Slowly, five minutes passed.
AGH!
Huff... huff...
Gracie felt it first in her shoulders. A deep, grinding burn crept down through her arms and settled in her wrists like hot iron. The plate wasn't getting lighter. If anything, it felt heavier with every passing second, like the weight was multiplying itself just to spite her.
Her arms had started to tremble. Barely visible at first but growing worse. A fine vibration ran from her palms all the way up to her neck. Sweat poured freely down her face, down her neck, soaking into the blouse of her uniform. Her standing leg had begun to ache at the hip, at the knee, and at the ankle. Every joint quietly screamed for relief she couldn't give them.
She breathed hard and just muttered slowly.
Don't drop it. Don't drop it.
The rest of the room had gone still. The wounded maid knelt silently behind the group, head bowed, keeping herself as small as possible. The pregnant woman watched from the bed with her hands folded over her belly, her lips moving in something that might have been a prayer.
And Sio hadn't moved an inch. Her eyes locked on Gracie with an expression she was barely managing to hold together. The corners of her eyes glinted with tears she refused to let fall.
The man in the white shirt sat where he'd settled his eye calm showing no sign of frustration, watching everything unfold with an air of easy satisfaction. When he spoke, his voice carried both quiet amusement and contentment.
"Oh my." He tilted his head with an impressed little smile. "She's actually held it for five whole minutes. Good, good. She really is talented, isn't she?"
He glanced at the men standing around Gracie, then gestured lazily toward her.
"Hey, why are you all just standing there watching her sweat? Be a gentlemen. Go help her out a little."
Gracie's eyes snapped open.
"NOOOOO!"
The word came out loud breaking every calmness she put together just few minutes back. There was no smile on her face this time, no careful composure, nothing professional about it at all. Just the single word, stripped down to pure refusal.
"What?" White Shirt Man laughed. "I didn't say you couldn't be helped. Kekeke. And remember, don't lose your balance."
The men laughed and moved in.
Three of them closed around her slowly, like they had all the time in the world.
The first reached up and touched her face with his bare fingers, dragging them slowly across her cheek, wiping away the sweat that had gathered there with deliberate care. His touch made her skin crawl.
The second placed his hand on her bare sweaty shoulder. He moved his palm on top of her shoulder muscles reaching her bottom of the neck. Then he slowly traced his thumb upward, pressing lightly along the curve of her neck until it reached her cheekbone.
The third reached straight for her chest. His hand found her cleavage without hesitation, his fingers hovering at the edge of the dress's cutout, threatening to slip inside.
"AGH! NO! PLEASE! STOP, DON'T DO THIS!"
Gracie's voice broke. Her whole body shuddered, every muscle fighting the instinct to recoil, to shove them away, to do anything. But her arms had to stay up. The plate had to stay level. Her leg had to stay raised.
If she moved, it was over. If she dropped it, it was over.
So she stood there and shook, her breathing ragged, her face twisting with pure revulsion as she felt their hands on her skin.
"WHATTTT ARE YOU DOINGGGGGGG YOU BASTARRRDDDD?!!!!!!"
Sio moved. Pure, blind fury launched her forward. But White Shirt Man was faster. His arm shot out and caught her, hauling her back with a grip that left no room for argument.
"Now, now." His voice was almost gentle, right next to her ear. "My fiery little bitch. Don't be impulsive."
He held her firmly, watching her jaw clench so hard it had to hurt.
"Or did you forget about the maid? The pregnant woman? And her unborn child?" He clicked his tongue softly. "Think."
Sio's teeth ground together. Her whole body was rigid with rage, tears burning at the corners of her eyes, hands balled into fists she couldn't use.
"It's okay, Miss." Gracie's voice came out strained, barely held together. But she pushed it out anyway, trying to give Sio something to hold onto. "It's okay."
The men laughed at the exchange, encouraged by her attitude as they got bolder.
One slid his hand fully inside her cleavage, fingers spreading wide, feeling the softness of her breast through the thin fabric.
"So much sweat in here," he murmured, and licked his lips with a wet grin. "Hehe."
I will not give up, Gracie said to herself, somewhere deep inside of her where she could still hear herself. Young Master, I will not give up. I will not give up. I will not give up.
She locked onto those words like they were a rope over a cliff. She held on with everything she had.
"Oh, and your leg must be so tired by now, right? Here, let me help."
One of them crouched down without warning and wrapped both hands around her thigh, kneading it slowly, fingers working upward in slow, deliberate strokes that made her stomach turn.
"Ooh, such squishiness despite your slim leg." He made a satisfied sound. "Keke. Quite sexy."
Another came from behind. His hands found the hem of her skirt and lifted it without hesitation.
"AAH, what an ass." A low whistle. "Your panties are wet, Miss Maid. Let me take care of that."
His hand cupped her panty-covered ass from behind and began to move, groping her roughly.
"SOBB! SOBB! PLEASE, STOP! PLEASE!"
The plate was going down. Gracie could feel it. Her arms losing the fight, centimeter by centimeter, sinking under the combined weight of the dishes and everything happening to her body and everything she was trying not to feel. The tears she'd been holding back were falling freely now, running down her cheeks and dripping off her jaw.
One of them reached behind her and found the fastening of her dress. His fingers worked quickly at the clasp.
RUFFLE. RUFFLE.
The fabric loosened and slid down to her hip. With her leg still raised and her arms still extended, the dress had nothing to hold onto. It dropped to her hips and stayed there, bunched against her thighs. Only her bra remained above it, the thin fabric doing almost nothing to hide her naked upper body. Her small breasts were going up and down very fast, her abdomen feeling the cold air, shivering hard under it.
"NOOOO!!!"
Sio's voice tore out of her chest, cracking on the word, tears spilling down her face as she strained against the arm holding her. She couldn't get free. She couldn't do anything. She could only watch.
AGH!
Gracie squeezed her eyes shut. She stopped trying to see, to hear, to feel anything. She just breathed. Just counted. She was still here. Still standing. Still holding on.
No. No. No. No. No!
She could feel the hand closing over her breast. Her heartbeat surged, pounding faster and faster. Her head crowded with thoughts of Young Master and spun out of control. She couldn't think properly. The filthy hands were getting closer, closer.
She had to keep standing. She had to do this for Young Master. For him. Because he had asked her to help. She would do it. She had to complete this mission. Young Master had given her so much. Surely she could do this one small thing, right? He would be proud of me. He would, wouldn't he?
No! I won't!
Gracie's thoughts shattered, interrupted by another voice inside her head. Something that sounded like her own will screaming back.
AGH! TAAN! TAAANNN! TTNNNN! TNNNN! TNN!
The plate dropped.
It hit the floor with a crash, scattering food in every direction, the sound echoing through the small room like thunder. Gracie's arms dropped, to her sides. Her raised leg faltered, and her knees struck the floor hard.
She shoved with both hands, every ounce of strength left in her, pushing them back, pushing them away from her body. They only stepped aside, laughing, because they'd already achieved what they wanted.
Gracie folded in on herself, pulling the torn remnants of her dress around her body, clutching her shoulders, pressing her knees together. Her whole body trembled like a leaf in a storm. The tears came quietly now. Not screaming, not sobbing. Just falling in silent, steady streams down a face that had gone completely still.
In front, Sio had stopped fighting too. She stood where she was, tears running down her cheeks unchecked, hands trembling at her sides. Her heart felt like it was being crushed.
"Hehehe. Failed."
White Shirt Man stood up from the bed with unhurried movement. He reached out and grabbed Sio by the arm, pulling her toward him and locking her body between his knees with a casual, possessive grip.
Sio looked up at him with wet, burning eyes. She didn't look away. Hatred blazed in her gaze.
"Now then, my cute little bitch." He smiled down at her and brought her face closer to his. "Let me taste you properly this time."
BOOOOMMMM!!!
Suddenly before he could kiss her the door exploded inward.
Not opened.....But Exploded..... Swinging so hard it cracked against the wall and broke off through the whole frame. Then a group of people poured into the room in clean, sharp-pressed attire, their expressions were mixture of amusement, surprise, disgust and pettiness.
A woman at the front raised her voice and let it cut through everything.
"STOP!"
Tsk.
White Shirt Man's jaw tightened. His hand dropped. His eyes found her face, and for the first time, something behind his grin went a little flat.
He let go of Sio.
TAP TAP TAP TAP! WHOOSH! RUFFLE RUFFLE!
Gracie heard it before she could make sense of it. Quick footsteps approached, followed by the sudden warmth of a blanket settling over her, wrapping her completely. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, steady and gentle, making her feel safe.
Then a voice hit her ears and immediately made her calm down.
"It's okay. I'm here."
Something in Gracie's chest cracked open and went quiet at the same time. The shaking didn't stop, but it changed somehow. The panic underneath had been given somewhere safe to go. She kept her head down. She couldn't look up yet. But she nodded in small motion.
This hand felt nothing like the others. This warmth was all too familiar for her. This presence wrapped around her like a shield.
For the first time in the last ten minutes, she felt safe.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"
A woman's voice rang off the walls like a bell. She surveyed the room. The food scattered across the floor, the maid still kneeling with blood on her face, Gracie huddled under a blanket in the center of it all. Seeing all this, the woman's expression became very angry glaring at the Men present in the room.
"THIS IS THE RESTRICTED PREGNANT WOMEN'S REST AREA! AND HOUSE MASTER GAVE EXPLICIT ORDERS THAT NO ONE WAS TO DISTURB THE TEMPORARY MAIDS TODAY!!!! WHAT SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOR ARE YOU PUTTING ON DISPLAY IN FRONT OF OUTSIDERS?!"
She glanced back sharply. In the doorway and the corridor beyond, a crowd had gathered. Well-dressed men and women in polished attire, watching with expressions ranging from amused gossip to open disgust. Whispers moved through them like wind through grass, spreading the scandal.
GRR.
White Shirt Man's eye twitched.
"FINE. SHUT IT. WE'RE LEAVING."
He turned and walked, not looking at Sio, not looking at anyone. But as he passed the mature, pregnant woman, he slowed his steps and spoke in low sharp voice.
"You old bitch. Keep that attitude of yours in check." His eyes were cold as ice. "Just quietly push out your last baby and disappear. Because if you keep this up, I'll get rid of you myself after your use is over. I will personally rape you then kill you before throwing down in the dustbin!!!"
He held her gaze for one flat second, then moved on.
The woman didn't blink. Her face remained carved from stone.
"Humph." Her voice came out unyielding, as hard as granite. "Aren't you the brave one, pulling a stunt like this on such an important day? You're still just a child throwing a tantrum, little boy. A worthless, discarded little boy at that. Your own mother walked out with every coin she could carry the moment she finished giving birth to you."
She watched his back without any expression at all.
"Be grateful you were even given a working body to cause trouble with. You've already made a disgrace of yourself in front of guests. Your father won't forgive having his image dragged through the mud so openly."
She paused, letting the words sink in.
"So go back to your filthy room, close your mouth, and stay there."
White Shirt Man stopped walking for exactly one second.
Then he shoved his way through the people gathered in the doorway and was gone.
A heavy exhale moved through the room.
"Sigh." The mature aged, pregnant woman pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. When she spoke again, her tone had shifted. Still authoritative, but calmer, more composed.
"Someone, take the wounded maid for treatment immediately. and You," she gestured to one of the attendants while pointing toward Gracie, "bring her clothes. And you two," her gaze moved to the remaining maids as she pointed toward a sad and angry Sio, "escort this child out once she's changed into her own outfit. No more duties for them today. We'll send full payment for the trouble, along with the apologies from our side. What happened here should never have happened."
She turned her attention to the doorway, to the gathered crowd still murmuring and watching with hungry eyes.
"The rest of our guests, come. I'll continue the tour. I'm sorry you witnessed this unpleasantness."
Light, polished laughter rippled through the group.
"Haha, don't worry, Miss, these things happen in big houses."
"Yes, yes, let's move on. No need to dwell on it."
"What a beautiful house otherwise. The architecture is stunning."
They filtered out gradually, their chatter already moving on to other things, the scandal becoming just another piece of gossip to share later.
Sio lingered for a moment, her gaze moving across the room, to Gracie, and then to him, who was standing quietly beside Gracie with his hand still on her shoulder, protecting her from anyone who dares to come close.
Big Brother Oliver.
He looked up at that same moment and found her eyes. He gave her a single small nod and asked whether she is okay.
Sio swallowed hard in relief as she nodded back, a tiny motion that said I'm okay. Then she turned and followed the maid out, casting one last glance at them before the door closed behind her.
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END OF CHAPTER -- 90 PART 1