“I was just about to bring you breakfast—”
“How’s it going, slave?”a voice suddenly echoes.
I frown, hearing footsteps coming into the kitchen. From the sound of it, three or four people are walking together.
Their footsteps abruptly halt, and my frown grows deeper. Anger strikes me because I know what kind of people were about to approach Layla. I bet it’s Luca. I remember his voice.
They must have noticed my existence here, and that was why they stopped coming toward Layla.
I glare in their direction, and from the sound of their footsteps, they begin to walk off.
I say to Layla, “Follow me. Now.”
Without waiting for her response, I walk off from the kitchen. Everyone around us has become silent, and I can sense that they’re all staring at us.
Layla’s footsteps follow behind me, and I lead her back to my bedroom. She comes in after me and closes the door behind her.
I turn around to face her. “Why the fuck it took so long for you to prepare my breakfast?” I snap.
I hear her small gasp. I’m being mean again, and it’s frustrating that I’m doing this to hide the fact that I’m actually worried about her.
I hear Layla put the tray of food on my desk.
“What is wrong with you?” she asks, sounding hurt. “You were asleep not long ago, and I didn’t take that long to prepare your breakfast.”
I swallow, knowing that she’s right. It would be different if I woke up long before her and had been hungry for quite a while.
Since I can’t answer her, I take a seat on the chair near the window instead, clenching my fist. “Just give me the food.”
Layla’s sigh is audible as she approaches me to assist me. She puts the tray of food on the table next to me, and by the smell of it, I know that my breakfast is a grilled meat and fries.
From the sound of her movement, I figure out that she steps away and sits on my bed.
“Are you not eating?” I ask.
Layla doesn’t answer me right away, but then she says, “I don’t have any appetite anymore.”
It’s clear that she’s offended by my attitude. My lips form into a thin line.
Just when I’m about to eat my food, I hear her move from the bed.
“Where the hell are you going?” I ask, my heart becoming restless again.
“Out,” Layla says flatly. “Far away from the person who hates everything I do.”
Right. She’s talking about me.
“Stay here,” I command.
“Excuse me?”
“Stay here while I eat,” I say firmly, leaving her no room to argue.
Little does she know that I’m doing this because I don’t want her to encounter Luca again if she gets out of my room.
Layla stays silent for a while, but then she scoffs and flops herself into my bed, knowing that she has to stay in my room as I told her to.
Chapter 16