The next morning, Astrid woke up feeling refreshed. She took a good look at the room. The ceiling, instead of being completely white—like most ceilings—was made of glass. It had an illusion made to look like the sea, with large and small different, colourful fishes.
The floor was similar to the ceiling. Anywhere her feet touched would shimmer under her, making her feel like an otherworldly creature.
The walls were made to look marbled with black and white colours. There was a sixty-inch television mounted above a small fireplace, right opposite the queen-size bed.
On the left side of the bed was a balcony that could fit thirty people and gave a good view of the countryside. Why have such a large balcony? She wondered.
There was a knock on the door, followed by Thelma’s soft voice. “Miss Astrid, are you awake?”
“Yes, come in!” Astrid answered. The door opened, revealing Thelma, Mary and Darius.
Astrid fumbled with her words as she wanted to ask what he was doing there. “Good morning.” She finally blurted.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” Darius smiled sweetly at her, pushing her further into confusion. Sweetheart?
“What’s going on?” She asked. Thelma’s cheeks were pink as she looked down at her feet, while Mary just smiled.
“We’re going to a banquet. Sorry I didn’t inform you sooner.” Darius told her. “Get her ready.” He instructed the two women.
Thelma hurried into the closet to get Astrid’s outfit ready, while Mary walked into the bathroom to prepare a bath. Darius just stood there in all his beauty, a dark blue velvet suit adorning his body and showing off his muscles at the same time.
Astrid found herself staring longingly at him. Anybody would. She still couldn’t get used to the fact that she was under the same roof as Darius Titan, breathing the same air as him. His presence in the room made the air hot, even when it was really cold.
Darius stared back at her, feeding his eyes with her bed hair and down to her sock-clad feet. She looked nowhere near attractive with that look, but Darius could barely contain himself. He had seen her curves in her dress when she had first arrived, after all. But he still needed to get himself under control.
“Ma’am, your bath is ready.” Mary, who had been watching them give each other heated looks, finally spoke up. Astrid blinked and nodded, heading into the bathroom.
“Is this necessary?” Astrid asked, blushing crimson when Mary took off her dress.
“I need to help you have your bath, ma’am. It’s my duty.” Mary replied, washing Astrid’s hair. Astrid relaxed as Mary’s fingers moved around her hair. She had magic fingers, for sure.
“If I may ask, how did you two meet?” Mary asked, referring to Astrid and Darius.
“I’d rather not answer that now.” Astrid laughed it off, not knowing what lie to tell, or what lie Darius would permit.
“It’s good that he’s found happiness after all this while. Is there going to be a wedding?” Mary asked, excitement making its way out of her.
“Hopefully.” Astrid answered.
“Forgive me if I'm being pesky, but why did you say you were his personal assistant when you first arrived? Didn’t you want us to know?” Mary asked another question that Astrid had to think up an answer for.
“I didn’t think it was the right time. I see Darius has filled you in.” Astrid said, not realizing that she had finally dropped the formalities out of his name.
“Oh, yes. Even before you came.” Mary nodded.
After that, there was silence until Mary had cleaned every part of Astrid’s body. “Does Darius have people who bathe him?” Astrid asked, only out of curiosity.
“No. He barely lets anyone enter his room.” Mary answered, wrapping Astrid in a towel. They got out of the bathroom, where Thelma stood.
“Mr Titan is waiting at the balcony.” Thelma announced with a bow.
They helped her get into a long, velvet, blue dress which had a short slit on the left side. There was a cape made of black tulle that made for a train behind the dress. Everything made Astrid feel regal.
Her red hair was styled in a perfect bun and held together with a silver hairpin. She wore 4-inch silver platform heels. “Isn’t this too much?” She asked after they finished her makeup of mild, smoky eye shadow and nude lipstick with just the right amount of highlights and contour.
“You’ll meet people who are dressed more than this. This is the lightest. At least you don’t have on large necklaces and earrings, on sir's orders.” Thelma informed. Astrid just smiled.
The two women walked out quickly. Astrid carefully walked to the balcony and found Darius looking on with his back to her. “Mr Titan.” She had no idea what to say to him.
He turned and held his breath until he saw every bit of her that he could. He took a deep breath and talked himself out of having questionable thoughts. At that moment, he knew he had made the right choice. He wouldn’t get married to her, but he would be engaged to her and it was worth it. She was beautiful.
“You look lovely.” Sexy, he wanted to add, but he stopped himself before he could.
“Thanks.” She smiled.
“By the way, let me make it clear to you now. We’re nothing to each other inside these walls. The whole world will see us as lovers, but you and I both know the truth. Let it remain like that. You mean nothing to me behind closed doors, understood?” He said sternly.
“Of course, I know that.” Astrid nodded once. Darius silently prayed for it to remain that way. His patience and self-control were already tearing at the seams. If she continued to unconsciously tempt him, which she always did, he would have no choice but to change the rules he had set.
He offered his hand out to her, and she took it. Hers was small in his, making it easy for him to clasp it perfectly. Ignoring the haywire beating of their hearts, they both walked out of the room as a couple.
They walked outside, where three SUVs were parked. They got into the one in the middle, Darius helping Astrid with the train of her dress.
After the long, smooth ride, they reached a large, glass dome. It had large banners outside with different pictures of Darius on them. The words: WELCOME, DARIUS TITAN! were written on each of the banners.
“What exactly is this banquet?” Astrid asked as crowds of paparazzi and media people appeared, trying to get him to answer questions about her.
“Is she one of your conquests?” One of them had asked, earning a glare from Darius as he squeezed her hand tight, but not too tight.
“It’s just a casual brunch held every year. It’s also a fundraiser for different creative businesses and infant industries.” He answered, wrapping his other hand around her waist. The bodyguards seemed to be doing a good job with dispersing the paparazzi.
As they got into the large hall with different tables scattered around, Astrid recognized some people as celebrities she had never dreamt of meeting. Everyone quickly stood up to get a better look at Darius. Lots of people were anxious, seeing Darius. Others were shocked to see Astrid by his side. They all had smiles on their faces as Astrid and Darius made their way to their reserved table.
“By the way, you need to get ready. This is where I’ll propose to you.” Darius whispered in her ear with a smirk as he placed a swift kiss on her neck. That didn’t go without being caught on camera, of course.
Astrid stiffened as she sat. She didn’t know which one to react to first—the chaste kiss, which set her heart on fire, or the fact that Darius would propose to her earlier than planned. “I don’t get it. You said you would propose when we go out for dinner.” She finally chose which one to talk about. “I know. But after this banquet, I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere else, so let’s get this over with right here.” He gave her a smile. Through the smile, she found out that he had this planned. There was no way he would propose here if he didn't want to. She narrowed her eyes at him. Their food was served at once, filling the table with colourful dishes of seafood, spaghetti, rice, all kinds of salad, and five bottles of wine and champagne. Astrid didn’t get to eat breakfast at the house, so she ate little portions of almost everything on the table. She just drank water, since she was a lightweight with alcohol. She watched different people talk, make t
By three o’clock that afternoon, Thelma had announced to Astrid that Darius wanted to have lunch with her. Her heart raced fast in her chest as she put on a silk flower-print dress, reaching the middle of her thighs. “I see you’ve started to have your meal.” She said as she was led to the garden at the back of the house. She saw an array of different flowers, even the ones she never thought she could see in real life. Butterflies hovered above them in different colours, along with birds. It gave the place a serene feel. She sat on the picnic bench, beside him. He said nothing as he downed his orange juice. “Why are we having lunch together? It's not really necessary.” She mumbled. “Let’s just go by my rules.” He responded. “I have rules that you need to follow, too.” She turned to look at him. “Oh,” he seemed taken aback by her statement. “And what rules are those?” He asked, suddenly interested. “I should be allowed do whatever I want
Astrid couldn’t make it for dinner later that night. Her monthly period would soon visit, so she had early cramps to show for it. Thelma had made herbal tea to help ease the pain. . Darius ate downstairs, worried. Astrid had not told him why she was in so much pain. He just knew her stomach ached, and that she could barely eat. He was considering going to bed early when his phone rang. “What do you want?” He spoke into the phone immediately he picked it up. “You know what I want.” A young woman's voice spoke slowly and seductively to him. “I really don't have time for this right now, Selene.” He sighed tiredly. “Why didn't you tell me you had a woman in your life that you were serious about? What’s so special about this particular woman?” Her voice held anger, this time. “Is that what this is about?” He asked. “Of course, it is! You have no idea how ridiculous I feel right now. If you had marriage in mind all along, why
Darius was frozen in place, too deep in his own thoughts to see that Selene had opened the door. At least, she was smart enough to not open it fully and expose her naked body. “Hi, who are you?” Selene asked, acting like she didn't know who Astrid was. “Have you seen Darius around? I need to speak with him.” Astrid said, playing calm. A little too calm for someone who found another woman in her fiancé's room. What could she do, really? Her stomach still had a mild ache. Besides, why would she want to start a random fight over a man? “I think he went out.” Selene lied smoothly. There was silence as the two women stared at each other for a long time. “I'm sorry, do I... know you?” Selene frowned, exerting a form of dominance to intimidate Astrid. “I don't think we've met. Do you work here?” Astrid asked, having every idea how insulted it would make Selene feel. She was no idiot to know that Selene was having an intimate relationship with Darius.
As Astrid pulled Darius in for a kiss, he didn't hesitate to return the gesture. He had wanted to kiss her first, but he remembered how she disapproved of it when he did it before. Now that she had done it herself, there was nothing to feel bad for. In fact, he had never felt that relieved in a long time. Finally realizing what she was doing, Astrid pulled away and looked at him with her eyes wide open. “I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was doing. This is horrible.” She walked to the balcony to get fresh air, mortified. “Good night!” Astrid could hear the laughter in Darius's voice as he said it. She had totally embarrassed herself. What was she thinking, kissing him out of the blue? What would he think of her now? As she heard the slam of the door, she relaxed on the recliner that faced the outside world and gave a perfect view of the plain lands surrounding the house. Astrid always loved to look at the night sky. Something about the stars
Astrid sat alone in the garden until nightfall. Her parents would arrive anytime soon, and she had to be there to make sure nothing went wrong. She walked to the dining hall, where she found Darius, Joaquin, Derek, and Ki-woo sleeping with their heads on the table. Joaquin had a pencil stuck to his face, and Astrid couldn't help but laugh at the cuteness of all of them combined. Darius was a good-looking man. Nobody could deny that he sure had good-looking friends. Darius's eyes shot open immediately and he sat up, looking around. Astrid noticed that his tousled hair made him look quite the opposite of his usual self. He was always so put together, one would think he slept and woke up in a perfect state. Astrid giggled at the look of his hair. He looked at her in confusion before flexing his neck and stretching. “What's so funny?” He questioned, the thickness of voice doubling since he just woke up. “You should see your hair.” She replied.
Waking up the next morning, Astrid found Darius sitting on his desk and writing swiftly in a large book, a phone placed between his ear and his shoulder. “I just told you, Joaquin! Call the architects and the civil engineers today. I'll pay any amount. Cancel all my meetings.” He instructed. His voice seemed shaky. “I don't have time for jokes, dammit!” He shouted over the phone. “She's not doing too well, you know that. I have to see her now.” He stood up and closed the book. “Yes. I'll call you when I see her. Take care of the office for me.” He hung up and took deep, shaky breaths. Astrid saw that his hands were having serious tremors. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and turned to the bed. “What's wrong?” Astrid frowned, standing up. “My mother. She's sick. I have to go now.” He answered, walking out of the room. “Let me come with you.” She offered, wanting to see Nikoleta. “No. Stay right here. I'll be back.” He opened the
Darius and Astrid managed to sneak out of the dining hall, while their parents talked and laughed together. Darius stopped in front of his play room and turned to Astrid. “You can’t tell anyone about this.” He told her. “Who would I tell?” She shrugged, highly curious to know what would happen behind the door. He opened the door and let her walk in first. Cautiously, Astrid entered the room and frowned. “This is where you torture women.” She said like it was a major discovery. It was, at least to her. “I don’t torture. I give them what they need. They just don't know that they need it” He corrected her, locking the door. “You inflict pain on them. Seems like torture to me. I'm sure the walls in here are not even soundproof.” She argued. “Well, the pain works hand in hand with the pleasure. You see, pain in the most pleasurable way makes you question your life choices. Do you want to broaden your sexual exp