Cara closed the door to her room and stood against it, her heart racing with dread. There was no knowing what he would be up to. There was a gentle knock on the door, and she panicked. No, she wouldn’t open the door. She couldn’t face Marcus now with his whole family outside. What would they think of her?
The knocks were louder this time, and Cara gasped with fear. What would she do now? There was no other way than to open the door. She couldn’t wake up the entire household. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, but to her relief; it was only Aunt Maria.
“What took you so long? I’m dying to pee,” she scolded her, rushing to the washroom. Cara’s eyes widened, seeing that it was Maria all the time. She had really grown crazy being around Marcus Donnelly. Aunt Maria was right. He was bad news, and she needed to stay away from him. But where exactly was he? She peered out but didn’t see anyone.
Maria emerged after five minutes. “Why are you hiding here? You won’t get any dinner here,” she said, rushing out.
“I’m not hungry, Aunt Maria,” she lied, watching her walk away outside.
“Don’t lock the door. I’ll come in when the party’s over,” she said over her shoulders but Cara didn’t reply. She didn’t wish to leave the door open, but what choice did she have?
She could hear the sounds of laughter and music coming from outside, and it looked like the party was in full swing. Sighing, she drank water to suppress the rumble in her stomach and lay down to sleep.
She didn’t like it here one bit and waited eagerly for her duty here to end. She would make her pay and go back to her little family forever and never see the Donnellys again.
However, just as she was about to close her eyes, the sound of the door creaking open alerted her. She opened her eyes and sat up with a start. To her immense surprise, there stood Marcus Donnelly in the doorway, carrying a plate heaped with delicious food.
“Shh, don’t scream. I brought dinner for you,” he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Cara sat with her mouth hanging open. Why did he bring her food? Didn’t he hate her?
“Why?” she squeaked, her throat choked with strange emotions. Why did he care so much when her aunt Maria hadn’t even offered to get her something to eat?
“What why? I thought you would be hungry. See? I care for you while you don’t,” he said, sitting beside her on the bed. He held out the plate to her. Cara pulled a stool and took the plate from his hands and placed it there.
“Oh, I’ll eat only if you do,” she told him. Goosebumps erupted on her skin at his nearness. She did not know why he had to sit almost on top of her! Marcus grinned and picked up a barbecued chicken wing. He held it to her mouth, but Cara shook her head.
“Please, I’m dying of hunger. Take a bite,” he insisted impatiently.
Although Cara didn’t much care about him and he had hurt her badly, she couldn’t deny the fact that his concern touched her. She had never seen this caring side of his nature. Whether he had an ulterior motive behind this caring behavior, she wasn’t sure of, but at that moment, with her stomach rumbling for food, she couldn’t restrain herself any longer.
She opened her mouth and took a bite, but instead of handing the piece to her to complete, Marcus took a bite at exactly the same place she had.
“Mmm, sweet, delicious,” he said, closing his eyes and chewing the heavenly food. Cara forgot to chew and gazed at him wordlessly, her cheeks bright with embarrassment. Was he flirting with her?
He opened his eyes and looked at her jaw-dropped stare.
“What? I haven’t eaten for days, thanks to you. Shouldn’t you be feeding me already? I brought you dinner after all!” he said, finishing the rest of his food.
Cara couldn’t help the smile from breaking out on her lips. She shook her head and picked up a pork and pineapple skewer to devour. It was the best food she’d ever had, and she wished she could send some to her siblings as well.
“I’m sure you can eat on your own better,” she pointed out. Marcus sighed dramatically and took a bite of his food.
“So, you don’t care at all, right?” he started again and Cara just rolled her eyes and continued to eat. “So I guess you haven’t forgiven me either,” he continued.
“You’ve insulted me unnecessarily, Mr. Donnelly. It crushed my soul. I can’t forgive you that easily,” she said, looking up into his eyes.
Marcus was quiet as he listened to her. He sighed and held her gaze. There was a strange restlessness in him, as if he wanted her to forget and forgive him already.
“Tell me what else I need to do for you to forgive me?” he entreated her, but Cara shrugged. She herself didn’t know what exactly she wanted him to do. Marcus waited for her reply and when she didn’t, he sighed and picked up a skewer, and continued to eat.
“It wasn’t just rude words, you forced yourself upon me thinking me to be a wh*re,” she reminded him, her eyes reflecting with hurt as the memories came rushing to her mind. She wanted to know what exactly changed his opinion of her. Did he really stalk her or was it her mind playing tricks on her?
“That wasn’t the reason I kissed you,” he said, turning to look into her eyes. His admission startled and confused Cara. She gaped at him with wide eyes. What the hell did that mean? If he didn’t kiss her forcefully for those reasons, why else did he do it?
“What other reason could there be?” she asked in disbelief. Marcus looked away and slowly finished the pork skewer while she waited for him to speak. He handed her a barbecued chicken souvlaki mini wrap and picked up one for himself as well.
But Cara couldn’t even take a bite anymore. Her eyes were fixed upon Marcus as she waited eagerly for his response, but to her immense frustration, he just munched on with a playful smirk on his face. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“You didn’t answer me, Mr. Donnelly,” she reminded him.
“Stop calling me that, if you want an answer,” he said, turning to look at her finally. She noted the amusement in his eyes, as if he was enjoying her discomfort. Cara shook her head. She couldn’t call him by his name. She was a maid here and his family didn’t like her much. The fear of being insulted was too much, making her apprehensive.
“No, I can’t be unprofessional. I can’t forget my position,” she told him pointedly. Marcus shrugged impatiently and continued to eat.
“Then forget the reason,” he said. Cara sighed and ate her food, looking grumpy. She was bursting with curiosity to know the reason he kissed her in the first place. She was so frustrated that she avoided looking at him as she ate. Marcus stared at her every now and then and seemed to enjoy every minute of this conversation.
“I’ve apologized to you for judging you wrongfully. Isn’t that enough for you to forgive me?” he asked. Cara searched his eyes for a motive that was prompting him to be nice to her, but couldn’t find any. It seemed as if he was genuinely keen to get her forgiveness. But why? Why did it matter? They would never meet one another again!
“But you haven’t apologized for kissing me forcefully,” she pointed out. They had finished all the food on the plate, and Marcus got up to leave. Cara waited for his answer, but he just shrugged.
“I don’t regret it so why should I apologize? I’d like to repeat it eventually,” he said, his eyes full of promise as he walked out of her room, closing the door after him. Cara sat staring at the door in shock. Did he really say that? Was he crazy? Why would he want to repeat the kiss?
The most important question was how would he get to repeat it when she wouldn’t meet him at all after this. She sat and slowly sipped some water, her eyes thoughtful as all sleep had already escaped her.
Two more days to go till she would be free from here. Would he take up his promise within that time frame or later? It was late already when she finally lay down on her bed. The party had ended and everyone was returning to the house.
She could hear the giggle and laughter of Sienna’s friends as they pulled Marcus and Nicholas’s legs. A feeling of jealousy swept over her and for the first time, she wished she could be as rich and as beautiful as them.