The Man Behind The Beast (BWWM) ✓

Chapter 7: Prepare The Food Over An Argument

"You!" I all but screamed as I pointed a firm finger at Lumiere. We were now both standing in the kitchen as Mr. DeGramont, not to my surprise, continued to eat in the dining room area like the conversation that had lead up to this, never happened. "How could you! You knew, you all knew!" I hissed.

"It wasn't our place to tell. Mr. DeGramont is a very private man." Lumiere replied, raising up his hands in innocence as his stupidly cute French accent infuriated me even more.

"I-I thought this was a friendship blossoming! Hell, I let you help me cook! I let you cut the fucking chicken." I sneered, forcefully placing the dirty dishes into the sink.

"I think your overreacting-"

"Overreacting?!" My eyes shot back to him. "Oh I'm sorry, a mere 5 minutes ago, I was under the impression that I was working for a goddamn entrepreneur!"

"He is... In a way. It's all about your perspective on the situation." Lumiere nodded, as he tried to convince me. Before I could reply, we were both interrupted by Mr. DeGramont entering the kitchen with a bowl of pasta in hand.

"So... will there be dessert tonight, or..." He asked, twirling the fork into the pasta. My eyes went wild, as I glared back at him. "Right right, got it, carry on." He replied, doing a quick twirl with his fork before exiting the kitchen again.

"If you're to blame anyone, it should be him!" Lumiere shot back at me.

"Oh yes, A profoundly well known business man who just so happens to lowkey be a Mafia Boss, forgot to mention he was a Mafia Boss! Whatever is this world coming to?" I hissed sarcastically.

"My family is tied up in this, his means of discretion now apply for me as well." Lumiere argued.

"And Mrs. Potts?" I asked.

"Longtime family friends with the DeGramont family. Mr. DeGramont has been in her care since he was born actually."

Well, now I understood why she had such a strong influence over him, she was his nanny.

"Mhm, Maxwell?"

"He actually just works here, believe it or not. No Mafia ties, he's just really good at not caring about whatever Mr. DeGramont has himself wrapped up in." Lumiere admitted.

"Oh wow. For the first time, the butlers not wrapped up in all this?"

"Oh, don't be confused, Mr. Mallerie. Maxwell it quite literally just the chauffeur. We don't have a butler in this home. If we did, I think my job description would fit those credentials."

"I-I-" I was interrupted again by Mr. DeGramont walking back into the kitchen with an empty plate.

"Oh no, don't stop on my accord." He announced, setting the plate into the sink. "But while you're arguing," he added, walking to the fridge to grab the froyo, along with some fresh honey and vanilla from the pantry, "do you think you could continue your services... You know, the services I'm paying you for, and make me some goddamn dessert?" He spoke, his voice low and vibrating. It sent literal shivers down my back.

"F-Fine. But don't think I'll let this issue slide." I grumbled, popping open the lid of the frozen yogurt.

"Yeah yeah." He replied, already disappearing through the entrance.

"Oh, so you'll forgive him and not me?" Lumiere asked.

"It took all of a minute for him to confess about his shady cooperations!" I shot back.

"Confess? You call what happened back there a confession? He told you close to nothing!"

"Still more than you and Mrs. Potts offered!" I replied, scooping the dessert into the blender before adding the honey and vanilla. I then went to the fridge and pulled out a fresh coconut that was already cracked open.

"Are you planning on quitting?" He asked, his voice sounding... Different. I couldn't detect what it was, but it made me turn around.

"You know I can't." I simply replied, bringing over the coconut.

"So you'll accept the situation?" He asked.

"Accept? No. I don't think I can accept the fact that my boss is probably a cocaine dealing, gun smuggling, cock fighting, arrogant asshole!" I hissed.

"I can still hear you from out here." Mr. DeGramont called. My body froze instantly. "But that's besides the point. Where's my dessert?" He sounded like a man child. A very large, very sexy, very very scary man child.

So like Chucky, but sexier.

Bad visuals? I know I know.

I scooped up the ice cream, and placed it on the clean part of a broken coconut piece, before walking out. Mr. DeGramont stared at me intensely as I sat the dessert down in front of him. "Took you long enough." He grumbled, digging in. I awkwardly started making my way back to the kitchen but he stopped me before I could leave the dinning room. "Now that you know my true line of work, do you plan on quitting?" He asked, though he knew the answer.

"You know I don't." I replied, turning to him.

"Carry on then. Breakfast tomorrow morning at 7:30, no later or y-"

"I'm fired. Yeah yeah, I got that." I grumbled again, leaving him to his dessert as I returned to the kitchen. Mrs. Potts had joined Lumiere.

"I wanted to tell you, love." Mrs. Potts started. "It just wasn't my place." I glared at the both of them, but less at Mrs. Potts. She was just too nice to be mad at.

"Name your price." Lumiere spoke after some time.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"What's it going to take to buy your forgiveness."

"E-Excuse me? How dare you think so lo-"

"Just name it, already." Lumiere cut me off.

"Fine. Mrs. Potts, you do too much around here for me to ask anymore of you, so I forgive you. Lumiere on the other hand, the candle lighter, you're going to help me cook for the next two weeks." I instructed, putting the washed dishes into the drying rack.

"You do know I have other work, right?" Lumiere asked.

"Oh. Right. Remind me again. Is it the candle lighting, Or working with the Mafia, that will be taking up your time?"

"Touché." He nodded, grabbing the remaining ingredients off the table and putting them away. "You have a deal, Ms. Mallerie."

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