An Hour To Dress

Clara POV

Time flew by and I couldn't even tell what time it was at the moment. Not only was there not a window that could tell if it was evening or night, but I didn't have my phone on me that could tell me what time it could be or how I would know if it was the next day.

It was all about guessing. If the ground gets a bit colder, it means it might be night, and when the coldness from the ground reduces, then it's afternoon.

And that's how I kept track of time.

Just like before, the door pushed open, but it wasn't the boss that was standing in front of it—it was Derick, the bouncer from the club.

He didn't say anything; he was just standing in front of the door and staring at me. And then he began to take a step forward, and on reaching close to me, he brought out a key and unlocked the iron chain restraining my hands and legs.

His huge, intimidating body stood before me, and with a deep voice, he instructed, "Stand. It's time for you to look presentable to the boss. He doesn't like his properties looking like trash."

Properties. I'm now a property. I thought as much. I was nothing but a property, but deep down, I had no choice than to accept to be a property.

I didn't say anything after Derick had said this to my face. He doesn't even have a bit of remorse for what was being done to me. What if the same thing was done to his love once?

I only massaged my numb wrists, and when I tried to stand from the ground, I almost fell back not until Derick grabbed my hands in time and helped me up: "You shouldn't break now that the boss is trying to have a taste of his properties."

And another word came: "taste." What exactly was he trying to say by that word?

Even though I could speak, I dared not to say a word. I had learned enough lessons to be silent rather than speak. I guess that had been what slaves do, and I'm scared that I was already adapting to it.

Derick took me to a room. The room was very massive, with everything arranged. There was a big bed, there was a wardrobe filled with different dresses and jewelry, and not just that—while we were making our way to the room, the entire place looked different. Even as I stared outside the window, the landscape looked entirely different from the previous mansion of the boss that I was brought into earlier.

And before Derick left, he left me with one word: "You have one hour to get dressed. You have to attend the family dinner."

And with that, he left, before locking the door shut.

I rushed to the door and tried to open it, but I noticed it was locked, and only having a key would one be able to open it.

They all knew what they were doing. If they had left the door open, then taking the risk to run out of the mansion would be what I would do.

Among all my empty thoughts, which I knew I won't put into action, I still had one thing to stick with: getting dressed. Which involved taking my bath and doing all that was requested of me by Derick, through direct instructions from the boss. I wouldn't want to be locked in that hell of a place again.

I went into the shower, took my bath, and no one told me before I did my makeup, because everything was there for me. Could it be that I couldn't stand watching those expensive makeup tools standing there at me?

And within thirty minutes, I was already done with everything. I had chosen the best clothes in the wardrobe; all the clothes were very good, and I could tell they were pretty much expensive.

The words "family dinner" kept ringing in my mind.

Could I be married to the boss without my consent?

I sighed, then walked toward the massive window in my room with a beautiful view of the mountains. The forest in front of me was also looking very nice, though there was a clear field before the first tall trees started at the last peak before spreading down the hillside.

"It's beautiful..." I softly said with a smile on my face, and for the very first time, a smile was genuine on my face.

And just when I had thought to forget about the hell I was in, the door creaked open and Derick stepped inside. "It's time. The boss doesn't want to be kept waiting."

How? I couldn't remember spending that long staring at the window and the beauty of nature. Time seemed to move very fast. And yes, I could tell what the time was when I started staring at the window, because there was a clock on the wall.

"But it's just a few seconds ago..." The words left my mouth mumbled, and Derick chuckled as though wanting me to repeat what I had said, but I only let out a grin to fade off any trouble that might have been wanting to resurface from his mind.

I walked alongside Derick, and on each path we passed, there were different paintings. And not just any paintings—expensive ones that could be worth thousands of dollars.

And soon we reached another massive door. When we went in, a big dining table was before me. The boss, with an elderly woman in her seventies, was seated. She was looking very delicate with white hair, and also looking very expensive.

"Will you stand while eating? Why not take a seat?" the white-haired old woman softly said to me with a soft smile.

And with my confused face, and different thoughts struggling within each other inside me, I forced a smile on my face and sat on the seat.

"You look pretty, just like Cinderella from a cartoon movie... hahah," the old lady said with a laugh.