"My father," Chloe said simply. "I don't mean to offend you, Mr. Petrov, but why...why are you suddenly acting as if you care for me? First the medicine, now this..."

He blinked. Why? He didn't even know himself.

"Maybe it's because I do care for you, Chloe."

With that, he got up and left her room.

Chloe's POV

I sat back on my bed, my gaze trained on the door. The door that Alek had just walked through.

"Maybe it's because I do care for you, Chloe," he had said.

I groaned and collapsed back onto my bed, rubbing my eyes. My brain was a foggy puddle of confusion and wariness. Could this be a trick? Some sick little game that he was playing? Or it was possible that this was another dream.

I stood up and splashed my face with cold water – which was only about the only type of water we had here. Cold. Cold showers, cold drinking water. It was nice in the summer time, yes, but in the dead of winter, when it was snowing outside, it would be nice to have a hot bath every once in a while, too.

But that wouldn't happen. Servants and maids don't get luxuries like that of the wealthy. I was lucky to have even gotten my own room.

Unable to sleep from both the nightmare and Alek coming in, I walked aimlessly around my room, brushing out my curls, straightening things on my dresser, trying to make myself busy. It was around five thirty in the morning now. Half an hour from the time she would usually wake up.

I just shrugged and peeled off my sweaty night-gown, and slipped into my plain dress for house work. I walked down the stairs into the kitchen, where Kit was already stirring something in a massive pot.

"Good morning, Kit," I smiled.

"Mornin', Chloe!" He grinned back, dancing around my to grab some spice off the spice rack. I grabbed an apple from the basket, and looked at Kit for approval. He nodded and waved his hand, saying it was okay. I bit into it and made my way to Jasmine's room, walking silently up the stairs. I walked into her room and found her sitting up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. I helped her up and grabbed her gown for the day. It was gold with black ribbons lacing it up in the back.

"How was your sleep?" Jazz asked the question every morning, and usually I answered it with a, "Fine. Yours?" But today, it made me jerk back and let go of the ribbons I was tying into a neat bow, making them flutter to the floor.

"It was..." I considered lying to her. I considered telling her it was fine. But other than Amy and Paul, Jasmine was my best friend. If I couldn't confide in her, who could I confide in? "I had a nightmare," I whispered. "And I guess I was screaming and thrashing around a lot, because when I woke up..." I averted my gaze from hers in the mirror we were standing in front of. "When I woke up, your brother was there. And he said some things that really didn't make sense, and then he left."

Jasmine's eyebrows knitted together, and I busied myself by tying her ribbons again.

"What kind of things did he say...?" she questioned.

I bit my lip and brushed some of my hair off my face.

"He said that he 'might actually care for me'," I said, trying to stay calm.

I could tell Jasmine was surprised, but she hid it well.

"Oh," she muttered. "Oh."

"Yea," I sighed. "All finished."

Suddenly, she broke out into a smile.

"Do you think he fancies you?" Jasmine asked. I looked at her, and a disbelieving laugh burst from my mouth.

"You can't be serious. Of course not. You and him...you are noble class, wealthy. I'm just...ever since my father died, I'm...well, I'm not," I said. "It's just how it is. The noble and the poor don't exactly mix well. Besides, he has Lady Miriam," I spat her name with disdain.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Oh, no one likes Miriam. She's just a nasty old hag, is what she is."

I smiled at her.

"Chloe!" a deep voice called from a near-by room.

"And that's for me," I sighed, straightening out my skirts. "Can you do your hair by yourself?"

Jasmine nodded and waved me off. "Good luck."

"Please, Jasmine. I do this everyday. Last night isn't going to change anything," I sighed. I closed the door behind me and made my way to Alek's room.

I knocked.

No one replied.

"Mr. Petrov?" I called.

"I'm in my study," he shouted back. I turned around and walked to the other door, and opened it.

"Good morning," I said, out of habit, shutting the door behind me.

He just nodded, scribbling down some notes in his notebook. I stood there for a minute, waiting for him to tell me what he wanted. I glanced at the grandfather clock in the left corner of the room.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

After fifteen minutes, I cleared my throat. "Mr. Petrov?"

He looked up. "What is it?"

I blinked. "Well...not to be rude, but why exactly did you call me in here?"

A million expressions crossed his face, and he looked as if he was in war with himself. He put his pen down and bit his lip, something I've never seen him to before.

He was always cool and collected, confident.

"Why don't you sit?" He gestured to the chair in front of him. His voice was strangely gentle, soft.

Oh no. Is he going to fire me? This is what he did. He called workers into his office and he told them that they were no longer needed around the estate anymore.

My heart started to pound and my palms got sweaty. I know it didn't really seem like it, but this was all I had. My little room downstairs was all I had. Jasmine...Amy, Paul. They were all I had. Without them, I would be lost. I would have nothing if I was fired from the estate. I would have nothing.

I lowered myself onto the chair and tried to calm my breathing. But it didn't work. I imagined myself on the cold streets again, just like after my father passed away.

I had to dig through trash cans and beg for spare coins. People cast me disgusted glances, and I had felt so lonely. So lonely...I was completely alone in the world. No one talked to me, no one gave me love. Because that's one of the things that humans can not live without.

Love. We can not live without love.

We thrive on it, it is our soul.

And finally, when Jasmine found me on the streets, half-frozen, almost dead, and brought me back to her grand estate, I found love again.

I found my soul again. Jasmine, Amy and Paul. Even Kit. They brought me back to life. Without them, I would just crumble again. The thought of having to go back onto the streets made the back of my eyes burn, and I clenched my fists together so tight that my knuckles turned a yellowy white.

I ducked my head, my curls collapsing onto my face, gnawing my lip viciously to keep from crying. I tried to brace myself for the blow. For his words.

"Chloe?" Alek cocked his head, trying to peek through my hair from across the desk. "What's the matter?"

"Please don't fire me!" I blurted. I peeked up at him through my lashes, tears running down my cheeks. "Please, I'll do anything. Without Amy and Paul, without Lady Petrov, I don't think I could..." I trailed off, a sob escaping through my lips. I turned my head to the side, shoving my hair over my shoulder so it would hide my face. "I'm sorry, I don't..."

Alek sat there, still as a stone. I couldn't even hear him breathing. Then, all of a sudden, he breathed out a little chuckle.

How dare he? Does he think this is funny?

"Chloe," he said. He stood up and came over to me, hesitating a foot away from my chair. "I wasn't going to fire you."

Oh.

"What?" I said miserably, wiping my cheeks with my hands. He sighed, and bent down, wiping the tears with his thumb. I recoiled – what is he doing?

"I wasn't going to fire you," he repeated. "I was going to ask you how you were, because of last night. I didn't mean to scare you."

I hiccuped loudly, and gave an embarrassed giggle.

"I'm sorry...I was just so scared that you were going to make me go back into the streets and..."

He looked into my eyes, his amber ones staring into mine.

"I wouldn't make you do that, Chloe. I promise. I'll never leave you to starve in the streets again. Jasmine won't, either. It's alright," he said. His hand was still on my cheek, warm and rough. The fire in the back of the room crackled, filling the silence.

Finally, I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I don't get it," I whispered.

He blinked, cocking his head to the side, his eyebrows pushed together.

"What don't you get?" he asked.

"Why...I don't get why you're being so kind to me. And why you said that you care last night. Usually, noblemen wouldn't care even if their workers got the black plague, or anything." I explained.

"Oh, the black plague is extremely contagious. I would care if you got it, for then the whole house would get it, too," he half-smiled. I let out a laugh. "In all seriousness, though. I meant what I said last night. There's just...there's something different about you. Something that I like."

Alek was still kneeling in front of me, but he raised up on his feet a little so his face was level with mine.

"I don't think I'm supposed to be feeling the feelings I do for you..." he whispered, inching his face closer to mine. I blinked in surprise, frozen.

What was he saying? Was Jasmine right?

Does Alek have feelings for me?

"...Mr. Petrov?" I asked quietly.

"Alek," he said. His face was so close to mine that I could smell him, his musky, spicy scent. Shamefully, I wanted to bury my face into his neck and breathe him in.

But I couldn't.

Noblemen and the poor...again, they just can not mix.

"What?" I breathed. I couldn't think right now. I couldn't think, I couldn't move, I could barely breathe.
"Call me Alek," he said. He brought up a hand, pulling a few curls behind my ear, then brought it down to the other cheek, so he was cupping my face in-between both his hands now.

He raised himself slightly higher, and then gently pressed his lips to mine. I gasped, but he held my face, standing up so that he was bent over me, removing his hands from my face and putting it on either side of the arm rest, locking me in the chair.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and he pulled away with a jerk.

Thanks for all of the reviews, you guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I'm really sorry for the long wait. Review, please!

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