CHAPTER 9: A Dinner for Two

A day after the event, the house was quieter than usual in the evening. The kind of quiet that didn’t feel normal, but hung, as something unspoken had happened.

It was time for dinner and Rosa went downstairs as quickly as she could. She stood beside the long, historical-looking dining table, its polished surface gleaming under the chandelier’s soft light. The silver cutlery was lined uniformly, the napkins folded to perfection. Two plates rested at opposite ends of the table.

Two.

Mr. Wade had mentioned that his brother, Ethan, would be joining them for dinner. So why only two?

She glanced around, noticing the absence of the usual quiet bustle. No faint footsteps. No Mrs. Dill ordering maids and casting glances at her as she walked past. No staff hovering in the background, waiting to attend to the smallest whim.

Her lips twitched faintly.

Today, she had overheard the maids gossiping about her. Not cruelly loud, but loud enough. The word 'gold digger' had stung most sharply. They giggled, enjoying their little gossip, oblivious she could hear them. She had brushed it off, told herself she didn’t care, but standing here now, the silence felt heavy with judgment.

“It's normal, Rosa,” she whispered to herself. Still, the words didn’t quite ease the small, bitter ache sitting in her chest.

Stepping into a world like this suddenly, from nothing, was surely bound to raise eyebrows. It wasn’t that she didn’t expect it. But expecting pain never made it hurt less.

The sound of slow, deliberate footsteps broke her thoughts. She turned, watching Alexander descend the staircase, his dark suit catching the faint golden light. He moved like he owned every step, and the world was nothing without his existence. Okay…maybe that was too extreme.

He was late. Twenty minutes late.

“Mr -”

“-Alexander,” he corrected smoothly, his voice low and calm, as he stepped into the dining room.

“Sorry I’m late. Had a business matter to attend to. And my brother couldn’t make it tonight. Something urgent came up.”

Rosa nodded, trying to hide her mild disappointment.

“Umm… Alexander, I noticed the mansion was quiet when I came down. I couldn’t find the staff or even Mrs. Dill.”

His face remained unreadable as he took the seat across from her. “I sent Mrs. Dill on an errand earlier to stock up your wardrobe. And this evening, I gave her duty to find new staff”.

New staff? Weren't the ones they had enough?

Her brows then shot up. That explained the new clothes she had noticed earlier - dresses in muted pastels and elegant blacks, soft fabrics that felt heavenly when she touched them. She wasn’t used to having so much of… everything. Especially when they were so expensive.

“And the others?” She asked, watching as he began to serve her food himself.

He did it without hesitation, without any stiffness, like a man to whom control came naturally, yet here he was, quietly breaking his own routine to ensure she was served first.

Gentleman, indeed. She faintly smiled.

“They were all sacked,” he said simply.

The fork slipped from her fingers and clattered against the plate with a sharp clang. She froze.

“What do you mean, sacked?”

Did something happen?…New staff!

He looked up at her, eyes cool but firm. “Mrs. Dill informed me that they spoke ill of you. If they cannot respect my wife, they have no place in this house.”

Her jaw fell open. He did what?

“I… I can’t believe it. You didn’t have to do that, you know. I mean, it doesn’t really matter.”

He didn’t even blink. “It does. They shouldn’t speak about you in that manner.”

Rosa stared, speechless. The weight of his words settled over her like a heavy blanket. It wasn’t what he said. It was how he said it. Sure and protective, in a way that puzzled her.

He really...cared? Or....

“Are… you angry?” She asked cautiously.

“I don’t like disrespect,” he said flatly.

She studied him in silence, searching for a crack in that perfect composure. “Or is it that you don’t like them disrespecting you through me?”

He looked up sharply, their eyes meeting across the table.

Rosa didn’t flinch. “I can handle myself,” she said softly. “You don’t need to defend me.” At least.

“Maybe, I want to.” He said with no emotion, but the words had done something in her belly.

Her heart gave an involuntary flutter.

Silence fell, but this time, it wasn’t awkward like usual. It was a comfortable one.

Rosa was the one to finally break it, because she knew Alexander wouldn't initiate a conversation.

“Ethan seems nice,” she said, attempting to steer the air somewhere lighter.

Alexander’s fork paused midair. “Nice?”

“Yes. He’s easy to talk to. Very warm.”

A faint muscle in his jaw twitched. “Be careful with him.”

“Why?” Her brows furrowed.

“He has a way of making people trust him.”

She smiled faintly. “That sounds like a good thing.”

“For him, yes,” he replied his tone clipped and sharp. The warning in his voice carried something heavier, a story she wasn't aware of and her eyes narrowed.

It intrigued her more than she wanted to admit but she said nothing.

He reached for the wine bottle, pouring her a glass with slow precision. But when she took hold of the glass, their fingers brushed. A brief, electric contact that stole air from her lungs as she gasped.

Their eyes locked in an intense gaze and Rosa felt her heart pound in her ribcage. Feeling her cheeks flush, she looked away.

“This food tastes great,” she murmured quickly feeling her heart's pace increase. “Did you....?” Her voice trailed, wavering.

Oh God.

“It’s from a restaurant a few kilometers away,” he said, equally measured. But the steadiness in his voice didn’t match the way his fingers had tightened around his fork.

Rosa’s nerves were buzzing.

“Uh… if..if you could excuse me,” she said, almost stumbling over the words. She stood, too fast, nearly tripping over her own pace and left the room before her breath could betray her again.

Alexander watched her go. He didn’t move for a long while, staring at the empty space she left behind. The fork in his hand bent slightly under the pressure of his grip.

He told himself it was nothing. That it was just a reaction. Simple, human ...fleeting. It was normal.

But when he closed his eyes, all he could see was the startled softness in hers when their fingers touched that reflected her innocence. The sound of her quiet voice echoed in his head when she had said his name.

Alexander.

He cursed under his breath, loosened his tie, and leaned forward on his elbows frustratingly.

“Focus, Alexander. Don't be stupid," he whispered to himself steadily and repeatedly to numb the desires already growing in him.