MAYA
Silas kicked Julian out and followed him into the hall.
The door slammed shut, leaving me alone.
I didn’t have time to fall apart or process what had just happened.
Judging by the way Silas was dressed, we were headed to the office.
Which meant I was, too.
I still couldn’t believe he believed his brother.
I turned back to the wardrobe and dropped the clothes I’d picked earlier.
Corporate attire was second nature to me.
I bypassed the flashy pieces and pulled out a high-necked white blouse and a black pencil skirt.
I found a pair of black heels in the bottom of the wardrobe.
I put them on quickly.
Another perfect fit.
They really had thought of everything.
When I stepped out, Silas was leaning against the wall right outside my door.
He looked up from his watch, his eyes moving over my outfit.
He didn’t say anything at first.
“This will do,” he said, pushing off the wall.
“Let’s go.
You haven’t eaten, and I won’t have you passing out in front of my employees.”
I didn’t answer.
I just followed him down the hallway.
The sound of my heels clicking against the marble was the only thing filling the silence between us.
I kept waiting for him to ask about Julian, but he never did.
We entered a dining room that felt more like a boardroom.
Viktor was at the head of the table, and Isabella sat a few seats down to his right.
Her expression soured the moment we stepped in together.
Isabella lazily swirled the juice in her glass.
“I didn’t realize we were inviting the help to the main table now,” she remarked to no one in particular.
She flicked a cold glance my way.
“Should I call the kitchen for a stool, or is she going to sit on the floor?”
She just couldn’t give it a rest.
I had to give her credit for being consistent, even this early in the morning.
Silas didn’t say a word.
He pulled out his chair and sat beside her, leaving me to take the seat directly across from him.
The table was filled with silver platters of smoked salmon, eggs, and fresh fruit.
The smell was incredible.
Before I could even reach for a napkin, my stomach let out a long, loud growl.
The sound seemed to echo in the quiet room.
I felt the heat rise to my neck instantly as every eye at the table shifted to me.
Isabella laughed.
“Goodness.
The help is hungry.
Did you hear that, Silas?
It sounds like she could swallow us all whole.”
A grape flew from her silver bowl, bouncing off my forehead before landing in my lap.
It rolled onto the floor, leaving a sticky trail behind.
“Maybe you should eat down there.
You’d probably feel more at home,” she continued, looking pleased with herself.
The wetness on my skin stung almost as much as the insult.
No satisfaction for her.
“Mannerless girl,” Viktor added without looking up from his plate.
“You’re lucky to be sitting at this table at all.
Try not to embarrass us further.”
Silence was my only weapon.
There was no energy left to fight.
Every bite of the delicious food felt like swallowing a piece of my own pride.
“Look at the way she handles her silver,” Viktor suddenly barked, pointing his fork at me like a weapon.
“Your posture is slumping, Maya.
You hold that knife like a common butcher.
Have you no shame?”
”What did you expect?” Isabella chimed in, her laughter filling the room.
“She’s a Sullivan, Viktor.
They’re basically upper-class peasants.
You can put a designer skirt on a pig, but it’s still going to roll in the mud eventually.”
The insults hung in the air, but the satisfaction of a reaction was the one thing I wouldn’t give them.
My gaze stayed fixed on the plate, focused entirely on a piece of salmon.
My hands remained steady despite the heat of humiliation crawling up my neck.
For a split second, Silas was watching.
He looked as if he was waiting for a snap, a scream or a shattered glass.
When the silence held, he simply turned back to his meal as if nothing had happened.
“I hope she doesn’t ruin the plan with those gutter manners, Silas,” Viktor snapped.
“I’m beginning to doubt you’re fit for the Blackwood name.
We need a partner for Silas, not a liability with the manners of a stray dog.”
Good morning to you, too, I thought.
A warm Blackwood welcome.
Apparently, the insults were served alongside the coffee.
It was a lovely family breakfast, really.
These people didn’t know how to exist without drawing blood, and they clearly didn’t know when to quit.