Just finished this late last night. Subject to change.

A special thanks to michellecarriveau for leaving the first review!

It would make me oh-so-happy if someone left a review :)

Ch. 7

It was eleven o'clock in the morning before Alinah had woken up. Her eyes fluttered open and she yawned, stretching her arms and legs out on the silky bed. A dull ache occupied her head, most likely from the lack of sleep.

The image of her master's face filled her thoughts, and she immediately sat up in bed as she remembered what had happened. She hoped that he had forgotten the experience and reasoned that he had not come to his senses last night because of the alcohol. Perhaps he wouldn't even remember that it had happened.

Or maybe he would be even more infuriated.

Once she had seen the time, the uneasiness in her stomach had only increased. She jumped out of bed and flew to her dressing table, almost falling in the process. She grabbed her clean dress and rushed to put it on. Her hands trembled so badly that she could barely tie the laces. She ran over to the mirror and combed out her hair as quickly as she could before she pinned it up as best as she would be able to with shaking fingers. She wiped away the strands that fell in her face.

She looked a mess. Dark circles lined her eyes, which were still slightly swollen from her tears from the night before. Stray hair dangled in her face, and she had a wild look about her, almost as if she had slept in the wilderness for weeks.

If Monsieur Deberaux had not already been awake and waiting to fire her, then certainly Mr. Harris would be sure to do so, upon noticing her absence.

She swore under her breath and threw her door open, racing down the hallway as fast as she could. She was stopped when she met Mr. Harris at the top of the stairs.

"Ah, Ms. Claude," he said plainly. His usual lack of emotion prevented her from determining whether or not she still had employment, and the suspense made her stomach twist in knots.

She straightened up as best as she could. "Mr. Harris, I do apologize for my lateness," she curtsied politely. She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes, afraid of what she would see there, if anything.

"Monsieur has awoken hours ago."

Alinah wanted to hide her face from the Butler and cry. Her place of safety would be torn away from her and she would be forced to seek a position elsewhere, she knew of it.

She bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping that the tears that swelled in her eyes and threatened to fall wouldn't betray her.

"He has ordered that you spend the day at your leisure," he announced.

Alinah looked up at him, shocked. "You mean to say that I am still employed here?"

"Yes, why wouldn't you be?" he responded, uncertain of her meaning. He had no idea what had transpired to result in his Master's and Ms. Claude's odd behavior, but he was not one to question it.

"Thank you!" she shrieked, wiping away her tears with clumsy fingers. How foolish she must have seemed!

She gave another short curtsy and made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, leaving behind a bewildered Mr. Harris.

Alinah knew that she was free of her duties that day and could enjoy it however she wished, and that was why one could find her in the kitchen for approximately two hours.

Her white apron was stained, strands of her hair fell messily out of the pins, and a dumb grin was formed on her lips as she took her creation out of the oven. The scent of chocolate filled the air and she breathed it in with a sigh.

She had spent the past few hours baking a flourless chocolate truffle cake that made her mouth water at the sight. She set the pan on a rack to cool and stirred the pot of chocolate raspberry sauce on the stove. She brought a small spoonful up to her lips, blew on it to cool it down, and then tasted it.

"Mmmm!" she exclaimed very loudly to herself. Perfect, she thought. She resisted the urge to sample another spoonful and tended to the cake instead.

Once it had cooled, she cut a small piece and placed it on a plate carefully, so that it would maintain its form. She chose a particular piece of china that had golden edges on it to complete the look. Once she had maneuvered the morsel to the center, she fetched the pot of sauce and stirred it one last time. She poured some of it over the top of the slice of cake and decorated the plate with chocolate designs and raspberries.

"Finished!" she announced happily.

Monsieur Deberaux had given her the day to herself, something that pleased her so greatly that she had wanted to return the favor. She knew that he was not one to be in the presence of others, and she could only imagine how difficult it must have been for him when she had intruded into his personal life. Granted, it had been for a good cause, she reasoned, as she would never wish harm to anyone, but she had taken great liberties with him, nevertheless. She could only hope that the treat would help to comfort him, and might even bring a bit of delight to his broken heart.

After all, whenever she had felt so poor and miserable, she could always say that chocolate made her feel a little bit better.

She smiled to herself as she removed her apron and picked up the plate. As she climbed the stairs, she prayed that he would enjoy her small token of appreciation.

Instead of placing the plate on the table and walking away, she mustered up the courage to knock on his door. She did not expect a reply, or perhaps she expected to be met with a silent indifference. Or maybe his head ached and he had fallen asleep again. She really didn't know what to expect, and more importantly, she was confused.

Why did she become so bold as to knock on his door? She knew that disturbing him was strictly forbidden, and that he wished to be seen by no one. She bit her lip and silently reprimanded herself. She wished that she could reverse time, but she knew that she couldn't, so instead she hoped that he had not heard her.

She quietly turned toward the table and set the plate down, hoping that by the time he would open the door, she would be gone.

When she had stood up, she was startled by the pair of green eyes that had been watching her every move with an anger that almost burned a hole through her.

Monsieur Deberaux stood with the door only partly opened, exposing his wrinkled clothes. Despite his disheveled appearance, she noticed that his mask had been perfectly in place, and his hair had been sleeked back.

"I'm s-sorry," she stuttered when he had not said anything. She heard him take a deep breath and she could see his hand curl into a fist.

"What gives you the right to disturb me?" he questioned through gritted teeth.

How idiotic she was to think that he would be any friendlier with her after the previous night!

"I-I wanted to give you this," she gestured toward the dessert beside her.

Erik saw the fear in her eyes, which only angered him more. He had been in the middle of finishing a composition, and to be interrupted by a frivolous girl who baked pastries and hummed to herself when no one else was around had made his blood boil.

Had she nothing better to do than to disrupt him? Did she suddenly think that they had bonded because he had been drunk the night before, or did she merely pity his worthless existence?

He eyed the chocolate dessert before him with contempt.

She is toying with me, he had concluded.

"I made it for you," she added softly.

"For me..." he sneered, unwilling to believe her. What motive did she have to do such a thing? "Were you not aware that you are never to disturb me?" he seethed, inching closer to her slowly.

The fierce gaze he held had frozen her in fear, and she cowered beneath his towering figure. He smirked when he had cornered her to the wall, enjoying the look of intimidation on her face. She could not bring her blue eyes to meet him, and he noticed that her lip trembled.

"Yes," she mumbled, her voice cracking.

"Then why did you disobey me?" his voice was now in a low growl. He smiled wickedly when he had seen her flinch. Perhaps this would teach her to stay away from him!

She was nothing more than a Temptress, teasing him with what he couldn't have. She would show him mock kindness and feign innocence, she wished to win his heart through lies and deceit, only to violently rip it away, just as Christine had. It was nothing but a game to her.

He would not fall for a woman's snares ever again!

"Please don't hurt me!" she begged, tears rolling down her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed uncontrollably. "I couldn't bear it again..."

Erik took a step back, startled by her display of emotion.

Hurt her? Why would he ever do such a thing?

Yes, he was upset with her, and he wanted to be rid of her more than anything else, but he would never harm a woman. Had she truly been that afraid of him? Perhaps that had been her motive for kindness all along; so that she would not upset him and suffer his wrath.

Fear was the only thing that urged Christine to kiss him; fear for her fiance's fate. Not love, or kindness. She had been terrified of him and what he would do, just as everyone had been terrified by his abhorrence of a face. Throughout his existence at the Opera Populaire, he had to threaten those around him in order to obtain what he wanted.

How could he expect this girl before him to be any different?

"Please..." she whispered helplessly.

For a moment, he frowned with sadness and wished to assure her that he would bring her no harm. Instead, he stormed back into his room and slammed the door.

He would never be anything more than a monster.