FOUR
1163 Words
MARIA
I held the card close to my breasts, took a deep breath and walked into the mansion.
The environment was buzzing with a lot of people I perceived to be domestic staff.
It was already two days since I got the news that would change the trajectory of my life. Two days since I found out my life was to be halted for five years to pay off a debt I had no involvement in.
Carlos had given me his complimentary card and instructed me to see him unfailingly in two day's time.
“Good morning. I am here to see Carlos Rodrigo?” I murmured to the woman I met at the huge door leading to the main building.
She didn't raise her head. She merely continued with the magazine in her hand.
"Seems rudeness is a norm around here" I thought.
“Do you have a fixed appointment with him?” The woman finally asked, staring at me from head to toe.
“No, I don't. But if you can let him know that Maria is here to see him, I'm sure he'll ask you to let me in" I implored, holding up the card for her to see.
“Young lady, I have been seeing your type for the past few days since my boss got in. Young girls trooping in and telling silly lies just to see him. That won't work this time around. No appointment, No meeting!" She cut in sharply.
She got back to flipping through the magazine with an air of distraction, expressing her captivation at the fashion trends on each page.
I was right; there was an epidermic of disdain in the entire Rodrigo household.
"But I really need to see..." I protested.
"Oh! Young lady. Can't you see I'm busy? Do I have to..." She spat, cutting me short.
"Let her in!" A rich baritone voice echoed from the top floor.
My spine tingled as I looked up to meet Carlo's eyes, my supposed husband-to-be.
The woman did as she was instructed, but not without rolling her eyes at me.
I took the stairs to go meet him at the balcony where he was seated.
But there was something wrong. Nothing about him suggested that we had met before. His cold demeanor towards me when he walked into our house, was akin to that of a stranger.
He wasn't drunk that night, so there was no way he could have forgotten who I was in a jiffy. Or maybe he was just trying to put up a show in the presence of his father?
"Good morning" I said, about to sit on one of the sofas.
"And who said you could sit? Get that filthy ass of yours off my exquisite Maison royale sofa I just got all the way from Paris.
"I'm... I'm sorry" I got up and bowed my head.
"Now, listen up! My rules are simple. Like you already know, you are nowhere near my class and the only reason you're breathing the same air as I am is because of this marriage of convenience my father put me up to against my will" He said coldly, his eyes boring into me.
"Am I talking to a ghost?" He thundered.
"No... Err... I heard you" I said, still looking down.
"You should look at me while I'm speaking to you. Don't irritate me further!" He sparked.
That was it! I was fully convinced he wasn't the guy I slept with. The man I met was a kind one, who knew how to treat a woman right. A stark contrast to the man before me, who hated me even without knowing anything about me.
"What kind of a scum did father get me involved with? Drawing me away from Valeria just to settle for this lowlife" He looked at me with much disgust.
He was an asshole and I didn't even need to get married to him to find out.
He got up from where he sat and walked over to me, his right hand snaking out to my chin.
“Hmm” he stated, running his eyes over my body. “Are you a virgin?” He asked absently, still moving my face from side to side.
“Huh?” I managed to squeak.
"I will not repeat myself, woman! I need to know if the lowclass girl I'll be changing her life for five years is a cheap w***e tossed around by everyone”
Lowclass girl? Cheap w***e? Oh! How I hated his guts.
"Yes, I am" I lied, not ready to risk another bout of demeaning slurs from him.
"Hmm" He stared at my behind, as if to find the truth there.
"You will be in my face for as long as five years, so you shall never speak unless you're spoken to, in the presence of guests. Heck! You shouldn't even be seen around me. I can't risk my friends knowing I am bound to a wench like you" His look of admiration on my body turned sour. "You shall always inform me of your whereabouts, as part of the contract says you would be under my care and I won't want anyone holding me responsible for the loss of a filth. You dare not leave this house if I give no approval of it" He paused with a disgusted grimace.
"I already hate the whole idea of getting married to you, but if we're going to do it, it's going to be on my terms. Understood?"
"But that doesn't seem fair" I shrugged, finally finding my voice.
"Huhh? Did I hear something? Is that going to be a problem? It's part of the contract and I do not need your opinion on this. It's irrelevant anyways. Mind you, when you signed this contract, you agreed not to leave this marriage until the duration is over. No matter what happens" He declared.
"I have no problem at all" I trembled, staring at my toes.
"You better not have!" His eyes shot. "Another thing... You must always be available to attend to my s****l needs whenever and wherever. My woman, Valeria is in faraway London and I'll need some steady action while she's distant from me. So, you should count yourself lucky to warm my bed"
Oh! The fool had a girlfriend and came all the way down here to agree to this? I guess I'd not only have Carlos and his father to contend with, but also this mystery girlfriend of his.
He was about to turn me not just into his slave, but also his s*x object.
"I... I agree with all that you have said" I resigned to fate.
"Of course you will... One more thing!" He said with a relaxed voice.
My heart beat faster as it wondered what other demands he could have.
“By 10am tomorrow, I will send you a driver to convey you to the wedding venue... Our wedding venue"
- Writer
