“I-it was just a bit of fun,” Mr. Luca stuttered, his eyes flickering towards Miss Adrianne for support. She scurried off the bed, straightening her dress and smoothing her hair, trying to regain some semblance of dignity.
Miss Adrianne giggled, a high-pitched sound that grated on my nerves. “Oh, come on, Harrison,” she cooed, her voice sticky with fake innocence. “You know how these girls can be. They just get so lonely down here, and who can blame them for seeking a little… companionship?”
Mr. Harrison’s gaze flicked to me, his eyes filled with a storm of emotions I couldn’t quite decipher. “Is this true, Emma?” he asked, his voice tight with tension.
I didn’t ask for a companionship, it’s not true, I screamed inside my head. But the words wouldn’t come out. All I could do was shake my head, my throat closing up with fear. “No,” I managed to whisper, the sound barely audible. “It’s not true.”
Mr. Harrison’s eyes narrowed, and he turned back to Mr. Luca. “Get the fuck out of my house,” he said, his voice cold and hard as ice. “And if I ever catch you near her again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Mr. Luca’s expression shifted from surprised to furious in an instant. He yanked his hand away from me and stood up, his cock still out and erect. “This isn’t over,” he snarled, pointing a finger at Mr. Harrison. Woah the little hero protecting his maid, how quaint.”
Miss Adrianne shot me a look of pure spite before sauntering out of the room, her hips swaying with each step. I couldn’t believe what just happened. My heart was racing, my breaths shallow and fast. But Mr. Harrison’s presence was like a shield, a buffer between me and the horrors that could have unfolded.
He turned to me, his eyes searching my face. “Emma, are you okay?” His voice was gentle, but the anger still simmered beneath the surface.
I nodded, unable to find my voice, my mind racing with a mix of relief and terror. Mr. Luca had been stopped, but the fear of what could have happened was still a living, breathing monster in the room.
Mr. Harrison bent down, offering me a hand to help me up. His touch was surprisingly gentle, and as I took it, I could feel the tremor in his fingers. He pulled me to my feet, and for a moment, we just stood there, his hand still clutching mine.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice hoarse with fear.
Mr. Harrison nodded, his jaw clenched. “You don’t have to thank me,” he said, his eyes dark. “No one should ever have to go through that.” He released my hand, and the sudden absence of his touch made me feel cold and exposed. “Now go,” he said, his voice gruff. “Get cleaned up and get back to work. And if anyone gives you trouble, you come straight to me.”
I nodded, my legs shaking as I gathered my clothes and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind me with a soft click. I didn’t bother to put my uniform back on, just wrapped the shreds of my dignity around me like a cocoon and stumbled down the hallway. Rachel saw me the moment I turned the corner, her eyes going wide with fear. She rushed towards me, her arms outstretched.
“Oh, Emma,” she breathed, taking in my disheveled state. “What happened?”
I couldn’t speak, the words lodged in my throat like shards of glass. Rachel’s eyes searched my face, and she must have seen the terror there because she gently guided me back to the safety of my first room. She didn’t ask again, just helped me into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She waited outside, giving me the space I desperately needed. The water washed away the sweat and the fear, the dirt and the tears. And when I emerged, Rachel was there with a clean uniform. She helped me dress, her eyes never leaving mine, her touch gentle and reassuring.
“It’s okay, Emma,” she whispered as she zipped up the back of the uniform. “I knew Mr. Harrison would help. That’s why I called for him.”
The words hit me like a slap to the face, sending a rush of realization through my body. Rachel had been playing a dangerous game, but she had done it to protect me. In that moment, our bond grew stronger than ever before, a silent understanding passing between us that transcended words.
“Thank you so much, Rachel,” I whispered, my voice shaking with emotion. Rachel’s eyes searched mine, her expression a mix of fear and relief. She gave me a tentative smile, the tension between us dissipating slightly. “You saved me.”
It’s what friends do,” she said, her voice gentle. She sat me down on the edge of the bed and handed me a glass of water. “Now, you need to rest, Emma. You’ve been through so much.”
I nodded, taking a shaky sip of water. Rachel had always been the stronger one, the one who knew how to navigate the mansion’s twisted games. But now, it was my turn to lean on her, and I felt a deep sense of gratitude for her friendship. “Thank you,” I whispered, my eyes brimming with tears.
Rachel sat down next to me, her hand resting comfortingly on my back. “You need to rest, Emma,” she repeated, her voice firm yet kind. “You’ve had a traumatic experience, and you can’t just push through it. Your body, your mind, they need time to heal.”
I nodded, the exhaustion of the past hour weighing heavily on me. My body felt like it was made of lead, and all I wanted to do was sink into the mattress and forget the world. Rachel pulled the blankets over me, her touch gentle as she tucked them around my trembling form. “You’re safe here,” she assured me, her eyes filled with a fierce protectiveness that I hadn’t seen before. “Just rest.”