Cara was stunned and rendered speechless. Why was he asking her to use his name? Wasn’t that unprofessional? She was a maid working for him, after all! No, she couldn’t call him by his name. Whatever motive he might have behind it, she wouldn’t fall into that.
“Sorry, Mr. Donnelly. I’m not in a position to call you that,” she said, but he still didn’t budge and she was stuck in the room with him.
“I have other work to do. Please, can I leave?” She asked, but his hypnotic eyes seemed to make her drown in their very depths. Even after everything he said and did to her, she just couldn’t deny the butterflies in her stomach at his nearness. There was a warmth and something else emanating from him that was attracting her towards him.
Of course, without a doubt, he was the most virile and gorgeous man she had ever seen, but that wasn’t enough to attract her this way towards him. This was uncharted territory as she never felt this way about anyone else before, however handsome and good-looking he might be.
“No,” came his hoarse reply. “Answer me first,” he insisted, refusing to even budge. Cara sighed, knowing that she had no way out of this.
“I don’t care, actually! Granny asked me to bring you food, so I did. I was just obeying orders, sir. That’s what I’m here for,” said Cara, wanting to remind him she was just a maid here. Marcus looked stunned at her honest admission and for a moment Cara cringed awaiting his furious reaction but strangely, he just laughed.
“So, you don’t care for me at all? Right?” he asked, staring into her widened eyes. Cara nodded, not understanding where this was leading to. Marcus Donnelly was a mystery and she couldn’t figure out the working of his mind. He was too complex.
“So, it shouldn’t bother you if I don’t eat at all for the three days that you’re here. Right?” he asked with a strange fire in his eyes that blew her mind away. Her eyes widened and she just gaped at him, totally dumbfounded.
“Are you crazy? Why would you go hungry unnecessarily? You’ll fall sick,” she said with worry.
“This proves my point,” said Marcus with a smirk, making Cara shake her head vehemently as a slow blush crept up to her cheeks.
“No, it’s just a concern for a fellow human being,” she said, her lips widening into an impish grin. Marcus raised an eyebrow at her cheeky reply, his eyes traveling to her luscious lips. “Now can you please move out of the way before Maria comes here to fetch me?” she said.
“Let’s see whether it’s a human concern or do you really care about me?” he said, his eyes glittering as he took it up as a challenge. Cara was done, and she was in a hurry to leave the lion’s den if only he would move away.
“You’re wasting your time, Mr. Donnelly. We won’t see one another after three days. So how does it matter whether I care or not?” she said with a shrug. Marcus moved away from the door with a deep scowl on his face. It was obvious that he didn’t like what she had just said.
“We’ll see about that,” he just said, walking away. Cara opened the door and rushed out. The rest of the time, she was too busy to check whether Marcus Donnelly had eaten his dinner or not. Thankfully, he didn’t emerge from his room and therefore she didn’t need to face him.
Ever since she emerged from Marcus’s room, Maria seemed to be displeased with her. Cara didn’t bother with a clarification since she needed this job badly. After a tiring day, she fell asleep in the room she shared with Maria. She could hear her chatting outside with Pam.
The next day, the whole family gathered for Sienna’s bridal shower. While the men went exploring on the yacht, the women celebrated with Sienna. With only a day left before the wedding, they planned a spa party where they all helped one another groom up. Pam, Maria, and Cara too helped.
“Cara, where did you learn hairdressing?” Asked Sienna, seeing the innovative hairstyle she had done for her. Cara blushed at the attention, not used to it. They all were filthy rich, and she was just a maid at their house. She preferred to do her work quietly.
“I worked at a salon for a month, ma’am,” she said.
“Please call me Sienna,” said Sienna with a warm smile. Cara found her kind nature and smile very welcoming. She was completely the opposite of the other women present. Although she belonged to their society, she was different. Cara smiled back, liking her instantly.
“Your last name sounds very familiar to me, as if I know someone with that name. I can’t remember where I heard it,” said Lucas’s mom. Cara’s eyes widened immediately, and she looked scared, like a deer caught in headlights.
“Umm, it’s a common name, ma’am,” said Cara, making an escape to the kitchen, her heart thumping with fright. She didn’t want to lose this job because of her past! She just hoped that Marcus’s mom didn’t remember the scandal concerning her dad!
Scared, she spent the rest of her time in the kitchen, preparing lunch for everyone. She could hear their laughter, and their jokes, and longed to chat with them freely, as Maria and Pam did. But she knew she was way out of their league. It was better that she stayed away from them.
The party was in full swing and Maria summoned her to serve lunch to everyone. Later, when everyone went up to Sienna’s room, Maria asked Cara to carry the gifts Sienna had received to her room.
She carried the armful of gifts and placed them on a table in Sienna’s room. Sienna smiled at Cara and she smiled back and turned to walk away.
“Cara, wait,” said Sienna. Cara looked alarmed as she stood and stared at her with apprehension. Sienna went to her closet and took out a few dresses that belonged to her. With her pregnancy, she had outgrown them, but they were still in good condition and could be worn.
“I want you to have these clothes, Cara. I’ve outgrown them with my pregnancy. What will I do with them now?” said Sienna. She had purposely included a new and beautiful dress amidst them all so that Cara could wear it on the wedding day.
Cara looked embarrassed. “I can’t accept them, Sienna. They’re too expensive,” she said hesitantly.
“Please, I insist, Cara. I can’t use them as they’re already two sizes smaller now. I want you to wear them,” said Sienna, picking up her hand and placing the clothes in her hands. Cara stared at the beautiful clothes with wide eyes. Then her eyes went to the beautiful turquoise dress. She took it out from the pile.
“I think this came to me by mistake, Sienna,” she said, keeping it on the bed. Sienna picked it up.
“No, this is for you. I want you to wear it on my wedding day, Cara,” she insisted. Cara’s eyes widened with disbelief.
“Thank you so much. You’re very kind,” she said with a cheerful smile that lit up her face.
“No, I’m just a friend,” she said. Cara thanked her again and again and then left her room.
Lucas and the men returned later, and they all enjoyed card games and had fun while Cara kept out of their way. In the evening, Marcus prepared a bonfire and barbecue and they all sat around it. Granny, Alexia, and Lucas’s mom left after dinner while the rest of them stayed back.
Cara hid in her room, but from her partially closed window, she could see them enjoying themselves. Her life was so different from theirs. She could never fit in with them. Then her eyes fell upon Marcus, who stared back at her without batting an eyelid. She noted that while everyone enjoyed the delicious barbecued food, Marcus just sat gazing at her!
Her breath hitched as a slow realization hit her and she closed the window slowly. Was he really not eating since yesterday? It made her feel restless the rest of the time that he was there outside her window. She wanted to peer out and see for herself what he was up to.
After twenty minutes, curiosity got the better of her, and she opened her window to a crack and peered out. To her horror, her eyes met with Marcus’s blue-gray ones as he sat just opposite her window with a brooding expression on his face.
While everyone was enjoying the food, she noticed he wasn’t eating anything at all. His eyes shone with excitement when he saw her open her window to see him. He got up from his seat and with a determined strode; started walking towards the house, his eyes glued to hers.
Cara panicked and shut her window, sinking against it and clutching at her thumping heart. Was he coming to prove his point to her?