Red Alert

Chapter 10: Skillet Roast

Ella's Pov

After a rather uncomfortable ride, we arrived at Dylan's house. By Dylan's house, I meant his own private house. The engagement party had been held at Dylan's family's house but Dylan had his own house that he lived in. It was fairly large, quite larger than my sibling's house and much larger than auntie's apartment. I stepped out of the car, as I followed behind Dylan but as soon as we stepped inside the house, he turned to me with a stoic expression.

"We might be married now but don't expect anything from me. This house is big enough for us to live in and not see each other. You can do whatever you want, just don't bother me and never enter any rooms except your own. Your room is up the stairs and at the end of the hall." He said as I answered with a small nod before he disappeared up the stairs.

I decided to take a moment to look around the house even though I just wanted to change my clothes. Firstly, I took off my heels and held them in my hands as I wandered around the first floor. When you enter the house and walk straight down the hallway there are stairs to the right leading upstairs and on the left is a room. The room consisted of, the living room, dining room, and kitchen all together.

In the living room, there was a large and comfy looking black L shaped sofa with white cushions facing a huge flat-screen tv. There was a single black armchair with a white cushion resembling the ones on the sofa. To the right of the living room was a black and white tiled kitchen which was very clean and shiny. The interior of the kitchen was all black and white and all the utensils were stainless steel. The kitchen wasn't very big but it was the right size and it was quite spacious. In my opinion, the kitchen was perfect for me to use. There was no separate dining room since it was joined with the kitchen and living room. There was a dining table though, complete with a set of six chairs.

Having checked out the only room on the first floor, I proceeded up the stairs and headed down the corridor. There were about five rooms on the floor and as I passed by all of them, my curiosity got piqued. I could tell that the room at the end of the hall to my right, belonged to Dylan since I could hear the sound of shuffling. The other three rooms, I knew nothing about and wasn't planning on entering since Dylan told me not to enter any room but my own. I sighed as I entered the room that was supposedly mine.

I was awestruck. I never imagined that I could be living in such a luxurious looking room. As soon as I entered, the first thing my eyes set on what the huge roof to floor window. I could practically see the whole city from here and the view was magnificent. There was a comfy but huge bed next to the window and it had dusty brown sheets spread on it with a duvet and pillows of the same color.

Opposite the bed was an opening window leading to a terrace. I walked over and opened the door, stepping out and smiling as the cool night air hit my face. The view from this side was more marvelous than the view from the window. Whereas the window showcased the view of the city, the terrace showcased the view of the forest behind Dylan's house.

I had neither known that Dylan's house was out at the edges of the city. Behind his house was a forest, it wasn't dangerous or very big but since it was still forest, there were ditches and one could get lost if they went at the wrong time. There were no wild animals as far as I knew but the trees and the backyard of Dylan's house were magnificent as Jennie described. The view from my terrace consisted of a large and leafy oak tree which looked amazing, even during the night.

I went back into the room as I opened the closet and was surprised to see all my clothes hanging in place. I opened the drawers and noticed that everything had been set including my shoes. I only had two pairs of shoes so there was still a lot of space. The few sets of clothes I had were already hanging but other than that, there were some clothes that I did not remember buying and they were not mine. I decided to just leave it be for now as I got out of the dress and had a nice long shower before changing into a white nightgown.

I would have gone to sleep but I was wide-awake and normally at this time I was working at the store so I got used to sleeping late. I decided that going downstairs and having a look at the topmost floor wouldn't do me any harm. So, without another word, I slipped on my slippers and headed downstairs. I decided to check everything in the kitchen as I opened all the cupboards, drawers, and the fridge. The fridge had been fully stocked with essential needs and everything was present but since I had eaten at the wedding, I wasn't very hungry.

I thought about switching on the tv but decided against it as I headed back up towards my rooms. I had just ascended the stairs and was heading towards my room when I heard the sound of something falling from one of the three unknown rooms. I knew that Dylan had told me not to enter any room but I couldn't help but worry so without thinking, I opened the door. 

To say I was shocked was an understatement because in front of me were the two Asian twins I had seen at the wedding earlier. The girl was dressed in white pajamas while the boy was dressed in yellow pajamas and they were both playing with dolls and cars. The girl had her hair tied in a bun and bangs were covering her forehead and the boy's hair were messed up. I knew that they were the same kids from the wedding but the question that bothered me was why they were here and by the looks of it, they lived here. The right side of the room was set in black boyish style while the left side was all pink and white. As I closed the door behind me the two kids turned to look at me.

"Hi, there. What are you two doing here?" I asked as I approached them and sat down. The girl, Emma, had two dolls in her hands while the boy, Aiden if I'm correct, had a toy truck in his hand. I folded my legs and looked at the two for an answer. The boy jumped up as he fetched his tablet from his bed. 

'We live here' He wrote as he showed me his tablet. I was confused as I decided to continue asking questions, slowly. I didn't want to push the children.

"With who?" I asked.

'With daddy.' The boy showed me the tablet as my eyes widened. The only person other than me in this house is Dylan. Does that mean that Dylan is their dad? How could no one tell me this? Don't take me wrong, I didn't mind it and I couldn't stop Dylan from being their dad but I would've have liked to know about something like this before. Why would Dylan marry me if he already had a wife and children? I didn't get it but I decided that I would ask Dylan when the time is right.

"Well...it's nice to meet you two again. My name is Ella Jamison and I'm going to be living here from now on." I said in the friendliest way I could. The girl stopped playing as she snatched her brother's tablet from him and wrote something, showing it to me.

'You're Ella Rhodes. You married daddy, didn't you?' The girls question read as I gave a small laugh. I didn't know the reason behind why they didn't talk but this girl was sure smart.

"Depends, if your dad is Dylan Rhodes, then yes...we got married," I told her as she handed the tablet back to her brother.

'Are you our new mommy?' The boy wrote as he showed it to me.

"I'm not sure," I muttered, not sure what to answer to that. The children didn't say anything as there was silence for a few before I heard the sound of grumbling. The girl looked down as her cheeks lit up in embarrassment. "Are you two hungry? Would like for me to make you something to eat?" I asked as I got two small nods from them. I got up as and gestured for them to follow me as we headed downstairs. I went into the kitchen as Emma and Aiden got comfy on the sofa. "What would you like to eat?" I asked, not sure what they preferred.

'Skillet roast chicken with peaches, tomatoes, and red onion.' The boy wrote on his tablet as he showed it to me. 

They both have a very distinctive taste and they also seem very intellectual. I wonder if they don't talk because they don't want to or because they can't. I smiled as I opened the fridge and gathered all the needed ingredients. I didn't know if I could make what they asked for but I have a perfect idea. I know how to make skillet roast so I can just add peaches, tomatoes, and red onions to it. I think that's how it works.

I tied my hair in a ponytail as I found an apron hanging by a hook by the side of the wall. I picked up a light blue apron as I slid it on. I started by simply cutting the vegetable and defrosting the chicken as Emma and Aiden watched tv. I noticed them both shivering as I cleaned my hands and raced up the stairs. I went into my room and grabbed a spare blanket I had seen earlier in my closet as I headed back down.

"Here you go. Don't want to catch a cold now do you?" I said as I placed the blanket around them both and ruffled Aiden's hair before heading back to the kitchen. It took me about thirty to forty minutes to finish making the twins desired dish. "Here you go. Enjoy!" I said with a hopeful smile as I placed two plates in front of the twins who were now seated on the table. They both dug in as I looked them, waiting for a response. I had never made this before and it was a new thing for me so I wanted to know how I did.

'It's delicious.' The girl wrote on her tablet as I grinned, feeling proud of myself.

After they finished eating, Aiden and Emma went back to their room as I washed the dishes and placed them back in their places. I made sure the kitchen was spit spot clean as well as the dining table before I headed back, not forgetting to take my blanket. I placed it in my room and sighed as I sat on my bed only to hear a knock. The door opened as Emma and Aiden walked inside.

'Will you tuck us in?' Aiden showed me his tablet as I smiled. I took each of their hands into mine as we walked towards their room. They both jumped into their beds as I first went to tuck Emma in. I couldn't help but remember the moment when I used to tuck April in like this, and I missed it. After tucking Emma in, I didn't know if I should or should not but I kissed her on the cheek before walking over to Aiden and doing the same.

"Goodnight. Sweet Dreams and sleep tight." I whispered as they both smiled as waved. I switched off the light as I stepped outside and closed the door. I turned around with a smile and almost jumped as I saw Dylan standing right behind me. Without saying anything he grabbed my wrist as he pulled me in the direction of his room. I couldn't say I was not surprised by the sudden action but didn't say anything. As we entered his room the closed the door behind him before letting go of my wrist.

The first thing I noticed was that he hadn't changed yet and was still in his wedding suit. He had lost the suit and tie but was but he was still wearing the shoes. His sleeves were rolled up and his hair was ruffled up. I looked around the room, noticing how neat and in place it was. There was a large bed with white sheets and black pillows. As soon as you entered there was a huge roof to floor window, just like mine except his window faced towards the forest. Opposite the bed was an open door and I couldn't help but look. By the looks of it, I could tell that it was an office. Straight ahead there was a desk with papers and a switched-on laptop. I evaluated that Dylan had been working ever since we came back from the wedding which was an hour and a half ago. 

"What did I tell you?" Dylan asked as I turned my attention to him. By the looks of it, he looked angry and I didn't know what he meant. "What did I tell you when we came here? Speak!" he almost yelled, looking at me with a killing glare.

"You said that we might be married but I shouldn't expect anything from you. I can do whatever I want but I can't bother you and I can never enter any rooms except..." I repeated only stopping as I realized the purpose of Dylan's anger.

"Yeah. I said you can never enter any rooms and what did you do?! You entered a room!" He shouted as I bit my lip and looked at the floor, feeling ashamed. "It's bad enough that I have to be married to someone like you but I don't want to babysit you! I told you can never enter any rooms except your own and you do exactly that, only an hour after I warned you! This is a nightmare! I can't believe my parents had me marry someone so stupid like you!" Dylan exclaimed as I left baffled by his sudden rage. I simply stared at him in shock as his words started to sink in.

Someone like me? Someone so stupid like me, what did he mean by that? I know that I'm not the prettiest, the richest, or the most educated person in the world but I'm not that below for him to insult me like that. I wanted to yell at him so bad but I didn't have any energy left ao instead I fiddled with my fingers as I looked at the floor, holding the tears. I thought that he might've been nice since he always acted like a gentleman but this just shows what he thinks about me.

"I'm sorry...I won't do it again." I muttered.

"You better not! Now get the hell out of my room!" He yelled as I nodded.

"G-Goodnight," I whispered as I walked out of the room, keeping my head down. I kept myself composed until I reached my room and sat down on the bed. I felt the tear streaming down my face as I held my legs to my chest. I had never felt so belittled before and his actions and the tone of voice he used...it reminded me about the mansion. 

It reminded me about the guy I served, Mason Anderson. Whenever any of the maids did anything wrong, he would beat them for even the tiniest of mistakes. Since most of the maids he had were being threatened by him and were forced to be there, they were mostly girls and they were all younger than me. After hearing their stories, it pained me and I just had to take the responsibility of protecting them. They were like my younger siblings and if I didn't defend them, I know I would be guilty. 

So, whenever anyone made a mistake, I would try my best to take the blame and always ended up becoming the rag doll. The bruises would last for days but there was no break and even though it hurt, I had no choice but to work. The other girls would scold me and hit me for taking the blame for them but I couldn't stop myself. Every night I hid my tears and silently suffered but it pained me. I would get yelled at, shouted at, belittled, beaten, it was a usual cycle and the memories were forever going to scar me.

Dylan's harsh tone reminded me of the times when I used to get yelled and shouted at. The words were so harsh and were usually followed by a slap or two. I felt scared and as much as I didn't want to say it, I was feeling afraid of Dylan right now. We're married and nothing can change that for now, I was hoping we could make it work and I thought that he would put in some effort too but by his attitude, I don't think he's ever going to accept me. 

Either way, I already know about Emma and Aiden so, Dylan doesn't need to hide them from me, which he was probably planning on doing. It's not like I enter the room on purpose, I just thought something had happened so I entered the room. I mean, I kind of entered it even though Dylan told me not to, so I was at fault but still he didn't need to yell at me like that. 

His words hurt me and broke my heart. I just wasn't expecting for him to hate me so much. He thinks this marriage was only forced upon him but I was also forced into this. This is a nightmare for me as well as him so he needs to stop thinking he's the only one suffering. To think I have to live with Dylan since he my...husband.

I wiped my eyes as I got up and headed towards the bathroom. I washed my face with cold water before going back to my head and lying down. As soon as my head hit the pillow I felt sleepy and even though the tears were very persistent, I decided that crying was something only the weak do. I'm not saying that strong people don't cry and if you cry you're weak, it's just that I've been crying quite a lot these days and I'm tired. 

I don't want to be a pushover and I don't want to be a crybaby but whenever I try to change myself, I fail. I know I'm not the best and am honestly quite useless but I do want to change and help myself become better. I know I'm beautiful in my way but I just need to find that way. Maybe Dylan won't think I'm stupid if If I change myself to not be or look stupid.