Chapter 19. Urgent Call

"Come sit with me, wife," I told her, abruptly stopping her from taking the seat opposite from the model. Then, with her eyes pinned to the ground, she walked up to me and tried sitting on the chair beside me, but I stopped her yet again.

"Not there, wife, on my lap," I said, patting my thighs. I expected her to give me the innocent look with silently pleading eyes, but she didn't. She simply nodded and sat on my lap. It was surprising that she did, but that surprise was soon replaced by something else that got awakened immediately after she sat on me. I felt her weight on me, stiff, like a statue. She was nervous. The dishes were soon rolled into the dining room and distributed on the table. All done, the maids turned around in a file to leave but I stopped them.

"Remain there." I had always preferred to eat alone with no one standing in front of me, and they were my servants, they knew that, so, it was a surprise to them that I wanted them to just stand there