"What nonsense are you spatting?" Maximus asked, his voice laced with confusion. He had never encountered such a baffling situation before in his entire life. This wasn't something he was used to dealing with.
"I don't want to!! Please, can you just leave?!" she yelled, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Maidi!"
She immediately realized what she had just blurted out. Catching herself, she took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. That outburst was unlike her.
"So… why the hell are you doing this?" he asked, eyes narrowing as he waited for an answer.
"I'm… sorry, sir," she replied quietly, her voice suddenly soft and innocent, with tears welling up in her eyes.
"So you're a kid now, huh?" he said, smirking mischievously, clearly entertained by her change in tone.
She wanted to scream back at him, "You're the kid! You can't even use the bathroom on your own!" but she bit her tongue. Her rage bubbled beneath the surface, but she held it in.
"How old are you?" he asked, raising a brow. Before she could respond, he cut her off.
"Hmm… let me guess," he said, studying her face with an amused grin. "Fifteen… or sixteen… or eighteen, right?"
He turned to face her directly, only to find her glaring at him with open annoyance.
"What's with that look?" he asked, completely unfazed by her glare.
Sensing that his mood could shift at any second, she quickly changed her demeanor. She forced a polite smile to mask her irritation.
"You should be getting ready for the banquet by now. I'll send Mrs. Florida to come and get you," he said, and without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked out of the room.
What the hell just happened? How could he shift his mood so effortlessly, like flicking a switch? One minute he was mocking her, the next he was giving orders and walking away like nothing happened.
She slowly lay back on her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Life had been so unbearably hard for her lately. She couldn't afford to think too deeply. For some reason, her thoughts drifted to her siblings. She missed them terribly—more than she could admit.
Knock knock
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in," she said, voice low and tired.
It was Mrs. Florida. Just seeing the woman's face was enough to make her stomach turn.
"What do you want?" she asked in a husky, irritated tone, making it perfectly clear that she did not approve of this intrusion.
"The young master wants you to get ready for the banquet," Mrs. Florida said curtly.
"Okay," Ella replied without interest.
"You need to come downstairs to the dressing room. He said he doesn't have much time," the woman added, a stern look on her face to show she wasn't joking.
Without another word, she turned and left.
Young master? Huh, Ella thought, a bitter laugh echoing in her mind. The title sounded ridiculous to her.
She went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, trying to shake off the anxiety clawing at her chest. After drying off, she changed into another maid uniform. Still, her body language screamed reluctance. She didn't want to go anywhere.
"Still not ready?" a voice said behind her.
Startled, she spun around and found herself face-to-face with Maximus. He was dressed in a polished blue suit and matching shoes that looked far too expensive. His black hair fell slightly across his forehead, and his thin lips curled into a familiar expression of indifference. He was devilishly handsome, no doubt about that.
Her gaze lingered a moment too long, realizing she has been staring far too long, and she quickly averted her gaze, her eyes darting to every corner of the room except him.
He ignored her awkwardness and asked, "Why aren't you ready yet? Do you think I have time to waste?"
"I'm not going," she blurted out, not caring about his reaction.
"And who is to decide that?" he said coldly.
"Me," she answered firmly.
"You were born with a blabbermouth, weren't you?" he muttered, staring at her in disbelief. This girl constantly surprised him.
"With all due respect, sir, that's an insult," she said boldly.
Maximus was momentarily speechless. He wasn't expecting that kind of response.
Without lingering on it, he said, "You should go prepare now. I don't have time to argue."
"I said I'm not going," she repeated stubbornly.
"Do you want to starve?" he snapped, glaring at her sharply.
"You can starve me if you want, because I'm not going!" she cried out, her voice rising. She was done being afraid of him. She absolutely loathed people who made her feel powerless. All she wanted was to clear the air and live without fear.
"Is that so? If that's the case, then I think you should starve," he said coldly.
The next moment, he called out four names. Four large men appeared at the doorway. Without hesitation, two of them grabbed her arms and the other two took her legs.
"Hey! This is illegal! This is kidnapping!" she screamed, kicking and thrashing as they lifted her like a rag doll.
They carried her down the hallway, ignoring her pleas, and threw her into a dark, cold room like she was nothing. She landed hard on her knees and hands, wincing in pain. The floor was rough—almost like needles digging into her skin.
**********
Meanwhile, Maximus returned from the banquet but didn't go home. He stayed away for two entire days before finally returning to the mansion.
After a long nap, he called for one of his men.
"What's the update on Ella?" he asked flatly.
"Is she dead?" he added without emotion.
"I'm not sure, boss. Nobody has checked on her since you left," the man responded nervously.
"You're an idiot," Maximus snapped. "Go check if she's still alive. If she's dead, throw her in the ocean. If she's alive—kill her."
"Yes, boss."