VI. DINING TABLE

One morning, while I was in the kitchen washing dishes, I unintentionally overheard two of my fellow household staff members gossiping.

"Do you know the news about the child of Sir and Ma'am?" said Maid One, a brown-haired, chubby woman.

"Are you referring to their eldest son, Raphael?" her companion replied.

"Yes, him. Do you know that he's now engaged to a famous model from another country?" When I heard Maid One's words, my ears perked up, and I quietly listened to their conversation.

"Really? I also heard that, but I didn't think it was true. It's an arranged marriage between them, set up by their parents. What a pity for those kids; they can't even choose what they want to do with their lives. That's why I'm content with my simple life; it's better than the complicated lives of the rich." Her companion responded, and I felt a pang of sadness, thinking about how true her words were.

Sometimes I had dreamed of escaping my situation, but I had never wanted to love a man just because of his wealth. I had loved Raphael with all my heart, for who he was and his personality, but I didn't know that he had hidden the truth from me and instead made me believe a big lie.

"You're right. But it seems like he doesn't care who his parents set him up with. What more could he ask for in a woman? I heard she's very beautiful, sexy, and elegant, and she even graduated from a prestigious university abroad." Maid One said, and her words made me feel weak. I didn't know what I should be feeling - should I be happy for him or just forget about him?

"Did you hear what happened to him abroad?" Maid Two asked, and I stopped washing dishes, curious about what I had just heard.

"I think I heard something about that, and that's probably why his parents brought him here." Their conversation was interrupted when the Montenegro family entered the dining table to have breakfast. The last topic they discussed lingered in my mind. I was curious about what they meant regarding what had happened to Raphael abroad. Was it something serious or not?— "Hey, Delilah." My attention was diverted when Betty tapped me on the shoulder.

"Are you okay? Do you feel unwell?" she added, and I felt embarrassed when I realized that everyone, including the Montenegro family, except for Raphael, who was busy with his phone, was staring at me. What happened to him there? Is he okay? I silently wondered.

"Delilah, give them their plates." Betty whispered to me, and I suddenly realized that they were staring at me because I was holding the plates they were about to use. I quickly approached them and placed the plates in front of them, my attention focused on Raphael.

"Are you nervous?" Claus whispered to me as I handed him his plate, but I ignored him and pretended I didn't hear him. After serving Claus, I headed to Raphael's seat, where he was still busy with his phone. I couldn't help but worry about him, especially after what I had heard earlier. It seemed like my heart was slowly softening towards him again. Tell me that what happened to you in that faraway place wasn't serious, because I couldn't forgive myself for the resentment I had sown towards you. I thought to myself as I stood beside Raphael, still holding his plate, and not realizing that I had been standing there for a while. He slowly turned to me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What are you doing there? Are you spying on me?" he asked, catching me off guard. Our eyes met, and I felt a sudden jolt of nervousness. I quickly turned my back on him and hurried to the kitchen, covering my mouth with my hands. What's wrong with you, Delilah? Why are you still thinking about him and worrying about someone like him? He almost threw you away and seemed to have erased all the memories you shared from his mind. So what if something happened to him in that faraway place? He didn't even bother to send you a letter to check on you or update you on his whereabouts; instead, he ran away from the promises he made to you and his responsibilities. I scolded myself, looking down at my belly and gently touching my baby bump. This was the only reason that gave me the courage and hope to keep fighting the challenges of life and not give up on the trials I was facing.

"If it weren't for you, I would have given up on this monotonous life a long time ago." I told myself, talking to the baby inside my womb. A few moments later, I returned to the dining table to give the Montenegros their glasses. I kept my head down, but I could feel Raphael's eyes on me, and it seemed like he wanted to say something to me, but I just pretended I didn't notice him.

"Thank you." Claus said to me as he deliberately touched my hand, which was holding the glass. I froze, trying to pull my hand away, but he held it tightly. I couldn't shout or make a big scene because I didn't want to draw attention from the people around us, especially his parents. It seemed like he wanted to play with me, but no matter what he did, I wouldn't fall for someone like him. I didn't like his mischievous behavior, especially the way he looked at me. As I simply tried to pull my hand away, I didn't notice that Raphael was staring at us until he suddenly stood up and poured the cold water from the pitcher on Claus's hand, drawing everyone's attention. Claus seemed taken aback by his brother's actions, quickly letting go of the glass and standing up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Claus angrily asked Raphael, furrowing his brow. I was taken aback and surprised by what had happened, so I quickly bowed my head and apologized to him.

"I didn't mean to, sorry sir." I kept saying to him.

"No, it's not your fault. You don't have to apologize to him." Raphael said, and I looked up at him.

"What happened?" his mother asked, and I trembled with fear, knowing that I was the cause of all this.

"Pardon me, my brother. I didn't mean to slip and get your hand wet. Are you okay?" Raphael said to Claus with a mischievous grin on the corner of his lips. Claus glared at him, smirking.

"Dry my hand." Claus suddenly handed me his wet hand, confidently looking at his brother. I looked at Raphael, and it seemed like the expression on his face had changed, and the tension between the two brothers was palpable. To avoid further conflict, I quickly grabbed a napkin from the table to dry Claus's hand, but to my surprise, Raphael snatched it from me and headed to Claus's seat. He stopped in front of Claus, took a deep breath, and intensely stared at him. Raphael took Claus's hand and roughly dried it with the napkin.

"What do you think you're doing?" Claus softly said to him.

"You know, my brother, sometimes you need to learn to solve your own problems. Like this, you have two hands to use, not just to display. I've heard you often go to nightclubs with different women; I bet this hand of yours is often used on them, am I right?" Raphael sarcastically said to him, with a philosophical grin on the corner of his lips, while Claus glared at him, clearly insulted by his brother's words. In his anger, Claus jerked his hand away from his brother and turned to me, his eyes frightening me, as if he wanted to hurt me.

"She's not at fault. Don't drag other people into your temper, Claus." He added, but just a few seconds later, Claus's expression quickly changed, as if he had put on a different mask.

"I'm not blaming him for what happened; I was just startled and carried away by my emotions. Can you understand?" Claus said, smiling forcedly, and turned to me again. Raphael slowly turned to me, and I quickly bowed my head to avoid his gaze.

"You see? It's no big deal, bro! Let's just have fun and forget what happened. Sorry for my behavior." Claus added, with a forced smile on his lips, and sat down again, as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Raphael headed back to his seat, but before sitting down, he stopped in front of me. I didn't look at him; I just kept my head down. I had no right to complain because who was I? Just a lowly maid in this mansion. One mistake and you'd surely pay for it. I left and went to the garden, taking a deep breath. The tension between the two brothers earlier was too intense because of me. I needed to find a new job soon because I didn't want them to find out about the child I was carrying. I didn't want any trouble between us, and all I wanted for the child was a peaceful life where they were free to do whatever made them happy.

As I walked through the garden, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. The tension between Claus and Raphael was palpable, and I knew I had to be more careful. I didn't want to be the reason for any more conflict between them. I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind. I needed to focus on finding a new job and securing a better future for my child. But as I turned a corner, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned around to see Raphael approaching me, a look of concern on his face.

"Delilah, are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle. I felt a flutter in my chest, but I quickly pushed it aside. I couldn't let my feelings get the better of me.

"I'm fine, sir," I replied, trying to sound calm.

"I just needed some fresh air." Raphael nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier," he said, his voice filled with sincerity.

"Claus can be...impulsive sometimes." I smiled weakly, trying to reassure him.

"It's okay, sir. I'm just glad no one was hurt." Raphael nodded again, his eyes still locked on mine. For a moment, we just stood there, the only sound being the rustling of the leaves in the wind. Then, without saying another word, Raphael turned and walked away, leaving me feeling more confused than ever.