrs. Martins had asked of her. Marry Raphael? It was absurd! She had always thought of him as a member of the family she served, not as a potential husband.

As she cleared the table, Mrs. Martins approached her again. "Dorothy, I know you're thinking about my proposal," she said, her voice low and persuasive. "I want you to know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. You'll be part of this family, with all the privileges and comforts that come with it. And I'll make sure you're taken care of, financially and otherwise."

Dorothy felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn't like the way Mrs. Martins was manipulating her, trying to buy her off with promises of wealth and security. She knew she had to be careful, very careful, in how she handled this situation.

"Thank you, ma'am," she said, trying to sound neutral. "I'll think about it, I promise."

Mrs. Martins smiled, seeming to take Dorothy's response as a sign of acceptance. "I knew you'd see things my way, Dorothy. Now, let's get started on the arrangements. We'll need to prepare the guest list, the venue, the catering... oh, and we'll need to get you a dress, of course."

Dorothy's heart sank. She had to think fast, come up with a plan to extricate herself from this situation before it was too late. But for now, she just nodded and smiled, playing along with Mrs. Martins' plans, all the while thinking of a way to escape.

Dorothy is an orphan, she was in rags the first day she appeared to apply for the house help's job at the Martins family, but she looked humble and hardworking, so Mrs Martins took her in, she was treated as a member of the family, no one has ever maltreated her, but she knows well not to cross boundaries, to her, Raphael is a boundary she wouldn't dare to cross, so she had disciplined both her thoughts and actions never to think of him as a man but only as her master.

Dorothy is yet to give an answer to her madam, but Mrs Martins is so ready to take care of her, in fact, she has started treating her differently; asking her to accompany to whenever she wants to go shopping and eventually buying clothes for her, asking her to eat sometimes with them at the dinning, giving her jewelries and many gifts, carefully appreciating her cooking skills, all these which she haven't been doing before, she started so that she will win Dorothy over.

Dorothy was taken aback by the sudden change in Mrs. Martins' behavior towards her. She had always been treated with kindness and respect, but now it seemed like Mrs. Martins was going out of her way to shower her with gifts and attention. She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, knowing that it was all part of Mrs. Martins' plan to win her over and persuade her to marry Raphael.

As she accompanied Mrs. Martins on shopping trips and joined the family for meals, Dorothy felt like she was walking on eggshells. She was careful not to let her guard down, knowing that she couldn't let her feelings for Raphael surface. She had worked hard to discipline her thoughts and actions, and she wasn't about to let all that hard work go to waste.

But despite her reservations, Dorothy couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards Mrs. Martins. She had never been treated so well in her life, and it was hard not to be swayed by the kindness and generosity she was receiving. She began to feel like she was part of the family, and it was a feeling she hadn't experienced since she was a child.

As the days went by, Dorothy found herself growing more and more conflicted. Part of her wanted to accept Mrs. Martins' offer and become a part of the family, but another part of her was screaming to run away and never look back. She knew she had to make a decision soon, but she was torn between her loyalty to the Martins family and her own sense of self-preservation.

Tired of his mother's constant conflict with his wife, Raphael would always stop by a bar to drink away his sorrow, him too is beginning to get sad for his childlessness but his love towards his wife surmounted his sorrow, to avoid this usual quarrel, he would often leave early for work without eating breakfast and would come back late at night, he is growing apart from his wife and he know it, but that was the only way to escape from this trouble that always happen between his mother and wife with his love towards his mother is standing between him and his wife.

His mother have talked to him about taking a second wife but he pushed the idea away.