Married To The Ruthless Billionaire

Chapter 15: First Morning As Mrs. Kane

Amara woke up at 5:30 AM to someone banging her door like police.

"Madam! Madam! Oga's mother said come downstairs now! Breakfast by 6 AM sharp! If you late, she go lock dining room!"

It was Esther, the small househelp, whispering loudly outside, scared.

Amara sat up on the big bed, confused. She slept only 4 hours. Yesterday after signing the contract at The Rooftop Bar, Alexander's driver brought her to Banana Island mansion around 6 PM. She was too tired to look around. She entered the room the housekeeper showed her, locked the door, and slept in her wedding gown.

Now she was Mrs. Kane. Contract Mrs. Kane.

She opened her wardrobe and gasped. It was full of new clothes - gowns, shoes, bags, all with tags. All her size. There was a note: "From Mr. Kane. Your new clothes. Wear something decent for breakfast. No wedding gown. - Boma."

So Alexander ordered clothes for her yesterday after the bar? He was fast.

She picked a simple blue Ankara gown and bathed quickly. The bathroom was bigger than her father's whole room in Parkview. Jacuzzi, hot water, 10 soaps.

She went downstairs by 5:55 AM. She didn't want Mrs. Kane to lock dining room.

Downstairs, the dining room was like 5-star hotel. Long table for 20 people. Crystal glasses. Alexander was already seated at head of table, in black suit, reading newspaper, drinking black coffee. He looked like he didn't sleep.

Beside him sat a woman in her late 50s, very beautiful, light skin, blonde wig, expensive gold lace, gele so big it could cover small car. That must be Mrs. Victoria Kane.

And beside Mrs. Kane sat Bianca Williams herself, wearing short silk nightgown as if she lived there, full makeup by 6 AM, smiling at Alexander like he was her husband.

Amara's heart sank. Why is Bianca having breakfast here by 6 AM?

"Good morning," Amara said softly at the door.

Nobody answered for 5 seconds. Then Mrs. Kane looked up, looked at Amara from head to toe, and hissed.

"So you are the famous Amara? The girl my son picked from a bar in dirty wedding gown? You took so long to come down. In this house, we eat breakfast by 6 AM. Not 6:05. If you want to be Mrs. Kane, you must learn our rules."

Amara swallowed. "Sorry, ma."

"Rule 1," Mrs. Kane cut her. "In this house, I am the madam. Not you. I decide what we eat, who cooks, who enters. You are just small girl my son brought to please his dying grandmother. Don't think you are owner of this house."

Amara looked at Alexander for help. He kept reading newspaper, but his jaw was tight.

"Rule 2," Mrs. Kane continued. "You must wake by 5 AM to supervise cooks. You must cook for my son yourself. His former fiancee, Sophia, woke by 4:30 AM to cook akara and pap. Bianca here also knows how to cook. What can you cook?"

Bianca laughed. "Aunty, leave her. She looks like Indomie generation. She can only cook Indomie and egg."

Amara's hands started shaking. This was first morning and they were already bullying her.

"I can cook, ma. My mother taught me before she got sick. I can cook soup, jollof, everything," Amara said, voice small but firm.

Mrs. Kane smiled wickedly. "Good. Then today you will cook lunch for 10 people. My friends from Ikoyi Club are coming by 2 PM. You will cook afang soup, white soup, jollof rice, and pounded yam. By yourself. No help. If my friends don't like it, you will pack your load and leave that same day. Do you understand?"

10 people? Afang, white soup, jollof, pounded yam by herself by 2 PM? It was already 6 AM. She never cooked for 10 before.

Amara looked at Alexander. Please say something.

Alexander finally dropped newspaper. "Mother, that's too much for her first day. She just arrived yesterday."

Mrs. Kane hissed. "Tired? Tired from what? From drinking in a bar? Bianca wakes by 4 AM to gym and cook for you, but you don't complain. Now you defend this Parkview girl? Alexander, have you forgotten who you are? You are a Kane!"

Bianca added, "Baby, Aunty is right. If she wants to be Mrs. Kane, she must prove it. Real Mrs. Kane can cook for 100 people, not just 10."

Amara didn't want him to fight his mother on first day. She wanted to prove herself.

"It's okay," Amara said, nodding. "I will cook, ma. By 2 PM, lunch will be ready."

Mrs. Kane was shocked she agreed. She expected Amara to cry.

"Good. Esther! Show her kitchen! Give her no help! Let's see what this graduate can do!"

Esther dragged Amara to kitchen, whispering, "Madam, sorry oh. Madam Victoria wicked oh. She did same thing to former madam Sophia, that's why Sophia ran."

Kitchen was huge, with two fridges, big gas cooker, foodstuffs everywhere. Afang leaves, waterleaf, meat, fish.

Amara tied wrapper around blue gown and started. She never cooked afang before, only watched mother. But she remembered. She washed leaves, washed meat, started cooking. Hands fast. Sweating, but didn't stop.

By 10 AM, jollof rice was done. By 11:30, afang soup done. By 12:30, white soup done. But pounded yam... hard. No machine, only mortar and pestle. Big one.

Amara tried to pound yam herself. Pestle heavy. After 10 minutes, hands paining, wrapper fell, sweating like Christmas goat.

Alexander walked into kitchen at 12:45 PM to drink water and saw her. She was pounding yam alone, sweating, blue gown wet, hair scattered, but still pounding, not giving up.

He stood and watched one minute. This small girl from Parkview, jilted yesterday, who signed contract for mother's hospital bill, being bullied by his mother, still fighting, still pounding yam for 10 strangers.

He walked to her, collected pestle from her hand.

"Give me," he said softly.

Amara shocked. "No, your mother said no help..."

"I am not help. I am your husband. Contract husband, but husband. In my house, husband and wife pound yam together. That's tradition, Abi?"

And before Amara could say no, Alexander Kane, ruthless billionaire who never entered kitchen in his life, who wore 500k suit, removed suit jacket, folded sleeves, and started pounding yam with Amara. He was strong, so yam became smooth in 10 minutes.

Amara was looking at him, mouth open. A billionaire pounding yam for her.

At 1:55 PM, lunch was ready. Four dishes, hot, smelling good.

At 2 PM, Mrs. Kane's 10 friends arrived. All big madams with big gele.

They sat at dining table. Mrs. Kane smiling, expecting them to insult Amara's food so she can chase her out.

First madam tasted afang. "Hmm! Victoria, who cooked this afang? Very sweet! Better than Eko Hotel own!"

Second madam tasted white soup. "Jesus! This white soup! Very authentic! Did you bring cook from Calabar?"

Third madam tasted jollof. "This jollof! Party jollof!"

Mrs. Kane's face changed from smile to shock to anger. Bianca's face was like someone who swallowed bitter leaf.

Alexander sat at head of table, eating quietly, but his eyes met Amara's eyes where she stood near kitchen door.

He winked at her. Small wink only she saw.

Amara smiled back, her first real smile since yesterday.

She passed first test. But she knew Mrs. Kane would bring bigger test tomorrow. War had just started. But for today, she, Amara from Parkview, cooked for 10 Ikoyi madams and they licked plates.

She was Mrs. Kane, even if na contract.