dinner with the devil

“Amelia. Sit down,” Lorenzo barked out again.

I collapsed back into my chair, my eyes downcast. The room was covered in a blanket of silence and it was suffocating. The food was supposed to taste delicious, but this nervousness inside of me was playing havoc with my taste buds, and everything I ate tasted like cardboard.

Was this meant to be a regular occurrence, this dining together thing? I understood when people liked each other, they ate together, but Lorenzo hated me, so something just didn’t add up. Unless he knew I would be apologizing in advance. He knew I was at fault, so he was waiting for me to speak up first.

It was now or never. I summoned all my courage and was about to speak when he beat me to it.

“There are rules in this place, Amelia. And one of those rules is that you are not to go to that place again.”

I just looked at my food. I didn’t want to look at him.

“Did you hear what I just said, Amelia?”

To hell with the apology. He didn’t deserve it.

“I heard you the first time.”

“Then answer me when I talk to you. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.”

Another ten minutes of silence followed. This silence was horrible. I couldn’t take another minute of it. I started the conversation this time.

“Lorenzo.”

“What is it?”

His tone was snappy and arrogant. I just wanted to boycott this whole dinner and go back to my bedroom. But I plowed through.

“Can I have my phone back?”

Lorenzo slammed his chopsticks down, and I almost jumped out of my seat with fright.

“Why do you want your phone so much?”

“I’m worried about my friend—”

“You mean your boyfriend,” he said in a bitter tone.

I was taken aback. I shook my head in denial.

“No. Gian is my friend. He left me a voice message on my phone, but I never got to listen to it. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Lorenzo ignored my plea and went back to his food. His fingers gripped the chopsticks so tight, his knuckles turned white. An expression of anger slid across his face for a short moment. He was upset and angry about something. I could tell by the way his jaws clenched together. I tried pushing further. Maybe he’d relent and give me back my phone.

“Please. What do I need to do to get my phone back?”

That question caught his interest. Lorenzo’s facial expression changed that instant. He watched me for a couple of seconds, with a slight glint in his eyes, and smiled. This smile represented everything evil. I was scared of his request now.

“Make me coffee.”

I shuddered at hearing the word coffee. Images of Jenny with ground coffee on her face and her infectious laughter invaded my mind. God! I missed her. It was only my second day here, and I missed her like crazy.

“I don’t know how to make coffee,” I confessed, my hope of getting the phone back diminishing by the second.

“What can you do, Amelia?” Lorenzo asked.

“I can make tea. Would you like some tea?”

Lorenzo just sat back and stared at me, his indifferent facial expression back on. I took it as a yes. I walked to the kitchen and started boiling the water.

“What kind of tea would you like? There’s chamomile, green tea, or mint.”

Lorenzo still didn’t reply. Had he gone mute? I made the decision for him.

“I’ll make you green tea.”

He didn’t reply again. As soon as the water was boiled, I poured it in a cup and handed it to him.

“Here’s your tea.”

I was about to head back to my seat when his hand snaked out and locked on to my wrist. With his other hand, he gently picked up the teacup and started sipping.

I couldn’t do much but just stand there watching him drink his tea, like he had all the time in the world.

He brought the cup to his lips again and—

He turned the whole cup upside down and poured the tea on the floor.

My eyes went as wide as the teacup saucer. I was completely speechless.

“What did you do that for?” I managed to articulate at last.

“The tea is not up to my standard,” he said. “Clean it up. Now.”

And he released my hand.

“Move your foot. You’re in the way.”

Lorenzo crouched down to my level until we were face-to-face. There was a delightful glint in his eyes, as if he enjoyed seeing me in this state.

“You think I would simply hand that phone over to you just because you politely asked and used the word please? Don’t forget who you are, Amelia.

“You are nothing but my possession. I paid four million dollars for you. I intend to make every use of you. Make sure you clean every single spot. Or else…”