Chapter 3

3

The old Elias would have stayed awake all night, sick with the pain of her betrayal.

But I didn't feel that kind of pain.

I finished the last course of the meal and carried the soup to the dining room.

There were only two place settings at the table.

They were laughing, feeding each other bites of food like a pair of honeymooners.

They didn't even flinch when I walked in.

I leaned over to serve them, my movements smooth from years of practice.

Jasper's eyes glinted with malice.

As I handed him his bowl, he intentionally let go too early.

The scalding hot soup splashed all over my hand.

A normal person would have screamed in agony, but the heat didn't register as pain for me.

Seraphina gasped, and for a split second, I thought she was worried about me.

Then she reached for Jasper.

"Jasper! Are you okay? Did it burn you?"

"I'm fine, Seraphina. I'm sure Elias didn't mean it. Don't be mad at him."

Her head whipped around toward me, her eyes filled with rage.

"You useless piece of trash! You can't even handle a bowl of soup? You're worse than the hired help!"

I didn't argue. I just stood there and took the verbal beating.

"Get out of my sight. Go to the third floor and pick out a few outfits for me. Jasper and I are going out later."

I headed upstairs, but a cleaning lady stopped me near the hallway.

"Hey! What are you doing? I just mopped that floor!"

She slammed her mop down in front of me, her face red with anger.

"Do you know how hard it is to keep this place clean? Do you want me to lose my job? You're getting the floor dirty on purpose!"

She shoved the mop into my hands.

"Since you made the mess, you clean the whole floor! If you don't, I'm telling the mistress!"

It was almost funny. I was the owner of the house, yet the servants treated me like a dog.

Whenever Jasper walked by, they bowed as if he were a king.

As I was mopping, Seraphina marched up the stairs.

"Elias, what the hell are you doing? Do you really think you're a servant now?"

I stopped and looked at her calmly.

"The floor was dirty. I didn't want you to be upset."

Seraphina's brow furrowed, and she went quiet for a moment.

"How's your head? Is the injury bad?"

I touched the dent in my skull, but I shook my head.

Elias never wanted to worry her, and neither did I.

She stepped closer and grabbed my hand, inspecting the spot I had touched.

"Are you actually brain-damaged from that pot?"

Her fingers felt the dent, and her expression shifted from confusion to realization.

"I knew it. You're just acting to make me feel guilty."

"If you hadn't been wearing some kind of protection, a hit like that would have ended you. But there's no blood. Not even a scratch."

So she did know it could have been fatal.

"Elias, you know I hate it when people play games with their lives just for sympathy."

"I'm not playing games," I replied.

She looked at me with pure contempt.

"Give it a rest. I've caught you. You're just mad about Jasper."

"You're so petty for a grown man. You hate that I favor him, don't you?"

Seraphina was a strange woman.

When Elias used to fight with her about Jasper, she would ignore him until his anger burned out.

Now that I didn't care, she was even more annoyed.

It seemed that no matter what I did, I was wrong.

I stared at her, searching for logic in her data.

She leaned in, her body pressing against mine, her voice cold.

"Elias, do you even feel anything for me anymore? Do you even love me?"

It was the question I wanted to ask her, but my programming wouldn't allow it.

"Seraphina, I love you. I will take care of you forever."

A small, cruel smile touched her lips.

"Really? Then prove it. Let me feel how much you love me."

She pulled me into the bedroom and slammed the door.

She began to kiss me, her hands moving over my body as she knelt down before me…