Chapter2
1276 Words
"Fine, I'll sign it" Seraphina agreed, gasping for air to stop the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Magnus's lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, good. Sign the papers then."
With trembling hands, she picked up the pen and signed the papers without reading through.
Magnus was surprised, but kept mute. He dug out a cheque book from his breast pocket, and tore a page out, he wrote the amount he promised on it, and placed it on the table.
"There you go. Take the marriage certificate with you" He ordered. "I'll be coming to pick you up tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Seraphina asked with a weak voice. "Isn't that too early?"
Magnus simply ignored her and walked out of the building, leaving the poor lady to her thoughts.
"Mrs. Blackwood, you should leave to get ready" The Clerk voiced out, snapping her out of her daze.
Mrs. Blackwood? Unbelievable!
Whatever happened just now was beyond her level of craziness; she was sure of that.
Recalling her mother's call, Seraphina grabbed the cheque and the supposed marriage certificate and rushed out of the marriage Clerk's office.
She stopped a cab immediately, and jumped in.
"Xavier's hospital" She stated, her tone laced with urgency. " Please, drive faster."
"Okay, ma'am" the driver replied, and immediately, they hit the road.
The driver drove at full speed, but Seraphina felt it wasn't enough.
"Faster!" She shouted, but the driver ignored her and kept his eyes on the road.
She panicked, and fidgeted with her gown. Thankfully, the driver got there. She didn't forget to pay the fare, before she jumped out of the car, running into the towering structure in sight.
She almost bumped into a nurse, whom she recognized.
"Seraphina" the nurse called, and stood in her way. "You can't go in now. The doctor's attending to Elias. He'll be fine."
"Really?" She questioned, tears trickling down her face.
The nurse patted her back and led her to seat, saying, "Yes, he will."
An hour later, the same nurse permitted her to go see the doctor first, which she did. The middle aged man was seated in his office, clearly waiting for her.
"Doctor" Seraphina called, taking her seat. "How is he?"
"Not better. You have to pay for the surgery" the doctor replied. "You know the amount, don't you?"
"$5 billion? Yes, I can recall" Seraphina replied. "I have the money with me."
*****
"Where's my daughter in-law?" The sick old woman lying on the bed asked, trying to keep her eyes opened as she anticipated a positive answer.
Magnus gritted his teeth to hide his pain before replying. "She'll be moving into my house tomorrow, Grandma. Don't worry, I bring her over when I'm free."
"Good. Now, my grandson listens to me" the old woman laughed and coughed simultaneously.
One of the maids rushed forward with a cup of water and fed her with it till she calmed down.
"Try not to stress yourself" Magnus warned with a soft voice, which was a huge contrast to the cold tone he used on his new wife.
"I won't. You're a married man now, so I can be rest assured you'll be well taken care of" the old woman replied. "She's a good girl. I'm sure you both will learn to understand each other."
Magnus scoffed inwardly as Seraphina's face popped into his head.
"I doubt that. She looks dumb" He muttered.
Soon, he left for his mansion. The next morning came in a twinkling of an eye. His driver drove him straight to Seraphina's apartment. The confused looking lady was already standing outside with her luggages.
"Go help her" Magnus ordered the driver.
Few minutes later, Seraphina sat in the Rolls Royce uncomfortably. She could feel Magnus's presence, but pretended not to see him despite the suffocating atmosphere. She had checked the marriage certificate, so she knew his name. Ignoring her wasn't a problem for Magnus too.
Arriving at his mansion, Seraphina felt a sense of loneliness. To her, the mansion was as icy and distant as the man walking in front of her. Strangely, she felt a sense of pity she couldn't explain for him.
As they walked further into the mansion, they met a group of people dressed in uniforms; both men and women.
"Welcome, Master" they greeted with a bow, to which Magnus simply nodded.
Seraphina smiled nervously and whispered to Magnus. "Aren't your family members dressed nicely?"
Magnus's head snapped to her. He has this are-you-that-dumb? look on his face that made Seraphina look stupid.
"They are the workers in this house" Magnus explained curtly, turning to the workers. "She's your Madame from now on. Show her the respect you give to me."
"Yes, Master" they obeyed, and bowed before Seraphina. "Welcome to the Blackwood mansion, Madame."
"Thank you.. haha" Seraphina grinned foolishly, her face red with embarrassment. She turned to Magnus and asked. "Where's our room?"
Magnus scoffed and replied with a frosty voice. "The maid will show you to your room."
"Huh... I thought....." Seraphina trailed off as she watched him walk away.
"Master is probably going to his study room" one of the workers approached her and said. "Let me show you to your room. The others will bring your luggages in."
"Wow!" Seraphina exclaimed, scanning the room with her eyes. "How come this one looks girly and lively compared to the mansion itself?"
"Oh, Master loves black and white with much simplicity, so he made the interior designs of the mansion that way" the maid explained. "He made changes to your room just yesterday after informing us to expect you."
"He did?" Seraphina asked in surprise.
"Yes, Madame. I'll leave you to settle down" the maid replied, and turned to leave.
The moment she heard the door close, Seraphina slumped into the queen-size bed, enjoying it softness. She almost felt she was in a fairytale land as she explored the entire space.
Soon, night came. As she stood in front of the large mirror, she recalled something critical. She had gotten married today, which made the night her wedding night.
Her head swirled with different assumptions as she anticipated his arrival, but he never came. In a way, she felt grateful to him for saving her brother's life. Even if it was an agreement, she felt he had done too much, and she needed to repay him. Instantly, she decided to willingly perform her wifely duties for the next five years.
Dressed in her royal blue night gown, she stood up and dragged her feet out of the room. She suddenly realized she didn't know the way to his room.
"Madame, do you need something?" A male voice called from behind.
Seraphina swiftly turned to see a middle aged man standing before her.
The man noticed her confusion and bowed in apology. "Pardon me. My name is Ethan and I'm the butler."
"Oh, Ethan" Seraphina muttered, her voice soft. "I'm trying to find Magnus's room?"
"Hmm... It's this one" Ethan replied, pointing to the large door in front of them.
Seraphina flinched. "It's beside mine?"
"Yes, Madame" Ethan replied, and turned to leave. "If you would excuse me, I have work to do."
Seraphina watched him leave till he was out of sight. With a deep breath, she walked to the door and placed a light tap on it. She waited for a response, but didn't get any.
Her curiousity reached its peak, and she opened the door and walked in, holding her breath. The room was just as the maid had described; black and white with much simplicity. Yes, it was just too plain.
- Writer
