SOPHIA CASTILLO

My heart began to race faster than normal when I heard the shower stop and I knew Adrian was done taking his bath.

When we arrived at the mansion, he asked me to follow him and I obliged without a word.

He told me to get rid of my dress and, to be honest, I was worried when he said so because I thought he was going to make out with me but none of it had happened.

He told me he didn't want to see me in that dress anymore as it only annoyed him and reminded him that he had just gotten married to a gold digger, which, in other words, was me.

He walked out of the room and I took off my dress. I didn't know what else to wear as my clothes had not been brought in yet and our marriage was of circumstances.

I wanted to ask him for something to wear, but I was nervous. I didn't want him to say any more hurtful words to me and so I got rid of the dress.

I entered the bathroom and took my shower. I wrapped myself with a towel, not wanting to think of Adrian's reaction when he came to see me in his towel.

Thankfully, Adrian said nothing when he came back to the room. He only glared at me for a few seconds before getting rid of his clothes.

I looked away, not wanting to see him and although I wasn't looking at him, I could feel him staring at me and it made me nervous.

So many thoughts filled my mind at that moment and the more worried I was.

Adrian walked into the bathroom and I heaved a sigh of relief before curling myself on the bed with the towel tightly wrapped around me.

I covered myself with the duvet and acted as if I was sleeping because I wasn't ready to face Adrian yet and I didn't want him to find any more reasons to insult him.

I held my breath when I opened my eyes to see Adrian staring at me. He wasn't smiling as always and fear gripped me because I thought he was going to strangle me to death.

"You are a bold one, aren't you?" He said in a calm tone, almost in a whisper, but he didn't whisper and I felt shivers down my spine from fear.

"You dare to sleep peacefully after making me marry you?" His lips curled to the side and he stood back on his feet.

"Get up," he demanded and I did as he said, my body shaking although I wasn't visible.

I noticed Adrian staring at me. "Are you going to sleep in that?" He pointed at the towel tightly wrapped around my chest.

I nodded my head, unable to speak.

"You can't speak? Did the cat catch your tongue? Come on, answer me when I talk to you," he demanded.

He wasn't shouting. He never shouts. He has always spoken to me in a calm tone, but each time I felt a tremor whenever he spoke. It was like behind his calm tone was a demeanor.

Each time he spoke to me, it was never as if he didn't mean any harm to me. It was as if every word meant something and I would have to decode them to know what he meant.

I swallow the lump that formed in my throat. "Yes," I replied.

"Yes, what?" He asked, but I didn't understand what he said and so I kept quiet.

Adrian let out a peal of small laughter. "Never refer to me without adding 'Sir', are we understood?" He asked and I nodded my head.

"Use your words," he demanded harshly although he spoke calmly.

"Yes sir!" I almost exclaim.

My heart was beating in trepidation and although the room was cold, I felt hot and my palms were sweating.

"Good girl," he said.

"How can you sleep so peacefully knowing well you just got married? Just how?" He asked.

I didn't understand his question or how he wanted me to answer and I knew I had to say something or he might get violent with me.

He had never been violent with me before, but I felt he was that kind of man. I felt he was that type of man that raised his hands on a woman and didn't hesitate to put her in her place and I didn't want to be one of the victims.

"I was...tired," I stuttered.

Damien placed both his hands in his sweatpants pocket. "You were tired and you thought sleeping would help relieve you?" He asked.

"And you think I would let you sleep when I can't sleep?" His brows rose slightly.

I swallowed a painful lump down my throat. As it was, I was finding it hard to breathe already.

"Are you this dense? I mean you don't know how to speak or you can, but you don't know how to reply, which is it?" He questioned.

I said nothing. I wanted to answer him but I didn't know how to and I was afraid of provoking him. I was scared of him raising his hands on me.

"Get rid of that," he said after some seconds, pointing at my towel.

"I...I have nothing to wear," I tell him.

"Get rid of that," he said one more time in a firm tone and I did just as I was told.

I wanted to quickly wrap the duvet around my exposed chest but I was worried, I didn't want to anger him and so I sat down, watching how he stared at me without shame.

How could he be ashamed of staring at me when I was his wife. I mentally scolded myself.

Adrian walked away and when he came back, he handed me female pajamas. I held the pajamas and saw that they were my perfect size.

I wondered who the pajamas belonged to and I couldn't help but imagine him bringing women to this room and sleeping with them on this bed.

SOPHIA CASTILLO

I wanted to tell him that I didn't want the dress of a female I do not know.

I was never a fan of sharing clothes and I never shared clothes with my sister even though we had the same body stature.

I didn't want to wear the pajamas of another woman and because I couldn't tell him, I began to cry.

"What is wrong with you?" I heard Adrian speak harshly and I flinched from his tone.

"You are unbelievable. Do you think I'd be moved by these crocodile tears? Why are you crying and what did I do to you?" He shook his head in disbelief and I sniffled a little.

"I knew you were a hypocrite but I never expected it to be this bad. I gave you something to wear and you are crying? What? What do you want from me?" He asked.

I bit my bottom lips and quickly wiped my tears. "I..." I wanted to speak but I struggled to form words in my head.

"You what? You think that because we are not married, will we be a real couple?" He sneered.

Adrian leaned closer to me and I gulped in shock. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and I forgot how to breathe.

It's the closest we have been and it made my heart beat faster. He was staring at me warmly at first and before I knew it, those code gaze of his returned.

"What we have between us isn't real Sophia. We got married because my grandfather wanted me to and your parents needed help and so he saw it as the perfect opportunity to get me married. Also, you weren't the first choice. Your sister was the one I met at first, but you came in a week later and I want to know why. Where is she and why didn't she come to our wedding? Did your parents realize she wouldn't be able to get the job done and decided to send you instead? Tell me?" He demanded, slowly whispering to me

All the while he spoke, he caressed my ear and I felt. I parted my lips slightly as I stared at him.

"Tell me, Sophia. What are your parents' plans? Tell me truthfully and I might forgive them and help them out."

I furrowed my brows. I did not understand what he meant and what he was referring to. "Plans?" I asked rhetorically.

"What plans?" I managed to ask.

"You know very well what their plans are. You want to take over my company, don't you? You married me, so you could tempt me and make me give all my property to you and your family, isn't that? Come on, tell me. I mean that could be one of the main reasons your sister was taken back. She couldn't do it, could she?"

Adrian trailed his index finger on my face and it landed on his lips. "I mean, take a look at you, you are beautiful and your eyes..." He brushed his thumb against my lips.

"They saw that you were the perfect one for the job and decided to marry you off instead, but guess what?" He leaned towards my ear and I felt goosebumps rising on my skin.

I was very nervous and my heart wasn't helping as it raced faster than normal and I could feel the beat in my head like someone was drumming on it.

"You will never be able to tempt me. You won't be able to get close to me. You won't even see care and support from me. Nothing will happen between us and that's a promise. If you think that I would touch you or be tempted, then you are wrong. You should know that won't happen and don't ever get your hopes up," he expatiates.

He stood back on his feet. "I will unravel your secret soon and when I finally find out, you and your family will suffer the consequences and that's not all. I will make sure you suffer more than the consequences and I will never make empty threats.

"Change into those and don't even think about crying. I know women like you. This trick of yours might have worked on another man, but it definitely won't work on me, not at all."

"Also, you won't be sleeping on the same bed as me. I find you unclean and unworthy of sleeping on the same bed as me. Thirdly, you will mind your business. Do not try to get close to me and never invade my privacy. You might be my wife, but that's just it. You are my wife and nothing more. Do not attempt to touch my things or by mistake touch my things because I won't tolerate them."

"We have no choice but to be cordial with one another when we are outside, but do not overdo your part of trying to be very friendly with me. I won't accept it, not at all. Do not overstep your boundaries and try to be the loving wife in public because I hate fake women the most."

"Last but not the least, you are not allowed to call me by my name and when you do refer to me, use 'sir' and so do not speak to me unless you are asked to, is that understood?" He asked.

"Yes...sir," I replied almost immediately.

I was going to follow all of his rules, after all, it was favoring me. I don't want to get close to him or be in the same space as him. After all, I wouldn't be able to tolerate him, or maybe I would because I have never been the type to speak back at others.

"Good. You may go and sleep on the couch or the floor, wherever it is comfortable for you. Now get up," he demanded and I did as told.

He got on the bed, switched off the lights, and went to sleep and I stood in darkness, thinking of where and how to sleep.

SOPHIA CASTILLO

I groaned silently as I woke up. I felt pain in my left arm and I knew it was because I slept on it. I set my foot on the tiled floor and yawned.

"I see you are awake."

I froze when I heard Adrian's voice. I looked towards the direction his voice came from to see him all dressed up with his hands in his pants pocket.

"Good morning...sir," I greeted him, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Good morning? What is good about the morning? The fact that I have to wake up and see your face every day or the fact that we share the same room? Which is it, Sophia?" He asked.

He was speaking calmly as always, yet it made me nervous.

"Do you know what time it is?" He questioned and I looked around the room to find a wall clock or an alarm clock.

He began to walk toward me and my body stiffened.

"I will tell you the time," he raised his hand to look at his wristwatch.

"It's fifteen minutes to ten," he said and I gasped.

I couldn't believe I slept that long, but I guessed it was because of the stress I went through yesterday.

"You must feel so comfortable sleeping on that couch, don't you?" He chided and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat.

Every step Adrian took toward me made my heart race faster than normal. I was nervous.

I didn't want him close to me. I felt my eyes blur from tears that formed in them.

My eyes locked with Adrian for the shortest seconds before I quickly looked away from fear.

"There she goes again, crying as always. Don't you get tired? Why do you keep doing this? It only makes me disgusted if you do not know that. It only makes me angry. I mean if you didn't want to marry me, you could have said so. I guess your sister has a better conscience than you do because I mean, you are so good at the game," he snarled.

"That's not true," I said in a whisper.

"What did you say?" he asked me. He was now squatting in front of me.

"That's not true," I repeated myself.

"Then what's the truth? I mean your father's company was at the edge of bankruptcy and to save his company, he came to my grandfather and, in return, my grandfather offered to help him if one of his daughters got married to me. Now here is what I am saying. I am asking what father would marry his daughter off without a reason? I mean I wouldn't do that to save my company. It's like selling my daughter in exchange for my company's growth, and for his daughter to agree, she also has a part to play," he expatiates.

I clenched my fist. I had not noticed I was crying until a bead of tears touched my skin

"You know nothing," I told him.

"Really? I know nothing? I mean why are you married to me? How old are you again? I mean if you didn't have a part in any of this, you wouldn't get married at this age. Your..."

"You don't know anything!" I exclaimed in anger, cutting him off from saying any more words.

I realized what I had just done as my little action had taken him by surprise. I ran into the bathroom, not wanting the same space as him.

I began to cry out there.

I was tired of holding it, I was tired of acting strong when I am not. I was tired of being accused. From the moment he set his eyes on me, all he did was accuse me and call me names that I am not.

After crying my heart out in the bathroom, I went back to the room to see that Adrian was gone and it made me feel at ease as I did not know how to face him, not after raising my voice at him.

I walked out of the room and down the stairs to go find something to eat. I didn't know anywhere in the mansion and so I didn't know where to go when I came down the stairs, but luckily for me, a maid walks by.

"Good morning madam," she said to me and I smiled back at her.

"Good morning," I replied politely.

"Please where is the kitchen?" I asked.

"I will show you where the kitchen is, kindly follow me, but first what do you need? I could get it for you," he suggested.

"Do not worry. I will get what I want by myself. You do not have to worry, and thank you," I said to her.

She nodded her head. "Okay, ma'am. Kindly follow me," she said and I followed behind her.

Just as I reached the entrance of the kitchen, I heard whispers, but what caught my attention was my name.

"That's her name?" One of the maids said.

I couldn't see their faces as they were backing me.

"Yes. Sophia. You should have seen the way Sir Adrian kept a distance between them. He wasn't happy at all," another maid said.

"What's worse is, I was passing by their room this morning and I heard voices. I wonder what could be going on," the maid sighs.

"I just feel for her. When I asked if I should call her for breakfast this morning, he said not to bother. He didn't seem to care. I mean he has always been cold to everyone, but at least he should show mercy to the poor girl," the first maid who spoke said.

The maid that directed me to the kitchen cleared her throat, getting their attention. They all turned to look at her and I did not miss the surprised expression on their faces the moment they saw me.

They quickly bowed their heads and greeted me. "Good morning Madam," they said simultaneously.