Chapter 10.
Penelope
The cool air was a welcome change from the charged atmosphere in the palace. What was that between Maia and I? Despite her denial, I was almost sure she was flirting with me. Maybe unintentional but the tension… The tension never lied.
Not that it mattered. It would be extremely unprofessional to engage with Maia in any other capacity than colleagues.
That being said, I couldn’t remember the last time I met someone that intrigued me like her.
There was definitely more to her than I initially thought and I felt the temptation to spend more time with her.
Which was exactly what I couldn’t allow to happen.
I savoured the thoughts on my walk home but put them out of my head as soon as I arrived at my mansion. My heels echoed sharply on the golden stairs, no doubt alerting my staff to my arrival. As expected, the doors swung open for me and Remus escorted me in.
“Did you have a good evening, Your Greatness?”
“I did,” I replied, surprising myself.
“Good. Can I get you anything?”
“No, I’m good. You can retire for the night.”
He bowed and disappeared, leaving me on my own in my massive mansion. The place was quiet and empty without the bustling of the staff, something that didn’t usually bother me. But after the lively night with Maia, the solitude wasn’t as welcome as usual.
I ventured further into the mansion and a light flicked on in the salon. “Mistress.”
“Molly. What are you doing here?” I questioned.
My assistant rose from her chair, her eyes dark and desperate. “Waiting for you, of course. It’s late. Dinner must have been nice?”
I could easily tell from her sharp tone what she was actually asking. The jealousy and possessiveness weren’t hard to spot, especially when all the snakes in her hair were hissing at me.
Not in the mood, I sighed. “Don’t start.”
“Start what? I’m merely asking how your evening was.” She pushed her bottom lip out in a dramatic pout, a trick my younger self fell for many times. But that was then and this was now.
With a shrug, I discarded my purse on the table. “I had a nice evening. How about you?”
“I tapped my snakes for poison and I watched the latest episode of Aphrodite’s Golden Apple. I adore watching people find true love. If only I was still alive so I could be on it. Why don’t we have an Underworld version of it?”
“Because people aren’t supposed to linger here.”
Molly scoffed. “And yet, the system would collapse if we didn’t linger and work for you.”
“If you didn’t linger, we wouldn’t need a system.” I massaged my temples. “Can you leave? I think I’ve got a headache coming on.”
The other woman studied me. “Are you drunk?”
“I might have had a drink or two, not that that’s any of your business. Anyway, it’s late. I’m going to bed,” I announced, hoping to avoid a spat. I wasn’t in the mood for a fight and most of all, I didn’t owe Molly an explanation or anything else for that matter.
“Perhaps you’d like company?” the woman suggested, her voice low and sultry. She dragged her hands over her body and pulled some of her skirt up, exposing tempting skin. “I know a way to get rid of that headache of yours.”
“Molly,” I warned her. “We agreed to keep things professional.”
“That’s what you said last time in the gardens. And the time before in the study. And the time before that,” she whispered while approaching, lust in every flick of her hips.
The rapid change in her mood amplified my headache. I stepped back, not wanting to engage. “I’m going to bed. Alone.”
“Fine!” Molly screeched, rushing past me on her way out. “I can tell when I’m not wanted. Good luck doing the reports in the morning by yourself!”
“You can’t just skip work because I won’t have sex with you,” I called after her.
“Then I quit!”
“Okay, shall I arrange transport to the Terminal?”
Molly snapped around and her snakes spat poison towards me. “Fuck you.”
Unperturbed, I stepped out of reach. “It’s a genuine question.”
“We both know it’s not.”
“Then stop threatening you’re going to quit.”
“Fine. Then… Then… Then I’m taking a holiday. With paid leave!”
“Sure.” I shrugged. By now, she should know she couldn’t emotionally blackmail me into doing what she wanted.
Deeming the conversation over, I retreated to my chambers without wasting another word on her.
Despite the little theatrics now, I had a great evening with Maia and I wasn’t going to let her ruin that.
I stripped my dress off and curled into bed, savouring the events of the night. In all my years as the Persephone, I didn’t expect to come across a Hades I didn’t loath and yet, here she was. New, inexperienced, unqualified, but with a lot of promise. This could change everything.