Jack led me by my arm to a secluded corner of the room. I wouldn't really say he was hurting me, but his grip was definitely aggressive. He glanced around to make sure we were alone before letting me go. He tried to compose himself before speaking, but I could still see the annoyance on his face.

"Alright, I know how easily you can get dragged into things. Especially by men like that. So before I say anything, I'd like to hear what you have to say first."

Although some part of me did appreciate the fact that he was giving me a chance to explain, the rest of me was pissed. Who was he to demand that I explain myself? Where did he get off ignoring me all night, then acting like I was in the wrong for dancing with someone?

I mean, I guess I was. A little. Part of me knew Chris would probably try something shady like that. I wasn't sure how much of our conversation Jack actually heard, but I'm sure none of it made him happy to hear. If I'd walked over and heard Sara telling him he was better off without me, I'd probably be hurt too. Especially if he didn't reject the idea outright.

Not that he really gave me a chance to reject anything. He pulled me away before even hearing what I would have told Chris. Did he really doubt me so much that he felt he needed to interject like that?

I waffled between feelings of anger and guilt for a while. As he glared at me, my body seemed to settle on passive-aggressive. I crossed my arms and glared back.

"I don't see why I should have to explain anything. It was a dance. That's all. I'm surprised you even noticed, honestly."

He seemed shocked. "How could I not notice something like that?"

"Well, you've had your eyes glued to Sara all evening. Since you were too busy to ask, why shouldn't I dance with somebody who was kind enough to offer?" I muttered.

"If you want to dance, you're more than allowed to, just not with a guy like that."

"And why not?"

"Alright, I know you're not that oblivious," he snapped. "The dinner date offer was less than subtle. At best. Hell, it sounds like he even knew you had a boyfriend! What man in his right mind would be okay with his girlfriend dancing with a guy like that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. What woman in her right mind would be okay with her boyfriend talking to another girl all evening?"

He seemed dumbfounded at that. He stared at me as if he wasn't even sure what I'd just said. Suddenly, the light bulb seemed to go off.

"Wait, are you talking about Sara?" He asked, bewildered.

"Unless you've been talking to other girls while my back's been turned."

He let out a frustrated sigh. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He shook his head like he wasn't sure what to do with me. After a minute, he finally looked up at me again. He seemed to be stuck between feelings of confusion and annoyance.

"So, you're upset because I've been talking to your friend?"

"No. I'm upset because you've been ignoring me all night to talk to my friend," I clarified. "I'm upset because it seems like you barely noticed I was gone this whole time. I'm upset because you were so oblivious to everything else that you didn't even notice another guy was flirting with me. I'm upset because it took me dancing with that guy just to get you to notice me again.

However, none of those things are what's upsetting me most. What's upsetting me most is that you're pissed a guy danced with me, but you had absolutely no problem letting Sara put her hands on you. That's what really makes me upset."

He didn't seem to know what to say. The annoyance was gone from his face but the confusion was stronger than ever. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of what to say.

"Well, she's your friend. Right?" It sincerely sounded like he was asking a question. "Why should it matter if she touches me? I mean, if she's your friend, she wouldn't try anything with me."

"She doesn't know about us. Remember? No one does."

"Right..." He said, as if just coming to the realization himself. "Well, either way, I'm sure she wouldn't try anything."

I gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, that's why she had her hands all over you."

In a second the annoyance reappeared on his face. "She's just friendly. You know that. She only touched my arm. I would have stopped her if she'd tried something serious."

"That is serious," I said, exasperated. "Why would she do that if she wasn't flirting with you? I know it's not quite as obvious as the whole 'let me buy  you dinner sometime' line, but come on! How often do you see girls casually touching men they just met?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sara isn't like that."

I scoffed. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize how close you two had become."

"Anna-"

"No, no." I cut him off quickly. "I mean, I've only known her most of my life and you've known her all of- what? Three hours? Maybe four? But sure. You know her way better than I do."

"Look, if I've upset you by allowing her to overstep boundaries in some way, then I apologize for that. I'm not the best with social interactions and have limited knowledge of what is and is not appropriate because of it. I can promise you it won't happen again.

However," he said sharply, crossing his arms. "None of that excuses your behavior tonight."

"My behavior?!"

"I'll admit, after hearing what you've said, you're justified in being upset. It does sound like I've been a bit neglectful tonight," he admitted. "That doesn't explain your childish attitude though. If these things were really upsetting to you, then why didn't you tell me? If you had said something, I would have corrected my behavior immediately."

"I shouldn't have to correct you about something like that."

"Then how exactly do you expect me to know?" It was easy to tell he was getting frustrated. "How the hell am I supposed to know anything unless you explain it to me? I'm not a mind reader, Anna. You have to tell me what's wrong."

If I wasn't pissed before, I certainly was now. This wasn't the first time I'd heard something like that from a boyfriend, but hearing it from him was really pissing me off. Was he really trying to say all this was my fault? That my lack of communication was somehow directly connected to his actions? Or lack thereof.

I'm not saying that I shouldn't have said something. Maybe I should have. I could admit that.

However, it seemed like he was unwilling to admit that any of this was his fault. It was my lack of communication, or me misunderstanding the situation. He was acting as if he was almost blameless. That his "ignorance of the situation" somehow excused everything.

I knew he wasn't great with social situations. Hell, my first day of training told me that. But what about common sense? Instinct?

I mean, when Chris tried to touch me, my first reaction was to pull away. Did Jack not have any problems with Sara touching him? Didn't any part of his body cry out that it was wrong and he should stop her? Did I really have to teach him that?

No. I didn't.

"You couldn't have heard him from across the room," I said simply.

"What?"

"You couldn't have heard what Chris was saying to me from across the room," I repeated. "You couldn't have known anything about what he was saying to me or what his intentions were. You didn't even know who he was. Which means your objections to me dancing with him weren't about him, they were about the dancing. You wouldn't have had a reason to come over otherwise."

He scoffed. "It was obvious by the way he was looking at you."

"I could say the same for Sara."

"That's-"

"If you can really look at me and say that I should have known better than to let a guy like that lay his hands on me, but then turn around and say you couldn't have known any better when another woman laid her hands on you, then maybe this relationship was a mistake."

All traces of anger immediately vanished from his face. Instead, panic seemed to rush to fill it's place. I was used to Arthur stammering to cover his ass, but this was the first time I'd seen something like it from Jack.

"A-Anna, wait," he said quickly. "That's not what I meant. Let's back up a moment. Let's just-let's just take a deep breath and-"

"You're sick, but you're not crazy," I said, cutting him off. "You're not some ignorant little kid. You're an adult. Capable of rationalizing and making your own decisions. Good and bad. And you know it.

Tell me, honestly, if I told Victor or Arthur about what happened tonight, how do you think they'd react to it?  Or, better example, how would you react if I'd told you one of them did something like this? After all, they're you. They have the same amount of 'experience' with this stuff, if not less. So, tell me, how would you react to hearing this?"

He seemed too stunned to respond. His face went through a series of emotions as he tried to process what I'd asked. How would Jack react to all this? I had a pretty good idea. Based on the way he shamefully lowered his head, it seemed like he did too.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a group of people staring to gather across the room. I could just barely make out the large cake from between them. It must be time to cut it. I glanced at the clock. It wasn't too late, but, given what'd just happened, I wasn't too sure I wanted to stick around much longer.

"I'm going home," I said pointedly. His head snapped up in shock. "Thomas wanted to talk to me before we left and you should talk to him before we go too, but after that I'm leaving. Unless you have another ride home, that means you are too."

I could tell he wanted to argue about staying longer, but he quickly seemed to reconsider. Whether he actually agreed with what I'd said or not, I wasn't sure, but it was obvious he didn't want to fight anymore. He nodded silently.

I turned away from him and walked towards the cake table. I was just in time to be met with the cheers and camera flashes as Thomas and Laura cut a slice. Following tradition, they each fed each other some and posed for a few more pictures.

Laura playfully dotted some frosting on his nose. He laughed at this and retaliated by smudging some on her cheek. They giggled about it like gooey teenagers. Despite my bad mood, I couldn't help smiling at it.

After a while, the crowd slowly retreated back to their tables. I was trying to think of how to get Thomas alone when, luckily, one of Laura's relatives pulled her away to talk about something. I took the opportunity to approach Thomas.

"Ah, Ms. Walton. What do you think of the party so far?" He asked, wiping his nose with a napkin.

"It's been fun, but I think we're going to head home soon," I said apologetically.

He seemed surprised. "So soon?"

"Yes, I think it's probably better if we do. You said you needed to talk to me about something before we left though?"

"Ah, right! Umm, well..."

He paused. He looked around a moment as if to check that we wouldn't be overheard. He leaned in closer.

"Now, I don't want to assume anything," his voice was almost a whisper, "and please correct me if I'm wrong, but has your relationship with Mr. Weston changed any since I last saw you?"

That's what he wanted? Was he concerned about if I was able to handle the job by myself now? Or did he see our fight earlier and wonder if something had happened between us? Either way, why was he whispering? It wasn't a secret that I'd taken over Thomas' job.

"Well, it's been an adjustment for sure," I admitted. "I'm still 'meeting everyone,' so to speak, but so far it's nothing I couldn't handle. I'm kind of figuring it out as I go."

He seemed a little startled by my response. "Ah, yes. Good. That's pretty much all you can do with this job. Umm, I'm afraid that's not what I meant though."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Umm. I was actually wondering if perhaps you and he had..." he paused, trying to find the best way to say it, "started a more personal relationship?"

Personal? I mean, I guess he and Mr. Weston had been close.

"Oh, we've become good friends too if that's your worry," I reassured him.

He let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked at the ground and shook his head.

"Damn it, I guess there's no dancing around this," he mumbled. He lifted his head and locked eyes with me. "Are you and Mr. Weston dating?"

My heart stopped. A wave of panic ran through me at once. Fortunately, my defenses kicked in quickly. Unfortunately, they weren't very good. I started laughing hysterically.

"What?!" I laughed again, waving off the idea. "God, Thomas. Where'd you get that idea from?"

"From Mr. Weston, actually."

Shock quickly replaced panic. My face was a blank mask. Mr. Weston? When? Had Jack talked with Thomas sometime when my back was turned? And why would he tell him about something like that? Without asking me first, at least?

"Jack told you?" My voice wavered as I asked.

Thomas half-smiled. "Arthur, actually. However, considering what you just asked, I can assume that not only was I correct, but that you're dating more than one of them. Right?"

Arthur?! Now I really didn't know what to think. When the hell could Arthur have talked to him? Thomas seemed to sense the question before I asked it.

"The night I left, you left Arthur and I alone in the studio," he explained. "During that time, he told me that he thought he was in love with you. That he'd had an instant attraction to you and had only proceeded to fall for you more and more in the following days.

Of course, I told him that was ridiculous. That he was probably mistaken about his feelings. That you were an assistant, there to help him, and he shouldn't scare you off by forcing his feelings onto you. God knows we had enough trouble finding help as it was, and you seemed promising.

It seemed that I'd convinced him by the time he fell asleep, but I know how Arthur can be. Once he's set his mind to something, it's hard to sway him from it. I worried it might come up again in the future. Looks like I was right."

The night he left? So Thomas had known about us this whole time? Well, maybe not "known," but it certainly seemed like he'd had some idea of what was going on.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't do anything. My mind was a blank. All I could feel was the surge of panic that raced through me with every heart beat.

What now? I mean, technically Thomas had already passed over the job. Mentally ill or not, Mr. Weston was the one in charge of hiring or firing people. Thomas didn't really have any power or control anymore.

Still, we'd grown close in the short time he was training me. The last thing I wanted to do was give Thomas a bad impression of me. Or my relationship with Mr. Weston.

It wasn't like I went to the mansion with the intention of a relationship. I really did go there to work. Things just went a little differently than I'd planned. Than any of us planned, I think.

These thoughts melted from my mind as I felt Thomas' hand on my shoulder. He gave me a small, reassuring squeeze. A simple gesture, but it helped my body to relax a little. His smile was warm as he looked at me.

"Anna, I believe I've already told you, but for the longest time I've considered Mr. Weston much more like my child than my job. I really do want only the best for him in life.

His inheritance was able to help with most of that, but money can't buy everything. Happiness, self-confidence, love. Given his circumstances, those haven't always been easy for him to have.

Relationships especially have never been easy for him," he sighed. "Between the gold diggers and the good women who were driven past their breaking point, I worried he might never find someone who would truly accept him."

He glanced across the room. Jack was still where I left him, sulking in a corner. Thomas sighed and shook his head. His eyes looked tired as he turned back to me.

"Look, would a relationship with his new caretaker be my first choice? Of course not. However," he emphasised, "taking away all the job titles? I don't think I could have chosen a better woman for him than you.

Your situation with him must be undoubtedly strange. I can't even begin to imagine what that's been like for you. In spite of all that, you've still decided to be with him. I can't tell you how happy I am to know that.

He deserves to have somebody wonderful by his side. You both do.  Whatever the future brings, I hope you will continue to care for him. For many, many years to come."

The panic in my body had long since subsided. Instead, all those feelings rushed to my throat and formed a lump no words could hope to escape. I blinked rapidly, trying to push away a fresh set of tears. I nodded to him silently. He seemed to understand.

He gave my shoulder one last squeeze before letting go. He glanced at Jack again and smiled.

"Though I trust you with him entirely, I'm afraid I just can't help worrying about him. Would you mind if I asked some questions?"

I swallowed a couple times to clear the lump away. "Of course not."

"You mentioned Jack, and I knew about Arthur, but are you together with any of the others?"

"Just Victor... so far."

"God, and here I thought you had better sense than that," he chuckled. "It would explain why he listened to you so easily though. I guess that leads me to question two. How long has this been going on?"

I sighed. "Almost since I started. Jack asked me to consider a relationship before he disappeared that first time. Victor's started the day I met him. Although, we didn't really start to get along until later that night. Arthur was the last. He confessed to me around the time we got your invitation."

"I'll be damned if that boy doesn't work fast," he muttered, shaking his head. "I suppose that does explain some of his odd behavior before I left though. Well, I guess my last question would be how is everything between all of you?"

"Victor and I are fine, but you know how difficult he can be at times. He's actually matured a lot since you left though. Arthur's still Arthur. Besides being a little more affectionate, our daily routine of 'working' hasn't changed much." I frowned as I glanced over at Jack. "Jack and I had a fight tonight actually, but I don't think it's anything that can't be resolved."

"Mind if I ask what about?"

"How oblivious he is and how hypocritical he can be," I grumbled, crossing my arms.

To my surprise Thomas laughed. "Honestly, that doesn't shock me. All of them have their flaws, and Jack is no exception. As I said, I can't imagine what this situation is like for you. For either of you. I do hope you will both do your best to work things out though."

"We will," I reassured him. "I think the best way to do that might be to head home and talk about it more. Please, say goodbye to Laura for me and tell her we had a wonderful time."

"I will." He glanced at Jack again. "I'm assuming he's waiting for you to leave before talking to me?"

I smiled at this. "Yeah, I'll let you two talk for a while. Just send him to the table when you're done."

Thomas nodded to me and glanced at Mr. Weston again. He made a small gesture, indicating it was safe to come over now. I couldn't help smiling as I saw it.

However, that smile quickly disappeared as I noticed Sara at the table. That pissed me off for two reasons. The first was obvious. I was still angry about her touching my boyfriend. The second? I was pissed at myself for being pissed at her.

After all, Sara didn't know about me and Jack. She couldn't. He was just some hot guy she flirted with at a party. I'd seen her do that plenty of times before. She didn't realize how much it hurt me to see that. If she did, she never would have done it.

I sighed. Either way, I needed my purse and jacket. I'd make my goodbye short. Better to get out before I said something I'd regret. I walked over to the table and grabbed my things. She noticed immediately.

"There you are! Hey, are you leaving so soon?" She asked, obviously disappointed.

"Yeah, it's better if Mr. Weston gets his rest," I said, trying to find a reasonable excuse.

She shook her head. "Right, you're still on babysitting duty."

"Babysitting didn't seem to bother you much, earlier," I commented, trying to hide the spite in my voice. "You two seemed to be getting along well."

"He's a great guy for sure, but it's obvious I'm not going to get anywhere with him," she admitted, shrugging.

"Oh, why's that?"

"I know I joked about that whole 'Mrs. Weston' thing earlier, but watch out. I think he might actually be obsessed with you."

I couldn't hide my surprise. "What?!"

"Well, he didn't say anything outright, but he talked about you a lot. Like, a lot. I mean, I guess that's not too weird considering you're always around him," she admitted, "but you should have seen the way he freaked out when he noticed you dancing with that guy earlier! I have never seen somebody's personality switch so fast. He went from sweet and upbeat, to homicidal maniac in half a second. I was actually scared after he left the table."

"Oh."

I didn't know what else to say. I guess I was a little happy to hear Jack had talked about me so much. Although, I guess I wasn't thrilled with the idea that Sara saw his jealous side. He wasn't usually like that and I didn't want her to get the wrong impression of him. Luckily, it didn't actually seem to have too much of an impact on her.

She smiled at me playfully. "Well, at least you know he cares. Right? Just don't forget us little people when you're some rich guy's trophy wife. Okay?"

I couldn't help snickering at this. I felt my annoyance towards her disappear at once. I nodded and glanced over at Jack. I saw him and Thomas hug  briefly before Jack gave him a small wave and walked off. It looked like they were done with whatever goodbyes they had.

Jack paused as he caught me looking his way. It looked like he was still worried about getting near me. Especially with Sara there. I rolled my eyes and motioned for him to come over.

His body relaxed a little, but he was still cautious as he approached. He glanced at Sara briefly, but was careful not to look for too long. He cleared his throat.

"Umm. Well, it was nice to meet you, Sara, but I'm afraid we should be going. Goodnight."

I could tell how hard he was trying to make his tone sound formal. He looked at me and nodded towards the door. As he walked off, I looked at Sara. She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she watched him leave.

"Good luck, Annie."

I leaned in to hug her. "Thanks."

She gave me a big squeeze and a kiss on the cheek before finally letting go. She smiled and shooed me towards the door. I returned her smile before heading over to meet Jack.

His eyes were wide as I approached him. He glanced past me towards Sara, then back at me again. He seemed to be deciding if he should dare to ask.

Apparently, he decided to. "So... you two are okay?"

"Of course," I shrugged. "After all, she didn't know."

He smiled as I said this. I walked past him towards the parking lot. He hurried to catch up to me.

"You're still not entirely in the clear though," I warned him. "I still want to be mad at you for a while."

He looked a little disappointed at this. He looked at the ground and nodded slowly.

"I understand," he mumbled. "I really do now. You're right. If you'd told me that any of the others had done this, I absolutely would've said they were were in the wrong. I should have done something about Sara. At the very least, I should have paid you more attention tonight. If I'd done that, I probably could have prevented all of this."

"You should have," I agreed, getting to the car. "But... it's not entirely your fault."

"It's not?"

"We were both wrong," I admitted. "I shouldn't have danced with that guy, and I should have told you I was upset. I was acting a little childish. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," he said, giving a weak smile. "So... exactly how long do you want to stay mad at me for?"

I smiled as I pulled out of the parking lot. "At least until we get home."

He chuckled and nodded. He turned away and looked out the window silently.

The drive back was peaceful. I was right about the time it took to forgive him. The closer we got to home, the more my anger seemed to vanish. By the time the mansion finally came into view, our fight already felt like a distant memory.

As we pulled up to the gate, I was surprised to feel his hand on my knee. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, but he didn't turn towards me and he didn't move to do anything else. I placed my hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze before grabbing the wheel again.

Tonight had certainly been an interesting night. It felt like a lot had happened in such a short time. Despite this, something Thomas said to me seemed to stick out more than the rest: Whatever the future brings, I hope you will continue to care for him.

I had no doubts that I would. Our relationship was, indeed, undoubtedly strange. I don't think anyone could predict what would happen with it. Even us. Despite that, there was one thing I was absolutely sure of. Whatever the future would bring, one way or another, we were going to make it.