BRIANN P.O.V
The afternoon was quiet.Too quiet.I sat in the backseat of the sleek black car,my hands was folded tightly in my lap, trying to keep my face calm.Michelle had told me earlier that I would be following her to meet Massilo even if I did not want to.
She forced me against my will, completely unconern about how uncomfortable i had become around her.Each word she said to me at the kitchen felt like new like they were drowned out by the image still replaying on my head.
It didn't take much time when we arrived right in front of a restaurant,the street was quiet,the evening was laced with soft light leaking from the rooftop restaurant.The headlights of the luxury car dimmed as it came to a gentle stop along the curb.
I stepped out slowly,closed the door before straightening my simple dress and turned towards the entrance of the building,just in time to glance up at the glowing restaurant windows.And that was when i saw Massilo.
The man who claimed to be in love with me.The man i had kissed behind closed doors,served dinner to,cooked for was seated inside with his back straight and expression soft on a way i only ever saw when he was with me.But he was with somone else.
The woman across from him was striking,dripping in elegance and dressed in blood - red silk that hung to every curve like it was made for her alone.Her lips was painted like wine.And her hair was styled like royalty.And he was leaning toward her.
I watched with frozen silence,my breath caught in my throat as he brought his hand gently to the lady's cheek and kissed her like noone else existed.My stomach dropped.The city noise vanished as the air left my lungs.
Through that wide,clean window,i wasn't his love anymore.I was a stranger looking,watching the Massilo i gave my heart to give everything i thought was ours...to someone else.
I didn't move.Not right away.My hands hung at my sides,cold and still.My eyes blinked once and twice,but the scene didn't change.
And I realized in that cruel,glass-framed moment,that the love I believed in had never truly stepped outside the walls of his house.I didn't speak.Not a word as I stepped away from the car and silently followed Michelle up the elegant elevator towards the rooftop lounge.My heartbeat was pounding so loud and my eyes burned.But I blinked the head away.
Now wasn't the time for tears.Michelle who was somewhat joyous about their togetherness smiled as she pushed open the elevator door to the rooftop floor.
"There they are!" She beamed,waving toward the corner table.He was still seated across from the woman in red who now pulled back and leaned back on her chair usually.Her smile widened,satisfied while sipping wine with a quiet grin.Her lips was still faintly glistened from his kiss.
He straightened the moment he looked up and saw me walking towards him.His eyes locked on mine and for a split second time froze and the silence between us screamed louder than the music playing in the background.I didn't flinch.I didn't smile.I just stood behind Michelle with my hands folded calmly in front of me.My expression was unreadable.But my eyes burned into him like truth.He stood up too quickly,brushing at his blazer like it would somehow make the moment clearer.
His voice cracked slightly. "You came"
Michelle laughed. "Of course,she came! I practically dragged her here" She slid into the seat beside him and without a word,I sat down opposite him,next to the lady in red.The lady offered a polite smile,clearly unaware of who I was.
"And who's this?"
Before Michelle could speak,I answered softly with my eyes fixed on him. "Just someone he's...familiar with,very very well" My voice trembled.
The conversation began with small talk,laughter,plans led mostly by Michelle and the lady.But between the words and the smiles,his eyes kept flicking toward me and mine kept meeting his.Every stolen glance between us was heavier than any spoken word.
He reached for his drink.I noticed his hand trembled as he avoided my stare,but I didn't look away once.Because this time I was the one watching him squirm.And no one at the table noticed.Except the two of us.
The gathering went on like a loop in my mind as I couldn't stay any longer to swallow the shame.So I stood up and gave a wide distance just to utter with clenched fist by my side, "I need to use the restroom" I excused myself,my tears were already hanging around the corners of my eyes which could drop any minute.
I wasn't meant for such a guy,she's way more better than I and I don't blame him for choosing her over me.I couldn't beat his taste.The elevator was taking too long.I let out my pains,closing my eyes in an attempt of remembering how Michelle was so against my relationship with him.I cried at the recall of being tricked.My lips felt heavy for no reason.My palm was becoming sweaty,hurting from the face replaying in my head.I didn't cry.Not yet.
I wouldn't give myself that release while still in his world.My spine stayed straight with my breath controlled in shallow pulls.But the ache inside my chest was blooming fast and pulsing like an open wound.He had told me I meant something.He had told me he wanted me by his side.He told me his love was real.But right now,i saw exactly what was real.
I reached the roadside.The cool
evening air hit my skin like a slap which
gave me enough breath to keep walking fast like if I didn't move,I might collapse right there on the curb.But as I turned to to head to the car,finally away from the restaurant,the first tear slipped down my cheeks,then another followed. I wiped them away quickly,already getting angry.As if I could erase the moment from my memory if I moved fast enough.But deep down,i knew i wouldn't forget it.Not that kiss.Not his face.Not the moment I realized I was never his choice.And worst of all?.He had looked happy while kissing her.
He later came out with the
lady behind him.He acted so much perfect and unmoved as if I was a nobody.
"I hope we get to see each other more often.It was really a nice date" The lady took few steps close to him immediately they faced each other.
"Think about it,Mr Massilo" She said in a loud whisper just to get Michelle's attention,but it felt like she wanted mine.
"Why don't we meet again at the company,there are somethings that aren't meant to be spoken in public" Massilo replied smiling at her before they dismissed into their cars. But his quick gaze caught mine and I turned away quickly,pretending to check my phone while blinking hard to keep the tears from rising.
I can't fall apart not now.Not in front of
his sister.My hands trembled at my sides,hidden by my dress.And for the first time since we began,since the secret glances,since we kissed behind closed doors,the last late-night dinners together,the whisper promises.I realized
I was the one in the dark.And someone else was standing in his light.Then his voice cut through the air. "Get in"
I froze.His car was waiting behind Michelle's Limo.The back door was already open.He stood beside it like a shade that refused to let me go.My heart
twisted.Part of me wanted to scream at him,but i kept my voice steady and respectful because that was the only armor i had left.
"No,sir! I'll ride with Ms Michelle.That will be best"
His eyes narrowed. "I said i'll take you back.Get in"
I shook my head,clutching my phone tighter.My voice was quiet and firm. "Not tonight" The words tasted like iron on my tongue.Then i heard Michelle.Her footsteps hurried up to approach me,her tone was softer. "I'll take her" She said quickly.
Relief sparked in me for a moment.She knew she had seen the way i couldn't look at him without breaking.Maybe she was happy.Maybe she wanted me to understand the meaning of boundaries. But he didn't move.His jaw tightened with an heavy gaze like he was measuring how far he could push me.
"I said get in" His voice rose and i stepped back,but he stepped forward. And then his hand was on my arm,firm and unyielding.My breath caught in my throat. "Mr Massilo..." I started,my voice cracked,but he cut me off with the same command as sharp as before.
"Get in the car" I wanted to pull away,but his grip didn't falter.It wasn't violent,but it left no space for refusal. Against my will,he pushed me into the car.The leather swallowed me whole as the door shut hard next to me.The thud echoed like a lock clicking shut.Through the tinted glass,i caught a last glimpse of Michelle standing by her Limo,her face was red with anger.
Her eyes met mine and for the first time,she looked at me not as the maid...but as something lower which could tell she didn't want Mr Massilo with me.
On our way back to the mansion,the silence was suffocating.I kept my eyes forward,my body stiff,refusing to turn toward him.I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of my anger,my pain,my tears.
But i could feel him watching me,gripping the wheel like he could control the car the same way he had controlled me.The way he had forced me into his car.But he hadn't won me back.The car pulled away from the curb with a smooth hum,the city lights streaking past the tinted window.
I sat rigid in my seat,my hands were folded tightly on my lap.I could still feel the weight of his hand on my arm like a burn that hadn't faded.He hadn't said a word since starting the engine.But I could feel his eyes flicking towards me every few seconds,searching for a crack in my composure.I kept my gaze fixed on the road ahead.If I looked at him,I might shatter.Finally his voice broke the silence.Low and salvageful.
"It wasn't what you think"
I let out a short,humorless laugh.My first words since the door slammed shut. "I saw you.Through the window.There's nothing left to think"
He gripped the wheel tighter. "It was business.You don't understand how important she is for the company.If I didn't..."
I cut him off before he could finish.My voice was calm,but I trembled with the effort it took to keep it steady. "You kissed her.Not like a deal.Not like business.You kissed her like she mattered.And I'm supposed to go back home.Cook your food and pretend I don't know?"
The silence continued.He shifted in his seat,his jaw was clenched as if the right words might still save him. "You mean more to me than...."
I turned to him finally.My eyes was sharp. "Stop.Please! Don't insult me with half-truth.Tonight showed me where I stand.And it's not beside you"
For a moment,he looked at me like he didn't recognise me.Maybe because I wasn't the quiet cook tonight.The one who slipped into his life silently and obeyed.I was the woman drawing the line he thought I'd never draw.
The car slowed as we reached the long drivewayof his mansion.He exhaled harshly,running a hand through his hair with frustration radiating from him.
"You're not walking away" He muttered under his breath,more to himself than to me.I faced forward again,my voice was soft but unwavering. "I already did.The moment you kissed her"
The car came to a stop.The engine's hum died away,but the silence between us roared louder than ever.And for the first time since I met him,I wasn't afraid of silence.The mansion felt different after that night.It wasn't the walls or the furniture or the endless rows of polished floors.It was the air.Heavy,thick and stained.
For days,I moved like a shadow.I rose early,cleaned,did the laundry,prepared meals with the other staff.But when it came time for dinner,I never lingered near him.I let Mrs Angeles carry the trays into the dining hall,let her serve the dishes,let her endure the silence that used to belong to me.
And I avoided his eyes.Always.The first night I heard him.
"Where's she?" He asked,his voice was sharper than I expected as Mrs Angeles placed the plates on the table.
"In the kitchen,sir" She replied,calm and neutral.He hesitated,then cleared his throat. "Tell her i want the seitan,not the beef"
I stood in the kitchen doorway,hidden in the shadows, listening.Mrs Angeles gave him a polite smile. "Of course.I'll see to it" But she didn't call me.She prepared it herself,walked it out and returned with a sigh that told me she knew.
The second night.It happened again.And the third.By the fourth,his voice had lost its edge.It wasn't anger anymore.It was something else.A quiet frustration that clung to him when he came into the dining room.
He would sit there,just a few feet away while I carried in bread or cleared dishes on the far side of the table.He'd glance at me.I felt it,even when I refused to look at him and then he'd find some excuse to speak.
"I'll have soup tonight instead"
"Not too much salt on the seitan"
"Bring me tea instead of wine"
Always directed at me.Always meant to pull me back into his orbit.
But Mrs Angeles would step in before I could open my mouth. "I'll handle it,sir" And I let her.
For a week,this dance repeated itself.The long dining table separating us like a cold river neither of us would cross.
The lady from the blind date still visited,chattering over meals and drawing close to him,but even she had grown the chance to be around him often.
Every night I left the dining
room without a word.Without a glance. And every night I felt his stare burning into my back until the door closed behind me.He had forced me into his car that night.But now,inside his own home,he couldn't force me to be his anymore.And the silence....was louder than any fight could ever be.