~7~
1309 Words
~TIANA {POV}
Everybody in the kitchen froze.
The laughter died so abruptly that the silence ringing afterward felt deafening.
I noticed the color drain from several faces, including the maid standing over me.
Curious as to who was standing by the door, I slowly lifted my head from where I was kneeling on the floor.
It was Jacob.
The tattooed man from last night stood by the open doorway, his large frame nearly filling the entrance. His expression was hard, dark eyes sweeping slowly across the room.
The kitchen suddenly felt much tenser.
"What is going on here?" he asked in a calm voice that somehow sounded more terrifying than shouting.
His gaze moved from face to face before finally settling on the maid standing over me.
The woman visibly paled.
"I..." she stammered nervously, her full confidence from earlier completely gone. "We were just..."
Her words tangled together uselessly, as she stuttered like a scared child.
Jacob's eyes flickered briefly toward the shattered plate on the floor before drifting to the pancake beside my knees.
Then his gaze landed on the piece still trembling in my hand. Displeasure darkened his face instantly.
I slowly lowered the pancake from my lips, dropping it on the floor with the rest of the mess.
"Get up." His tone wasn't harsh, but it carried unquestionable authority.
I scrambled to my feet immediately.
"Follow me," he ordered before turning around without waiting to see if I obeyed.
I hurried after him instantly.
The silence behind me remained suffocating as we left the kitchen.
The moment we stepped outside the workers' quarters, the hot afternoon sun hit my pale skin, which I was very grateful for.
I knew how much I needed it.
Jacob walked ahead of me with long strides while I struggled slightly to keep up.
He didn't speak once throughout the walk, making me believe that the man didn't like speaking much.
My eyes wandered around nervously as we crossed the compound toward the main house.
The mansion from last night looked even bigger during the daytime.
Tall windows stretched across the cream-colored walls while black railings lined the balconies above. Guards stood stationed near different corners of the property, all carrying cold expressions.
I wasn't even sure they were actually guards.
The entire place radiated power and danger.
I lowered my gaze to the ground, something I'd become used to over the years.
The moment we entered the house, a wave of nervousness washed through me again.
There was a group of men, maybe five, and a woman chatting about something and laughing loudly, which caught my attention.
"Yo Jay!" one of them called out to Jacob the moment he noticed us.
"What?" Jacob stopped and glanced their way with a very disinterested look.
"Who's the pretty boy?" The man who had called out to him looked at me with a curious expression.
"Your new toy?" the woman in their midst asked, while the others burst out chuckling.
Jacob smirked at the comment as if not finding it insulting in the least bit.
"Jealous because I stopped f*****g you?" he said, and the smile on the woman's face faltered.
The guys around chuckled.
"f**k you, Jay," she said angrily, throwing her gaze to the side.
"He's Lydia's, so keep your hands off him," Jacob finally replied to the man's question before resuming his strides.
I noticed the man's eyes following me as I went after Jacob, intrigue in his eyes as he licked the piercing on his lips.
Halfway up the stairs, my foot caught against one of the steps and I almost fell, but quickly managed to catch myself at the last second.
Jacob stopped climbing and glanced back at me sharply.
"Watch your step," he said strictly.
My face went red in embarrassment as I nodded quickly even though he had already turned away.
When we reached the second floor, Jacob led me down a long hallway before stopping in front of a large black door.
He knocked twice.
"Come in," a woman's voice called from inside.
Jacob pushed the door open and stepped aside for me to enter first.
My stomach tightened as I walked into the room.
The woman from last night sat comfortably on the large bed positioned near the center of the room.
What was her name again... oh right, it was Lydia.
Her long legs were crossed elegantly while a tablet rested on her lap.
Her sharp eyes lifted toward me, slowly taking in my appearance before she looked toward Jacob.
"You can leave," she told him casually.
Jacob gave a short nod before leaving the room without a word.
The door clicked shut behind him.
I instantly felt more nervous being left alone with just her.
What could she possibly want now?
Lydia studied me carefully for several uncomfortable seconds, then she gestured lazily with one finger.
"Come closer."
I obeyed immediately, my feet carrying me forward.
The closer I got, the more I realized how beautiful she was. Her features were sharp and flawless, but there was still something intimidating beneath her beauty.
Her gaze slowly traveled over me.
"Hm."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You do look pretty, but I still don't think you were worth the price Marcus bought you for."
I stood silently before her.
Lydia sighed dramatically.
"Right. I almost forgot that you're mute." She waved her hand dismissively. "Well, that'll make things easier at least. I hate noisy people."
My fingers curled slightly at my sides at those words.
She placed the tablet aside before standing from the bed.
"Go wash up," she instructed while walking toward a nearby dresser. "Come out naked when you're done. I want to see what you're packing."
My entire body tensed instantly.
Lydia didn't seem to notice as she continued facing away from me.
She pulled open one of the drawers and removed a folded set of clothes before tossing them onto the bed.
"You'll wear these afterward. They're far more decent than what you're putting on now."
I stared at the clothes silently. My pulse had already started racing.
Lydia finally looked back at me, raising a brow impatiently.
"Well? Go."
My legs felt stiff as I slowly moved toward the attached bathroom.
The moment I stepped inside and locked the door behind me, I pressed both trembling hands against my chest.
She wanted me to come out naked.
What was I supposed to do?
Steam still lingered faintly in the air of the bathroom while expensive soaps and neatly folded towels rested beside the sink.
Everything was just so luxurious, the kind of luxury I hadn't seen in years.
I shakily removed my clothes before stepping beneath the warm water.
The heat cascaded down my body, washing away dirt, sweat, and filth. Having not bathed for a week, an experience like this felt like heaven.
For a brief moment, it almost felt comforting.
Until I remembered that Lydia was waiting outside.
I bathed very slowly, not because I was trying to enjoy the water, but because I was also trying to delay the inevitable.
When I was done, I just stood frozen in the bathroom afterward, wrapped tightly in a towel while staring anxiously at the door.
"What the hell is taking so long?" Lydia's voice suddenly rang out from the bedroom.
I flinched violently.
"Are you planning on drowning in there?" she called again, irritation evident in her tone.
My breathing quickened.
I looked desperately around the bathroom like some magical solution would suddenly appear to help me.
"Come out now before I drag you out myself," Lydia barked sharply from outside. This time her voice was right outside the door.
I took a step away from the door as I waited for her to open it, but suddenly, there was a knock at the bedroom door.
- Writer
