08| Good girl for him

'How could a man like him cook this well?' Mili was genuinely impressed as she watched the cold man dish out the spaghetti onto two plates. With the finesse of a professional, he sprinkled some pepper and grated Parmesan cheese over the top before handing her a plate and a fork. Unlike yesterday, she waited for him to take a bite before diving in herself. Spaghetti was one of her favorites and this was definitely beyond delicious.

'Just always do as he says, word for word, otherwise he would not hesitate to kill you' - that was the maids' final warning as they saw her off from the Knight's mansion but Mili could not fully agree to that. She acknowledged that he surely got angry when she cried, kept her at a distance or silenced her in his own ways but right now, he did not seem the vile monster everyone warned and feared ... not while providing her the shirt and definitely not while focusedly cooking for them.

Mili happily nomnomed on the delicious dish, her little bites filled with joy as she satisfied her fervent hunger.

Daniel had also skipped dinner to finish with the piles of pending papers in a hurry. With a few bites, he finished off his food and noticed Miliani still taking tiny, dainty bites, gently swaying her legs and enjoying her food, fucking adorable.

"Be a good girl for me tomorrow and I'll take you out," Daniel said, unable to resist patting her on the head. Mili's body stiffened momentarily but soon melted into the comfort of his affection. His touch firm yet surprisingly gentle brought a strange sense of relief to her. Also, his attention, his affection made Mili feel a warm, fuzzy feeling she had never known before.

Daniel waited till she was done and then put her down from the counter. It would take Mili a day or two to get accustomed to the mansion, so she chose to follow Daniel.

"Sleep here, in my room," he ordered lighting up a cigar, just as when Mili was about to enter her room. Mili was looking too cute to be left apart from his sight. A fresh, well-fed, pretty little thing. Mili, like a defenceless person complied, to look on the brighter side, she had noticed how huge her room was, it would surely be scary for her to stay alone for the night. Mili was too tired to think much like the previous night, and just as the soft surface touched her back, her eyes gave in.

When Daniel entered his bedroom, he found her already sound asleep on one of the sofas in his room. He chuckled to himself thinking about her, how can she just sleep peacefully in the bedroom of a man like him?

•

•

•

Claudia had arrived earlier than the scheduled time, today. The chemistry between Claudia and Miliani was on the rocks but both were bound to tolerate each other - one for the money and the other out of the fear of her husband.

After the rest of the table manners and etiquette lessons from yesterday, Claudia decided to groom Miliani on how to maintain posture while walking especially at high profile events which led her to know that Miliani cannot even walk on pointed heels. She arranged a pair of four inches and assured Miliani that the process under her guidance would be a piece of cake.

Even after multiple tries, Miliani could not leave the support of the wall and walk straight on those. But Claudia was determined.

"Your husband is much taller than you. You need to be able to walk in those at the grand event," Claudia's voice boomed making her more uncomfortable. Was she even helping her groom or pushing her into more insecurity, Miliani kept thinking while dealing with the painful heels.

"Don't lean forward, Miliani," Claudia scolded watching her laden more into the walls rather than trying to stand straight but Mili could not follow her direction as it went higher than her tolerance level.

"That's enough!" Jessica's suddenly appeared in the hall. Miliani watched Jessica stop Claudia from making her let go of the wall's support.

"Seriously? You sprained her ankle," Jessica shouted over Claudia taking a closer look at Mili's discomfiture and then turned to Mili and questioned, "Why did not you say anything?"

"I did not realise," Mili said as she was deeply indulged in being a good girl for him that she all along assumed that the pain was caused by those high heels only, little did she have any idea that she had sprained her left ankle at her very first try.

Jessica ordered a maid to bring an ice bag for Miliani and approached to help her take off those heels by supporting her distressed frame.

"But the classes aren't over yet-" Claudia tried to reason, if not walking on heels then other things can be taught by being seated. But Jessica's deathly glare made her halt, Antonio's daughter was notorious in her area for her bad temper issues.

"I'll teach her on your behalf. You may leave now," Jessica took Miliani near the seater and helped her sit.

"Jess, thank you," Mili mumbled at her unexpected help while trying to locate the spot of pain on her ankle.

"No worries, I shouldn't have said something like that to you, yesterday," Jessica softened her demeanour for Mili while sitting beside her. She held her hand gently and asked in an apologetic tone, "Don't mind it okay?"

Mili looked at her positivity, giving her an appeased smile.

"Did you forget to bring your luggage, Miliani? You are wearing the same clothes from yesterday?" Jessica asked watching her wearing the same dress for two days in a row. Repeating outfits is disgusting, that too the very next day was something she witnessed for the first time in her life.

"Actually, I had no time to prepare anything before leaving that place," Miliani explained her not sensing any of her underlying disgust.

"You guys left just after the wedding ceremony, right?" Jessica tossed the only information she had about their suspicious and rushed wedding. Everyone at the Romanos knew it was a shotgun wedding and the reason is vividly clear to them. But Jessica decided to dig further and deeper.

Miliani nodded while receiving the ice pack from the maid. Jessica waited till the maid left and again continued like she was genuinely curious, "Did you get married at the church or the mansion? Can you please show me the pictures?"

Mili hesitated biting on her lower lip, her wedding and pictures sounded disastrous together, moreover, she does not possess a mobile phone.

Jessica noticed her hesitancy to say anything. "What, no traditional wedding ceremony?" Miliani only nodded in affirmation to Jessica's interrogation. But she moved closer, proceeding to help Miliani lift her legs on the sofa.

"So, you just signed the papers and registered your marriage?" She asked casually while doing so.

"I don't know," Mili whispered doubtfully.

"You don't know what you've signed?" Jess tried to suppress her mocking tone at Mili's utter stupidity, keeping her voice calm, "Did Daniel say those papers make you his wife?"

"A dummy wife," Mili answered in her soft voice.

.... And a satisfied grin emerged on Jessica's face. Damn! She just pulled one card and that turned out to be this wild.

•••

Innocence can be captivating, innocence can be dangerous at times, but in the devil's very own tale, it can become dangerously captivating.

•••