<b>Chapter </b>66
E & Alexander
E
As I stared at the broken pieces of my mother’s music box scattered across the floor, something in me
snapped.
I didn’t even know my mother. She had died when I was a baby.
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And that music box was the only possession of hers that I had–the only link to my mother I would ever get.
And now it was broken.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I shouted at Sarah, leaping to my feet. “I told you not to touch it!”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry, Luna. It was an ident-”
“An ident? You deliberately ignored me when I told you to leave it alone!” I was shaking with rage, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “That was my mother’s music box. The only thing I had left of her, and you destroyed it!”
“Luna, it’s just a silly old-”
“Get out!” I screamed, not even wanting to hear the rest. “Get out of my room right now!”
Sarah didn’t move, which was a dangerous decision on her part. I wanted to rip into her, wanted to throw her against the wall with what little strength I had left. Disrespecting me was one thing, but she’d destroyed the one precious thing I had left, the one connection to my mother who’d died when I was just an infant.
“Luna E,<i>” </i>Gabriel’s sharp voice cut through my shouting as he appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on
here?”
“Your precious maid just destroyed my mother’s music box,” I said, whirling to re at him. “After I specifically told her not to touch it.”
Gabriel’s eyes flicked to the broken pieces on the floor, then back to me. “idents happen. There’s no need to scream at the staff. It’s just a toy.”
“It’s not just a toy. And it wasn’t an ident. She did it on purpose.”
“That’s a serious usation,” Gabriel said coolly. “Do you have proof?”
Before I could answer, heavy footsteps in the hallway announced Alexander’s arrival. He stepped into the
room, taking in the scene–me standing there shaking with fury, Sarah now cowering by the vanity, Gabriel with his arms folded, and the broken music box on the floor.
11:33 Sat, 23 Aug
“What’s all the shouting about?” Alexander asked.
My anger found a new target. I spun toward him, pointing at Sarah. “Your maid destroyed my mother’s music box. The one thing I had left of her.”
Alexander’s eyes moved to the broken pieces, then back to me. “I see.”
“I want her fired,” I said tly. “She’s been nothing but disrespectful since she started working here, and
now she’s destroyed something irreceable.”
“Luna,” Sarah spoke up, her voice trembling now like a scared kitten when I knew fully well she was full of shit. “I swear it was an ident. I was just trying to clean, like you asked me to. You’ve been so… difficult.tely. Always yelling at me, always finding fault with everything I do.”
My mouth fell open. “That’s not-”
“It’s true,” Gabriel interrupted. “I’ve heard Luna E raising her voice at Sarah multiple times over the past few days. The poor girl has been doing her best under very trying circumstances.”
I stared at Gabriel in disbelief. “She spilled hot soup on me deliberately. She’s been rude and insubordinate
from the moment she walked into this house.”
“I’ve been nothing but respectful,” Sarah said, big, fat crocodile tears now streaming down her face. “I know Luna E doesn’t like me, but I’ve tried so hard to please her. I never meant for this to happen.”
I just looked at Alexander, waiting for him to say something. Waiting for him to take my side, to see through Sarah’s obvious act. But he just stood there, his expression unreadable, not saying a word.
“Well?” I demanded. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”
Alexander’s green eyes met mine. “I’ll look into it.”
That was it. That was all he was going to say. He wasn’t going to fire her, wasn’t going to defend me, wasn’t going to do a damn thing.
In the span of an instant, the fury inside of me crystallized into something cold and hard. I was done. Done
with this house, done with these people, done with pretending that any of this mattered.
“Fine,” I said quietly. “Do whatever you want. You always do anyway.”
Without another word, I walked past all of them and out of the room. I could feel their eyes on me as I left, but I didn’t look back. I was too tired to fight anymore. Too tired to care.
Alexander
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I watched E walk away, her shoulders straight and her chin up despite everything. There was something about the way she’d handled the situation that left me feeling unsettled. Frustrated, even.
Part of me had been curious to see how she’d react. Would she get jealous? Would she fight harder for my attention? Would she show some sign that our marriage meant something <i>to </i>her?
But she’d been so calm at the end. So resigned. Like she’d expected me not to take her side, and she didn’t even care enough to fight for it.
It only confirmed what Gabriel had told me–that she didn’t want my mark, didn’t want anything to do with me. If she’d cared, wouldn’t she have been more upset? Wouldn’t she have demanded I choose her over
some random maid?
“Handle this,” I told Gabriel, gesturing to the broken music box.
Gabriel nodded. “I’ll make sure Sarah cleans up the mess.”
“Don’t just clean it up. Take it to get repaired.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I left them to deal with the aftermath and retreated to my study. I had pack business to attend to, reports to review, anything to keep my mind off the look in E’s eyes when she’d asked me to do something and I’d just stood there.
Hourster, I was still at my desk, staring at the same financial report I’d been pretending to read for the past thirty minutes. I couldn’t get the image of E’s face out of my head, no matter how hard I tried.
A soft knock interrupted my brooding.
“Come in,” I called out.
Sarah, the new maid, entered carrying a tray with a steaming mug. “I thought you might like some tea,
Alpha.”
“Oh. Uh… Thanks.”
Sarah set the mug on my desk and shed me a bashful smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I
nodded in response and returned my attention to my work.
“Will there be anything else?” she asked.
“No, that’s fine. You can go.”
Sarah nodded and headed for the door, but just as she reached it, she stumbled. Her foot caught on the edge of the rug, and she pitched forward with a small cry.
11:33 Sat, 23 Aug to
I shot up from my chair and caught her before she could hit the floor, my hands gripping her waist to steady
her.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
Sarah looked up at me, her face flushed and her blue eyes wide. She was close enough that I could smell her perfume. Sweet and floral and just a touch too strong for a maid who had been scrubbing floors all day.
“Thank you,” she breathed, batting her eyshes. “You’re so strong.”
I helped her regain her footing and took a step back, putting distance between us. “Be more careful.”
But Sarah didn’t move away. Instead, she tilted her head and gave me a shy smile. “Alpha Alexander, can I ask you something personal?”
The question caught me off guard. “What?”
“Are you happy? In your marriage, I mean?” Her voice was soft, hardly more than a whisper. “You always seem so… lonely.”
I stared at her, taken aback by the boldness of the question. What kind of maid asked her employer about
his love life?
“That’spletely inappropriate,” I said firmly, moving to open the door for her. “You should go.”
Sarah’s expression flickered–just for a moment, something cold passed across her features before the
sweet smile returned.
“Of course,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
She gave me onest strange look, like she was studying me, then scurried out of the room without another
word.
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11:33 Sat, 23 Aug 11
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I watched E walk away, her shoulders straight and her chin up despite everything. There was something
about the way she’d handled the situation that left me feeling unsettled. Frustrated, even.
Part of me had been curious to see how she’d react. Would she get jealous? Would she fight harder for my
attention? Would she show some sign that our marriage meant something to her?
But she’d been so calm at the end. So resigned. Like she’d expected me not to take her side, and she didn’t
even care enough to fight for it.
It only confirmed what Gabriel had told me that she didn’t want my mark, didn’t want anything to do with me. If she’d cared, wouldn’t she have been more upset? Wouldn’t she have demanded I choose her over
some random maid?
“Handle this,” I told Gabriel, gesturing to the broken music box.
Gabriel nodded. “I’ll make sure Sarah cleans up the mess.”
“Don’t just clean it up. Take it to get repaired.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I left them to deal with the aftermath and retreated to my study. I had pack business to attend to, reports to
review, anything to keep my mind off the look in E’s eyes when she’d asked me to do something and I’d just stood there.
Hourster, I was still at my desk, staring at the same financial report I’d been pretending to read for the past thirty minutes. I couldn’t get the image of E’s face out of my head, no matter how hard I tried.
A soft knock interrupted my brooding.
“Come in,” I called out.
Sarah, the new maid, entered carrying a tray with a steaming mug. “I thought you might like some tea,
Alpha.”
“Oh. Uh… Thanks.”
Sarah set the mug on my desk and shed me a bashful smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I
nodded in response and returned my attention to my work.
“Will there be anything else?” she asked.
“No, that’s fine. You can go.”
Sarah nodded and headed for the door, but just as she reached it, she stumbled. Her foot caught on the
edge of the rug, and she pitched forward with a small cry.
11:33 Sat, 23 Aug
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I shot up from my chair and caught her before she could hit the floor, my hands gripping her waist to steady
her.
“Are you alright?” Lasked.
Sarah looked up at me, her face flushed and her blue eyes wide. She was close enough that I could smell her
perfume. Sweet and floral and just a touch too strong for a maid who had been scrubbing floors all day.
“Thank you,” she breathed, batting her eyshes. “You’re so strong.”
Thelped her regain her footing and took a step back, putting distance between us. “Be more careful.”
But Sarah didn’t move away. Instead, she tilted her head and gave me a shy smile. “Alpha Alexander, can I ask you something personal?”
The question caught me off guard. “What?”
“Are you happy? In your marriage, I mean?” Her voice was soft, hardly more than a whisper. “You always seem so… lonely.”
I stared at her, taken aback by the boldness of the question. What kind of maid asked her employer about his love life?
“That’spletely inappropriate,” I said firmly, moving to open the door for her. “You should go.”
Sarah’s expression flickered–just for a moment, something cold passed across her features before the
sweet smile returned.
“Of course,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
She gave me onest strange look, like she was studying me, then scurried out of the room without another word.
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