After that moment in the hallway, everything felt different, even the way the air moved around me felt heavier, like something had changed that I could not see but could feel deep inside my chest, and as I stood there with my head lowered, I could sense that whatever had just happened was not something that would be ignored so easily.
The man who had helped me earlier stepped back immediately when the CEO spoke, and I could feel the distance between us without even looking, like the small comfort I had found for a moment had been taken away just as quickly as it came, and I stood there alone again, my hands slightly trembling by my sides.
I told you to step back, the CEO said again, his voice calm but carrying a warning that made it impossible to ignore.
Yes, sir, the man replied quickly.
There was a pause, and then the CEO spoke again, this time directing his words to him.
You are not here to meddle in matters that do not concern you, he said, his tone even but firm. Whatever you think you are doing, stop it now.
The man lowered his head slightly. Yes, sir. It will not happen again.
I stood there, confused and overwhelmed, not fully understanding what was happening, but knowing that somehow I had caused it, and before I could say anything, the CEO's attention shifted, not fully toward me, but enough for me to feel it.
What kind of behavior is this? he asked, his voice colder now. You have not even stayed here for long, and you are already creating scenes in my house.
My chest tightened, and I slowly lifted my head, surprised by the direction of his words.
I wasn't. , I tried to speak, but he did not let me finish.
You have not spent even three days here, he continued, his tone sharper, "and you are already clinging to men in the hallway."
His words hit me harder than I expected.
For a moment, I could not speak.
Not because I did not want to respond, but because I was too shocked to understand how he could say something like that so easily, like what he saw was all there was, like he did not care about why it happened or what led to it.
I wasn't doing anything like that, I said finally, my voice low but firm despite the tears still lingering in my eyes.
He did not respond immediately, and that silence made everything feel worse.
"I got lost, I added quickly. I didn't know where my room was, and I was just.
"You were just what?" he cut in.
I stopped.
Because I knew anything I said would not matter.
He had already decided.
The anger that had been building inside me since I left the library, since I stood in front of him and felt invisible, since I cried alone in a house that was not mine, suddenly rose to the surface.
Before I could stop myself, I spoke again, this time louder.
Stop talking to me like that, I said, my voice shaking but clear. Y ou don't even know what happened.
The words hung in the air.
For a moment, everything went completely still.
The man beside me looked at me in shock, like he could not believe what I had just said, and even I could feel my own heartbeat racing as I realized what I had done.
No one spoke.
Then slowly, the CEO nodded once
Just once
No anger.l
No shouting.
Nothing.
He simply turned and walked away.
The silence that followed felt even heavier than before.
I stood there, still breathing unevenly, trying to calm myself down, trying to understand what I had just done, while the man beside me looked at me like I had just made the worst mistake of my life.
Why would you do that? he asked quietly, his voice filled with disbelief. "Do you even know who you just spoke to like that?
I swallowed hard, my anger slowly fading and being replaced by something else.
Something closer to fear.
I didn't do anything wrong, I said softly, though my voice was no longer as strong as before.
He shook his head slightly. You don't understand this place yet, he said. He does not like disrespect, and he does not forget it.
I did not respond.
Because deep down, I knew he was right.
I turned and started walking again, this time trying to find my way back to my room, but my mind was too distracted, too heavy with everything that had just happened, and before I knew it, I had taken another wrong turn.
I stopped in front of a door and opened it, thinking it might lead me somewhere familiar.
But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.
There were people inside.
A lot of them.
Maids
More than I had ever seen at once.
They turned to look at me at the same time, their expressions unreadable, and before I could step back or apologize or even close the door, they started moving toward me.
What ...what is going on? I. asked, my voice shaking as I stepped back.
No one answered.
They surrounded me quickly, their movements controlled and coordinated, like they already knew what they were doing.
Wait .... I started, but it was too late.
They grabbed me.
I struggled, but it did not matter.
There were too many of them.
They held onto my arms, my shoulders, pulling me back out of the room and down the hallway, and no matter how much I tried to pull away, I could not break free.
Let me go! I said, my voice rising, but no one listened.
They dragged me back to my room and pushed the door open.
Then they threw me inside.
I stumbled and fell to the floor, the impact sending a sharp pain through my body before I could even react.
By the time I looked up, they were already inside.
Closing the door.
Locking it.
My heart started racing.
What are you doing? I asked, my voice filled with fear now.
Still no answer.
Then I saw it.
Some of them were holding things.
Cans.
Pipes.
Wires.
Cleaning tools.
My body went cold.
Before I could move, before I could speak again, the first strike came.
Pain shot through me as something hit my side, and I cried out, trying to move away, trying to protect myself, but there was nowhere to go.
They kept hitting me.
Over and over again.
Learn your place, one of them said sharply.
You think you can speak like that? another added.
Disrespectful girl.
Their voices mixed with the pain, their words hitting almost as hard as the blows, and I curled into myself, trying to shield my body, trying to make it stop.
Please ....stop. I cried, my voice breaking.
But they did not stop.
And then
Enough.
The voice cut through everything.
Everything stopped.
The room fell silent.
I slowly lifted my head, my vision blurred with tears, my body shaking as I tried to understand what had just happened.
That was when I saw him.
He was standing there.
In the darker part of the room.
Watching.
My breath caught.
He had been there.
The entire time.
The head maid stepped forward immediately. "Sir."
He did not respond to her.
His gaze was on me now.
Fully.
Apologize, he said.
My heart dropped.
Before I could even think, before I could process anything, he spoke again, his voice still calm, still controlled.
You will apologize for your behavior.
Tears streamed down my face as I tried to sit up properly, my body aching with every movement, my hands shaking as I pressed them against the floor to support myself.
I… my voice broke. Am sorry…
But the words did not feel like enough.
Nothing felt like enough.
I didn't mean to , I tried again, my voice trembling as I looked at him, finally meeting his eyes fully for the first time, and what I saw there made my chest tighten even more.
There was no anger.
No pity.
Just control.
Am sorry… , I repeated, my voice softer now, almost a whisper as I lowered my head again.
The room stayed silent.
And I stayed there.
Broken.
Shaking.
Waiting.