"Sit." He said.
It wasn't a suggestion.
Stunned and shocked, Lucrezia allowed herself to be steered toward the seat, her brows knitting together in confusion as she lowered herself onto it.
"What—"
"Sit," he repeated when she started to rise again.
This time around, she stayed still, wondering what he was about to do.
Her hands moved to her belly, applying a bit of pressure on it when it growled loudly again. It was as if the ground should open and swallow her whole from the constant embarrassment.
Maverick released her arm and walked past her without another word.
Lucrezia watched him move toward the far counter, still trying to understand what had just happened and what he was planning to do.
Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out a covered plate and placed it on the counter.
A moment later, the microwave door clicked open.
Lucrezia stared in complete silence as he pushed the plate into the microwave, rewinding something on the edge of the appliance before shutting it and it automatically came on.
The machine hummed softly as it began to heat whatever he had placed inside.
"You didn't eat," Maverick said after a moment, his back still turned to her. It wasn't phrased like a question, more like he wanted to know why.
Lucrezia blinked and cleared her throat, "I was..."
"Asleep." He completed when she couldn't finish the statement.
Her confusion only deepened.
"How did you—"
"There is a reason why we have servants," he told her, looking exasperated.
Servants? Lucrezia almost scoffed.
It would have been unfair to wake the same people she had worked and slept beside just a day earlier to ask for food when they were clearly asleep. Besides, after only two days in their position, she could already imagine exactly how she would react if someone tried that with her.
"I didn't want to disturb them–" she said confidently when he cut her.
"You disturbed me." He deadpanned, almost glaring at her.
Lucrezia furrowed her brows at this, keeping silent.
How had she...?
Just at that moment, the microwave chimed, indicating that the food was warmed and ready.
Maverick pulled the microwave open and removed the plate.
Lucrezia was about to continue speaking when he lifted the cover.
The rich aroma of Caribbean rice and chicken filled the air instantly, warm and savoury, stopping her words halfway.
For a moment, she simply stared. Her stomach growled again—loud and unapologetic this time—as her eyes locked onto the plate of food.
But just as Maverick set it down on the counter in front of her, something else caught her attention.
A dark stain marked the side of his singlet.
Lucrezia's brows pulled together slightly. At first, she thought it was a shadow from the dim kitchen lights, but when he shifted, the fabric stretched and the colour deepened.
It was something she could recognise anywhere.
Blood.
Her gaze dropped instinctively to his hand resting against the counter.
More of it.
Dried now, darkened against his knuckles like it had been there for hours.
She looked at him from the corner of her eyes the moment he spoke, "Eat," pushing the food closer to her now.
"Thank you," she quickly said, trying to act normal while still constantly peeking at the blood stain with narrowed eyes.
How had she not taken note of it since? Perhaps she was too distracted and hungry to even see properly?
Realisation slowly hit her as she returned her gaze back to his face. Was that why he seemed agitated seeing her here?
"You should focus on your meal." He stated, making her heart skip a bit as she turned back to the plate before her.
Shifting her chair slightly, she faced another direction, feeling conscious of eating in his presence as she took a spoonful of the rice.
Who had he been torturing? She wondered internally but immediately reprimanded herself for the silly question.
Wasn't that what all Dons were known for?
It was their job to torture and silence anyone who posed a threat to their legacy and right now, Maverick had garnered triple the amount of threats he'd had when he was just a Don than now that he held a kingpin's position.
Still, Lucrezia felt uneasy and unsettled about it as she tried not to look in his direction every minute but her body failed her.
Blood had never been an unfamiliar sight to her—neither in the hospital nor at Don Santiano's estate—but it was different when it stained the hands of the very people who inflicted the pain.
She didn't ask him anything or try to pry.
He had grown up, trained by a man such as her father. She couldn't fault him for continuing in his ways or lifestyle but one thing she was yet to ever forgive him for was putting her in a situation where she felt the safest being with the very person who had murdered the only man that cared the most for her.
In less than twenty minutes, Lucrezia was done eating. She hurriedly rushed to the sink herself, washing off the dish in haste as she definitely didn't want any help from him right now.
Maverick sat sprawled on one of the island chairs, watching her with his black obsidian hair covering a fraction of his face.
He took in a deep breath every now and then like he was mentally exhausted while just watching her in display.
She moved with an unknowing allure, her hair slipping loose and scattering across her face, completely unaware of how intently he was watching her.
She picked a mop from the corner of the kitchen and came close to him, stopping for a brief moment when they exchanged glances before sighting the water on the floor that had dried a bit and cleaning it properly.
"I-I should head to my room now," she told him when she was done, feeling slightly unnerved about how to thank him properly for his help when he suddenly rose from his chair in a breath and the next moment, he was before her.
Lucrezia, startled, stepped back subconsciously until she hit her back on the wall.
Her body reacted immediately as he closed the distance between them, his hand hovering in the air as if he wanted to do something but was restrained.
"Goodnight." He said calmly before stepping back, giving her room to leave.
Lucrezia stared at with an unreadable expression before turning around and walking away, heading straight for her room.
As soon as she was gone, Maverick exhaled quietly.
"Can we go back now, boss?" someone said from the darkness behind him.