Looking at the wide variety of ingredients in the pantry, I was confused. What should I make for dinner? I had no idea what Malcolm liked, which was the main reason I couldn't decide on a particular dish. But for some reason, my eyes kept flitting to the chicken that was sitting with other different kinds of meats. Hoping that Malcolm wouldn't mind, I grabbed the chicken and began preparing dinner.
I was so lost in cooking that when I looked up and locked eyes with Malcolm's, I jumped in surprise.
"Hello," I said, smiling at him.
"What are you cooking?" he asked, his voice hard. Maybe he always spoke like this.
"Making dinner for you," I answered simply, praying to God that he wouldn't get angry at me.
"Why?" he questioned.
"Because I am your maid now, and it's evening, I thought you would be hungry, so that's why," I replied like it should've been obvious, surprising myself at how firm I sounded.
"What are you cooking?" he asked instead.
"Chicken with rice," I replied, glad that we were having a civilized conversation, and he wasn't insulting me.
"When will you be done?" he enquired.
"In about fifteen minutes," I answered with a smile.
"Okay, let me know when it's ready," he muttered before turning around. He was about to leave when I stopped him.
"Malcolm?" I called out.
He turned around with a hard glare on his face. "What?" he demanded, annoyed.
"Sorry, I mean Mr. Bennett, should I cook for the staff as well?" I enquired softly.
"Yeah, do that, the staff pantry is in the back of the kitchen," he said then walked away.
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I placed the plate filled with steaming chicken and rice in front of Malcolm, my heart thumping wildly against my chest. I was so nervous about Malcolm's reaction, I kept fidgeting on my toes.
Throwing me an uninterested glance, Malcolm picked up the spoon and fork and began eating. I couldn't take my eyes away from Malcolm's face; trying to detect any sign of disgust or unhappiness, but found none. Malcolm continued eating with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Mr. Bennett? Is the food okay?" I asked timidly, afraid of him lashing out at me.
"If it wasn't, would you think I would be wasting my time eating it?" he asked rhetorically.
"Right, of course, forgive me," I apologized, mentally sighing in relief.
"However, I can't compare this to the gourmet meals I usually have, but it's still okay," he muttered. I did not let his words faze me, I was just glad that he didn't insult me or my cooking.
"Why aren't you eating?" he questioned with a frown on his face.
"Uh, I'm making dinner for the staff members, I'll eat once everybody finishes eating," I responded.
"Why after them and not with them?" he queried, making me wonder why he was being so talkative.
"Uh...well...I'll eat peacefully knowing that everybody had eaten," I told him with a smile. In fact, there was another reason why I wanted to eat alone. I was beneath everybody here, so it made sense that I would eat alone.
Malcolm nodded, and without saying anything and went back to eating. Throughout the dinner Malcolm didn't say anything, not even when he finished eating and went to his room, leaving me to tend to the dirty dishes.
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With a smile on my face, I placed the plate holding my chicken sandwich on the marble counter. Sitting down on a chair, I picked up my sandwich and took a hearty bite.
I made just a sandwich for myself because I did not want to use too much of Malcolm's stuff. He had assigned me as a maid and I was sure I had no right to eat all the expensive ingredients in the pantry. I did not even put too many ingredients in the sandwich, I just hoped that it was enough for my baby.
After swallowing half of my sandwich I began thinking about how will I get rid of Malcolm after my baby was born. I did not want Malcolm to have any right over my baby. Yes, he was the father of my baby, but would he even accept a baby that Malcolm had with me? I wish he would let me go after the baby was born. I was sure I would be able to raise my baby by myself without any problem.
"What are you doing?" I was jolted from my reverie upon hearing Malcolm's voice. I raised my head to look at him only to find him staring at me.
"Ea - eating," I answered.
Stalking over to me, Malcolm took the sandwich from my hands. He separated the bread and checked the contents of the sandwich. Shaking his head while muttering something, Malcolm went to the refrigerator and took out the left overs of his dinner. Putting the left overs in the oven and taking it out after a minute, Malcolm put the bowl in front of me.
"You think a sandwich is enough for you while you're pregnant, are you trying to kill my baby before he is even born?!" Malcolm scolded.
"I didn't have money to buy food," I explained lamely.
"You are suppose to eat what is available in the pantry. Cook something healthy for yourself, but for now eat this, and never ever eat something as useless as a sandwich," he admonished.
Sandwiches were not useless, they could keep a hungry stomach calm, I thought in my head.
Picking up the spoon, I took a bite of the rice and chicken. I expected Malcolm to leave, but instead he took a seat opposite me.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm not leaving until you finish everything that's in the bowl," he stated.
My heart sank at his words.
Oh boy, what was wrong with this man?