The Maid In Her Territory

Chapter Six : The Maid in Her Territory

It was thick with tension in the air-suffocating, to say the least. It wasn't just the quietness of the space, the way everything seemed to pause in anticipation, with all of us waiting for something but what, I had no idea.

I stood there, my pulse racing with each second that ticked. My gaze flickered to Damian; his posture was stiff, his jaw clenched as he looked toward the door. I could feel the unease radiating off him. But what really made my gut clench was Bianca. She'd been quietly sitting in the corner of the room, her sharp eyes watching me and waiting for something, anything, to go down.

Damian seemed to sense the shift in the air, too. He turned to his girlfriend, Bianca, the words that were about to leave his mouth already forming on his lips, but Bianca beat him to it.

"You know," she began, her voice laced with a kind of sweet venom, "I think I need a maid in my territory and I am sure Lena is the person fit for the position"

I froze. The words hit me with all their force, like a slap to the face. A maid? In her territory? For a second, that didn't click in my mind. Then, the real meaning hit me. She was talking about me. She wanted me. To serve her.

My stomach churned as her gaze locked onto mine, a sickly sweet smile curling on her lips-the very smile I had grown to dread. Already, the heaviness of her stare was upon me like a physical force threatening to push me down.

"I need someone who knows her place," Bianca added, her tone smooth, though the edge of her words cut. "Someone to clean for me, cook for me, and obey every of my commands." She glanced over at me then, malice glinting in her eyes. "Someone who doesn't forget her place."

The blood was siphoning out of my face, and I wished to speak, to defend myself, scream that I wasn't here for her personal amusement, but the words caught in the back of my throat. Damian moved uncomfortably beside me but said nothing. I could tell by the tension of his muscles, he, too, was growing uncomfortable with the direction Bianca was taking.

But he didn't say anything like that. He turned instead to Bianca, his brow furrowed slightly. "Bianca," he said roughly, reluctantly, "You can't, seriously...."

Bianca cut in, sharp as a knife through the air. "Oh, but I do," she returned, confident, turning to him. "After all, it's not like you're really attached to her, Damian. If you don't have feelings for her, if she's nothing to you. then letting her go wouldn't be an issue, right? She's here to work for the debt not go just watch what's going on here"

Her words came out sharp, an invitation of a challenge. My chest felt tight, my breathing shallow and quick. I wanted to say something-anything-to make her stop, but I knew better. Bianca wasn't just cruel; she was manipulative. And she was very good at getting what she wanted.

Something fluttered in Damian's eyes, something I couldn't place. There was a moment of hesitation, like he weighed her words. I could see him fighting with something-maybe his conscience, or perhaps it was just his unwillingness to lose control.

One second, everything was stuck in freeze-frame.

Bianca's voice was smooth, her eyes darkened with amusement. "I think it would be best if she knew her place, Damian. Don't you think?"

The words hit a lot harder than I had expected. My chest ached, the knot in my stomach twisted with each second. How could he let her speak about me like this? I was really just something to be got rid of.

Damian's eyes darted from me to Bianca. I wanted him- needed him- to say something, anything, in my defence, but instead, he kept silent. I saw the battle in his eyes, but that only made me feel more invisible.

Then, in what felt like an eternity, he spoke, his voice strained. "Fine." The word was like a crack of thunder, resounding through the stillness. "If that means so much to you. fine. But she'll be under your watch, Bianca. Don't think I'll just stand by and watch you break her, though."

Bianca's smile spread further, as if she held some victory. She swung back to me, her eyes glinting with triumph. "Looks like you're mine now," she sneered. "Don't get any ideas, Lena. I expect you to stay out of my way, do what you're told, and remember your place."

The room felt colder, heavier, as if the walls were closing in on me. Damian had just released me into her hands, yet I could feel the weight of it crushing me. I wanted to scream and lash out, telling him that I wasn't some possession he could so easily discard. But I couldn't. I just stood there, frozen, my heart risen to my throat.

Bianca strode towards the door but not before she turned back to me one last time, her eyes dark, triumphant.

"You'll learn to be of use, or you won't last very long in my territory," she said with a smirk. "And Damian. well, he's not going to care, is he?"

Her words hurt a lot more than I cared to admit.

Damian didn't say anything. His back was still turned to me, the muscles of his jaw clenched. He just stood there, the silence between us lengthening, thick as aphysical mass that was suffocating me. I felt the weight of his indifference: It was like a slap in my face.

For one long moment, the silence stood along with us, and I did not know what to say or if I could say anything at all. My mind swirled, my emotions knotted from confusion and hurt.

Finally, it was Damian who spoke again. His voice was low, but distant. "You're on your own now, Lena."

They cut deep into me, and my legs buckled; the room spun around me. He'd just discarded me as if I was nothing, only a tool to be used by Bianca. My chest felt heavy, and I wanted to scream, but it stayed in, my hands shaking at my sides.

I couldn't even understand him; I couldn't understand any of it. Why had he let Bianca do this to me? Why had he allowed her to control everything?

But there was nothing I could do. Damian had made his choice. I was nothing more than a pawn in this twisted game they were playing.

And to add insult to injury, I wasn't sure what hurt most: the fact that Damian did not care or that I had no choice but to fold to Bianca's cruelty.

I was stuck. There was no way out. Not now. Not ever.