The door of Madeline's room burst open and the two able-bodied men pushed her inside. She immediately turned to face them and stared at them with pleading eyes.
"Aggie, wolf," she called with a desperate voice with both her palms clenched together in front of her face. "I'm your friend, right? I always treated you too well. Please let me leave. I promise I would always be grateful. Please.""I'm sorry miss, we can't do that. We can't go against your father's orders," Aggie answered with his head down. He would have loved to help her, but that might cost him his life. He possibly can't go against his master's order. Madeline has always been nice to them, unlike her sister. She would always help and keep them company. It's a shame they can't help her when she needs help."You guys don't understand. Please I'm begging, let me leave. Father wants to get me married to the son of the Johan family. You've heard the rumors about him, right? I don't want to get married to him. Please try and understand," she clutches her hands together and let her tears flow."We understand miss, but we can't do that. Mr. Crayon would have us beheaded if we ever do something like that.”"Aggie, Wolf, please.” They slammed the door and she heard the click of the door chain indicating that they had locked her from the outside. She kept pounding on the door hoping they would come back and open it but soon enough, she accepted her fate and that there was nothing she could do. She slid down to the floor and rested her back on the door as tears dripped from her eyes. Jumping from the window would be futile. One, the window was so strong that she doubt she would be able to break it, and two, her room was on the top floor of the mansion. She doesn't want to die like her mother. She just hope for someone to save her from this place....."You look so beautiful Miss Madeline," a lady complimented as she bent to add a complete touch of makeup to Madeline's face.Madeline looked at her face in the mirror and she gasped. She was looking so beautiful that she could hardly recognize herself in the mirror. Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail and it was beautified with a silver tiara. If only she was getting married for real and not for business. She has been locked in her room throughout the previous day and they only come to bring her food and check if she was still alive. It was a pain that she couldn't escape and that she would have to get married today."Yes, miss Madeline, you're looking so pretty and set for your wedding. I'm sure your groom won't be able to take his eyes off you," the other lady added and Madeline's lips curved up into a slight smile."Ma'am please get up so we can arrange your gown," the first lady requested and Madeline got up for them to do as they please. The lady tightened the clips of her corset and helped her fit into the red flowy gown. She heard the door of the room pushed open and her father walked in with his shoe tapping the floor loudly, indicating that he wasn't there for a chit-chat."Aren't you two done with dressing her? What's taking you long," he asked as he stopped close to them."We'll be done in a few minutes, sir. She just needs her shoes and a little more touch," the lady replied with her head down, not daring to look into the eyes of her superior."Better do this quickly before I do something I don't want to. Time is not on her side and the groom would be waiting for us by now. Hurry up with these things," Mr. Crayon ordered."Dad, are we really going to be doing this?" Madeline asked with the intention of at least trying for the last time."I don't want to have a chat with you, Madeline. When you're done, meet us outside at the parking lot," he said before he walked out of the room.Madeline sighed and allowed the ladies to do their job and continue dolling her up. It wasn't like she enjoyed letting them add all sorts of things to her face, it was just that if she didn't let them do it, her dad was going to make them miserable.After all the beautification was done, Madeline walked out of the house and into the parking lot. She saw her father and his wife enter his car and signaled her to walk faster. She walked faster and entered the back seat with her dad and his wife."Drive," Mr. Crayon ordered and the Car accelerated like a bullet.The car stopped in front of a civil affair bureau and they all climbed down. 'This place is open and wide, she can run away from here.' Madeline thought as she stared around the surrounding."Your groom has not arrived yet. Go inside and wait for him," Mr. Crayon ordered and she bit her lips to contain her anger."I know what you're thinking, Madeline. Don't even think of doing it else, I'm going to erase every trace of your mother in my house. Those pictures in your room, her clothes, all of it," he threatened, whispering into her ears."A... Are you threatening me?" She asked."Just do everything right and don't give me a reason to do as I just said. Go inside and wait for your groom," he answered and he watched her walk into the civil affair bureau. One of the workers there gave her a chair to sit and she helplessly sat on it. How is it that she was the one waiting for her groom instead of the other way around? She has never been this disrespected before. He was the one supposed to be waiting for her like every other groom but here she is sitting like a lost lamb and waiting for her groom.All her life, she had sworn not to get married because of the kind of relationship her dad and mum had. She didn't want to end up like her mum and so she swore not to married. But she had thought that if she ever gets married, like in her daydreams, it would be in a very beautiful way. Wearing a long white wedding dress, in a beautiful and decorated place. Her groom would wait for her to come on the alter and she would come holding her flower and with a train of her friends behind her. Now she knew the saying was right, the saying that life is not always a bed of roses and that life does not always go as we expected. Now, she was going to get married and it wasn't going to take place on the alter or in a finely decorated place. They would only sign a few papers and that was it. This wasn't her dream. If and only if dreams come true. How she has been fooled by Anny and her mother. They hid Anny away so she wouldn't get married to the beast. Anny shouldn't have done this. At least she c
"Dad, dad," Madeline screamed at the retreating car. How can a father do this to his own daughter? Marrying her out without her wish and now leaving her to the mysterious man. No, she wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry because of her father anymore. She'll try and be happy. He left her, he always does. He abandoned her just like he did to her mum and this time, she wasn't going to forgive him. Yes, she had managed to stay with him for the whole 24 years of her life. She has managed to stay with the murderer of her mother. She had let it go but not anymore. She was going to stay strong and fight this battle with her hands. Madeline turned to her back and her eyes met with a pair of blue eyes. They were staring back at her without any expression. She raised her head and straightened her face. She wasn't going to show any form of weakness to this mysterious man. Why isn't he saying anything? He was just staring at her with his hands folded under his chest. "Get into the car,"
"And you, where do you think you're taking her to?" She looked at kate. "M-master asked me to show her to her bedroom,""What bedro..." "Claire!" A deep voice called sending shivers down their body. "Stop it. From today you shall call her sister-in-law, understood? I'll come to look at your drawing later. Now, go to your bedroom," he ordered before walking away. "Sister-in-law my ass. She's not even beautiful. Hmph!" She said and abruptly turned and walked away. Madeline stood still with her mouth agape. Did a little girl just call her shameless and a mistress? Goodness! Why was she finding all of this funny? Her whole life was funny. She has been facing all sorts of disrespect for the past week and the most painful part was the part of this little girl. Strange how much the maids were scared of her. She saw how Kate stuttered and shivered when she was answering her question. A little girl yield that much brattiness. Seems like someone needs to teach the spoiled girl some manners.
Elias stared coldly at her, how dare she take his mask off and she wasn't feeling remorseful about it. The only people he let see his full face were his family. His dad and his sister, then a few of his workers. No one else has ever seen his complete face ever since he took over his dad's company. And now, a stranger whom he only met today dares to take off his mask and looked at his face. He honestly felt like strangling her to death right now, but he wouldn't do that. If he makes any mistake now, it would ruin the whole of his plans and that would be so bad for him."Can't you hear me? I asked you a question," he heard her ask and his anger rose to the brim. He stretched his hand to the back of her head and clenched part of her hair in his hand, bringing her head closer to him, causing her to flinch in pain. "Don't you ever dare speak to me that way, understood?" He asked releasing her hair from his hold. "This is my room and you have no right to ask me why I'm here.""Y..you mean,
~At Claire's Room~Claire was lying on her bed and dialing a number on her phone and she put it close to her ears. "Come on, pick up your phone Lisa, damn it," she muttered as she sat up on the bed. The phone went through for some seconds before it went off, indicating that the person on the other line, failed to pick up the call. She dialed the number again, put it on speaker, and placed it on the bed. The phone ranged three times before the person on the other line answered."Claire... What the hell? Why are you disturbing me at this time of the night? *Yawn* I was actually having a good night's rest," the person on the other line said."Shut up, Lisa. Everything is a mess here and you're busy sleeping like a log while I'm trying to fix things," Claire scolded. "What's the mess that's making you call me at this time umm? You know how much I fancy my beauty sleep right?" "You just keep quiet before I get angry at you and say something wrong," Claire warned angrily, and Lisa gasp at
Madeline walked downstairs, heading towards the main door in hurry but she halted when she found Elias seated on the couch. She thought he had left the mansion and gone to his company or wherever he works. "Where do you think you're going?" She heard him ask."I thought you already left.""That's not what I asked. Was it?""I...I'm leaving for work. I'm late," Madeline answered. "I was never informed that you work. I thought only your sister works in your father's company. Tell me, where do you work?" He asked in confusion and Madeline narrowed her eyes. He wants to know everything about her which she doesn't feel like telling him."You don't have to care about where I work just like I don't care where you work. We should learn to respect each other's privacy." Elias stood up and walked closer to her. He bent until he was the same height as her and whispered coldly into her ears. "Only I am allowed to have privacy in this mansion. Nothing is private here. Now, tell me where you work
Madeline sighed as she fiercely swerved around to face him. What the hell? How did he know she was going to go out, that he had to lock the door? Wait! It wasn't locked from the inside, it was locked from the outside, which means..."What is this? How did the door got locked from the outside?""I told you before, right? Only my orders work here and no one else. If I ask anyone to dance, they will, and if I ask them to jump into the sea, they will. I believe you've gotten why it's locked from the outside. If you still don't get it, then forget it," Elias said and Madeline could only stare at him with hateful eyes. "Now, go into the room and come down to have breakfast whenever you feel like it. Everything you want would be given to you. So there's no use owning a little restaurant. Get it?" he asked and walked out of the mansion not forgetting to lock the door behind him. Madeline dropped her bag on the floor and looked up in defeat. She felt her tears flow freely from her eyes as she
Tina was happy that her boss has finally left her father's house where the mother and daughter duo are. It's a good thing she's married and that too to the son of the Johan family. That family was so powerful and influential that only the name Johan could make a grown man pee on himself. With this power and influence, she was sure no one would dare to bully Madeline, not her sister, not her mother, and not even her father. She was safe from those bullies. "I'm not interested and I don't want to know what men like. Thank you for taking care of the restaurant in my absence. I really appreciate it," Madeline appreciated."It's fine Mrs. Johan. It's my job and I'm being paid for it. B...but we have only one problem," Tina informed."What? What's the problem?""One of our workers stole money from the restaurant,""Omo. Really? Who did?" Madeline asked in shock. There has never been any case of stealing in her restaurant before. All her workers were always screened every day and she made s