Chapter 1

London

"NICHOLAS JAMES STRATFORD!" His father's voice, that he somehow was expecting, exploded in his office, sending him to a standing position in no time. He swallowed hard and drops of sweat suddenly invaded his temples.

He knew exactly why his father was here and the way he called his name, he knew his father was angry, no, he was beyond angry, he was furious!

William Stratford walked in with his steps echoing on the marble floor, adding the horror that had already been nagging in Nicholas' mind since last night when he punched his father's butler on the face and gave him a broken nose, swollen jaw, and concussion.

"What have you done to George?" William stopped in front of him, slamming today's newspaper on his oak desk and stared at him angrily.

"I... I..." Nicholas gulped one more time. He knew what hit him but he had never seen his father this angry and it absolutely startled him.

Nicholas wasn't born yesterday. He ran a company, he was a bright twenty-three-year-old with a master degree fresh from Harvard. He was rich, smart, and one of the most respectable young successful businessmen. But every time he had to face his father's anger like now, he turned back into a terrified little boy who got caught stealing some cookies.

It all started last night when he got carried away with his friends getting so drunk and causing trouble in a bar. George, the family's butler, picked him up to save him from nasty media that were always hungry for his news but Nicholas sent him to the hospital instead. Now his face was all over the newspapers.

"I am sorry... I didn't mean it." He sighed, looking down to his shiny five-thousand-dollar leather shoes.

"That's not good enough Nicholas! We have a name to uphold for god's sake." William paced around Nicholas' humongous office, trying to suppress his anger and he couldn't, "and no one, I mean, NO ONE touch my butler!" he jabbed his son's chest with his index finger furiously and his eyes narrowed into mere slits. He then curled up his hand into a fist before he walked away and slammed himself to the nearest chair.

Nicholas stood still didn't know how to react to his father's rage. He knew his father was a strict, bad-tempered, stubborn man whom he had ever encountered and he knew he should just shut his mouth up when facing William's temper like his mother always suggested.

"You know what? I am going to tell George to sue you, send you to jail for a few months. That should teach you a lesson... "

Nicholas lifted his face, disbelieved of what his father just said. "No, Dad! Please don't..."

"Yes... that's exactly what I am going to do!" William nodded.

"But Dad... The media will know... "

"I don't give a fuck about media anymore. You've been bad lately, I am having a hard time containing you...."

"Dad... I am sorry, I won't do it again... I promise... Just don't... "

Their conversation stopped by a figure walking into the office. "Am I interrupting something?" a middle-aged man with expensive suit strolled casually into the office. His face shone brightly like he was in the happiest stage of his life.

"Edward, please sit down." William waved at his best friend slightly. "Thank you for coming."

"No worries my friend. How are you Nicholas?" The guest called Edward nodded to William before turning his attention to his son.

"I am fine Sir." Nicholas replied weakly.

"So! Have you finished yelling at him Bill?" Edward took a seat in front of William and crossed his leg. His lips twitched up a little, mocking his angry friend.

"Not enough... " William sighed. "I will send him to jail... "

"Dad, please don't... " This time Nicholas took the last chair next to him and sat on it.

"Now... now... Bill... You don't want to ruin your name do you? Your father will turn in his grave." Edward reminded him.

William rolled his eyes, "tell me then what to do with this brat?"

"Punish me anyway you want Dad, just don't send me to jail. Please?"

"Anything?" William eyed him.

"Anything. I know I've been bad lately. I know I've disappointed you. I want to fix this mess... " Nicholas looked down again. He thought punching a butler wasn't that bad but he'd better not be saying anything to his still furious father.

"George just wanted to protect you, do you know that?" William voice softened.

"Yes Dad."

"No, I don't think you understand. I don't think any of you young kids will understand what respect is. He's just a butler but he's a human being like you and I. The difference is just on luck. And trust me you're one of a lucky bastard I know. And to be honest with you, I don't like it right now!" He shook his head before continuing, "I think your mother and I have been spoiling you too much."

"Told you since he was five Bill." Edward commented.

"You're not helping here Uncle Edward." Nick mumbled.

"Tell me one reason why should I help you Nick? You're clearly crossing the line and you are not even feeling guilty about George. What you feel right now is fear, not guilt." Edward raised his eyebrows at his friend's son.

Nick pressed his lips. Edward was right, he was more scared of what his father might do to him, not a guilt toward what he did to George.

"You didn't even visit George in the hospital, which shows something." William scowled at him.

"Dad, you know I am busy."

"Your meeting can wait. George can't. Fuck! I really hate this kid." William punched the hand rest and stood up to pace. Edward and Nick exchanged look.

"You know what I will do? I'll strip you off your wealth right now!"

"Okay..." Nick sighed. It was true that his father gave him stuff. Well his father gave him everything but he also had his own money that he got from his salary as a CEO. He would be fine. He was sure the punishment wouldn't take long. Few months max and he could be back to his lavish life in no time.

"And you are no longer a CEO." The following sentence sent him to frozen state.

"Dad! How can I live without a job?"

"I will demote you. There you still have a job."

"But Dad... "

"No but! That way you'll know how it feels to be an ordinary person with ordinary life."

"Dad! I can't work in this office as someone in lower position. What will my staff say behind my back?"

"I don't really care Kid." William shrugged.

"Now now Bill, that's cruel. Putting him in the same office with the same people is cruel. What about you work for me for a bit Nick?" Edward cut in.

"That's great Uncle Edward. I will do that." Nicholas face lifted up.

William stared at his friend suspiciously. "Work for you?"

"Yes. Remember I told you last time about my long-lost daughter Diana?"

"Yes? What about her?"

"Seems like Nick here is lacking of compassion, what will be the best lesson if not for him to be a butler himself so he knows how it feels to serve someone? And my daughter will need someone to help her anyway. Win-win situation."

Nick gapped and William lost for words, both of them stared at Edward as if he just grew a second head.

"What?!" Nick protested.

"You work for me Kiddo, I'll send you to Australia to guide my daughter."

"But... but... "

"You'll be fine, you see how George worked everyday, you know what to do." Edward's smile sent shivers through Nick's body. That wasn't a good smile, that was a sly smile as if he wanted to eat him alive when he wasn't looking.

"Dad?" he turned to his father for help but William just rubbed his chin, fallen into a deep thought.

"You know Ed, that wasn't a bad idea. Wasn't a bad idea at all. I like it!" he'd decided.

"Dad! No way! No way I will be a butler. NO WAY!"

"Or you'd rather go to jail? Your choice Son." William challenged him.

"I... I... " Nicholas stuttered.

"And Bill, if you're still keen to pursue what your grandma called Stratford and Wellesley union, this may be the best chance to introduce those two." Edward chuckled.

"What does that mean? What does that even mean Dad?" Nicholas went in a panic, his objection as a butler soon forgotten and changed into a new terror.

"Nicholas, we both know what that means. Diana Wellesley is your future wife." William grinned.

"That is insane! I don't know her."

"That's why you go there and get to know her."

"But, Dad, this is 2015. I will not get involve in an arranged marriage."

"Are you single right now? How long have you been single?" William raised his eyebrows.

"I have girlfriends..."

"Those are not girlfriends, those are groupies. Girls who only want your money, I don't like them. You're clearly having difficulty to find a good girl and here's Edward coming with a solution. With an attitude like yours, you should be lucky he still wants you as his son-in-law. You should thank him."

"But... but... " Nicholas lost the battle. He had to admit his father was a manipulative man, otherwise there was no way her supermodel mother would marry this jerk, he cursed inwardly.

"Good, all settled, now go home and prepare yourself. I suggest you dye your hair and wear something to disguise your face. I am sure you don't want to be a laughing stock when the press finds you. Tomorrow we'll fly to Australia to see my daughter. Don't worry, she's a nice girl." Edward winked.

As soon as Nicholas left the room, William arched his body forward and talked to his friend in a low voice, "Are you sure about this? Nicholas will eat her alive."

"Don't worry about her Bill, I am more worried about Nick... "

***

Sydney

Her dad was totally absurd! Why would she need a butler? She was capable of taking care of herself. She's been taking care of herself and her Nana since she was fifteen.

Just because he found her a few months ago, moved her into a huge mansion, and now mentoring her how to run a company, giving her projects to finish and showing her how to be in rich and famous environment didn't mean that she needed a butler.

Or did she?

He stood there just slightly behind her dad in his butler suit. Everything about him was perfect except his handsome face looked bored, close to upset. His black hair was pulled to the back and gelled neatly. His jaws shaven clean, his black-framed glasses rested on the bridge of his gorgeous nose shielding his sharp angry blue eyes that if only they could throw daggers, Diana was already dead by now.

"Diana, this is James, your butler."

"Dad, are you nuts?" Diana crossed her arms in front of her chest showing off her disagreement.

"You need one Darling, obviously. Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?" he raised his thick eyebrows.

Diana rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah, what I need is a stylist not a butler. No offence dude!" she waved at James but that guy didn't react, no smile no expression. His eyes stared blankly at her.

"James has a good sense of fashion." Edward insisted.

"I can see that, but, this house already has half-a-dozen of people who are mooning around me twenty-four-seven, why would I need another one."

"Their job is to take care of the house and your Nana. James' job is to take care of you. That's the difference."

"Dad! No, I won't take him."

"Yes you will!"

"No, I won't."

"Then negotiate with me." Edward challenged, lifting his glass to Robert, his butler, so he can top up his expensive Scotch that Diana often stole from his secret cabinet.

"Fine... " Diana slumped on her chair, pushing her tired brain to roll one more time and come up with excuses but she got none, not even a lame one.

"What will he do again?" she saw vaguely that James rolled his eyes. Ugh, she hated him already.

"James will be the first person you see in the morning and the last you see at night. He will help you with everything you need. From clothing to your diet, exercise, driving you around, going shopping with you, watching your manner... "

"What? Watching my manner? What's wrong with my manner?" Diana raised her voice.

"That's what I am talking about! You are a spitfire." Edward exchanged look with Robert and both of them stifled a laugh.

"This is me, too bad you found me after I am all grown up."

"But you're now a Wellesley, Miss Diana. You can't afford to be just ordinary. James here will prepare you for the big announcement in the coming few months." Robert joined in.

"Fine! How many hours a day does he have to be with me? I don't like to be followed around." She shuddered imagining James tailing her just like Robert did to her dad.

"If you stay up all night long, he will be there for you." Her dad answered.

"That is mean... "

Edward waved it off, "I pay him a lot for this, don't worry about him."

Diana cringed listening to her dad talking about buying someone's life so casually. "Weekend too?"

"Yes."

"He works seven days?"

"Yes."

"Can I have weekends off from him?"

"No."

"Can he have weekends off from me?"

"No."

"But I need my me time." She sulked.

"You can have your time. James wont' disturb you. Right James?"

"Yes sir." He replied shortly, his eyes still staring blankly to the wall behind her.

"But he doesn't smile... " Dianna lowered her voice so only her dad could hear.

"James, can you smile please?" And there Diana saw the most awkward smile on his face.

"Fine, he can stop smiling now. I prefer him pouting." She sighed.

***

Diana walked into her bedroom after losing the battle with her dad. She noticed that he tried to put every situation as her training ground and her negotiation skill obviously sucked that now she ended up with this butler tailing her like a lost puppy.

"James! For god's sake, why are you here? What do you want?" she stopped James from entering her bedroom.

"To help you get ready for bed Miss Ana." He replied.

"What did you just call me?" Diana startled, she never heard anyone called her by that name and she liked the sound of it. Her face softened.

"Miss Ana, do you need anything before going to bed? A glass of milk? Or help to change into your pyjamas, or maybe a massage?"

What did he said? Help her change? Massage?

"No, I don't need anything. Get out!" she turned mad. Cursing repeatedly she slammed the door and cursed even more when she heard James warned her about cursing from behind the door.

She had had enough with this butler already, two seconds with him, he managed to boil her blood like crazy. She threw herself on her bed and screamed into her pillow.

***

Noises of the curtain being pulled open awaken her. Diana blinked, adjusted her eyes from the morning sun that streamed softly into her bedroom and caught a shadow moving closer from the corner of her eyes. She screamed from the top of her lungs thinking that an intruder was about to do her harm.

The whole mansion came to her room to check on her, giving her the most embarrassing moment of her life.

"Honey, it's just James trying to wake you up." Edward was in his robe when he rushed to her side, he shook his head in disbelief of how loud she could be early in the morning.

The first experience for him to actually live with a chaotic daughter had made him amused and annoyed at the same time.

"This place is safe. No one can come here and hurt you." He reminded her again before walking back into his room shaking his head.

"Sorry... " She muffled inside her blanket but soon her eyes rounded when she saw James checking her wardrobe to find her some change of clothes.

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing your outfit for work."

"I can do it myself."

He ignored her protest, pulling out all her suits, skirts, and shirts trying to miss matched them and finally found one that suited his taste. The rest ended up on messy piles.

"First impression is from the way you dress. People will give you more respect when they see you are taking care of yourself." He explained.

"I am not going to clean that." she pointed out the mess that he just made.

"Your wardrobe is awful. I'll take you shopping this afternoon."

"What? Shopping? No, no shopping."

"I'll pick you up at 12, we go for lunch then buy some clothes for you."

"You don't pick me up and I won't go shop... " her jaws dropped when he roamed into her underwear drawers and checked the content, "we will do some underwear shopping too. Look at this, nothing matches. Are they your undies or your Nana's?" he took one pair of her cotton undies and stretched it in front of him.

"Stop it." she jumped out the bed and pushed the drawers closed.

"Go for a shower," he gave her a pair of undies and bra.

Diana resisted the urge to slap him but there was no way she would succeed. He was way bigger and taller than she was and she knew he would catch her hand before it even got half way to his cheek. Kneeing his crotch was tempting though.

She growled and snatched her underwear from his hand then walked straight to the bathroom. When she closed the door she just realised that it got no lock.

Oh great! She almost sure that he would barge in the bathroom at any seconds now pretending to give her something else. She ended up having the fastest shower in her life history.

***