MIRANDA
I had no idea what was going on there but seeing the look on the faces of my family members, I got an uncomfortable feeling. The woman was about to speak, possibly to explain whatever the hell was going on, however, I did not give her the time to do so.I couldn't go through the back because my mum was right behind me, so, I passed the woman and bolted out the door. I stood outside briefly, and came up with an idea; rather than to Collins, I would run to my cousin's for the time being, until I understood what was going on.I heard footsteps behind me and began to run without looking back."Please, don't abandon us when we need you the most," I heard a familiar voice and stopped.My mom walked up to me and turned me so I could face her. Tears kept falling from her eyes as she cried, "Please, Mira. Go with the woman and do whatever she says. This is the only thing I have ever asked of you.""That's a lie, mom," I replied. "You've asked me to do a lot of things over the years. This though is outrageous. Husband? Is this some kind of prank or is this a game? I don't like it, not in the slightest."My mom was about to go on her knees when I held her arms and stopped her. I was shocked by her actions and it only made me realize the severity of the situation.The woman reached us at this point and asked, "What is going on? Is the young girl not willing?"My mom who had her back to the woman, wiped her tears and looked at me. My dad and brother came out as well and all stared at me silently.My mom's gaze was on me as she waited for what I was going to say."I will go," I finally said sadly and my mum hugged me."We really need to leave, it's getting late," the woman said."I should get my phone and a few other things," I told them, and wanted to go back inside.Perhaps my mom did not trust me to come out so she said, "Don't worry, I'll send them all to you. Just go, there's no time."I waved my family goodbye and got in the back seat with the woman who seemed really happy. The car sped away and the driver stopped at the airport.We both got out of the car and the woman led me toward a private jet. We got in and the plane flew away. I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of what was going on.I didn't know where I was being taken, all I knew was that I was going to meet my husband."Husband!" The word was so strange to me. What about Collins? What about my heart? I didn't think I could live without him. How would he feel if he learned that I left just like that? I was supposed to go back to him, we were supposed to make love.My eyes shot open as a wave of determination consumed me. No, I would not become weak or give up on my love. My parents somehow owed this woman and she used the opportunity to force me to become the wife of God knows who? But I was going to teach them a lesson.I gave myself a week. I would be apart from Collins for a week at most. I hated them so much, especially the so-called husband of mine who chose to get a wife forcefully. I would trouble him so badly that he would be forced to send me back out of his own volition. My parents would be free from the debt and I would reunite with the love of my life.I heaved a sigh of relief. It was a perfect plan. I just wished I had my phone with me to tell Collins everything. The plane landed three hours later and a luxurious car picked us up.When we arrived at what I learned was my husband's house, it was already very late. I was amazed at how beautiful the house was. It was a palace, one I couldn't wait to leave.We were welcomed in by the butler, a man in his late forties named Sammy. He served me a bowl of fruits under the woman's instructions because my stomach kept crying for help. While I ate, he had a meeting with the woman which lasted for half an hour.Once they were done, she led me into a bedroom. It was bigger than my father's house and so beautiful. She showed me the wardrobe and said, "Everything you need, from limited edition clothes to bags and shoes has been bought for you, including jewelry.Sorry, I didn't seek your consent. I just got so excited after seeing your pictures that I got your measurements and went on a shopping spree."I merely nodded in acknowledgment while she continued, "It's very late so your husband must already be asleep. You will see him in the morning. I'm leaving the mansion now, I need to head back home. Sammy will take care of all your needs. Just have him call me if you need to speak to me.""Are you leaving me here all by myself?" For some reason, I felt the woman was easier to deal with because she was soft-spoken, or was it all an act? In any case, I couldn't trust anyone.Thinking I was scared, she hugged me and said, "You'll be fine, my dear. You're a big girl and your mom told me you are very brave, that's why I chose you. Your husband, Hazel Duke can be a little difficult sometimes, just try to understand him and you two will get along. Goodnight, dear."As she walked out of the room, I scoffed, "Get along my foot."I locked the door and sat on the bed regretting that I left my phone behind. I wanted to hear Collins' voice before going to bed.I laid back on the bed, thinking of how to make my stay as brief as possible until I fell asleep.When I opened my eyes, it was already morning. I got up and yawned. I had recurring gastric ulcers and always had breakfast once I woke up from sleep.I walked toward the mirror and stared at my reflection. My hair was unkempt and my makeup was smudged all over my face. In summary, I looked fairly hideous. However, my appearance was the least of my problems.I strode out of my room and yawned as I looked around. There was no one in sight."What the heck?" I cried. "How would I eat?"As though he could sense my presence, Sammy appeared. I smiled at him meanwhile, he looked shocked to see me. He finally smiled and said, "Good morning, ma'am. Hope you had a pleasant rest?""Good morning, Sammy," I replied. "I am so hungry. Can I have some food?""Of course. Come with me," he replied.I followed him to the most spacious dining room I had ever seen. The dining table was long and fancy and looked really expensive. It looked like it could accommodate fifty people and made me wonder how many people lived in the house."The maids will serve you shortly," he told me. "And your personal maid will be arriving later. If you need anything, do not hesitate to let me know, ma'am."I smiled, "Thank you, Sammy. When are they bringing the food?"Just as the question left my mouth, more than four maids arrived with different trays of food. I began to salivate while they set the food on the dining. They all seemed surprised to see me but I couldn't be bothered with them.I began to dig into the most delicious food I had ever had in my life. While I was still eating, I heard a loud voice exclaim, "What?"I looked up and saw a man decked in an expensive suit approaching. He was tall, had a well-toned body, and looked handsome too. Was he the husband I was forced to marry? He wasn't as good looking as Collins but he was okay and seemed to be in his early or mid-thirties.With his looks and his wealth, he could get a good woman of his choice so why did he have to force me? Could he be a loser? Was he deaf and dumb?No, he couldn't be dumb because he just spoke. What was it then?He stood on the other side of the table and stared condescendingly at me. The anger on his face was palpable but I couldn't tell why."Sammy!" He suddenly thundered making me almost drop my spoon.Was he mentally unstable? Why was he yelling?Sammy quickly appeared and bowed, "Good morning, Sir."Pointing his finger at me, the man asked Sammy, "How dare you let a beggar into my house?"My eyes widened as I dropped the chicken I had just picked up. I got up, slammed my hands on the table, and exclaimed, "Excuse you!"MIRANDA My so called husband stared at me in shock and scoffed, "What effrontery!""Sammy, what are you still doing? Throw this piece of trash out of my house before I lose it."I rolled my eyes, "As if I want to be here! You must be crazy upstairs, which explains why you can't speak without raising your voice, old man. Pick on someone your own size and news flash, I would be more than happy to leave this place."A few other domestic staff had arrived at this point and they were all staring in surprise. The man looked at me in shock as though he could not believe I was speaking to him.He began to approach me and at this point, one of the domestic staff ran and stood in front of me. She seemed a little older than me and was beautiful too.Sammy tried to speak to him but he pushed him away. I folded my arms, feeling so happy that he wanted me gone. When he got close to me, the girl in front refused to budge. The man stared at her in surprise and it made me wonder who she was."Who the
MIRANDA The expression on the faces of everyone turned into shock. Seeing that I looked serious, the lady at the counter said, "Calm down, Ma'am. I will call Mr. Duke right away and inform him."At this point, a man walked up to the counter. From the way he was dressed and the way all the employees at the counter greeted him respectfully, I could tell he was a prominent figure.One of the employees picked up a card from a bunch on the counter and handed it to the man, saying, "Here's an invitation to the boss' launch party tonight. It's mandatory to show up with the invitation, sir."The man smiled and accepted the invitation card, saying, "Thank you, I will surely be at the party."As the man turned and began to walk away, I stared at the heap of cards and thought, "So that arrogant man is throwing a party, huh? I wonder how he would react if I gate crashed it. Would he send me back home just as I want?"I suddenly became excited as I thought about what I could do at the party."I'm
MIRANDAI turned my attention to where the DJ was and realized that he had no intention of playing a song for me, so I turned to the next best thing; my voice.I began to sing one of my favorite songs offkey while swaying my hips to the right and left. It was embarrassing, I knew that....anything to get Mr. Grumpy to send me back to the people I loved, right?Some in the audience began to laugh while the others stared in surprise, just like Hazel. The emcee realized at this point that I had lied to him, and he had made a big mistake by giving me the mic.He sought to correct his mistake and tried to take the mic from me but I evaded him and ran off the stage. I continued to sing while moving around different tables and dancing as well. At this time, some in the audience could not contain their laughter anymore.I turned my focus to Hazel again and noticed he had gotten over his shock. He was whispering to two men and I quickly recognized them as part of security.They made their way t
HAZELI stopped my hand midway from landing on the cheek of the brat in front of me. I had never raised my hand to a woman before and I didn't think I ever would until Miranda appeared in my life like an erupting volcano. Of all the women in the world, why did it have to be her? How did I get so unlucky?I stared at her face as she closed her eyes, waiting for me to hit her. Where did she get her courage from? It was almost as if she really wanted me to hit her, but I had no interest in giving her that satisfaction. I walked out of the room, my mood worse than it was when I went in. I had never met someone more insolent in my entire life. As I got into my room, I called my mom. When she answered the call, I asked, "Why, mom? Why would you do this to me? Are you deliberately trying to punish me because of what happened?""What is going on, Haze?" My mom asked. "You called so late and you are asking me weird questions."I sighed and tried to be calm. I didn't want to speak disrespectfu
MIRANDA When Hazel raised his hands to slap me, I became afraid. Even though I closed my eyes and acted like it wasn't a big deal, my heart was racing inside.However, he walked away without another word. I didn't understand him. I had made it clear to him that it was okay to send me away, so why didn't he say anything about it?Did I go through the trouble of humiliating myself before so many people for nothing? I sat on the bed feeling sad. Why wouldn't he send me away and get another wife?That night, sleeping was difficult. I kept hoping that when I woke up in the morning, Hazel would have made up his mind to send me away but that didn't happen.I was instead introduced to two ladies and a man by Mel who told me that they were among the many tutors who had been chosen for me.I was going to be homeschooled? What did these people take me for? A handicap? I didn't want to make an issue out of it because I knew I would be leaving soon.However, I had no intention of sitting through a
MIRANDA "The cops are here," one of the men rushed into the room and reported.Hazel instantly let go of my neck while I struggled to breathe as tears rolled down my cheeks. I quickly wiped my tears and walked out of the room. All the men had disappeared and I could see Hazel leaving through the front door.I followed behind him and was surprised to see Mel standing outside with so many armed policemen. She stared at me in shock while Hazel ignored them all, got into his car, and drove away.The police wanted to go into the house but I said, "There's no need, sir. My husband and I were the only ones there."I didn't want a situation where I would have to follow them to the station and give them my statement. It was futile because a man like Hazel was bound to be powerful and highly connected.I got into the car with Mel and she still wanted us to go to the station but I told her, "There's no need, Mel. It was all planned by Hazel.""I don't get it. What happened between you two that
HAZEL I gulped and my Adam's apple bobbed. What was Miranda trying to do? The same crazy girl who had dared to slap me earlier and confessed her hatred for me was now in my room, trying to seduce me. I did not need a soothsayer to tell me that she was up to no good. This was definitely a trap.But why was my heart beating so fast? I could not deny that she was beautiful. Her sparkling eyes shone as she walked toward me. She was 5'9" tall, and her slender legs which were exposed to my view made her seem graceful as she walked.Her radiant skin shone in the brightly lit room and a cascade of molten red hair fell down her shoulders. Her wasp waist called out to me, urging me to wrap my palms around it.She did not stop walking until she was standing in front of me. Her heart-shaped lips parted and her dazzling halo white teeth gleamed. She placed a hand on my chest and I spotted her beautifully varnished fingernails.She was nothing short of a seductress and unfortunately, I was caught
HAZELI finally emptied my wine bottle and began, "You're no stranger to the fact that in the past two years, my mom has been hounding me to get married again. I swore I never would and she swore I would never live peacefully. She was at my place every single day of the week, crying, making a scene, and threatening to kill herself. When I couldn't take it anymore, I proposed that we both come to a compromise.She was the one who drafted the agreement and according to it, she would pick a wife for me and we would live together for a year. If after one year, I still wanted the wife, then everyone would be happy.However, if after one year, I wanted to spend the rest of my life alone, she would back off and let me be. She had a lawyer draft the agreement and we both signed it.She prepared the marriage document and I signed it too without caring who the bride was. This was because I had a plan. I intended to provide my so-called bride with luxury, however, during the one year of our mar