Chapter 3

Isabella was silent for a while, wondering if she had heard well.

"I asked you to read out the speech on that paper," Nicholas repeated, his expression hardening. His hands balled into fists where they were lying on the table, and that action did not miss Isabella's face. Was he about to beat her?

"I...I don't. I can't read it," she stuttered, squirming uncomfortably in her seat.

"What do you mean you can't read it, Miss Yates? I do know you are your family's adored princess but now, you are married into the Yates family and you should at least cooperate and do whatever I ask you to. That is just the speech you will give to the press at our wedding banquet tomorrow, so you have to read it!"

Isabella shivered at the angry tone of his voice. She could tell he was mocking her from his words, 'adored princess', as it was not possible that he did not know how irrelevant she was in her father's house.

"I really can't read it," she whispered again, trying to convince them.

This time around, Nicholas stood up from behind his desk and walked around the table to her.

"Excuse us, David," he said to the man who had brought Isabella with him.

Closing in on her, he set his jaw firmly as he frowned down on her.

"Isabella," he grunted. "I can be really fierce to people who want to identify as my enemies. I beg you,"

'Even though I know I am unworthy of pleading with you,' he added inwardly.

He continued, "You have no choice but to read that speech tomorrow evening. If there's anything that makes you uncomfortable in there, inform David about it."

He took a step away from her and stopped.

"Your parents will be at the banquet so I request that you keep your apathy away from the public, and not dress like a maid just like today," he said, casting one last glance at her fear filled eyes, before walking out of the room.

Subconsciously, as she calmed herself down, Isabella realized that this was the second time he was abandoning her in this room. She looked around the room, taking in the monotone aesthetics when she remembered what she came here to do in the first place.

She took out her phone and dialled Angela's number, biting her lower lip nervously.

"Angela, can you come over to the room? The one I slept in yesterday." She still could not call the room hers, as she was very sure that a room of that extravagance and beauty could not be assigned to a lady like Isabella Yates.

"On my way," Angela replied.

Isabella wheeled herself out of the study and with an apprehensive mind, went back to her room. On getting there, she didn't have to wait long before Angela entered with an equally apprehensive face.

Isabella noticed immediately and asked,"Did anything happen? Were you punished?"

"No, I just heard the whispers of the maids I was working with. They said Sir Nicholas stormed out of the mansion and that whenever he does that, someone has to bear the brunt on his return. He's so terrifying, Bella," she stared pitifully at her friend. Since a very young age, whenever Angela was present when Isabella was being punished, she always consoled herself for her cowardice by saying that when Isabella got married, everything would be different. Who knew those evil parents would get her married to an equally menacing man?

"I angered him, Angel. I almost disobeyed him..." Isabella trailed off as Nicholas' expression when she had refused him popped up in her mind eye.

"What?! Why did you do that?" Angela almost screamed.

"He said there's a wedding banquet tomorrow, and I have to read a speech there," she whispered, extending the paper to Angela so she could read it.

Angela's eyes widened in surprise.

"I hope you did not tell him you can't read!" She asked, only to see Isabella's guilty eyes.

"You told him?! He's only going to think you are more useless and if possible, he could decide to send us back home. I know this place isn't better than home but at least, we have not been punished since we came here. Doesn't your back still hurt? Our stay here can give the wounds a chance to heal," she continued, pacing around the room as she sought a solution to their predicament.

"I did tell him, but he said I must read it and if not, I will be his enemy. Is there something we can do? Maybe I can learn the alphabets now," Isabella suggested.

Angela sighed,"I know you are smart enough to actually learn how to read within a few months but...you have to give the speech tomorrow. How about you memorize it?"

Isabella nodded in agreement. She was ready to do anything as long as it would help her escape Nicholas' wrath for some time.

"How do I memorize it?" she asked Angela.

"Yh, that is the problem now. I can't record it on your phone since it would be too loud and would attract attention to you. We have to get ear pods."

"How do we do that? We can't ask for the butler's help, right?" Isabella asked.

"We can't. He's bound to ask what we need it for. Don't worry, I will try to get out today and buy one for you. That way, you can use it till it's time for you to give the speech," Angela reassured, walking out of the room confidently.

It came as a surprise to Isabella when the same lady who walked out a few minutes ago confidently, came back in like one who just had her ball of confidence deflated.

"What happened?"

"I was caught by one of the guards, and he gave me a very strict warning. Guests are arriving at the other wings of the mansion so he asked us to stay away from there. What do we do?!"

"I think I have an idea!" Isabella's eyes sparkled in excitement, as an idea occured to her.