Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the meeting comes to an end. The elders stand up from their seats, their conversation concluding. They gather their belongings, ready to take their leave.

Helia stands nervously, watching as each elder leaves the room one by one, until only Toji and Gojo remain.

Toji gets up before walking towards the door, and just as he's about to leave the room, he stops right in front of Helia.

A smirk plays on his lips as he speaks directly to her, his comment a sharp jab, aimed to provoke a reaction.

"You serve tea like you give massages. It's awfully bad."

His comment about her serving skills stings, but she resists the urge to respond. She grits her teeth, silently seething as he mocks her, a flicker of irritation passes through her eyes.

Despite the insult, Helia keeps a composed expression on her face, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her annoyance.

And with those words he leaves the room, an arrogant smile on his lips.

Gojo is now the only person present. He's a few feet away, still taking in her appearance with an appraising eye. His gaze flicks between Helia and the door through which Toji left, a smirk playing on his lips.

A moment of silence hangs between them, the air feeling charged with tension. Gojo's eyes linger on Helia, studying her features. After a beat, he finally speaks, his voice breaking the quiet.

"Quite the character, that one." He comments, referring to Toji.

Helia doesn't answer because she's not sure she has the right to speak badly of a member of the house in front of a guest. But if she could speak, she would have agreed with him.

A smile tugs at the corners of his lips at her silence.

"Don't worry love, I think your serve tea is perfectly fine." He says, his gaze still fixed on Helia.

Helia doesn't know how to answer, he called her "love" again. She doesn't know if she should feel embarrassed or happy.

Gojo rises from his seat, his tall figure straightening to its full height, a hint of playfulness in his eyes. He takes a step closer, closing the space between them.

His next words are gentle but filled with curiosity.

"Pardon me for not asking before, but what's your name, love?"

This time Helia answers, trying to seem as polite as possible.

"It's Helia sir."

A small smile plays on his lips at the sound of her name.

"Helia." He repeats, the syllables rolling off his tongue with ease. "Such a lovely name for a lovely lady." He says, his voice smooth and velvety.

Right now, Helia feels like she could burn from the heat coming from her cheeks.

He notices her efforts to maintain composure in his presence, her flustered demeanor not going unnoticed.

A soft chuckle escapes his lips, a hint of amusement glimmering in his eyes.

"Well Helia, I'll be sure to come back soon for some more of your excellent tea service, love."
And with that he leaves the room.

With Gojo's departure, the tension in the room dissipates, allowing Helia to finally exhale. She can feel her cheeks heating up, a flush of emotion spreading across her face.

She takes a moment to collect herself, trying to calm her racing heart and cooling her flushed cheeks.

But it wasn't an easy task. Someone as charming as Gojo had never complimented her that way.

With a few deep breaths, she regains her composure. Then, she begins to tidy up the room, collecting the teacups left behind by the participants of the meeting.

[...]

Her job finally done; Helia begins making her way back to the maid compound. The walk back is a quiet one, allowing her some time to reflect on the events that just occurred.

The memory of Gojo's presence and his charming demeanor linger in her mind, his words replaying in her thoughts like a melody. He had called her "love" and not only once but four times!

Of course, she's also reminded of Toji's comment, but as soon as that thought crosses her mind, she pushes it out of her head to only focus on the positive parts of this meeting.

At least he hadn't done anything to embarrass or degrade her in front of the others.

[...]

As she approaches the maid compound, her eyes catch sight of Anna running towards her. Excitement is etched across her face. She closes the distance between them quickly.

Over the course of their partnership in their revenge plan against Toji, Helia and Anna had grown close, sharing a bond of trust and friendship.

"So?! How was the meeting?!" Anna asks, her eyes widening with curiosity. She had likely heard that Helia was the one chosen to bring tea.

Helia's smile widens, a mixture of excitement and mischief dancing in her eyes. Anna's eagerness to hear all the details is infectious, and she can't help but feel the same anticipation to share her experience.

"I have so many things to tell you!" Helia starts, a hint of eagerness in her voice.

Just as Helia is about to continue her story, a sound interrupts her. A small puff of air resonates from the other side of the room, drawing their attention and breaking their focus.

Turning towards the source of the noise, they try to identify who or what has intruded upon their conversation.

They realize it's Cassy, standing on the other side of the room. Her presence surprises Helia slightly, as she had not expected her to enter and disrupt her conversation with Anna.

Cassy addresses Helia directly, her words laced with mockery and jealousy. Her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, I bet you're feeling very proud and happy to be chosen to serve tea, aren't you? How thrilling that must be for you."

Anna interjects, her voice tinged with annoyance and protectiveness towards Helia. She turns her attention to Cassy, not hiding her discontent with the unexpected intrusion.

"What do you want, Cassy? We're in the middle of a conversation here."

Cassy doesn't respond immediately, her gaze shifting between Helia and Anna, a sly smile playing on her lips. The room falls into a tense silence for a few moments before she finally speaks again.

"I just thought I'd come by and see how our little tea server is doing. It's quite an honor to be chosen for such a task."

Helia responds to Cassy's comment with a polite yet dismissive tone, indicating that she's not interested in prolonging the conversation with her.

"Well, I'm fine thank you. But I have something to discuss with Anna."

Cassy huffs in annoyance, her expression turning sour. Her voice drips with envy and ill intent as she speaks.

"Just because they picked you to serve tea for a meeting, don't start thinking it makes you more important or special. You're still just a maid, remember that."

Helia is surprised that Cassy uses such a harsh tone to address her. She can't help but think that Cassy must have some kind of complex to attack her like that.

But Cassy continues to speak, her voice filled with bitterness and frustration, revealing the reason behind her unexpected appearance.

She gazes at Helia with cold, narrowed eyes, her words laced with jealousy.

"I was supposed to be the one to bring tea and meet Gojo today, but you ruined it all! I should have been the one sitting in that room with those powerful men, not you!"

Helia sighs, yes, that girl really has a big problem.

"It's not my fault that I have been chosen, you should get over it Cassy. There's no point in blaming me for something I had no control over."

Cassy huffs once more, her frustration clearly evident in her body language, she walks in direction of the door and before leaving she turns to Helia one more time, her voice carrying a menacing tone.

"Enjoy your little moment in the spotlight, it won't last forever, little tea girl. You might have caught their attention this time, but I'll be waiting for you to slip up. Trust me."

With that final warning, Cassy exits the room, leaving Helia and Anna alone once again.

As Helia watches Cassy exits the room, she shakes her head in frustration and confusion. Anna breaks the silence that follows Cassy's departure and speaks.

"What the hell is wrong with that girl?"

Helia agrees with Anna's assessment of Cassy's behavior, nodding her head in agreement.

"I don't know either, but she definitely has some serious issue."

Helia estimates that Cassy isn't worth the trouble and shifts her focus back to the original topic, the memory of the meeting and everything that had happened there.

"Oh, right! I still have to tell you how the meeting went! Well, where should I start?"

A smile spreads across her face as she gets ready to share the details with Anna.

[...]

Helia had spent some time recounting everything that happened at the meeting to Anna, and her excitement matched her own.

Now, as the day came to a close, Helia had retreated to her room, getting ready for bed. She lets out a sigh feeling both satisfied and exhausted after the eventful day.

As her mind travels through the events of the day once more, her thoughts linger on three particular individuals: Toji, Gojo, and Cassy.

Thoughts about Toji's intimidating presence and his comment on her serving skills, Gojo's charming demeanor and his offer to come back to the compound, and Cassy's jealousy and her warning to watch her back.

As the stream of thoughts continues flowing through her mind, Helia's eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

Gradually, her breathing becomes slow and steady, her body relaxing into the soft, comfortable sheets.

The memories and images in her head begin to blur together, and finally, she drifts off into a gentle sleep.

•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•

Hi! How are you doing?

Looks like Helia made herself an enemy...

How did you find this chapter?

See you in the next one!

Sarah ☆