CHAPTER SEVEN

I came out of the bathroom dressed in my two-piece nightwear as I was done washing up. I dried my hair with a white towel and approached the bed when Bran walked into the room.

“What are you still doing here?” I paused what I was doing and asked.

“If I recollect, we are still a married couple, so this is also my room. We shared this room on our wedding night, remember” Bran said and found his way into the bed.

I stood there, the towel still in my hands.

“Well not anymore…..Us being married doesn’t mean we have to share a room or a bed”.

“Well that wasn’t included in the contract, we get to share a bed and a room,” Bran said and adjusted the duvet on himself.

“Fine! You can have the bed and the room, I’ll have the couch downstairs. I won’t bend to the things you want” I said, grabbed a pillow and stormed downstairs.

Bran sat up on the bed almost immediately after I left the room, a sudden wave of remorse weighed down on his face.

I finally got downstairs and realized that it was a vintage kind of couch was there and it would not be convenient for me to sleep on as it had a weird structure.

I dropped my pillow on the couch and went back upstairs. I opened the door to the room and found Bran supposedly pretending to be asleep cause I knew he wouldn’t have gone into a deep sleep that soon.

I walked to the wardrobe and grabbed the extra duvet that was neatly folded inside and only when I heard Bran's words did I realize.

“You never forgot,” Bran said in a soft voice.

“What?” I asked as I held the duvet close to my chest area.

“How did you know there would be an extra duvet in there if you did forget?” Bran asked.

I looked at the duvet close to my chest, still confused about what he said but then remembered shortly after, that Bran once told me years back while we were having a random conversation that he always keeps an extra duvet in the wardrobe.

“I can't believe I just grabbed the duvet subconsciously because I knew it was going to be there”

“I know because it's the Garner’s residence, this room wouldn't have just one duvet,” I said and hurried out of the room.

At last, I found my way back to the living room. I spread the duvet right on the floor set up my pillow right on it and laid down to sleep. A lot of thoughts flew through my mind and I knew that I needed to come up with a plan to end this facade and get back my family’s company.

A sudden vibration from my phone caught my attention as I adjusted and picked up my phone, it was a call from my dad.

“Dad, shouldn't you be asleep? It's late”.

“I was about to do that but I had to let you know that I would like to see you and talk,” he said over the phone.

“You want us to talk?” I asked as combed through my hair with my fingers.

“Yes Sophia, will tomorrow be okay with you?” he asked.

I cleared my throat.

“Well, I will have to check back with Bran and know if we have any scheduled activity together”.

“That con man!” he said.

“I will let you know if I will be free tomorrow”.

“Okay my dear, thank you so much”.

“It's fine Dad….goodnight”.

“Goodnight my dear,” he said and hung up.

I placed my phone right beside me, cleared my head of all thoughts that would keep me awake and went to sleep.

BRAN’S POV

It was in the middle of the night, I, for no reason could not sleep, so I got out of bed and came downstairs for a cup of water. I was about to get into the kitchen to get water when I saw Sophia lying on the duvet, on the floor.

I had assumed that she would sleep on the couch and would cover up herself with the duvet she took, but it turned out to be the other way around.

I approached where she lay down and saw her all curved up and at some point, she twisted and turned because of discomfort.

I knew that she was not comfortable on the floor and she would not be on the couch either, so I carried her from the floor and back into our room and onto the bed.

Sophia immediately adjusted into a comfortable position and slept deeply the moment she was laid on the comfy bed.

SOPHIA’S POV

The sun's rays sliced through the curtains like a hot knife would slice butter and hit my eyes. I squinted my eyes to reduce the reflection of the sun's rays and this caused me to wake.

I sat up on the bed, stretched and realized that where I was, was not the living room but instead the bedroom.

“How did I get back in here? Did I waltz back into this room by myself??”

I looked around and Bran was nowhere to be found in the room. I quickly got out of bed and headed downstairs to figure out how and why I woke up in the bedroom.

I was about to pull the bedroom door handle when the door suddenly opened from the other side and Bran rushed inside. He quickly grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me into the bed as he quickly used the duvet to cover himself and me up.

The next thing I did was land a slap on Bran’s cheeks.

“What the hell is wrong with you?! ” I asked out of annoyance and pulled away my hand. I was about to get out of bed when he suddenly said, his cheek still slightly pink from the slap.

“My uncle is almost here and the last thing we want is for him to find out that we aren't on good terms as a couple,” Bran said.

I suddenly felt guilty about the slap I gave him as I had thought he wanted to have his way with me against my will.

“And how is that my problem? Last time I checked, you wanted a wife and I am here right in front of you” I said as I tried to hide the fact that I was sorry about the slap.

“Well that alone won't work on my uncle…..you of all people should know that my uncle and I aren't on the same team”.

“Why should I know such? Whatever issue you have with your uncle is likely your business and not mine….. You don't get to decide who I get to work with”.

“This will also affect your family,  there is always a connection”.

These words suddenly resonated with me.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“There must not be loopholes if you still want your family’s company…..there was an agreement, so hold your end of the bargain,” Bran said and got under the duvet.

I sat by the side of the bed and pondered on what to do. Immediately I heard a knock on the door, I quickly got into the bed and under the duvet.

Bran suddenly pulled me closer to him and made me rest my head on his shoulder, with his arm around my neck.

“Pretend to be asleep,” he said into my ears.

“Good morning lovebirds,” Tom said as he opened the door and saw us still in bed.

“Good morning Uncle Tom, didn't know you would stop by so early”.

“I just wanted to see the newlyweds,” Tom said with a pretentious smile.

“She’s still quite asleep, so maybe some other time”.

“Good morning Uncle Tom” I suddenly raised my head from his shoulder and muttered. Bran looked at me immediately, quite disturbed that I didn’t pretend to sleep and instead spoke up.

“Sophia, you’re awake. Why don’t you both come downstairs?” Tom asked and exited the room.

I quickly got away from Bran and got out of bed as Bran came after me and pulled me back by my arm.

“What the hell did you do that for?” Bran asked eagerly.

I tried and successfully broke my hand away from his grip.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do Bran, I am old enough to make my choices…..I am not the same 19-year-old Sophia you strung along with your deceptions”.

“There are things you still don’t understand and being this way with me would end up putting both of us in a peril,” Bran said, convincingly.

“That is where you are getting one thing wrong Bran, I am only here to get back my family’s company and not be tangled in your family drama”.

“Then play your freaking role well and do what I say if that is really what you are after Sophia!” Bran said with determination.

“The better you play your part the faster all of this ends well for you,” he said, picked up his robe and put them on as he exited the bedroom.

I stood there, fueled with mixed emotions throughout every part of my body.

I needed to devise and sketch up a plan for myself, entirely different from Bran’s.