MERCY

s e v e n

It was deadly silent and I kept my head staring down at my plate. Lettuce leaves with one seared chicken breast a little salad dressing on the side with a glass of water. My chest rose and I exhaled slowly gazing at the plates of the males seated at the table with me.

'So the men get the packed plates with meats and carbs but I get the weight-watching meal..?' Glancing at the woman seated opposite me, we had the same meal.

I want to leave.

The woman across from me spared me a small smile as almost to tell me to deal with it or maybe share her solidarity as a woman in this setting. Like they can't bring us down or we can be free. But can we?

At the head of the table sat the same man who ordered me to come here. He sat head tall, eyeing down everyone seated, his lips tight in an expression occasionally glancing at his watch in disdain, while whispering to a man at his left hand who bore a striking resemblance to him just much younger and striking and next to him was Avery.

No one touched their forks like they were waiting for something, there was only seven of us at the table. One seat unfilled at the opposite head of the table.

'Another leader missing..?'

"Sorry but when can we eat...? I'm really hungry." I spoke up loudly in the silence. It felt like a pin dropped and I ceased breathing, the men stared shocked at me some with disdain and some curious, Avery just rolled his eyes. If it was silent before it was really was now with everyones eyes on me, I couldn't even hear myself breathing. 

"Girl know your place, how dare you open your mouth." spoke an elder man glaring at me sitting at the right of the man at the head of the table.

The man sitting at the left looked amused and curious.

Like night and day.

"It's alright let her not be scorned, it has been 45 minutes and it seems my son is being disrespectful once again...' He said staring at me standing out of his seat. The head seat now left empty.

My body relaxed itself and I let out an even bigger sigh which gained a small kick from the woman across from me. 'I guess women can't speak for themselves here?'

'...You may leave." Chairs drew out and then in and an array of black suits left through the dining room door their shoes clacking against the ground. I watched Avery stand up and walk tot door, glancing back at me his lip slightly twitching before he angrily left. 

Getting up out of my seat too to go after him, a feminine voice sharply said, "Not you." I immediately knew it was about me. The way these men react when a woman speaks up there's no way she could talk to a man like that.

I sat back down and looked at her, she looked so familiar I just couldn't put my finger on it but her red hair stood out to me.

I could tell she did that by herself.

"What?" I said sighing. 

"If you want to survive here, stop talking, stop making yourself known and don't ever talk back to those higher than you."

"So sit still and look pretty." I retorted. 

"Exactly...' she smiled '...You understand me perfectly."

"No thanks, in my century women actually have rights, I won't be here for long anyway but thanks I guess or maybe I should feel sorry for you."

Her smile dropped and she was tight lipped and stared at me about to open her mouth until servers walked into the room surrounding the table and picked up every plate off the table, still with fresh food untouched since the moment everyone was seated. We both stared at each other in silence until they left.

"If you don't want my help to survive here okay but don't be a dumb bitch about it." She looked at me, never breaking eye contact while making sure to put emphasis on dumb bitch.

I wasn't even mad honestly I was more bothered trying to figure out where exactly I knew her from.

"Whose being a dumb bitch?" A deep voice said as the door slammed close. Steps coming closer.

"The guest." She piped back.

"Venna, you must treat guests of this house with respect no matter the gender. Don't mind Vivienne she's as old fashioned as every elder of this house." I didn't bother searching for man speaking. The voice itself sounded like smooth honey, I wanted to appear uninterested and unwavered but something about it sounded familiar, so many things here do. I looked up behind me and I didn't know what to say. 

His eyes, mouth, nose, everything. He stood tall, well built and unwavering black hair loose near his eyes but I could see them piercing into me very clearly. The complete package in a man. I wanted to curl up and die because I have no idea what version of me he's looking back at, I haven't looked in a mirror for two days or touched makeup. But the eye contact he held and the way he looked back at me without breaking it let me know something interested him. He smiled at me and I was confused until I realised like an idiot I was the one who smiled first, wide at that too. 

"Vivienne..' he said sharply dropping his smile but holding eye contact with me. '...Why is the help sitting in one our seats?" 

'If embarrassment wasn't a word I would've spent the rest of my life trying to figure out how I felt right now'

"I'm not the help, I'm here for business." Gathering my words hiding my shock.

Looking me up and down, he cooly said "Business.. at night? I might be interested."

"Are you trying to insinuate if I'm a woman of the night?" I said standing up pushing my chair back I was up in his face. Pissed the fuck off. 

"Not at all, I just don't see usually see woman as beautiful as you in a place like this." He said leaning in. I slightly shivered remembering the bloody site I saw just an hour before. 

'Avery was right, It was a bad idea coming here.'

"CADE, ENOUGH...I'll tell Uncle what you're doing, he's already mad you missed his celebratory dinner." Vivienne rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I'm just joking Venna, you know I don't mix business with pleasure." He Looked me dead in the eyes as the word pleasure left his lips and my heartbeat quickened. 

Turning away from taking his leave through the door, my legs felt like jelly and I sighed shakily. Taking a seat back down both of my arms resting against the oak table.

"Whose he..?" 

Vivienne squinted her eyes observing me and then laughed. 
"My cousin Caden, the son of my Uncle who sat at the head of the table. You wouldn't be the first girl..' she paused leaning in with a small smile '..so stick with what you came here for, I'll get you settled in."

She came around the table grabbing my hand and led me out of the room.