"Lady Alaina said she is to do the dishes tonight."

Agnes stepped away from the counter, hands on her waist. She was of average height with wide hips and an ample bosom. Her dress was blue, her apron red, and a mob cap kept her hair hidden from view.

"I don’t want some spoiled brat handling my dishes. We will have to redo everything. Look at her, she hasn’t washed dishes a day in her life." She stared Maya up and down with an air of disappointment.

Maya wasn’t sure if she should be pleased or not because Agnes made no effort to hide her dislike. It was as if she disliked her too much to share her kitchen.

"Doesn’t matter. Lady Alaina said to make her do it again if she messes up," Bess insisted, clearly having no intention of giving up.

"And who is going to make sure she does a good job?" Agnes moved her hands from her waist and crossed them underneath her breasts as she sized up Bess.

"Me," Bess announced proudly. She glanced at Maya with a self-satisfied smile before returning her attention to Agnes.

Agnes scoffed. "I have seen you supervise, Bess. You do a terrible job. You," she pointed to Maya, "drop the plates and leave! I’d rather have the dogs lick them than have you wash them, Lady Maya."

Maya jerked; she didn’t expect Agnes to address her so directly. She was shocked by the entire interaction. She carefully dropped the dishes on the nearest table and made her way to the exit.

"No!" Bess yelled, stopping Maya in her tracks. Her face puffed up in anger, and her face was starting to get red. "Agnes, are you going to tell Lady Alaina you went against her orders?"

Agnes gave Bess a bored look. "If Alaina has a problem with it, she may take it up with me. But my kitchen, my rules, and no swine will defile it."

Maya twisted her fingers at the cook’s cruel words. She didn’t like being compared to a pig; it brought back memories she didn’t like. But at the same time, she didn’t want to do the dishes.

"What are you still doing here? Get out!" Agnes yelled while Bess tried to stop her.

Maya was swift this time. Before Bess could get another word out, she was out of the kitchen and down the way they had come. There was some distance between the kitchen and the entrance room, and in the low-lit corridors, it was a little slower to find her way back to her room.

Maya climbed the stairs that led to the first floor. Her room was in the furthest corner of the second floor, which meant she would have to make her way through two dark corridors before entering her dark room.

She wondered if she should have taken an oil lamp, but she knew she didn’t have that luxury. She had almost done the dishes tonight, and if Agnes had disliked her differently, she would be elbow-deep in washing those dishes.

She still found it hard to believe it was still the same day and that she had only just arrived here the evening before. Nothing had gone right since her arrival, and worst of all, there was no progress between her and Keenan.

She didn’t expect things to change quickly, but perhaps she didn’t understand the magnitude of her decision to go with him. Maya shut her eyes briefly as she made her way toward the stairs that would lead her to her floor.

Maya hit a solid surface hard enough for her to take a step back and rub her head. It felt like the inside of her head shook a little.

"Aww," she mumbled in pain.

Am I that distracted that I ran into a wall?

However, it didn’t take long for her to notice the pair of green eyes glaring at her in the dark. She had been so consumed with finding her next step in the dark that she didn’t pay attention to her surroundings.

"Alpha Keenan, I am so sorry." She cried and bowed as she shut her eyes.

To run into Keenan and not only that but also bump into him. Maya grabbed the sides of her dress and squeezed tightly, keeping her head down.

"What are you doing here?" he coldly asked and stepped closer.

Maya felt her throat tighten. Their last interaction, he had wrapped his palm around her neck, and right now, she could recall the terror she had felt in that moment.

"Going t-to my room," she replied. Her voice was unsteady, and sweat pooled in her palms as she gripped her dress tighter.

He moved even closer, and Maya was forced to stand in an upright position as she risked bumping him with the top of her head. She tried to take a step back, but Keenan had cornered her against the wall.

"Where are you coming from, Maya? Choose your answer carefully."

Maya felt her heart stop. She could hear the distrust in his voice. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that the wrong answer would doom her. Coldness poured out of him. She usually didn’t mind the cold but this one had a shaking like a leaf.

She placed her palms on the wall as she looked straight ahead. He was mere inches away from her. Another step closer, and his body would be against hers.

Her gaze rested on his collarbone. Moonlight drifted in from the nearby window, and Maya could see the emerald necklace sitting comfortably around his neck. Has he ever taken them off? Did he have it the whole time?

"Answer me!" He grabbed her shoulder, squeezing unnecessarily hard.

Maya winced as pain shot down her arm. It was the same shoulder Alaina had bumped into on her way out of the dining room. Maya bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from screaming out.

"The kitchen," she whimpered, breathless. It was hard to talk while also fighting the pain.

She had been distracted by his presence, by the necklace on his neck, and by his comforting scent that she forgot the situation she was in.

Even now when the fear of his anger consumed her, she could still clearly pick up his scent. What was wrong with her?

"You expect me to believe that?" He asked with a dark look in his eyes.

Maya’s heart fell as she lifted her head to look up at him. He didn’t believe a single word that came out of her lips. Just like he believed she had planned her fainting.