Chapter 5 005

𝐀𝐑𝐀'𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌* Ara came out of the bathroom, wearing just her robe and a towel tied around her waist. She walked to the wardrobe, but it was empty, she hadn't brought any clothes or belongings with her. Just then, a knock came, and she went to open the door. It was Nanny Celia. "I figured you wouldn't have anything to wear, so I brought some clothes for you to use for the time being," Nanny Celia said. "Thanks, ma'am," Ara replied. "It's Nanny Celia," she corrected. "Thanks, Nanny Celia," Ara said, and Celia smiled. "Dress and come down for dinner," Nanny Celia said and walked out, while Ara closed the door. Ara removed her robe and put on the clothes Nanny Celia had provided - just a bum short and a tank top. She wore her flip-flops and packed her hair into a ponytail, then walked back downstairs. She saw Nanny Celia and walked towards her, her eyes darting to the dining area, but there was no sign of her supposed husband. "If you're looking for your husband, he isn't going to join us," Nanny Celia said, and Ara turned to her, wondering how she knew. "Why?" Ara asked, though she didn't know why she asked the question. "That's because he doesn't eat, he only drinks his early morning coffee and a cookie until the next day." Nanny Celia explained. Ara was confused. How could he eat that for the whole day and still survive? He wasn't even thin and lean, but he looked healthy." "Oh.." Ara mouthed, and Nanny Celia nodded her head. "Sit down and eat," she muttered, and Ara gazed at herself. Did she mean she should sit down and eat at a dining table? No. "Uhm, I'll just sit on the ground," Ara muttered, and Nanny Celia, who was about to sip her water, choked on it. "What do you mean?!" she asked. "I prefer eating on the ground," she said again. "Is that how you eat at home?" Nanny Celia muttered, and Ara was about to nod her head but shook it. She just couldn't tell her that she usually sat on the ground to have her dinner, it wouldn't sound right. "Not at all, I just... I..." she trailed off. "If you sit on the ground to have your dinner at home, things have changed. You're a billionaire's wife now, so you should be treated like one," Nanny Celia said. Ara hesitated before sitting on the dining chair, but she was still uncomfortable, she wasn't used to it. She stared at the array of food on the dining table, it had been a long time since she'd last tasted such a variety. Full chicken, salads, rice, dessert, and more. She took her cutlery and went for the chicken first, starting to munch on it. ______ 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍* Fred's head was still bleeding when he entered his mansion, and his maid rushed to his side when they saw his injury. "No need," Fred muttered, waving them off, and climbed the stairs to his room. Dennis had already left him and gone to his own house, as it was already late. Fred opened the door to his room and stepped inside, then walked to grab the first aid kit and sat down on his bed. He started imagining Adriana's face and chuckled to himself. He took off his shirt and flung it aside, then began treating his wounds. He applied a band-aid and groaned in pain. "She's playing hard to get," he chuckled to himself, then got up and walked to his bathroom to clean up. A few minutes later, he was done and came back to sit on his bed. He took his laptop and started browsing, logging into his IG account. The video of Adriana smashing the bottle on his head was trending, and he scoffed and shut his laptop. Minor things are quick to trend, and he couldn't believe the video went viral in just a few hours. "Fûçk," he mumbled to himself. ______ 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄* Mason was watching the news on TV when Janet descended the stairs. She walked towards him, grabbed the remote, and turned off the TV. "Why did you do that when you know I'm watching important news?" Mason asked, and Janet mimicked his words. Her face then turned darn serious. "You should be preparing dinner for both of us now that Ara is no longer here," she said, and Mason widened his eyes. "What the fûck are you saying?" he asked. "I said what I said, start preparing dinner for both of us," she shouted. "You're the lady of this house, my wife, so you should be the one preparing dinner," Mason retaliated. "Have you forgotten how I left my once-rich home to be with the poor you? I gave up my heiress title. I was disowned by my parents when they found out I was pregnant with your child, all because of you. So you would do every darn thing I ask you to do." Janet muttered. "You did that because you loved me, so stop pinning the blame on me." Mason shouted. "I did that because I thought I loved you, but I don't love you anymore. You and our daughter are the cause of my misfortune, and I regret ever bringing her into this world. She's the reason I lost everything." Janet fired back at him. Mason didn't reply, he just wiped his tears and walked to the kitchen. He remembered the day Janet was about to give birth to Ara, they didn't have money for the hospital bill, so he ran to ask for help from Gabriel (Vesper's father), who said he would help if only Mason agreed to marry Ara to Vesper, which Mason agreed to. After Janet finished giving birth to Ara, she wanted to abandon Ara and drop her at an orphanage, but Mason pleaded with her and told her about the deal he made with Gabriel, which was why she kept Ara. Mason wiped his tears and turned on the gas cooker. Janet thought Ara was the reason she lost everything because she was once a rich heiress. When her parents found out she was pregnant and the father of the child was a nobody, they disowned her. That was why she hated her and maltreated her, treating her like she wasn't their child. Mason only pretended to hate her because of his wife, but he loved Janet and would do all that she asked him to do. But she just said she doesn't love him again, and it hurts so much. _____ 𝐉𝐄𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍* Vesper came out of his father's suite, having just finished checking up on him. However, he bumped into Ara, who quickly bent down her head, avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry," she muttered, and he scoffed, finding her naivety amusing. "I lost my way here, so I'm sorry," she apologized, but her words betrayed her anxiety about the wedding night. Vesper noticed her hesitation and decided to confront her. "Lift your head up," he said, and she hesitated before doing so. "About the wedding night," he continued, and her eyes widened in fear. "Yes, the wedding night... I'm not ready for it yet. I know you're my husband, but I don't seem prepared," she stammered, and Vesper chuckled at her nervousness. "This marriage is just a loveless marriage, no feelings attached. So, I don't see any reason for me to have you in my bed. You aren't even that cute, not my type. You're just a little wifey and unattractive," Vesper said bluntly, and Ara's eyes welled up with tears. "Yeah... a loveless marriage... no feelings attached," she repeated, her voice cracking. Vesper pointed to his father's door. "I don't want to see you anywhere near this door. You're not allowed to enter." He walked away, leaving Ara in tears. She stared at the door, wondering what secrets it held, and then headed to her room. She removed her flip-flops and climbed onto her bed, noticing her cracked phone screen. She had been managing with it since it was given to her. Ara logged into WhatsApp and saw numerous messages from Sofia and Holly. They must have been worried about her since she hadn't contacted them since leaving college. She decided to do a group video call, hoping they were online. The call connected, and Sofia asked, "Gosh Ara, where have you been? We've tried calling you, but you didn't pick up." "I was busy," Ara replied, trying to downplay her situation. "Busy? So busy that you didn't even call us?" Holly asked, sounding concerned. Ara smiled, but hesitated to share her marriage news, fearing their reaction. She decided to keep it to herself. "You know how my mother is; she didn't allow me to come to college today. She even seized my phone," Ara lied, trying to deflect their concerns. The conversation continued until they decided to end the call. Ara locked her phone and fell onto her queen-sized bed, feeling exhausted. It had been a long time since she had slept in a bed like this. ______ 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆* The sun shone directly into Ara's room, and she snuggled under the covers, closing her eyes again. She was afraid of getting into her mother's wrath, but then she remembered that she was no longer living with her parents. She was a married woman now. "My lady," someone called, and Ara opened her eyes to find herself in a unfamiliar room. She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she wasn't in her parents' house. "My lady," Mira called again, forcing Ara to look at her. Ara sat up in bed, and Mira greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, my lady. Glad you're awake," Mira said. "Why are you calling me 'my lady'? With the way things are, I would have thought you'd be senior to me." Ara muttered. "That's because you're married to my master, So it's only right that I address you properly." Mira explained. "But 'Ara' is better, my name is Ara, and you're...?" "Mira," she replied with a smile. "Oh, Mira, it's nice meeting you," Ara said, and Mira smiled again. Ara thought to herself that Mira must really love smiling. "Master said I should dress you up, you're both going somewhere," Mira said. "Oh," Ara mouthed, standing up. "But I should have breakfast first, right?" She asked. "Yes, of course," Mira added, and Ara nodded, heading into the bathroom with Mira following close behind. _______ Ara descended the stairs and walked to the dining table, where she found Vesper drinking his morning coffee and eating a cookie, just as Nanny Celia had said. "Good morning," she greeted, but Vesper didn't respond, and she scoffed and sat down to serve herself an omelette and egg. She finished eating in a few minutes and Vesper said, "Meet me outside." He started walking out, and Ara followed him, wondering why he was being rude and not talking about her returning to school. They got into the car, and Vesper didn't say a word to her during the ride. Ara didn't know what to expect from him. The car stopped in front of an R&D boutique, and they got out. Ara noticed the envious eyes of the onlookers, but she didn't care. They entered the boutique, and Vesper sat down. The attendant welcomed him and he addressed Ara as his wife, which shocked her. Vesper told the attendant to take good care of her, but Ara didn't know what he meant by that. The attendants took Ara to a private room and started massaging her body. After that, they gave her a facial massage and then treated her hair. They washed and styled it, and then dressed her in a red, sexy gown that accentuated her curves. They put on red heels that made her look tall and gave her a mirror to check herself. Ara was amazed at her transformation. Her face was smooth, her hair was curly, and she looked stunning. Vesper was busy on a phone call, but when he saw Ara step out, he dropped his phone and stared at her in awe. If beauty was a person, it was definitely her. Sexy red!! He couldn't take his eyes off her....