Chapter 4 The Real Him

Penelope

I fiddled with my hands as I lagged behind the maid who was leading me to the dining room.  She had come into the room and informed me that Tyrell's grandfather had sent for me since dinner was ready and everyone was waiting for me at the dining area. If I wasn't very hungry then I wouldn't have followed her,  but I only had breakfast today, I skipped lunch since I was busy thinking about my marriage and I just couldn't afford to go to bed on an empty stomach like last night.

We finally got to the dining and everyone suddenly had their attention on me aside from Tyrell whose eyes were focused on the table. 

"Penelope come and have your sit." Tyrell's grandfather beckoned giving me a small smile.

I nodded and smiled and then walked closer to the table, my eyes scanning around for a place I could sit. My brows puckered when I saw that the only empty seat was beside Tyrell. 

My eyes met Layla's and she smiled at me, I returned the smile before shifting my gaze back to the chair. 

Letting out a sigh and since I had no other option, I walked over to the chair and was about to pull it out when Tyrell's words stopped me. 

"What are you doing here? Who said you could join us at the dining? I never said you could sit at this table, did I? Isn't it enough that I have to deal with sharing a room with you now you want to eat in the same space as me?"

 His eyes held disgust as they peeked at me. I stepped back as everyone looked at me. Layla looked at me with pity, her mom on the other hand had a smile on her face she appeared to enjoy watching her Nephew humiliate me. Tyrell's grandfather on the other hand looked pissed. 

"I do not want you in my presence." This time his words hurt me even more and I didn't know why I was feeling that way. His words shouldn't hurt me but it felt as though an arrow was shot at my heart, I forced myself to maintain a wan expression not wanting to give him the feeling that his words mattered. 

"That's enough, Tyrell. I sent for Penelope before you came. Also, you don't speak to your wife like that, apologise to her." Tyrell's grandfather ordered his eyes darkening as he stared at Tyrell. 

"Grandfather, I would do anything but apologise to this woman. She is not my wife but your daughter-in-law. " Tyrell's tone was calm but it made his stance clear at the same time. 

He shifted his gaze to me and gave me a dirty look before wheeling himself out of the dining.  I didn't wait for anyone to say anything,  I just ran off from the dining area and headed to my room. 

I noticed Layla came after me but I didn't stop until I got to the front of my door. 

"Penelope."  

"Please, can you leave me alone?"  I said rhetorically before entering the room and shutting the door. A sob broke from my lips as I relived the embarrassment caused by his words. How could he just say those hurtful words casually not only in front of his family members but some maids and waiters who served were also present? It made me remember the way my family always treated me and made me feel rejected.  Here I was thinking I was going to be free from that since I was no longer in that house but it wasn't any different. 

"Penelope, I'm not leaving." Layla's voice came from outside as she knocked on the door. 

I forced myself to stop crying and tried to steady my tone. The last thing I wanted was to let my weakness show in this mansion, my family was well aware of how words usually hurt me and they didn't fail to use that to their advantage. 

"Penelope," Layla called again this time she knocked on the door twice. 

"Yes, Layla." 

"What would you like to have? Grandfather asked me to ask. I'll bring it up to your room for you." 

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry." I lied. I was hungry but I had lost my appetite. 

"And let grandfather know that I would be okay." 

I didn't bother to open the door as I replied to her. I locked the door after hearing her retreating footsteps, I wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone. And I certainly didn't care that I was locking Tyrell out of his room. I took out the key from the door and placed it on the table before going into the bathroom. I washed my face after which I stood in front of the mirror and took in my reflection reminding myself that I had to be strong. I was very well used to people like Tyrell, I had them as my family members, one thing I had to do was never let him feel that he could hurt me with his words. 

I walked back inside the room and lay on the bed and didn't even realise I drifted into sleep until someone tapped me. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and slowly opened them. I almost jumped in fright when I saw Tyrell staring at me with cold eyes. I recalled locking the door. My eyes darted to the table and the keys were still there. 

I sat up on the bed and looked at him wondering how he got in.

"How dare you lock me out of my room? This better be the last time you try something like this." He warned giving me a once over. 

He probably had another key and opened the door, I was silly enough to think that I could lock him out of his own room.

My chest clenched as I remembered how he humiliated me earlier and because of him I didn't have dinner but I knew I was going to survive, hunger wasn't new to me after all.  Just a day of knowing this man I hated him so much. 

"Get off my bed. I need to sleep." his voice interrupted my thoughts and I found him staring at me, his eyes blazing with contempt. 

"Where would I sleep?" I questioned awaiting his response. 

"On the floor? The bathroom, anywhere,  I don't care. Just get off my bed." He barked casting a cold glance at me and I stood up. 

I hissed giving him death stares which he didn't seem to be bothered by, he just gazed at me with eyes filled with intense dislike. 

Taking a deep breath trying to calm myself down, I pointed at the couch at the other side of the room.

"I can at least use the...." 

"No," He shook his head cutting me off before I could finish.

"What?" I frowned in annoyance arching a brow at him.

"You heard me. No one sleeps on my couch." He replied curtly and a smirk crept on his face.

"But the floor is very much available." He muttered glancing at the floor. 

Really? This man was damn serious! I was married to cruel man, couldn't he be considerate at least to let me sleep on the couch or was he joking? 

I knew it wasn't a joke the moment he grabbed a duvet and pillow and threw it on the floor. 

"I'm kind enough to give you this or if you don't want it you can sleep while standing, I heard it is a good form of exercise." He sassed.

I was wrong, he was damn serious! I heaved a breath, bent to the floor, and picked up the duvet and pillow. I walked to the other side of the room and spread the duvet on the floor and the pillow as well before lying on it. I was glad it wasn't winter yet else I was going to wake up with a cold.

I kept turning on the floor because I wasn't comfortable. Letting out a groan I sat up and glanced at the bed. The evil man was lying on the bed but he still had his mask on, was he going to breathe properly? Didn't he have plans to take that off? Why did I even care? It was none of my business.  

If stares could kill then Tyrell would have been long dead. Groaning in frustration I decided to lay back on the floor and force myself to sleep.

Next Day..... 

I rolled over changing positions, I was a bad sleeper. I could never maintain one position while sleeping, it was so bad that sometimes I would sleep on the bed and find myself on the floor the next morning. My eyes wrenched open when I finally became conscious of how soft what I was sleeping on was. I sat up quickly and frowned when I looked around and realised that I was on a bed, Tyrell's bed.

 It was the last thing I was expecting since I remember lying on the floor last night.  Could it be that Tyrell brought me to the bed? I laughed at the thought of it. It was impossible, Tyrell was disabled, he couldn't even walk. How then was I able to get on the bed? I was a bad sleeper but one thing I never did was sleepwalk. So I couldn't have walked to the bed. Someone brought me here. Tyrell wasn't even in the room and I needed answers. 

Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened disrupting my thoughts. My eyes wandered in the direction and they widened when I took in the sight in front of me. A man was standing there, he had a towel wrapped around his waist. He wasn't just any man he was a breathtakingly handsome man, and I was unable to avert my gaze rather I took a proper look at him.  

His long black shiny wet hair fell on his broad shoulders some parts of it covering his rock-hard chest, he had large muscular biceps, my eyes wandered lower to firm abs, and just when my gaze was about to go even lower the man cleared his throat forcing me to look at his face. 

Wait a second.. What was the man doing in this room? All of a sudden I stopped thinking about that and started to take in his facial features. His cold sea-blue eyes stared at me with intensity and they looked familiar. They were just like Tyrell's but that wasn't the only similarity he had with Tyrell, the lips were the same as Tyrell's. 

 Did he have a brother and the brother came in here by mistake? I took in his other features His angular cheekbones carved down towards a concrete jaw. Not only did this man have an alluring body, his face was gorgeous. I had never seen anyone like him, who was he? 

"You better close your mouth before a fly gets in." His voice was filled with mockery as he spoke but that wasn't my major concern, he had the same voice as Tyrell. I looked away in embarrassment and felt my cheeks heat up, I was looking at him like I wanted to take the towel off him with my eyes, how could I be that shameless? 

"Don't pretend like you weren't looking, I caught you. Seconds ago your eyes were glued to me." His voice was laced with pride and then I lifted my eyes to peer at him. He had a dark smirk plastered on his face and his eyes ridiculed me. 

"I... Was.... Just.." I started to say but I found myself stuttering since I didn't have any reasonable thing to say. 

"No need to lie. It's understandable after all I'm irresistible. And just in case you are wondering who I am or contemplating, I'm Tyrell." He let out answering the question I was yet to ask.

Say what now? He was Tyrell. How's that even possible? I thought he was disabled!