CHAPTER SIX: The Demon's True Form

ARIEL'S POV

"You're tricked me! How could you add such a clause and have it written in such tiny words that I can't even see with my bare eyes? It's absurd and I'm being scammed," I fire at him angrily, but he only keeps laughing, and in anger, I squeeze the contract and quickly rip it into pieces, throwing it to the floor and stomping my feet on it.

"Wow... Do you think I'm a fool to give you the original copy? That's a fake one, and honey, or should I say sweetheart, you are free to file for divorce, but you must be prepared to pay that money. Do you have any idea how many lawyers are dying to pick up my divorce case? I doubt you will actually get any because they will be scared out of their ass to even pick a fight against me," he says, grinning. 

"Oh, I heard you are a curator at some nameless gallery. Do they pay you much? How exactly are you going to get that amount of money?" he teases, stands up, and then proceeds into his room. "By the way, I want Korean cuisine for breakfast. Do not forget to wake up early and prepare my food. If you refuse to follow the rules, trust me, you won't want to see my other side," he adds with a stern face before finally leaving for his room.

I fall on my knees, unable to believe I've just jumped from the frying pan into the fire. How am I going to escape from this monster? I keep asking myself different questions as I drag my feet and proceed into my room. Then a message pops up on my phone, checking the message, it says that I have been reinstated back to my position. They must have heard about my marriage to him. Then I remember that I haven't finished my bath, so I proceed to the bathroom again. After bathing, I jump on the bed and drift off to sleep. It's really been a long bad day.

 ALEXANDRA'S POV

The blaring alarm jolts me awake, and I groggily shuffle towards the bedside to silence it. Glancing at the clock, I realize it's already 7 am. Can't believe how long I've slept; I deduce I must have been very tired. Dragging myself out of bed, I trudge to the bathroom for a refreshing cold shower. The icy water sends shivers down my spine, but I savor every invigorating moment. After a brisk rinse, I wrap myself in a robe and make my way to the dining table for breakfast, only to find it empty.

"She must be really daring me," I mutter, feeling a surge of annoyance.

Grabbing a bottle of water from the freezer, I head to her room. I try opening the door but it's locked. Then I go back to my room, retrieve the spare key from my drawer, unlock the door, and enter, only to find her sprawled awkwardly on the floor. Without hesitation, I uncap the bottle and douse her with cold water.

"Argh, what the heck! Is the roof leaking?" she exclaims bewildered.

As she turns back and faces me, her expression shifts from confusion to shock.

"Can you at least treat me like a human, for Christ's sake?" she yells at me, then quickly lowers her voice. "I mean, how can you pour cold water on someone early in the morning?"

"You should be grateful it's cold water and not hot. Remember what I said yesterday?"

"No, I don't. Are you expecting me to start everything today? We just got married yesterday, so I think we still need to chill and enjoy some moments. If I die of overwork, you'll be a widower. Have you ever considered that?" she yells back at me.

I move closer to her and whisper in her ear, "If I become a widower, that would be a good thing. At least I would get sympathy from the public and family. But marrying you has brought me nothing but problems, so get off the ground and provide my food immediately. I'm giving you exactly one hour," I say, smirking, then turn to leave.

"I want you to remember one thing: I never asked for this. Your family was the first to propose this marriage, not me. And don't forget, you were the one who took me to the hotel that day. So, you caused all this mess, and you can't expect me to be your slave," she says, tears streaming down her face, though I'm sure she's pretending.

"Do you really not remember what happened at the hotel that night, or are you pretending?" I ask with a small scoff. "Can't believe you're such a fool. Regain your memory, and you'll know if I'm the one who truly caused all this or if you're the one that caused it," I conclude, then leave the room and go to sit at the dining table, waiting for my breakfast.

I set the timer for exactly one hour, and just then, she rushes to the kitchen and then rushes out again.

"I don't know where the foodstuff is, and also the ingredients," she says, breathing heavily and avoiding my gaze. I point at the book on the table, she takes it, reads it, and then proceeds back to the kitchen.

Before the maids left, I had already asked them to write every description of everything down and then have it printed out like a guidebook. I bring out my phone from my pocket and start looking at my I*******m, seeing a lot of my wedding pictures. It must be the work of The Intelligence, and grandfather must have instructed them. I keep scrolling around I*******m, and the only thing that I can see is my wedding news, which is really irritating, so I decide to log out and then check my emails and do some work to kill time.

After a while, the timer beeps, and just then, Ariel rushes over to the table and drops a plate of rice.

"Is this all?" I ask because I didn't really think I meant only rice when I asked for a full-course Korean meal.

"The rest are in the kitchen, so just wait," she says and rushes back into the kitchen. She then brings out various dishes: an omelette that somehow looks burnt, grilled meat, vegetables, and some other dishes that I don't think belong to a normal Korean meal.

"Are you joking with me right now? How's this Korean dish?" I ask, feeling my anger rising.

"The thing is, I'm American, not Korean, and I'm a curator, not a chef. So why are you asking me to cook Korean cuisine for you? You should get a chef for that if you need one," she fires back at me. I can see her sweating and frustration written all over her face, and she's really trying hard to hold back her anger.

Not wanting any issues and already late for work, I decide to just eat the provided food. But as I'm about to start eating, she also wants to join.

What the heck.

"Don't even think of sitting down," I stop her as she is about to take her seat.

"Why?" she asks.

"Is that supposed to be a question? Don't you read the rules that says I like eating alone at the table?"

"Well... it is quite long, so I didn't bother to read it, and there is a lot of space. I can just sit at the other end, and I won't disturb you," she says and attempts to have her seat again, but I let out a small sigh as I am already frustrated with repeating myself, and then she angrily leaves for the kitchen.

I continue eating my food, and I must say she is a good cook, although the omelette is just a little burnt; others are good. As I am enjoying my meal, I receive a message from Mia,

"THERE IS A FAMILY DINNER THIS WEEKEND AND YOU MUST BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG. FROM GRANDMA."

"Ariel!!!" I quickly call her as soon as I see the message.

"What? Don't I already give you the space you needed?" she yells back angrily, but I really have no time for her anger.

"We are having a family dinner tomorrow at my family's house, and you will go with me."

"Is that why you screamed my name like that?" she asks me.

"No. It's just that from now on, you are pregnant, and you will do exactly as I say," I say, and she looks at me with surprises written all over her face.

“ Are you crazy?"