A Problem At The Table

Andre was seated in his outdoor dining area by the second storey balcony with a large assortment of food on the table in front of him. He had prepared a magnificent breakfast for himself and Gabriella, wanting her to eat her fill and enjoy herself.

He heard the door to the balcony open and when he looked up, he saw Gabriella walking toward him in the beautiful black dress that he had given to her. She looked divine and for a moment, Andre forgot about his serious desire to find out who she was and could only think about what her body must look like underneath the fabric. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, the dress wasn’t anything overly fancy and neither was the way she made her hair. She clearly wasn’t trying to impress him but despite her lack of trying, she was a stunning sight to behold and Andre was impressed by her god-given features.

He stood up from his seat and went over to her, giving her his hand so he could assist her into her chair. She took his hand and after he pulled out her seat, she sat in it. Andre returned to his chair and spread his arms out at the table.

“Please, help yourself to whatever you like,”

Gabriella knew that he wasn’t asking but ordering, so she grabbed the cutlery. Even if she wanted to be defiant, now wasn’t the best time because she was hungry and despite her situation, she had to eat.

“You clean up quite nicely, I must say,”

“Thank you,” she replied, returning the respect he was showing her.

“Is the food to your liking?”

“Yes, it’s delicious,” she responded.

“Good, very good. I’m glad that you like it,”

They continued eating and as they ate, Gabriella was heavily anticipating when he would start interrogating her about her ties to the King’s Gold Mafia. She wasn’t sure how she would reply to his questions because she wanted to keep her mouth shut and also, she wanted to live. Saying nothing to his questions would surely reduce her chances of accomplishing the latter and it was truly a conundrum for her.

“So…” Andre began to say when the door opened again and his head maid walked onto the balcony.

“Martha, I made it very clear that I didn’t want to be disturbed,”

“Forgive me, sir, but something happened last night while the house was asleep and I felt it necessary to tell you immediately you woke up today,” the older woman replied.

“What happened?”

“Jane, a laundry maid, was harassed by one of your guards last night. I felt you had to know so you can make sure it doesn’t happen again. The girls here all agreed to be loyal and work for you in exchange for guaranteeing their safety and frankly, this wasn’t safe for her,” Martha said.

“The guards flirt with the maids all the time, Martha. I don’t see what the big deal is…”

“He didn’t just flirt, sir,” she cut him off, “he touched her inappropriately. He kissed her forcefully without her consent and ran his hands all over her body. He would have gone further if I hadn’t walked in on him.”

Andre immediately stopped eating and looked directly at Martha. Something had just changed in him! Gabriella noticed it in his eyes and she wondered what he was going to do next.

“Are you sure it wasn’t consensual?” He asked in a low growl.

“I’m certain, sir. When I walked in on them, I noticed that she was crying and her clothes had been torn up,”

“Which guard did this?” Andre asked angrily and slammed his hands on the table.

“The one called Ricon,”

“Have him brought to me. Now!” Andre ordered.