The Next Morning
The next morning, Thalia rushed up from bed, the faint ache in her body no match for the restlessness in her chest. She went straight to the kitchen, tying her hair back as she began to prepare breakfast. The quiet rhythm of the knife against the board almost steadied her breathing.
A soft voice came from behind her.
"Good morning, Miss Thalia."
Thalia turned. Lily stood by the doorway in her neat black dress, the early light cutting across her pale face.
"Is there anything you would like me to do?" the girl asked gently.
Thalia's tone was cool. "No. Please go to your room. The boss won't like it if he sees you here. He assigned me to do the things you do. Lily says
"He asked me to help
"It's fine," Thalia interrupted. "We had a discussion yesterday. I'm back to resume my duty."
Lily's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Thalia sighed, her voice softening. "I'm sorry for how I spoke to you before. If I was rude… I was angry. I didn't mean to take it out on you."
Lily smiled faintly. "It's all right. We all get angry sometimes." She hesitated, lowering her tone. "Especially with someone like the boss."
Thalia arched a brow. "Someone like him?"
Lily lowered her gaze quickly. "Forget I said that."
Thalia gave a dry laugh. "No need to hide it. The whole mansion probably walks on glass when he's around."
Lily said nothing more, her hands tightening around the tray she held.
The sound of slow footsteps on marble drew their attention. The air seemed to shift. Vicious walked out of his room, the black of his shirt rolled up at the sleeves, eyes unreadable.
Thalia straightened instinctively, masking every trace of weakness.
He stopped when he saw her. "You're not supposed to be in bed?"
"I'm done resting," Thalia replied, forcing calm into her tone. "I'm back to work. Isn't that what you wanted? The sooner I finish, the sooner I can leave."
His eyes lingered on her face. "Leave?"
She gave a half-smile, sharp and bitter. "Oh, I see through your tricks. You want me to stay in bed, so I don't complete my work on time. The longer I stay, the more reasons you have to keep me here—for whatever plan you're hiding."
A faint smirk crossed his lips. "You think too much."
"And you speak too little," she shot back. "I know the kind of men who hide behind silence."
His gaze hardened. "Watch your tone."
"Why? Does the truth offend you?"
He leaned slightly closer, his voice low and calm—the kind of calm that felt like a blade sliding back into its sheath. "Careful, Thalia. You have no idea what kind of man you're talking to."
"Actually," she said, turning away to set the table, "I think I do."
They began to serve breakfast. Lily hovered nervously near the dining table as Thalia arranged the plates.
Thalia tasted a bit of the food, frowning. "What is this? It has no taste." She stirred it, tasting again. "It's fine. You can serve it."
Vicious watched her, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"You're trying to humiliate me, aren't you?" she muttered. "But I won't give you that pleasure. I may not be a chef, but before my husband died, I loved cooking for him. He never once complained. Even after the longest days, I cooked, no matter how tired I was. He said the taste didn't matter—only the love behind it."
Her voice broke for a heartbeat, then steadied. "So, if you want to pick flaws, go ahead. I'm not afraid of your judgment."
Vicious tone darkened. "You should be careful with your words. Not every day I choose to be patient."
She turned to him, eyes flashing. "And not every day I choose to stay quiet. So maybe we're even."
He stepped closer, the tension in the room tightening. "You should learn when to stop talking, Thalia. Patience is not my virtue."
"And isn't mine," she whispered.
As she moved to clear the table, his hand brushed the edge of the hot dish by accident. The bowl tipped, spilling its contents over her wrist.
Thalia gasped, jerking back from the heat. The pain stung; she tried to hide it, but her eyes watered. She turned quickly and left the dining room, trying to wipe the sauce from her arm.
Lily followed her into the corridor. "I'm sorry if I'm interfering," the girl said softly, handing her a towel. "But you shouldn't have spoken to him like that. He… he can be dangerous when pushed. You don't know what he's capable of."
Thalia glanced at her, a cold fire still in her eyes. "The more you fear him, the more power you give him. I won't crawl for anyone. He'll learn that soon enough."
Lily swallowed nervously. "Please be careful. It's not every day he decides to be kind."
Thalia gave a small nod. "Thanks for the warning."
She turned to leave the room, and met Vicious again in the corridor. They collided; their faces were inches apart, their lips almost touching. Thalia sprang away as if the contact had burned her.
"Watch where you're going," Vicious snapped. "Are you trying to kiss me?"
Thalia's cheeks coloured with indignation. "If I had kissed you, it would have been a sacrilege," she said, "Not that you'd be worthy of anything decent."
Vicious bristled. "Are you calling me disgusting? I'm an excellent kisser, in case you're wondering." He laughed, bitter and low. "Thalia says You must think been with countless women. Fifty? One hundred? Two hundred? Who knows. You may think yourself irresistible, but you're wrong."
He shoved past her and stalked away. Thalia watched him go and then muttered, "You are such a vile pretender, Vicious. Yesterday you acted pity, you play the kind gentleman. Today a completely different person from yesterday. Which side of you is the truth?"
He turned back to face her looming close enough for his breath to touch her face. "You'd better watch your tongue," he warned. "If you test my patience. I can do things you'd regret. Next time, I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs."
Thalia trembled, but pride held her upright. "You think you can scare me? You cannot. If you are tired of me, let me go. If not, this is what you will have to accept every day."
A struggle begins between Vicious and Thalia. Thalia shoved at him, trying to break free. Lily, alarmed by the commotion, rushed in to check. Getting there hurriedly she unexpectedly pushes them together as Thalia and Vicious fell on each other and found themselves with lips pressed together.