The lamb arrived and she concentrated on preparing it for half an hour. The meat was pre-prepared and this made her job easier. Anna also decided to make natural passion fruit juice, a fruit she considered different, and which she had read had calming properties, and she talked about her mother's superstition about this fruit, and many other things that drew laughter from the cooks.
One of the men in a black suit came over and wanted to know the layout of the tables and chairs, so Anna accompanied him to the golf course and helped him put all the tables next to each other, forming a huge table, put all the chairs next to each other, leaving only one at the head, for Adam, and lined the table with several identical tablecloths. Then she fetched the juice, glasses, plates and cutlery and put them on the table, and asked two of the men to help carry the pots to the table, and when everyone was gathered, Anna waited anxiously for Adam (one of the men went to call him and the other guests) to arrive. Now that everything was ready, she became apprehensive. She was afraid of Adam's reaction. She had been too bold. She should have asked him beforehand if she could change their routine, but... He said she could eat wherever she wanted! But a voice shouted in her mind: 'You could have YOUR meal wherever you wanted, not decide where HE would have his meal. That thought had the power to make Anna feel like digging a hole, and sticking her head in it. She looked ahead and her heart froze. Adam was accompanied by Sarah, Kate, Ryan and Genevieve. Sarah and Kate clung to each other, each on one side of his arm. And his expression wasn't friendly.
Adam stopped in front of Anna, and didn't look at any of the men, or even the cooks. He looked furious and concentrated on his thoughts, and everyone was waiting in silence, tense.
Anna felt her face tingle with heat and shame. She expected that at any moment Adam would raise his hand and push her away after hitting her. The women in his arms seemed eager for him to do so.
"Where should I sit?" He asked in a voice as sharp as steel, but Anna breathed a sigh of relief.
"At the head..." Anna said, pointing to the place of honor.
Adam got rid of the two women perched on his arms and went to sit down, but his countenance was still wary.
"There are a few more places for you to report, Anna. I hope you remembered that..." Genevieve said, and Anna stared at her without understanding how she could breathe without her dress coming untucked, as it was extremely tight.
"Of course..." Anna said and looked at the table and then back at them, and smiled. "Ryan, you sit next to Ad... and you can choose your seat. We're one big family, we shouldn't worry about such frivolous details." Anna said and motioned for the men in black suits to sit down and the women, with the exception of Genevieve, who seemed to be enjoying herself, sat in silence, but their displeased countenances were clear.
"But... What is this? What's going on here?" Ryan asked with a smile blossoming on his lips.
"That's a good question." Sarah said, looking down at her juice. "When the boss asked me to lunch, I thought it would be something less... Public."
"This is a private lunch, Sarah. These men and these two women have known Adam for a long time, it's only fair that they have the opportunity to socialize with him beyond work. They're not strangers. Or they shouldn't be, anyway." Anna said quietly.
"You've gone mad." Kate said and sipped her juice. "But the juice is good."
"You're also one of the boss's employees! How dare you call him by his first name?" Sarah asked and shouted at the same time. "You're a 'product'! You should speak up, my lord!"
Anna opened her mouth to reply, but Adam interrupted her.
"Let's have lunch." He said and everyone began to serve themselves and pass the platters between them, and the atmosphere suddenly became friendly. With the exception of Sarah and Kate, everyone was enjoying themselves, cracking jokes while Adam watched each one carefully, attentively and in surprise, as if silently assessing them. They seemed to have forgotten he was there, and he thought it was no bad thing that they were relaxed in his presence. It was nothing to offend his position as leader.
Adam stood up and everyone fell silent.
"I don't know what I ate today." He said and frowned. "I hope it's not some big, disgusting insect, because I liked it."
He said seriously and with a hard look on his face, but everyone laughed.
"I hope moments like this happen again." He said and left in the direction of the mansion, while everyone applauded him.
Everyone there could feel the prelude to a new era approaching.
Lunch was over and Sarah, Kate and Genevieve returned to the mansion. Anna and Ryan stayed behind to help gather the utensils, tables and chairs.
"What did you say to Adam, to make him allow you to do something like this?" Ryan asked as he stacked the plates.
Anna looked at one of the men in a black suit standing nearby.
"Where did you get these tables and chairs?"
"We took them from the basement, miss."
Anna gave him a satisfied smile.
"Leave the tables where they are, please." She said and turned to Ryan. "I told him I'd give up my inheritance if he didn't grow up." She said amusedly, answering Ryan's earlier question.
Ryan laughed.
"You lie very badly." He said and Anna got worried. She needed his marriage proposal.
"I'm not lying. Why would I do that?"
"Because he blackmailed you somehow... Anna, you don't have to... I can protect and look after you. Adam will never give you what you deserve." Suddenly, Ryan's voice took on a tone of urgency.
"You can't protect me, Ryan. You're one of the men in line to subjugate me in the green house." Anna said emotionlessly, picking up the plates and walking towards the house.