Chapter Six

There was no exchange of words between us as Daniel's lackey-Nathaniel helped me inside the shiny limo. My new family had already left the mansion before us.

In fact, it was my husband's idea to stay back and he displayed the interest in the most cruel way possible to his father. He pulled my hand at the breakfast table, and kissed the back of it, smiling as if he hadn't disappeared the whole night after our dispassionate love making. He had only shown up to join the family for breakfast.

"I want to spend some private time with my wife so we are staying back." I couldn't stop myself from glaring at his smug face as he winked at me. For whatever reason he wanted to stay back, his father agreed to let him.

After that show of affection at the breakfast table, Daniel didn't look at me even for once. I spent the entire afternoon in my room, staring at the ceiling and playing Candy Crush to stop my mind from going back to thinking of him, and our disastrous wedding night. I stayed in bed until Nathaniel knocked at my door to inform me that we were ready to leave our wedding mansion in New Hampshire.

My husband sat beside me the entire ride without any interaction. It appeared I had married a non-talker if not for a show.

Married. I swallowed hard with the realization that I was no longer a girl. I was a married woman. I looked out of the window unsure whether to be happy or sad about it. It was pointless to think as my better half of the man sitting beside me. It was a complete waste of energy. He'd done his duty as my husband, as unwilling as vile and I had done my duties as his perfect trophy wife. Anything beyond that was not in our contract. If anything I should feel humiliated instead of thankful for not being totally reckless and hostile towards me. The truth was he didn't hurt me, not physically at least.

The limo slowed, coming to a stop before a posh neighborhood entrance.

"We're here, sir. Do you want to visit the main villa first?" His driver asked as we passed through the security system.

I had never been to a high maintenance gated community and it was surely one of his kind with white marble houses and lines of polished cars at every driveway. I squirmed in my seat with the anxiety of fitting into such a place.

My father had a small apartment where I spent sixteen years of my life until I moved to a studio apartment in New York to be a fashion designer. I failed miserably and barely survived through working at local boutiques. Yeah, it looked like a piece of building sized pie for someone who had only ever had a cookie.

Daniel finally looked up from his phone, the Maybach's interior matching the color of his eyes as he turned his head towards the Rutherford Villa, enormous and easily standing out among the rest of the neighborhood. "No, take us to my house. We'll visit our family later."

"We are not living with your family?" I asked him hesitantly, my fingers curled on the soft fabric of my silk dress. The slips were so slippery on my skin that when I turned slightly towards him, it slid down from my right shoulder. My husband's eyes lingered there before he glanced at me. It was the first eye contact we had in hours.

"I'm a married man now. Don't you think we should have a villa to ourselves?" He scowled at me and went on with whatever interesting thing was going on in his phone.

"But it's our family. We should-"

"My god, woman." He snapped, his jaw tightening and when he glanced up, the irritation in his eyes caused me to flinch away. "Do you want my parents and brothers to hear your lewed moans while I fucked you at night?"

I shook my head quickly, my cheeks heating up and my body shrinking away from him.

"Yes, think not." He gave me a lopsided grin.

I glanced at his mouth, then turned, leaning on the armrest and looking out of the window.

We slowed down to another monstrous mansion to our left and stopped for the gates to open. I couldn't stop getting curious about the advanced security system and leaned over my husband's side to see the huge metallic gates open.

I heard a low groan from my husband above my head and I realized my body was closely sliding over his side, his eyes again fixated on the thin strap of my silk dress that slipped yet again. I pulled it back on my shoulder and slid back to my side.

The limo pulled around the drive, thick luscious greenery lining the driveway and our home unveiled. It was a dream house, with glass being it's primary building material and l loved the beautiful garden fountain. A little squeal died inside my throat when my husband turned and regarded me with a scowl. "Is this all you dreamt for when you signed up into the bride catalogue? I hope you're not disappointed with your rewards."

My smile faded and a bile rose up. I looked away and glared at the same view I was enjoying a moment ago. My husband was so evilly honest that I couldn't even hate him for those words. The car stopped near the mansion and I wanted to run inside to be away from his presence.

"Now, don't be angry, little brat." He reached out, placing a hand on my bare knee peeking through the slit of my dress and halting my reach for the door handle. "Nathaniel will show you around. You can squeal for your prize all you want in front of him."

"You're not coming in?" I asked him, a little unsure if he was going to answer me.

He released my knee and shrugged out of his black suit jacket, then draped it over my shoulders. Holding the lapels of his jacket around me, he dipped his face close to my ear and whispered in a deep growling voice. "Put this on while you walk around with him in this ludicrous dress. And tell Marianne to select dresses that don't expose your body more than it covers. Understood?"

I gulped, my heart thudding violently due to the closeness, the hold he had around me and his musky aftershave that tickled my nose. I nodded.

"Lily!" He gritted out.

"I understand."

"Good. Now go get a house tour, my wife." He nodded in the general direction of the house. My door was opened by the said man, Nathaniel. I accepted his hand and stepped from the car, aware that Daniel's eyes were on my hand which was in his lackey's hand. I pulled away my hand and inhaled the new world, the one I was part of now, but had to officially sell my soul for it.