Welcome to the family

It was a new day, Aurelio had spent his night in the study room. He left Erica after sometime and went to go through some books but eventually he slept off since he was too tired.

His father and grandfather had spent the night in one of the rooms in the mansion after giving Rolph a terrific beating.

Erica eyes slowly went open, the first thing she could see was the ceiling that were beautifully designed. She slowly blinked her eyes and sat up on the bed to see she was covered in a black duvet.

She had a puzzled face on.

“Where am I?” she asked herself as she rubbed her hands on her head.

Erica looked straight and could see a large smart TV screen before her, she looked down to see she was in the middle of a soft King sized bed and then she turned to her left to see a dressing table just after a nightstand. And by the other side was another nightstand.

The whole room had a touch of gold and that made her more confused.

“How did I get here? Am I dreaming?” she asked herself and pulled the duvet off her body as she slowly made her way to the floor.

Her feet landed on something soft that felt like a cat’s fur.

She looked down to see the black and brown area rug she was stepping on and could see a white and purple crocs beside her.

Without thinking, she tucked her feet into it and stood up from the bed.

She could tell she wasn’t in an anyhow room since she could see beautiful chairs around a glass table far before her.

The walls were elegantly painted white and grey with glitters in addition.

She turned around and could see a luxe-looking standing out headboard above the bed that just increased the glam factor of the room.

“whosoever owns this room must really have a good taste” she said as gawking at chandelier lighting that hanging on the ceiling and we’re just inches away from her.

Beside the window was glamorous lighting, a fancy chair beside the window and a flower too.

She took slow steps further and saw a white accent soft bench just before the bed.

She turned around and saw a mirror on the wall before the nightstand and looked to her left to see a glass door and a big window almost covering most of the wall to represent the glaze with the sunlight.

Erica looked through the windows and saw chairs were outside, beautifully seated with flowers.

Looking to her right was another slide door. She took steps to it and slid it open to see she standing Before the bathroom.

“oh my goodness” she gasped at the beauty of it.

The walls were painted grey and gold and it had a perfect lighting.

She went back to the other slid door and slid it open as she stepped out feeling the cool breeze.

Erica walked further and saw a swimming pool, this time around, she paused.

“Where am I?” she asked herself then went back to the room after closing the door and walked through the door that seemed like the exit door.

Indeed it was, stepping out of the room and closing the door slowly behind, she saw a portrait of a black lady before her, and another of a flower.

“Wow” she smiled at the beauty and tried to locate her way to the first floor.

After walking around for some minutes, she stopped as she heard low whispers.

“Did you see what happened last night?” a maid whispered to another.

Erica hid herself”Eavesdropping would not be a bad idea right?” she asked herself in her thoughts.

“What happened? I was busy cleaning up and couldn’t, besides I heard Rolph betrayed the family. Is it true that he had been working for Aryan?” another gasped

“Exactly! He had been working for Mr Aurelio big time enemy, I really wonder what came over him that made him do that” another maid replied

“Aurelio?” Erica thought and then remembered what happened the previous night.

She remembered calling Aurelio and falling in his hands.

That was then it occured to her that she wasn't wearing the same dress.

She looked down to see she was wearing a flowery night gown instead, a designer night gown!

who changed her dress??

“Oh so he is Aurelio that they are all talking about?” she gasped lowly

“Gosh! You could have seen the way Mr Aurelio dealt with Rolph, I was happy he would punish him but at some point I began to pity him. You should have seen the way Mr Aurelio cut him little by little with a knife, on his cheeks, on his chest! And on top of it.. the other guards were whipping him at his back” the maid whispered and others around gasped

Erica eyes went wide as she covered her mouth out of shock.

“Are you sure it was Mr Aurelio doing that? When did he become that brutal?” one asked

“Surprising isn’t it? He did that to Rolph not because of he betrayed them but because he hurt his woman” the maid replied

“His woman?” they all asked

“You mean the lady he carried to his room last night?” they asked

“Exactly! I feel good about this, Mr Aurelio finally has brought a woman home. And I have good vibes she isn’t going to give us hard time” one said.

Erica smiled hearing that

“My woman?” she thought with a smile

“So you mean Mr Aurelio dealt with Rolph because of what he did to her?"

"Are you deaf? yess!! and then his grandpa and father took care of Rolph later on for betraying them" she replied

" I am sure Rolph is dead by now.. poor thing! but he deserves it anyways"

"How could he backstab them, he knows how much Aryan and his family had hurt this family but yet he went to work for him. what a bastard" a maid clicked her tongue and tighten her grip on the broom she was holding

"I wonder how he died" another one said

"That was the most scariest part, after Mr Aurelio gave him severe cuts, he left the scene and then his father sat him on the electric chair even when he had chains on him"

Erica flinched back immediately hearing that. "Electric chair? that's death chair" she thought 

" Oh my goodness! that's terrific" she heard a maid gasped and then Erica peeped to see who was actually talking.

About 5 of them in their uniforms gathered together beside a white table with their cleaning materials talking.

"He didn't just sat him there, off course you know what's next.. he was electrified! shocked with direct electricity current!" the girl replied

Erica flinched back again.

Couldn't they be that brutal?!!!

"Oh my good Lord!!" the other maid gasped

"That was just Mr Bertram's punishment to him, and then his grandpa stepped up. he didn't do much but to set Rolph on fire, and that was how he died.. like a criminal that he is" she concluded

"That was what he got for hurting Mr Aurelio woman and betraying the family"

"Honestly if I were him I would have ended my life immediately before I'd be seen. Running away won't help because he will still be seen"

Erica blinked her eyes rapidly as she took slow steps back and rested her left hand on a door.

Her other hand was on her chest, she could feel her heart beat so fast.

"What type of family is this?" she thought

"Aurelio is calling me his woman?" she added and then suddenly the door went open.

"Ahh!" she yelped out thinking she would fall.

she never knew she was leaning on a door and then she staggered to her left but got caught before she could fall.

Aurelio held her immediately and looked down at her face, Erica eyes were wide open at him

"Aurelio??" she blinked rapidly at him and shook in his hands.

He lifted her back up holding her close to himself. "Are you okay pumpkin?" he asked her immediately and stepped out of his study room examining her.

"The gown really looks good on you, hope you slept well hmm?" he smiled at her. She faked a smile at him "Uh.. who wore this for me?" she asked him lowly

Aurelio chuckled and cupped her cheeks with a cute smile on his face. "I did" he replied

"You did what?!!!" Erica exclaimed that the maids around could hear and ran over to check what was going on.

"You..saw..." she paused seeing Aurelio laugh out.

"I was joking, Mrs Davis did.. I asked her to, don't worry she is a good person hmm?" he replied

"Oh my, Mr Aurelio looks more handsome when he smiles" one of the maidens whispered.

Erica could feel someone else eyes on her and she turned around to see the maids looking at them.

They flinched back immediately and then bowed their head " Good morning sir, Good morning ma" they said in unison

"Were you watching?" Aurelio asked them with a blank look on.

" Uh? no, we are going to our duty post Sir" they replied and immediately scurried away.

Erica turned back to him raising a brow at him.

Aurelio took Erica's hands into his and looked into her eyes "What am I doing here?" she asked him

"Erica, you will be staying here with me from now on" he said to her and her eyes went open

"What?!" she exclaimed

"Why?" 

"It's more safer for you, I don't want anything like what happened last night to repeat itself" he replied

She had thoughts running through her head already.

"I will be staying in this big mansion with him?, why would he want to take me in? what's so special about me?" she thought

"And besides, half of me is growing inside of you pumpkin, I want both my baby and pumpkin to be safe and well nourished" he replied

"Are you really saying all these?" she asked him lowly with tears welling up in her eyes.

" Yes I am, and I mean every word I'm saying. I don't care how bad they must have treated you in the past, you are starting life afresh with me, a different kind of life that they will see and beg for your forgiveness and then it would be Left to you to accept or not' Aurelio smiled as he caressed her cheeks.

She had never imagined this

That someone would take her in this way with much love 

"Who am I? why me?" she asked as he wiped her cheeks with his thumb.

"You are Mrs Aurelio, very important to me because of who you are, what you have inside of you, you are just beautiful inside and out and on top of it, you are carrying my child" Aurelio replied her softly as she fell in his hands.

"Don't cry pumpkin!!" Aurelio said to her as he caressed her back

"We need to see my parents" he said as she pulled away and wiped her face.

"Your parents?" she asked remembering the way the maids described what happened last night.

"Yes, my father and grandpa. my mom would be available later or tomorrow" he replied.

"oh!" Erica mouthed.

   Aurelio's father was seated in the massive living room with his grandpa on the other side of the chair drinking from his cup of coffee.

"What's wrong with Aurelio? could he still be asleep?" his Father asked

"Your son really is a sleepyhead" his grandpa replied and could see the maids by the other side gather themselves and said words lowly to themselves.

"She is awake" that was the only thing he could hear from them.

 Mr Maynard was partially confused but then he looked up to see Aurelio walking down the stairs with Erica beside him. His dad was seeing that also and stood up to confirm if he was seeing his son with a woman!

"Aurelio?" his dad called out immediately Aurelio stepped further.

"Good morning Sir" Erica greeted with a slight bow at them.

These were the people that brutally destroyed Rolph and so she was scared a little bit.

"Aurelio! who is this lady with you?" his grandpa asked immediately.

"Oh my! what does he mean?" Erica thought

"What a beauty! where have she been??" his grandpa asked

"I see this is the" my woman" you were talking about, I knew my son would grow up to be a man" his dad replied.

and by this time most of the maids and the guards were around, everyone were curious of who she is to Aurelio.

"This is Erica James, my woman and the mother of my unborn baby" Aurelio replied as he wrapped his hands around her waist pulling her to himself.

His Father exclaimed immediately throwing his hands up in the air.

"Unborn baby?"

"I knew you are a man! Welcome to the family my dear" Mr Maynard said as he surprisingly pulled Erica in for a hug.

"oh well, maybe this man isn't always brutal but nice" she thought