Chapter 141 Sitting Across the Devil

Chapter 141 Sitting Across the Devil
NANCY’S POV

I took my time getting out of bed, not because I wanted to appear composed, but because I needed those extra seconds to gather whatever was left of myself.

Hudson didn’t rush me; he just watched me while I moved, and that was very unsettling for me. Especially because he never had any patience for me.

It also made me lift my guard because I could feel that something untoward was about to happen. My mind was always full of suspicions around him.

It didn’t help that there was a thought lurking at the back of my mind, telling me I had no option but to listen to him, and I hated that there was truth in those words.

I slid my feet into a pair of slippers slowly, trying not to put pressure on the bandaged one. It was still aching, but the pain was manageable now.

There was no need to pretend I wasn’t weak since it didn’t ache as much as it did last night.

Straightening, I smoothed my hands down the fabric of my dress, redirecting my attention elsewhere to avoid looking at him or at the lust-filled dreadful look on his face.

“Are you done?” He asked after a minute of silence, insinuating that I was meant to do more. Like I had to dress up to appear before him.

I didn’t respond and just clenched my jaw with a hard stare that I hoped would display what I thought of him.

If he noticed the silent defiance, he didn’t comment on it. He let me walk out first, following after me at a close pace.

Hearing his steady footsteps behind me while walking through the cold hallway was a suffocating feeling, and it made the walk feel longer than it should have. It also seemed to magnify the silence.

By the time we got to the dining area, I was already exhausted.

I glanced around once, noting how pristine the dining room was, just like everything else in this house. They were all polished, a cover for how black-hearted their owner was.

There was a long table in the room, five times larger and longer than the one at my parents' house. There were various dishes on the table, all carefully laid out like they belonged in a five-star restaurant.

The rich smell of the food also filled the air, inviting and warm.

I tried not to react to it, but my stomach betrayed me instantly.

It growled. Loud enough for Hudson to hear.

Embarrassment made me cringe, and at the same time, I heard him say with a flicker of amusement, “Sit.”

“I can stand,” I said flatly, refusing his outright order.

His gaze lifted slowly and deliberately to me, and his voice was firmer when he said, “Sit, Nancy.”

My lips pursed in annoyance, but I did pull my chair out.

He watched unblinkingly until my butt landed firmly in the chair, then walked over to the opposite chair and sat without another word.

A small victory for him.

Another loss for me.

A maid stepped forward almost immediately, placing food onto my plate. I had no idea what she looked like, because I wasn’t looking at her at all. I was lost in my own thoughts, trying to convince myself this would just be a harmless dinner even though something told me it wasn’t.

I picked up the fork slowly, staring down at the food like it might disappear if I blinked.

“Eat,” Hudson said, and a scoff escaped me.

“Why? So I have enough strength for you to torture me again?”

He was toying with my senses, and I couldn’t understand what he was playing at despite how hard I thought about it.

Sometimes, he showed care, even if just a tiny bit, and other times, he was just straight-up being an asshole and a dickhead.

“You need strength to survive me, don’t you?” He responded, lips still curled slightly.

My grip tightened around the fork. At that moment, it felt like some sort of anchor for me. It felt like my way of telling myself that I only had to put up with this for a short while, just until I found a chance to escape or just put him to eternal rest.

It wasn’t going to be an easy feat, but I was determined to achieve one. Lifting my fork, I forced myself to take a bite. Since I’d made up my mind to watch him burn before I died, I decided to eat too.

The food tasted really good, and for a second, it made my chest twist painfully because it reminded me of a long time ago, when breakfast was a normal activity with my parents and Nathan.

Those days weren’t filled with awkward silences but with shared laughter and banter.

Little did I know then that a day would come when I would be sitting across from a heartless man, having breakfast while pondering how to escape from him.

Soon enough, my thoughts switched someplace else, and I swallowed my food down, simultaneously putting my fork down.

“About Ethan…”

His fork paused mid-air, and the room temperature dropped almost instantly. The second his gaze cut to mine, I wondered if I should have just held my tongue.

“What about him?” he asked, his voice quieter now.

I hesitated, but it was too late to take my question back now.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

I clamped my lips after saying those words, letting them marinate between us. A man like Hudson wasn’t easy to reason with; I knew that, yet I still said it to him.

Maybe a part of me was just curious to know if he would react differently.

“You nearly killed him over nothing,” I added, making sure my message was being passed across.

He replied a little bit later, saying, “Nothing about another man touching you is harmless.”

I stared at him, disbelief flashing through me. “I’m not yours.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I should have kept quiet.

Because something dark flickered in his eyes, something that made my pulse spike.