WHO IS HAZEL DUKE?

MIRANDA

My so called husband stared at me in shock and scoffed, "What effrontery!"

"Sammy, what are you still doing? Throw this piece of trash out of my house before I lose it."

I rolled my eyes, "As if I want to be here! You must be crazy upstairs, which explains why you can't speak without raising your voice, old man. Pick on someone your own size and news flash, I would be more than happy to leave this place."

A few other domestic staff had arrived at this point and they were all staring in surprise. The man looked at me in shock as though he could not believe I was speaking to him.

He began to approach me and at this point, one of the domestic staff ran and stood in front of me. She seemed a little older than me and was beautiful too.

Sammy tried to speak to him but he pushed him away. I folded my arms, feeling so happy that he wanted me gone. When he got close to me, the girl in front refused to budge. The man stared at her in surprise and it made me wonder who she was.

"Who the hell are you?" He took the words right out of my mouth and added, "Sammy, why are these nuisances in my house?"

"That is what I've been trying to expla....." Sammy was still speaking when the man told him, "You are fired."

Sammy stared at him in shock while the man took out his phone and began to call security.

"She's your wife," the girl in front of me suddenly blurted out. "Mr. Hazel, this is your wife, Mrs. Miranda Hazel and I am her maid personally chosen by your mother, Mrs. Duke."

He stared at the both of us in shock and it made me wonder, "Was he not the one who asked for a wife?" If the woman who brought me was his mom, I didn't believe she would get him a wife without his knowledge.

She told me last night that I became his wife after signing that document because he had already signed it. He definitely knew so why was he acting up? Calling me a nuisance? I was going to teach him that no one was allowed to disrespect me in that way.

He turned and stared at Sammy whose face had turned as white as a sheet. All the domestic staff who had initially come out had disappeared for fear of being fired too.

Sammy said, "Yes, sir. Your mother brought her last night. She is your new wife and you both are officially married. She gave me a copy of the marriage document and said the original would be with her in the meantime."

He sighed and massaged his temples while I sat back down and resumed eating my chicken. What a jerk! He tried to ruin my breakfast but the joke is on him. The way he went silent after hearing about his mum made me conclude that he was a mommy's boy who did not have a mind of his own. This explained why he couldn't get a wife for himself. The type of men I disliked the most were those who were tied to their mother's apron strings and Hazel seemed to be at the top of the list.

He suddenly dialed his mother's number. I didn't know what she said to him but then, he once again pointed his finger at me as he replied, "I know we had a deal but of all the women in the world, why did it have to be this thing?"

I looked up at him and our eyes met. I controlled myself because he was speaking to his mom and I had food in my mouth.

"Come on, Mom," he added. "Not this pathetic excuse for a girl."

My personal maid began to stroke my back gently as though she could tell I was fuming. I looked up at her and she flashed me a smile.

"You can keep your job," I heard him say to Sammy before he finally walked away while Sammy trailed after him, showering him with thanks.

I became full after eating the piece of chicken in my hand. so I washed my hands, got up, and headed back to my room while my maid followed behind me.

Once we got inside my room, she said, "My name is Melinda but you can call me Mel. I was assigned to you by Mrs. Duke and my job description involves making sure you are happy, keeping you safe from harm, driving you to wherever you want to go, making sure that whatever you need is available, and making you look more beautiful for your husband."

Her last line almost made me puke. It was obvious Hazel had a short fuse. I just needed to push him a little bit and he would explode. Once he became angry beyond reason, I knew he would make sure I left his house, irrespective of whatever his mother had to say.

"It's nice to meet you, Mel," I replied. "Who is Hazel Duke? I mean, what can you tell me about him?"

Mel smiled, "The first thing you need to know is that your husband is the richest man in this City."

My mouth fell in surprise, "Richest?"

She nodded, "Yes. He is thirty-six, his company is number one in the country and he has subsidiaries all over the world. People say he is arrogant, mean, short-tempered, and unapproachable. However, I believe that to successfully hold the position he holds and sit on so much wealth, you have to show the same traits, otherwise, people will think you are weak and your status will be in danger.

As you can see, your husband is not just wealthy but very handsome. Women do crazy things just to draw his attention but he ignores them like plagues. You are really lucky to be his wife. Don't dwell too much on the things he said earlier. He was upset, that was why."

I nodded, "I see. What are his dislikes?"

"Well, according to what I read about him, he hates liars and cheats. He hates incompetent, sluggish, and inactive people, he hates being bothered and surprisingly, he hates women too." She explained.

I chuckled, "Does that mean he hates his mother whom he seems so attached to?"

She smiled, "I wouldn't know, ma'am. These are just things I read."

I shook my head, "No, please just call me Miranda or Mira. Hearing you call me ma'am makes me very uncomfortable."

"Okay, Mira," she replied. "I also read that the closest people who work with your husband are males. There are no females among them as he doesn't like them being close to him."

"That's strange," I told her. "Is he gay then?"

She shook her head, "No, Mira. Your husband is very much straight."

I suddenly had an idea and smiled, "Can you take me to his company?"

She stared at me in shock and when I realized why, I chuckled, "Not like this, though. After I freshen up and comb my hair. Now that I've heard all this about him, I need to have a calm and civil conversation with him to prevent further drama."

"I couldn't agree more," she replied.

She left my room while I dashed into the most spacious bathroom I had ever been in. Thirty minutes later, I took a dress from my wardrobe, got ready, and combed my hair.

I noticed different gold rings among the box of jewelry that Hazel's mom had told me about. I picked one of the rings and wore it. It fit so perfectly.

"Now I look like a married woman," I said to myself before leaving my room. Just as I walked out, I remembered Collins and gasped. I needed to speak to him to tell him everything but I didn't have my phone with me.

My mom had said she would send it soon but I was eager to speak to him.

"Can I use your phone?" I asked Mel.

She gave me her phone and I quickly went back into my room. I typed in Collins' number and called him."

"Baby, it's me, Mira," I said the moment he answered the call.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Let me explain what happened last night," I began but he cut me off.

"Save it, Miranda. I will tell you what happened last night. After you left, the condom I bought turned out very useful. I had sex with my new girlfriend and it was magical. You are history, Mira, stay that way and never contact me again."

"No, please don't say that baby," I cried. "I know you are upset but your words are very hurtful. Don't say...."

He hung up before I could speak further. I tried calling his number again but he refused to pick up the phone. I knew he was saying that because he was upset. I didn't believe Collins could have sex with another girl. He just had to see me and all his anger would disappear. For that to happen, I needed to make Hazel send me away.

I wiped my tears and came out of my room.

"Are you okay?" Mel asked me.

"Yes, I am," I replied.

We left the house and got into the car my mother-in-law had bought for me. It was a beautiful red Ferrari but Mel drove because I had yet to get my license.

We arrived at Hazel's company and I stared at the skyscraper in awe. It still did not make sense to me why I was forced to marry him. It should have been someone else.

"Wait here for me, I'll find my way around," I told Mel before going inside.

I walked straight to the reception. There were three men and one lady at the counter, all formally dressed.

"Hi, I said," and the lady quickly turned her attention to me while the men attended to other people.

"I am here to see Hazel Duke," I told her boldly.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked me.

"I don't need an appointment to see my husband," I replied.

The moment I said that, everyone turned their attention to me. I was putting on a short, sky-blue flare gown. It was a limited-edition dress. However, everything else on me looked really simple since I had no intention of dressing up for that crazy man.

The men and lady at the counter exchanged glasses and I could tell they were trying not to laugh.

I folded my arms and said to the lady in a stern voice, "Call Hazel right now and tell him his wife is here before I get upset."