Chapter 4: A Wife Who Refused To Bow
1029 Words
POV: Rihito
This girl was unbelievably stubborn.
Why was she talking to me like that without fear?
Did she really not know who I was?
Or was she simply too fearless to care?
I leaned back slightly in my wheelchair, staring at the closed door she had disappeared through earlier.
Interesting.
“Don’t give her any food until I say otherwise,” I ordered coldly before turning toward my maids.
Their expressions instantly stiffened.
“Yes, sir.”
I pressed the control on my wheelchair and headed toward my study with my assistant following closely behind.
The moment we entered, I spoke without hesitation.
“I need every detail about Aaliya. And assign guards to secretly follow her everywhere.”
My assistant hesitated.
“But sir… people at her workplace barely know anything about her personal life. It may be difficult to investigate her relationship with her family.”
My eyes darkened immediately.
“Leo,” I said in a dangerously calm voice, “I gave you an order. Carry it out without complaining.”
His face paled instantly.
“I apologize, sir. It will be done.”
He bowed quickly before leaving the study room.
Once the door shut, silence filled the room again.
I opened my laptop and buried myself in work, but no matter how hard I tried to focus, my thoughts kept drifting back to her.
Aaliya.
She didn’t look like someone who could easily be bullied.
There was fire in her eyes.
Pain too.
So why was her family treating her that way?
Were they threatening her?
Was there something she was hiding?
Questions kept circling in my mind endlessly.
Annoyed, I rubbed my forehead and forced myself back to work.
Hours passed without me noticing.
By the time I finally looked up, darkness had already swallowed the sky outside.
Then suddenly—
The study door burst open.
My expression instantly hardened when I saw Aaliya standing there.
“What the f**k are you doing here without my permission?” I snapped angrily. “And didn’t anyone teach you how to knock?”
I hated interruptions.
I hated noise.
I hated people invading my space.
If it had been a maid, she would’ve already lost her job.
But unfortunately for me…
This troublesome woman was my wife.
Aaliya crossed her arms carelessly.
“I don’t remember that being part of your rules,” she replied boldly. “And besides, this is my house too now, isn’t it? So why should I knock before entering?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly before she continued.
“And another thing… starving me wasn’t included in your precious rules either. That’s why I came here. Don’t flatter yourself.”
I stared at her for a few seconds before a cold smile slowly appeared on my lips.
“Since this is your house too,” I said quietly, “why are you starving?”
Her jaw tightened immediately.
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t even be here talking to you,” she snapped. “The staff outside said you ordered them not to feed me. I haven’t eaten all day…”
For the first time since entering the room, her voice softened slightly.
“So can you just let today go?”
For a second…
Just one second…
I almost gave in.
But then her earlier words replayed in my head again.
That attitude.
That defiance.
“I want you to go back and reflect on your behavior so it doesn’t repeat itself,” I said coldly. “Although… I must admit I’m starting to enjoy torturing you.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“You can’t drag me into this house just to punish me for someone else’s debt!” she shouted angrily. “Like I told you before, I have nothing to do with that family. If you still don’t understand that, then maybe you’re the stupid one here.”
The atmosphere inside the room instantly turned deadly silent.
Even my breathing slowed.
But she still wasn’t done.
“If you’re not going to cancel your order,” she continued furiously, “then I’ll just go eat outside.”
Then she stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls almost shook.
My grip tightened around the armrest of my wheelchair.
That woman…
She really knew how to destroy my patience.
Immediately, I grabbed my phone and called the head of security.
“Don’t let her leave the mansion,” I ordered darkly. “Lock her in the basement tonight. Keep guards outside and make sure she doesn’t escape.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended.
I stared at the dark screen for a moment before letting out a frustrated breath.
She really thought she could challenge me?
Then she should learn exactly who Rihito Rodriguez was.
A while later, boredom pulled me toward the basement.
Or maybe curiosity.
I wanted to see if she would finally beg.
The basement door creaked open slowly.
The moment Aaliya saw me, anger flashed across her face.
“I’ll make you pay for this!” she yelled. “You son of a bastard!”
The words hit harder than they should have.
My expression froze for the briefest second.
I had heard insults my entire life.
Far worse than that.
So why did her words hurt?
Why did they suddenly remind me of memories I spent years trying to bury?
I quickly pushed the feeling away.
“Looks like you still haven’t learned your lesson,” I said coldly.
I turned toward the guards.
“Don’t give her any food or water tonight. Release her tomorrow morning.”
Aaliya glared at me with pure hatred as I left the basement.
But strangely…
Instead of satisfaction, exhaustion settled inside me.
Maybe bringing her here had been a mistake.
Maybe marrying her had been my biggest mistake yet.
Back in my room, I took a cold shower before lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling in silence.
But no matter how hard I tried…
I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Her eyes.
Her voice.
Her defiance.
Everything about her irritated me.
And yet…
She was becoming impossible to ignore.
- Writer
