As soon as the door closed, I spun around and crossed my legs, pouting.
"Tell me," I said, "when are you going to reject her?"
Zane looked up from his paper. "Who?"
"Don’t act dumb," I snapped. "Lisa. That girl."
Ramon sighed. "Soon."
"Soon, when?" I leaned forward. "It’s been too long. She’s still here. Still walking around the palace. Still breathing the same air as me."
"We’re working on it," Kael said calmly. "Stop acting like we’ve forgotten."
I folded my arms. "You have forgotten. You let her serve you. You let her cook, clean, walk around in those ugly skirts..."
"She’s a maid," Damon said. "That’s what maids do."
"She’s also your mate!" I snapped, standing up. "Don’t you think she’s enjoying this? Being near you all the time? Touching your plates? Looking at you with those stupid brown eyes like she means something?"
Damon sat forward. "You’re jealous."
"Yes!" I didn’t even pretend. "I am! I should be the only one here. Your Luna. Your everything. But no. I have to share the air with that... human!"
Ramon rubbed his forehead. "We told you we’re going to reject her..."
"After what?" I cut in. "After she gives you something? After she helps you win something? You’re going to use her and then dump her?"
"That’s the plan," Kael said coolly, looking up at me for the first time.
I stared at them, my heart pounding. "And what if it doesn’t go as planned, huh? What if she cries those stupid tears, and one of you gets soft and falls for her? What if she plays her cards right and you start to care? What if..."
"Stop insulting us like we’re fools," he said, walking toward me. "You think we’re stupid enough to fall for a maid?"
"You think we’ll forget who we are? What is our purpose? You think we’ll throw everything away because of a weak human?"
Damon stood too. "Lisa means nothing to us, Belinda. She’s here for a reason. And once that reason is over, so is she."
"She’s a nobody," Ramon added. "Just like the rest of the staff."
My chest rose and fell. "Then reject her. Now."
Kael raised a brow. "Are you giving orders now?"
I looked at each of them. "I’m just tired of waiting. I’ve given you everything. My heart, my loyalty, my time. I should be wearing your marks. I should be standing beside you, not hiding in the shadows like some side piece."
Damon walked closer and gently cupped my face. "You’ll get everything you want, Belinda. Just be patient. You know we always keep our word."
I melted into his touch, even though I didn’t fully trust it. "Promise me."
"I promise," Damon said.
Kael turned back to his papers. "You should leave now. We’ve got work to do."
"I want to stay," I said quickly.
Ramon looked at me. "You can stay for a while. Just don’t start anything."
I smiled sweetly. "Who, me? Never."
But my mind was racing.
They could say all they wanted, but Lisa was still here. Still breathing. Still being touched by my mates. And that was something I couldn’t allow for much longer.
I yawned and stretched my arms lazily.
My head was lying against Kael’s shoulder, and my legs were curled up on the long couch in their study. The soft throw blanket someone must’ve placed over me had slipped halfway to the floor.
I blinked a few times, still adjusting to the dim light in the room. The window curtains were drawn, and only the reading lamps were on. For a second, I smiled.
It was peaceful. Warm.
Until I glanced to my right.
Damon was flipping through one of the thick scrolls with a deep frown on his face. Ramon’s fingers were typing rapidly on the laptop in front of him, and Kael was still reviewing a printed document, red pen in hand.
They hadn’t even moved.
"You’re all still working?" I asked groggily, my voice soft from sleep.
Kael turned briefly, smiled. "You fell asleep hours ago."
I sat up slowly, rubbing my neck. "And you didn’t stop to rest?"
"Too much to do," Damon muttered without looking up.
I sighed. "You all work too much. Honestly. You need to sleep."
"We will soon," Ramon replied, though I could tell he didn’t mean it.
I frowned. "Well, I’m going. I can’t rest properly here with all this paper and clicking sounds."
I stood up and smoothed down my cream-colored gown. My heels clicked softly against the polished floor as I headed out, yawning again. I needed my bed, a scented pillow, and maybe a warm foot massage.
But then, just as I turned the corner of the long hallway, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Scrubbing the floor with a rag, a bucket of water beside her. Her sleeves were rolled up, hair tied back tightly, and she looked so... so pitiful.
Yet... she still had this calm, quiet look on her face that annoyed me even more. Like she was completely fine with being beneath everyone. Like she didn’t see what was going on around her. Or worse, like she thought she was better than she was.
I slowly walked closer, my heels clicking louder with each step. She looked up when she noticed the sound, her eyes widening just a little.
"Still here, little maid?" I asked, folding my arms.
"Yes, my lady," she replied quietly, lowering her gaze again.
I laughed coldly. "You like it, don’t you? Being here. Cleaning after people who don’t even care if you exist."
She didn’t say anything.
"Did you think if you scrub hard enough, they’ll fall in love with you?" I tilted my head, watching her reaction. "Did you think maybe they’ll forget what you are?"
I bent slightly, lowering my voice but making sure it was sharp. "Let me tell you something. No matter how long you stay here, no matter how clean these floors are, you’ll always be a nobody. You think just because they’re nice to you sometimes, that means something? Trust me, it doesn’t. And I mean it when I said that I will kill you if you don’t leave anytime soon,"
Lisa kept her head bowed, but I could see her knuckles tighten slightly as she squeezed the rag in her hand.
"They will never choose you. You’re just convenient. Something they can use and then toss. Once they’re done with you, I’ll be here, still perfect, still worthy, still the real Luna. Understand?"