THE RULES

The banquet itself wrapped up quickly than expected.Kira sat silently in the back seat of the rolls royce.The atmosphere in the car was so stiff and cold and she was sure the air conditioner was not the problem.

It was him.

Her eyes slid sideways, stealing a glance at Edward on the far end side of the car. He was sitting like he had been carved out of ice and then taught how to wear a suit. His face was cold, blank, as if life had never given him a single good reason to smile — or at least, to loosen his face up a little. Just a little. A muscle twitch would have been nice.

The chauffeur drove in perfect silence, taking them to Edward's private mansion.

Apparently, Mr. Wellington,her new grandfather-in-law had insisted they live alone. In his words "The newlyweds needs privacy, to do whatever they wanted and bring him great-grandchildren as soon as possible.

"As if that would ever happen.Kira rolled her eyes so hard in her mind and she was surprised they didn't get stuck. With this human freezer sitting next to her? The only thing he could be bringing to her was a cold.

The only sound in the entire car was the soft, polite voice of the car's navigation.

"In 500 meters, turn left."

Even the GPS sounded more romantic than her husband.

They soon arrived Hampstead heights estate. From the gate it was a five minutes drive to Edward's private residence.The heavy iron gates of the skyshow bay mansion rolled open and the car drove in slowly.

The chauffeur came around, opened the door for them, and handed the keys to Edward with a small bow.

"Goodnight, sir. Ma'am," he said, and with that, he slipped out through the gates. Kira later learned he had already booked a ride back to the main Wellington mansion. Smart man. Even he didn't want to spend a night in this house.Edward with a small remote controller in his hand closed up the gate and the gate shut with a quiet and expensive thud.

Kira then turned to stare at the mansion. Maybe that's why they called it skyshow bay because from the balcony you could get a perfect view of thousands of bright stars at night.

She knew this wasn't even his only mansion in London. In ,he had another one in Kensington, the one they called Tinder hills.

Edward unlocked the massive front door and walked straight in without waiting for her.

Kira stood outside for a second, her red dress trailing on the dark marble floor, staring at the huge glass doors of Skyshow Bay.

So this was it.

Her new home.

---

She stepped in through the doors and just... stood there in the middle of the vast, cold living room.She clutched her dress. Should she sit? Stand? Say welcome home to herself? 

Edward was standing in the sitting room also.He yanked at his tie frustratingly, loosening it like the tie had personally offended him all day.

He threw his suit jacket over the arm of the sofa in the living room.The house colours were odd just like the owner of the house.All the furnitures like curtains,sofas and tv set were all in either black, white or ash.

Then he finally looked at her. 

 "A woman comes here twice a week. Wednesdays and Saturdays. She cleans and she cooks. She will leave food in the fridge. Don't try to be... domestic. Don't touch the kitchen if you don't have to."

Kira blinked. "Okay."

 Before she could breathe after the "okay"He cut in. 

"I have rules".

Oh. Of course. The Rules. Because what else would you give your new wife on your wedding night? Flowers? No. Rules.kira thought sarcastically.

"Rule one,since we are going to be staying under same roof..he began his eyes lazy. "Do not cross my path unnecessarily. If I'm in the living room, you stay somewhere else. If I'm in the kitchen, you wait."Don't come 5 metres close to me.

Kira's mouth opened slightly. Excuse me?Kira thought.

"Rule two. Never, in any circumstance, enter my study. That's on the east wing, second door. I like my private space and I don't want any.....He paused and sized her up "Dirt in the space I work".He completed.

"Rule three. Do not touch my things. Do not move my things. Do not reorganize my things. I like to see my things remain the way I keep them.He continued getting stricter with each one.

"Rule four.We stay in different rooms. My bedroom is upstairs, master suite, right end of the hallway. Yours is at the complete opposite .That's the left end of the hallway.Do not come to meet me unless strictly completely necessary.My space is my space and your space is your space. Understood?"

Kira stared at him, her red dress suddenly feeling very heavy.

As he ranted on, only one thought was ringing in her head.

_At the end of the rules they would only be complete strangers who didn't know the other was also living in the house "

Edward didn't wait for her answer. He took it as a yes.

"If there is anything else I want you to note,with time I would present them to you.Since there are no questions,I would take my leave now.He said as he turned towards the stairs, taking his coldness with him.His footsteps echoed on the marble floor until a door slammed.

Kira let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Fine. Different rooms. Perfect. She didn't want to share a room with an iceberg anyway.

She dragged her tired feet upstairs to her room which was at the opposite end of the hall way from Edward's end.

She pushed the door open.

And for a second, Kira just forgot how to breathe ,not from anxiety this time but from surprise.

Her room.

It was spacious and beautiful in a way that didn't even try too hard. The walls were a soft and warm white, the floor was the same dark marble as downstairs but covered halfway with a thick, pink-colored rug that her bare feet would sink into and she immediately took off her shoes and placed her feet in it,it was exactly how she had imagined it to be. A king-sized bed sat in the middle, dressed in the whitest sheets she had ever seen, with more pillows than one person could ever need.

There was a floor-to-ceiling window that showed the garden outside, and a small balcony with two chairs.The wellington maids had been here earlier in the day before the wedding to place her things here.A walk-in closet was already open, empty, waiting for her things — which were two suitcases already placed at the side of the closet.

Of all the terrible things Edward Wellington had done today, giving her this room almost felt like an apology. A very expensive and silent apology.

So tired from the day,she immediately proceeded to remove her dress and take a shower because she needed to sleep as she was already tired.

Walking into the bathroom at the side of the room,she came out clean twenty minutes later, her hair still wet and dripping onto her shoulders, changed into a soft, and sized lounge wear — . She felt more like herself again. 

And then she remembered.

Her phone. Her bag.

She had left her small clutch — with her phone, her emergency inhaler ,on the front seat of the Rolls Royce. And Edward had the car keys.

Her chest was already starting to feel a little tight. Anxiety did that to her.

She had no choice.

She had to go meet Edward.

Kira tiptoed upstairs, her wet hair leaving little drops on the marble. The upstairs hallway was dark and silent. The master suite at the end had its door slightly ajar, light spilling out.

She knocked softly. No answer.

"Edward?" she whispered, pushing it open just an inch.

There was no one in sight,"Did he go downstairs?she thought.

She opened the door fully and got in.She crossed her arms and examined the room.

"Hmmph".She huffed.The room had the same boring colours downstairs,black,white and ash.It was wide and spacious and well arranged.Edwards must be a organized man.She thought.

Suddenly the door opened fully and Edwards got in.He had two buttons opened and his sleeves rolled up.It seemed he had just been in his study, judging by the reading glasses he had on and his slightly tousled hair.He was taken aback on seeing her there.His eyes landed on her — wet hair, bare legs, standing in the middle of the room. 

His entire face darkened.His eyes literally screaming "you crossed the boundary on the first day I warned you??!!!!

"What the hell are you trying to do?" his voice snapped, sharp enough to make her flinch.