The Grand Mistress

"I know," Primo sat on the chair beside the Monteria heiress. His place on the table should be on the other end of it where Marie prepared a plating for him but he just chose to sit beside Gabriella like he isn't the head of the house. 

Immediately, the servants silently transferred the utensils and arranged a plating for their master. Whilst doing so, Primo's eyes dug on Gabriella who chose to give her steak more attention this time. She took in some bites and  seeing her lips touch the meat made Primo swallowed at sight. Ah shit! He had been missing her lips for a while but couldn't own it then.

Desperate to maintain the conversation, he started again with his apologies. "I'm sorry you have to start dinner without me,"

"It's okay, Marie is a better company than you anyway," Gabriella answered blandly. "Besides, I'm here because Marie invited me for dinner. Once I'm done I'll leave right away,"

Hearing about her leaving again stuck something in his throat. Nevertheless he somehow was thankful she showed up right then. Whatever magic Marie did to make her come, wished he had the same. Gabriella had been too difficult to him, she didn't even get out of Lucy's apartment and allow him to see her. In just a week, he couldn't make himself stop thinking about her and so he tried to work nonstop to cover up his days missing her.

"I didn't mean to upset this time dulzura," Primo said and reached out over to his glass of wine. He really didn't have an appetite especially when he heard her saying she'd leave right away after dinner. Reaching the glass to his lips, he was about to drink it when Gabriella's eyes went to him.

"What are you doing?" For his eyes, Gabriella looked down over his glass. "You haven't even taken any food and you are drinking that?"

Primo was surprised. He wasn't aware that she noticed because it seemed like she had not been giving him any attention at all.

"I don't have an appetite," Primo reasoned but didn't dare to drink the wine. Instead he put his glass down and waited for her chastity.

"Primo…there are many ways to die…" Gabriella started. "If you want to kill yourself, don't do it by not eating and overworking because you are only making Marie and the rest of the servant worry about you. Just slit your throat and get it done instead of prolonging everyone's agony,"

Primo certainly didn't expect those words. The servants who heard it all closed their eyes and expected their master to burst in anger with how he was ordered around  in his house but the only worst thing that happened then was Primo laughing sarcastically about his woman's words. Truth was it didn't occur to him that everyone was worried about his health. As far as he knew, he only skipped a few meals but couldn't recall the last time that he had eaten. 

"I didn't intend to make them worry about dulzura," Primo reasoned. "Besides, I can manage,"

"You can manage?" Gabriella wasn't pleased with this. "Primo even if you can manage your health…how could you make Marie make dinner every night for you and not come home to eat all the food that she cooked? I'm suspecting she even sent meals to your office and you just ignored them?"

"How pathetic…" The woman met his eyes head on and Primo wasn't sure what to do. Gabriella's voice went a little harsh and big that the servants wondered if she was even allowed to do that. Surprisingly, it seemed that Primo didn't mind and just held a deep sigh while looking at the displeased woman and as if she owned the house, she added. "Apologize to Marie right now!"

There was silence for a moment and everyone thought that what Gabriella did was the last straw and that Primo would never let her off this time. The young lawyer certainly didn't like how he had been yelled at and everyone could see him balled his fist and soon, a loud bang was heard on the table! 

Primo hit the table with his fists with anger and his expression darkened, scaring everyone around!

"What?" Gabrella hisses when she sees what Primo did. "Do you think you could scare me with your temper? The heck I care if you would hurt me"

Marie who knew that kind of expression knew that Gabriella was already in danger. She stepped in immediately to protect the girl. "Miss Gabriella—"

"Don't intervene Marie!" Gabriella stopped her, eyes on Primo meeting his anger. "Let Primo do the thing he is best at!"

Glaring, he challenged his woman far; she wanted to go with her audacity to defy him. Does she think he knows him that much already? 

"And by that you mean?" He asked, jaw tightened.

"Making everyone afraid,"

"So you are not afraid of me?" Primo immediately stepped forward ready and grabbed the girl's arm so hard that Gabriella could feel the intensity of it. She flinched a little with the pain but didn't succumb into it. "Perhaps you've not heard more about me, woman. Or do you think my patience for you has no end. So you are not afraid that I would hurt you, huh?" His arms dug more that Gabriella could feel like her arms were going to break. 

Primo had gone out of control. His eyes went devil-like, but Gabriella didn't allow herself to succumb into it.

"You've already broken my heart…" Gabriella said bitterly, right through his eyes. "What's more painful than that?"

Primo anger left in a split second, like a lava-hot volcano that had been caught in a much bigger snow storm. His body chilled and never did his entire life feel so shameful about misdeeds. He had always been proud of being strong and evil but in front of Gabriella's resentful eyes, he felt so ashamed of who he was.

Immediately, he let her go, cursing himself for losing out of control in front of her.