THE RULES

She watched the guard dragging in her luggage with a dark and plump middle aged lady walking beside him. She had seen the lady earlier amongst the maids and she presumed her to be the head maid as she seemed to be the eldest amongst them. The lady took her stand beside her and they both stood side by side looking at Adrian who was sitting comfortably on the couch, while paying little or no attention to them. He stood up and adjusted his suit before turning his face towards them. "Take her to her room upstairs" he ordered with a deep voice. "Ok, sir" the maid nodded and picked up the bags. "This way, ma'am," she said to Alex who nodded and followed behind her.They both walked to the large twin staircase and as they walked, she saw Adrian heading out of the house and she wondered where he was heading tonight. The maid led her to a lit up passage which contained several rooms. They walked to a door and the maid pressed a keypad on the wall. The door slid open and they both walked into the room. "Wow.. " She exclaimed as they walked into the spacious lit up room. Her face beamed with a smile as she saw the king sized bed which was covered with a brown duvet. She could also see a large mirror shelf opposite the bed, and she smiled and she walked over to the mirror. Through the mirror, she could see the maid smiling behind her and she turned to look at her. "Hey," she called as she turned over to the lady."Ma'am, will you be needing anything else?" She asked at once."No, no, I'm fine. I'm Alex" she said as she stretched her hand forward for a handshake."I'm Vivian," the lady said with a smile on her chubby wrinkled face."You can feel free around me, I don't bite" she said again and the lady laughed. "Thank you, madam," the lady said at once. She looked away from her and continued looking around the room. She could see his portraits hung all over the walls and she couldn't stop blushing over his handsome appearance. "Would you be needing a bath?" The lady asked again."No, I took my bath before coming here. And don't ask about food, because I've already eaten" she said as she walked to the bed to sit. "Ok, ma'am, would you need help in arranging your things in the room?" She asked again. "No, um.. you can leave them over there. I will do that myself" she said."Ok, ma'am, I'll take my leave now" she said and made a slight bow before walking out. "Argh" she sighed as she took off her leather sandals. She couldn't believe she would be spending her night in such a luxurious room. She laid on the bed and shut her eyes in excitement as it felt so cozy and soft. "I love this!" She exclaimed.Her heart raced to Adrian and she thought about them spending the night together in the same bed. She imagined him doing all sorts of nasty things to her and she chuckled. "Would he even come close?" She asked as she let out a chuckle.She looked at the ceiling with her face beaming with a smile. She is still a virgin and she could remember promising Femi her virginity. She couldn't believe how her life had taken a new turn. And now, a man she had never considered in her life, would be the one to take her pride away from her, she thought. "Where did he go?" She asked herself as she stood up from the bed. Her eyes caught with a portrait on the mirror shelf and she walked slowly over to the shelf.She could see a picture of him carrying a little baby girl in his arms and they were both laughing with excitement. She recalled that he had a daughter whom his first wife took away from him and she presumed this little baby to be his child.What really happened here? Did he really try to kill his first wife? She thought as she dropped the portrait on the shelf.The news had sounded so convincing and everyone had believed so easily because of the bad reputation of the Steels family. She walked over to the bed and sat down dejectedly. "What if he tries to kill me too? Tonight?" She asked herself.She reached for her box beside the bed and she brought out a small button phone. She needed to inform her family and friends about her new home, she thought as she dialed the phone with excitement. His footsteps could be heard as he climbed up the stairs tiredly. He looked at his wristwatch and it was 9:35pm already. He had spent a few hours at the bar watching a football match, as he couldn't bear the thought of staying with the peasant girl for even a few minutes. He had no friends and so he had nowhere to go, apart from the bars and clubs where he goes on a few occasions. As he stepped into his room, he froze for a moment as he saw her sleeping peacefully on the bed, with her body fully covered in the duvet. He shook his head in disbelief as he walked further into the room.His fist clenched and the veins on his neck became visible as he walked to the bed angrily. "What!" His angry voice sounded all over the room.She jumped out of sleep at the sound of his deep scary voice. "What..what is happening?!" She panicked as she jumped out of the bed in confusion.She began to pant as she stopped and stood facing him. She could see his face burning with anger and she shifted backwards as she wiped her sleepy eyes with her palm. Before she could speak further, he shouted; "Get your filthy self out of my room!"She shifted backwards again as she saw his eyes filled with furry. "How dare you! How dare you bring your blighted, grimy, and mucky self into my room!" He thundered."I'm..I'm..sorry..sir" she stammered as she shifted backwards while trying to look away from his face which had become like a monster. He shifted closer to her and her whole body began to tremble as the thoughts of being strangled overwhelmed her. "Now, get your damn luggage and get the fuck out of my sight!" He thundered again. "I..I will" she cried shakily as she hurried past him with her whole body trembling. "Vivian! Vivian!" His voice echoed all around the place.Not long, the door opened and the maid ran into the room anxiously. "What did you do? How dare you bring her into my room?!" He barked. "I'm.. I'm sorry sir, I thought." She tried to speak. "You thought?! You thought what?!" He cut in madly."You asked me to take her to her room, and since she's your wife..I ..I thought it's wise to bring her down here" she explained with her frail hands trembling. He scoffed and shook his head as he turned to Alex who was already arranging her stuff in her bag."Now take her out and show her the way to the guest room!" He ordered. "Yes, sir!" She answered at once as she hurried over to Alex. As soon as she was done packing, she grabbed her bags with Vivian beside her and they both tried to rush out of the room. "Hold it right there!" His thunderous voice came through.She froze and turned to face him immediately. Her heart began to beat so fast that she began to sweat even under the air-conditioner. "Hey you" he said as he pointed at the maid."Sir," she called with her head bowed."Leave" he ordered and she flew out of the room immediately. He tried to catch his breath as he turned to face her. She lowered her gaze to the floor immediately and he could see her feet trembling greatly. "Look at me," he ordered in a calm voice.She raised her face to look at him and she saw his dark eyes burning through her body. "If you want to get out of this marriage alive, you have to abide by the rules" he said with authority. She lowered her gaze to the floor as she saw him walking closer to her. "Rule 1, stay away from my stuff. Rule 2, stay away from me. Rule 3, mind your business!" He warned seriously and she nodded immediately. "Now leave!" He yelled and she zoomed out of the room. She saw the Maid waiting for her at the passage and she led her into a small furnished room on the second floor. "Hey, I'm sorry for the stress I made you go through. I should have brought you here earlier" the woman apologized with all sincerity. "It's.. it's fine, um…I understand. I mean..I never planned for peace when I signed up for this marriage, anyways" she said as she forced a smile on her face. "Thank you, madam, thank you for understanding," she said again."You can leave" she said and the maid left immediately.As soon as the maid left, she went to the medium sized bed which was covered with a white duvet. She sat on the bed and placed her head on her palms. Tears began to drop down her face as she recalled everything that just happened. She hasn't been this humiliated all her life. When they said he was mean, she never expected him to be this mean, she thought as she began to cry. How is she going to cope in this marriage? Would she really make it out alive? She thought as she raised her face up. She sniffed and wiped the tears off her face."Well, he said there were rules. If only I will play by the rules, then I will make it out alive," she assured herself.She looked around the room and smiled. It was nothing compared to his room but she liked it anyway. Who even wants to share a bed with such a mean person? She thought as she laid on the bed and yawned.** She looked at the time and it was 7:35am already."Jeez!" She exclaimed as she jumped out of the bed. She needed to prepare breakfast for Adrian, she thought as she stood up at once.She walked over to the wardrobe and dressed up in a white lingerie and black baggy shorts. She wrapped her messy artificial hair in a bun and hurried out of the room.As she walked down the stairs, she was greeted by the maids who were downstairs cleaning the house."Morning, Mrs Steel," she heard them greet and she smiled and waved back at them. "Um, may I know the way to the kitchen, please?" She asked ."This way, ma'am" the tall, fair skinned lady said to her.As she walked into the large and well equipped kitchen, she stood in awe as she was amazed at everything she saw."Morning, Mrs Steel," the three maids at the kitchen greeted."It's quite expensive here" she said with a smile as she walked towards them. They were dressed in their usual short blue linen gown and white satin bonnet. "You should be sleeping" She heard Vivian's voice."It's morning," she reminded as she walked over to the cabinet."Yes, but you should be in your bed, as you have people all around who will do the chores for you" she said."No, that's not how it is back home. Besides, I need to prepare breakfast for my..hmm..for Mr Adrian," she said and they laughed. "You're really funny, Mrs," one of the maids remarked."I take that as a compliment. So, what does he like to have for breakfast?" She asked as she looked at their faces."Toasted bread and tea is what we have on our timetable" Vivian replied."Ok, I know how to make it perfectly," she said with a smile."Ok, the kitchen is all yours" Vivian said and they all laughed." Everything you need is here. Mary, please help us at the laundry room" she said to the maid beside Alex. "Madam, if you need anything, you can talk to the maid over there, her name is Bose '' she continued as she pointed at the maid who was cleaning the dining room outside the kitchen. "Ok ma'am" she said with excitement and the maids looked at each other in surprise as she referred to Vivian as ma'am.She smiled as she watched them walk out. She turned her attention to the eggs and fresh tomatoes on the tray. "I'll make a perfect dish!" She said with excitement as she took the knife on the tray.As she sliced the tomatoes in pieces, she heard a hissing sound and she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. The sound continued and she turned to see the pressure pot on the stove top making a hissing sound as it released steam. "Jesus!" She exclaimed as she dropped the knife and moved backwards slowly. "Snake inside the pot!" She screamed and dashed out of the kitchen. The sound of his cotton slippers were heard as he climbed down the stairs, dressed in a white sweatshirt and white pants. He stopped for a moment as he heard screams coming out of the kitchen. "What's going on over there?" He asked the maids in the living room as he walked towards the kitchen.Just then, he saw her running out of the kitchen and before he could speak further, she bumped into him and they both fell on the floor. Her eyes shone as she realized what had just happened. She raised her head and saw herself on top of his body. "Mogbe!"She exclaimed in Yoruba as she jumped up from his body immediately. The air became tense as she stood in front of him, waiting for him to rise up. She could see the maids standing behind her and she heard them murmuring. "Let me help you, sir," she offered as she tried to touch him. "Don't..don't touch me!" He barked as he sat up on the floor.She shifted backwards immediately and gulped. She watched as he stood up and looked at everyone, including the guards who were all watching him. He turned his attention to her and her heart jumped into her stomach. "Sir..it's..it's..the pot.. I heard the pot hissing..like a snake" she narrated anxiously and the maids burst into laughter. "It's a pressure pot, that's how it works. It's not a snake" Vivian corrected from behind. "Pressure what? I..I never knew" she explained with fear written all over her body.He let out a sigh as he turned away from her. He had never been so embarrassed all his life. He needed to get rid of this woman before she put him in a further mess, he thought as he stormed out immediately.