The car drove slowly into a big mansion, two times bigger than the one they lived in. Lauren resisted the urge to gasp. She adjusted the dress she wore over and over again.
Malcolm sighed exasperatedly, “Stop that already. You’ll do just fine.”
She nodded, hoping he was right. The car came to a halt and the two doors opened and the couple stepped out. Lauren put on her best smile and decorum. She walked in with Malcolm, their arms linked together. If Malcolm hadn’t informed her before time, she would have gasped at the sight of the neatly kept Victorian-style sitting room.
A smartly dressed man walked up to them, bowing smoothly, “Welcome, Young Master, Miss.”
Lauren saw Malcolm frown at the young man’s address and quickly squeezed his palm gently to avoid him lashing out at the young man.
“She is your Young Mistress.” He spoke calmly, “Next time, I might not be too lenient.”<
Malcolm knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open. It was a study. The most exquisite study Lauren had ever seen. It had a big shelf filled with books and a fireplace. A splendid mahogany table stood in the middle and behind it sat a man whose face was blocked out by a newspaper. “Grandpa.” Malcolm greeted. Lauren noted how cold and indifferent his voice sounded, unlike when he greeted his grandmother.After a few seconds of silence, the newspaper was finally shifted out of sight, revealing a huge figure with an unsmiling face. Lauren shivered for a second. She was actually in front of Alexander Knight—one time most powerful man and head of the Knight family—she didn’t know how to address him. Should she call him Grandpa too? Or just sir? Or his name? “Hello, Mr. Knight.” She greeted with her best smile.His face remained unsmiling. He didn’t even look at her face for a mini-second. &l
Dinner had more people than Lauren had expected. There were two aunties from Malcolm’s grandfather's side and one from his grandmother’s side. Three more females aside Claire and Miranda, an uncle and a dead handsome guy that kept looking at her in shock the minute he entered the room. “That is Christian Mavericks. He’s the son to Grandpa’s immediate younger brother.” Elena introduced. “Christian, this is Michelle Byrne. Malcolm’s… wife.”Lauren noted the reluctance in her voice as she said the word wife. She said a ‘hi’ but the guy barely replied. He just had a shocked expression on his face that made Lauren wonder if he had seen her somewhere. Dinner went on quietly and Lauren was grateful. She could read tons of questions on the faces of the people who were seated but thankfully, Malcolm’s menacing look shut them up. His grandpa finished eating and excused himself with his grandmot
Malcolm laid Lauren on the bed with care and then rang the bell on the wall. A maid appeared seconds later. “Pack our bags. We’re leaving in a few minutes.” Malcolm spoke, his anger very visible in his voice. “Malcolm,” Lauren called out. “Not a single word, Michelle.” He barked and then hissed. How did it come to this? How did it come to a point where every single thing about this woman affected him so much! Why was the urge to protect her from the claws of his family so strong that even he cannot fight it? He hit the wall with his fist. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this weak because of a woman. Sensing her Master’s anger, the maid took to her heels closing the door quietly behind her.Lauren got up from the bed and approached him. She had never seen him so conflicted before. The Malcolm she knew was always calm and composed even in the face of danger. It made her mor
Lauren opened her eyes and unconsciously reached for the other side of the bed. On finding it empty, she frowned and her drowsy self was wide awake. Had he gone to meet Christian? Maybe the two of them were discussing her right now. The thought of that made her jump out of the bed only to see him relaxing on a seat a few inches away, sipping from a glass of dark red liquid. “Looking for someone?” He teased.Her cheeks turned pink, “I…I thought you left.”He smirked, “Why? Are you scared of being alone?”Lauren threw him a glare. Will this guy die if he stops being shameless? She looked for a way to change the topic and just then, she noticed he was already dressed up. “You are dressed so early. Are you going somewhere?”He got up, dropping the champagne flute in his hand on the bedside table, “Go get ready, we are leaving.” Not giving her a chance to question hi
The plane landed and as expected, a convoy of cars awaited them. Lauren frowned, perhaps she wouldn’t get used to the whole affluence thing. “Is something wrong?” he asked, noticing the frown on her face. Lauren looked into those mesmerizing eyes unable to say a word. How could she tell him that a storm was lurking? One she could do nothing about.She forced a smile, “No. never mind.”She moved to enter the car but he grabbed her arm, “Tell me.”Tears gathered her eyes. What could she say, “I’m just a bit under the weather. Why do you care?” Lauren slapped her mouth shut the minute the last sentence unconsciously left her lips.He smirked, “I don’t want people thinking I don’t take good care of my woman.”…My woman. Did this man even know the implication of that phrase? It made her heart bleed more knowing she was deceiving him. Perhaps
Michelle sat at the dining, looking at the big clock on the wall as she sipped from the glass of wine in her palm. It was three hours to midnight but Christian was yet to be back. He hadn’t talked to her after the mini argument they had when he returned. He was barely home. Christian never kept late nights without her. Just then, the door opened and a cold-looking Christian walked into the house, walking past her like she was never there. “Really, babe?” She scoffed, “Are we really going to continue like this?”He paused, spared her a glance, and continued his journey upstairs. “I was here all through your trip. I don’t know how else I can prove that to you. I even have pictures to prove that.” She said frantically.He turned to look at her, “You are older than this game of yours, Michelle. Try something else.” “You are supposed to trust me! The fact that you saw
Grace was just on her way out of the house when the doorbell rang. She frowned, wondering who it was at the door. The door opened revealing Michelle. “Michelle?” she was surprised, “Baby you didn’t tell me you were coming.” “Do I need permission to visit my own father’s house?” she asked dumping her bag by the door for the maids to take them in. “Of course not. That was not what I meant. I’m just surprised. How was your trip?” Sighing, she slumped on a sofa, removing the pair of dark sunglasses she wore, “Do I look okay to you, mother?” she had bags underneath her eyes and it made Grace worry. Michelle had always cared about her looks and would not let anything happen to her face. “You can talk to me, baby. What happened?” “Everything, mom! Everything happened. Christian broke up with me because of his cousin’s girlfriend who he thinks is me.” Grace paused, “Who is Christian?” Michelle
“I could help you if you want.”Malcolm didn’t reply but she took his silence for a yes. Slowly, she itched closer and placed her palms on his shoulders. She had never massaged a guy’s arms before and now, she was as nervous as ever. Taking a deep breath, she began to knead his shoulders carefully, applying pressure a few times and observing his expression too. From the way he closed his eyes and relaxed against the chair, she knew she was getting it all right and somehow, it made her heart swell but just then, Malcolm tore away from her touch leaving her speechless. What did she do wrong?At first, Malcolm was tempted to refuse her request of massaging him but when he couldn’t make up his mind for long, he felt her palm touch his shoulders and by God, it had taken him a lot of energy not to suck in a deep breath and show her what her touch did to him. He wasn’t going to turn gullible because of a woman. He was s