CHAPTER 6

The next morning came in a blink of an eye. 

Scarlett didn't want to bump into Lucas, and at the same time, she wanted to go for the kids as early as possible.

However, she remembered his cruel words and resolved to stay back for a while.

At 7:00 am, Daphne knocked on her door and said. "You can come out now Scarlett, he just left."

Scarlette's cheeks flushed red as she never expected Daphne to have easily read through her mind.

As quick as she could, she hurried over to the kids' room and got them prepared for school as fast as she could.

She ensured she prepared their meals according to their favorites as directed by Daphne.

In a short while, the kids were off to school. Scarlett then returned to the kitchen to have her breakfast after some encouraging words from Daphne.

Daphne soon requested that she headed back to her room to get some work done. It was still a wonder that she did not work in Lucas's company. She had mentioned one time that she did not want her personal life and finances all tied to the same tree. 

She worked as a social media manager for a few prestigious fashion brands, and Scarlett thought she was doing pretty well for herself. She admired her poise, her elegance, and the warmth of her presence.

"Are you sure you would be okay by yourself?" Daphne asked concernedly as she stood by the stairs. "I could come work here, you know," she added.

Scarlett knew that she would not. She needed company. The house already felt cold and void with the children at school. 

If Lucas walked in by chance while she was away, she would be left at the mercy of a man who would not bat an eyelid if she was run over by a truck.

"Of course, I'll be fine," she said with a feigned smile and hoped that Daphne did not notice.

"If you need anything, I'm just a staircase away," Daphne replied instead and headed up the stairs hurriedly. She had a deadline to meet and it was obvious that she was running out of time.

Once Daphne had retired to her room to get some work done, Scarlett was bored. She had done the dishes and had made preparations for lunch. 

She looked around the spacious living room. She had not yet taken in the ambiance of the house. It was as though Lucas was sitting on the fence when he was speaking to his interior designer. 

It was as though he wanted the house to feel warm, and yet, still have a piece of him associated with it. The dark leather cushions sat at the far end of the living room, while there were plush yellow sofas in the center of the living room, where the children would likely sit down if they wanted to watch the giant screen that sat elegantly on the wall.

Scarlett had never understood it. She wondered why people bothered to get gigantic television screens when she could easily watch any show with her mini-sized television back at the crappy apartment she had just left.

After long minutes of negotiation, Scarlett decided that it was time she gave the house a tour, just to get acquainted with the parts that she had not gotten accustomed to earlier.

Almost everything worked with remote control, and Daphne had done her best to teach her the nitty gritty of using them. It was not so hard after all. It made everything easier instead.

The spacious kitchen was associated with the living room in some way. Anything that was cooked there wafted to the living room very easily. The kitchen fittings sparkled in the bright light. She had seen Daphne doing some cleaning, along with a domestic staff earlier.

The kitchen island was spectacular, and she tried everything, from the taps to the blenders and juicers, to the dishwashers. She wanted to know how everything worked, and she was fascinated by it all. She wondered how much money it took to fix all of it.

The refrigerator was just beside the microwave. You only had to clap twice, and the lights turned on from within, putting its contents on full display, so you could know if you were interested in anything without having to open it. Scarlett smiled gleefully. She had never seen anything like it before.

A dining area sat across the kitchen. The wooden table had been polished to a shine, and there were only five tables around it. 

It left Scarlett wondering how awkward it would be if she was in the kitchen making food and Lucas sat at the dining table watching her with his piercing green eyes. 

She shook her head as though it would brush off the thought from her head.

When she was satisfied with her tour, she decided that it was time to explore the top floor that had all the rooms and Lucas's study.

As she headed up the spiral staircase, she noticed the gold trimmings that she had not noticed before. Her eyes widened. 

It was pure gold. She knew because her mother had once worked as an attendant in an expensive jewelry shop before she passed.

She realized that it must have cost a fortune to put it all together. She knew that there were still a lot more things she needed to explore, and a wave of excitement surged through her.

As she climbed the top of the stairs, it reminded her of how grumpy Lucas had looked at her disgustingly earlier, and she mimicked him a little and laughed at how silly she looked afterward. It felt so peaceful being alone after all.

She waltzed through the corridors, and she was drawn to the nature paintings that lay elegantly on the wall. Lucas seemed to love nature very much, she thought. It was a contrast to his cold personality. 

But Daphne had mentioned that he had a soft side within all that grumpiness. She wondered if it was only to make her feel better about his unruly treatment.

The first room she passed by was hers. Daphne's own was next, and she was tempted to press her ears to the door to know if she would at least get a grasp of the nature of Daphne's work. 

She decided to continue her tour instead.

The children's rooms were next, and Scarlett sauntered in. The children stayed in a single room, but they had their personal space, and it was well-defined. 

She wondered how everything was stacked in neat piles including their toys. The room was painted a shade of light pink at one end and sky blue at the other end. It was such a beautiful combination to behold, and she felt like she could relax there a little.

She continued her tour instead. Lucas' room was next. The huge mahogany door alone was intimidating, and Scarlett wondered what it would look like inside, but she could only imagine. Lucas was never going to allow her the chance to see what it looked like.

She did not mind either. It could not be more beautiful than the rest of the house put together. 

For a moment, she stood and relished in the possibility that the entire house belonged to her. The thought of it alone made her laugh hard. It was not a bad idea to dream after all.

As she continued her tour, something struck her. A huge painting sat elegantly at the end of the corridor. She drew closer as if captivated by some kind of force until she got to where it was. 

As if acting on impulse, she took it down and touched it. It was a nude painting, but it was beautiful. The woman in it was elegant, and the painter had done a good job accentuating her features perfectly.

Scarlett was held spellbound by it. She had not seen anything like it before. She stared at it, running her hand over it for some long minutes.

As she made to place it back, it slipped from her hands to the ground.  She heard the glass frame shatter, and her heart shattered along with it as she drew back in fear. She knew that she was in trouble already. 

She heard a door open in the distance, but she was too scared to turn around.

"Are you hurt?" She heard Daphne's comforting voice behind her, as soft hands held her shoulders. She shook her head as Daphne drew her back.

"I'll send for someone to come clean this up," she said. 

Scarlett was still too scared to speak. Her mind was on what Lucas would do to her if he found out that she had not just touched the painting, but broken it into pieces.

"What the hell is going on here?" A voice growled from behind them. Scarlet closed her eyes in trepidation without turning back. 

It was Lucas and he was seething with fury.