The next morning,
Thalia was still asleep when Vicious pushed himself out of the bed, straightened his shirt, and stepped outside the room for a moment. The door clicked softly as he returned.
He placed a sleek, brand-new phone on the bedside table — directly beside her hand — before lowering himself back onto the mattress. He leaned a little closer, brushing a light kiss across her cheek, then another near her temple.
"Good morning, my love," he murmured.
Thalia startled awake, sitting upright too quickly.
"Oh— I'm sorry. I overslept."
Before she could move, his hand curled gently around her wrist, guiding her back down to the pillows.
"No, baby," Vicious said quietly, "it's still early. I was only saying goodbye. I'm heading to work now. Sleep a little more."
She frowned. "And why would I miss you? It's honestly a good thing for me. I won't have to see you. You made me uncomfortable last night, so… yes, it's good for me."
His eyes narrowed with a slow, amused danger.
"Are you sure about that, baby?" His voice dipped. "You pretend a lot. But I'll miss you. And while I'm gone… don't get too close to anyone."
Thalia blinked at him. "Are you jealous?"
"Yes," he said simply. "I won't deny it. I want to be the only one who gets close to you."
She scoffed lightly. "My resistance should've taught you that not every girl falls for a cute man with a big fancy mansion."
"So you think I'm cute?" he teased.
"No. I never said that."
"But you confessed something," he replied smoothly. "And that's the first step."
He pressed one last gentle kiss to her cheek.
"I won't ask for anything you don't want. Close your eyes. I'll put you back to sleep before I leave."
She sighed, but she obeyed, pulling the blanket up.
"What's the time, sir?"
"It's 3am," he said.
She lifted her head. "But your phone says 5:35."
He cleared his throat softly. "Mm. Then it's 5:35."
She eyed him. "Do you want breakfast first?"
"No. I'll eat later. I hate early breakfast."
Then, with a quiet smile: "You care about me this much? And you keep calling me 'sir'—are you teasing me?"
"I told you," Thalia replied, "I want a working relationship. I can't call my boss by his name. Yesterday was… because you annoyed me."
"Time will tell, my love."
He brushed his hand gently over her hair until her breathing softened again.
When she finally drifted to sleep, he whispered against her forehead:
"See you later, my love."
He slipped out of the room.
But as he reached the hallway, he heard a voice murmur behind him.
"I wonder what you see in her," Samaria said under her breath. "She's useless. Still sleeping at six in the morning. Lazy. A good-for-nothing maid."
Vicious turned slowly.
"Is that about Thalia?"
"Of course," Samaria said boldly. "She's plain. She can't match up to me. What do you even see in her?"
He stepped closer, his voice turning cold.
"She is more than your standard… or your worth."
Samaria stiffened.
"I love her," he said quietly. "And she will love me back."
"She's just a maid."
"To me," he corrected, "she's a queen. And you, you are also a maid. The next time you speak about her like that, you won't be as lucky as today. You know how I get when my things are mishandled."
Samaria froze as he walked away.
Sunlight spilled across Thalia's face, waking her.
She jumped out of bed, rushed through her morning routine, and hurried to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said breathlessly. "Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Miss Thalia," Lily replied warmly.
Samaria muttered under her breath, "Walking in late like the boss."
"I'm sorry," Thalia said again. "It won't happen again."
Samaria hummed mockingly and walked away.
"You don't have to be rude to her," Nina cut in. "She's new, she apologized."
Another maid added, "Sam's right. Ever since she spent time with the boss, she thinks she's above us. You're just like us — a maid."
Lorenza, the older woman, shook her head.
"Enough arguing. Everyone makes mistakes. Let's get to work. Thalia, nice to meet you. I'm Lorenza."
"I'm Nina," the other maid said. "It's nice to meet you. And yes — you're beautiful. No wonder the boss is smitten."
Samaria rolled her eyes. "I'm Samaria. Sam, for short. Thalia, the staircase needs scrubbing. It's dirty. You can handle that."
Lily stepped forward. "It's not even dirty. And that's the hardest task."
"It's fine," Thalia said softly. "I'll do it."
Samaria handed her a bucket, brush, soap, and water.
Lily frowned. "Then I'll help her."
"No," Thalia said. "I don't need help. Or her rudeness."
She carried the bucket to the staircase and began scrubbing.
Halfway through, Samaria passed by and kicked the bucket. Water splashed everywhere.
"Since morning you've had an attitude," Thalia said, breathless. "What do you want? I barely know you."
"It was an accident," Samaria said with a fake smile, then walked off.
Later, as Thalia walked outside, the gardener accidentally left the hose aimed upward.
The moment she stepped near, water sprayed onto her.
"No, no—no!" she gasped.
The gardener quickly shut it off. "I'm sorry, Miss!"
Thalia sighed and walked inside, soaked.
She entered her room. Lily followed immediately.
"Miss Thalia you're wet!"
"It was the gardener's fault. Thankfully it was mostly my hair. I don't have another uniform."
She grabbed a towel and rubbed her hair.
"It's like the universe ganged up on me today. First that girl— she was so mean."
"You mean jealous," Lily said.
"Why would she be jealous?"
"You have the boss's affection," Lily whispered. "I think she and the boss had… something before. But I'm not sure. He only has eyes for you now."
Thalia blinked. "Call me Thalia. How old are you, dear?"
"I'm 19."
"I'm 23. Not much difference."
Lily smiled—then her eyes widened as she noticed something on the bed.
"A phone…" she whispered.