4. Making Friends

Alina

"Dad?" I saw him sitting with one leg propped over his other, like he owned the house. 

"Mia," he stood up once I entered the living room. "Sit." I followed and joined him, taking a place opposite from his position. 

"Theodore isn't here if you came to meet him." 

"I'm not here to see him. I'm here to see you." Why would he want to see me? He never really paid any visits to my room when we lived in the same house. Now he has traveled all the way up here, to see me. What does he want now? 

"How are you both getting along?" Why did he care? 

"Um. I'm not sure. I never talked to him." Why did he think that I would get along with the man who I literally met for like a total of fifteen minutes, exclusive of the time spent at our own wedding? 

"Well, I have to inform you that we cannot have that." What had gotten into him all of a sudden? "You need to make sure he takes a liking to you. It would be even better if you were carrying his heir by the next month or so." Was he seriously saying that? I frowned, looking at him. Where was he even going with all of this? 

"Gain his trust. That's what you have to do, since you are his wife now. Make the most of the time you see him around yourself." 

"Why does it even matter?" 

"Don't ask questions. Do as you are told!" He scolded me like I was a ten-year-old. Not interested, is what I wanted to tell him. But why get in a debate with this man when you can simply choose to ignore his existence? Giving him a single nod, I agreed. Honestly, I just wanted to do something to get him out of here. He was spoiling my peace. Again. 

"Good. Remember my words, Alina. It would not only benefit me, but you the most. I am only looking out for my daughter, knowing the kind of man he is." Huh! What a hypocrite! He just said, this was all for his benefit. 

"Well if you really care about me, and are actually looking out for me, then why did you get me married to him anyways?" I fired at him. This was the first time I dared to question his actions. Maybe because I wasn't living under the same roof as him. And I knew that he couldn't do anything here to me. There were servants and guards all around the property. And we could surely not ignore the cameras that were installed in every corner of the house. 

I saw his fist clench. "You dare question me, Alina? Do I have to remind you of who you are?" He gritted out forcefully. 

"I know who I am, dad. And I also know who I'd want to be." Not your daughter, I wanted to add, but couldn't. 

"Then you better drill my words in your thick head, Alina. I'm warning you. Do not mess anything up." 

"I wouldn't have to, dad. You do it by yourself, for the most part." 

"Haven't you grown an attitude the moment you stepped foot out of my house? Trust me Alina, if I can get you married to him, then I can get you divorced from him sooner than you think. So it's better if you follow what I say. Or it wouldn't end well." He was trying to do it again. Dominate me to cut my voice. Honestly, who cares what he says? Haven't I done enough by marrying the most obnoxious person on this earth for his sake? His company is out of debt, he's gotten rid of me. What more does he even want now? 

"I will do whatever you want." I just wanted him to leave. 

"That's what I thought." That was all he wanted to hear, before marching his way out of the house. Shaking my head, I got up and retired to my room. 

Only continuing my creative fantasies could get me out of the sour mood my oh-so-great dad had put me in. With that, I opened my laptop and started tapping the keys, accelerating the production of dopamine in my body. Writing was therapy for me. The only thing that could bring me temporarily away from my little dispirited life, and the terrible people existing in it. Only God knows how I manage to put up with them. 

I didn't realize for how long I delved into my fantasy world, until my neck started to hurt. "Oh damn," I groaned and yawned, bending it from side to side to loosen up a little. Huffing out a sigh, I shut the flap of my laptop, before getting off of the compact table and making my way to the kitchen. It was almost 4 pm. Damn, I really lost track of time. 

I entered the kitchen to see two chefs and Martha discussing something. 

"What's cookin'?" I asked, picking an apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen slab. 

"Oh, Miss Alina. I thought you were resting. We were just deciding on what to make for dinner. Would you like something specific to eat today?" I thought over it but had a different idea. 

"How about I cook? I really feel like being creative today," I stated, with excitement. That was all I could do here, anyway. The rest of the time I would be writing. Or sitting bored. 

"Um, are you sure, Miss Alina? I mean, our chefs can cook any type of cuisine you'd like." 

"I am aware," I moved towards the refrigerator to search for some vegetables. "But not today. You guys can help me chop these up." I smiled, handing them the veggies I picked out. They really didn't have a choice but to obey me. I didn't give them any. 

"Sure," Martha said a little hesitantly. I decided to make Tarragon steak with sauteed veggies and fries as the side. I was really in the mood for that. 

Once I was done, I handed the plating over to the chefs. Exactly at that time, I heard some commotion and movement in the living room, announcing that Theodore was back. 

"I'll freshen up. Why don't you take care of the plating and serve your sweetest Mr.Maxwell, and then bring some up for me in my room." I was about to turn to leave, when I heard Martha speak. 

"Miss Alina?" I turned around to look at her. "Would you like to join us here, in the kitchen for dinner? That is after we serve Mr Maxwell? The staff usually have dinner together after serving Mr.Maxwell." A smile bloomed on my face as I realized the incident from the morning. Aww, they liked me already.  Was I finally making friends? 

"Sure," I couldn't help but smile genuinely.