It was barely 6 a.m when Lauren woke up the next day. She had barely slept the night before; not when she was scared he might pounce on her. Grabbing her robe from the bed stand, she headed downstairs. She might as well give herself a tour before Mr. High-and-Mighty awoke. Walking into the sitting room, she bumped into Michael  “Good morning, Michael.” She greeted. It was funny how she had thought he was her husband the day before.  “Good morning, Ma’am.” He replied with a slight bow.She looked around the empty sitting room and chuckled, “Seems I’m the first to awake.”  “The Master doesn’t come down until 8 a.m.”She mouthed an ‘oh’ nodding repeatedly, “And Bunn—I mean, Bryan?”  “Breakfast is usually served by 8, so they both come down by 8.”Lauren’s brows creased, “Bryan doesn’t go to

Malcolm coughed lightly. Michelle did what?!According to her file, she was the spoilt brat of the Byrne family and those words perfectly translated into she can’t do domestic chores. Perhaps she paid Kate to lie. That was the perfect explanation—she bribed Kate to lie.  “So, tell me dear, who taught how to cook?” Joyce asked.Lauren smiled. “I lived my whole life learning it from my mom and our nanny…” Lauren coughed realizing what she had just done. She gave an awkward smile, “Actually, what I meant was that I used to sneak into the kitchen when I was younger and nag the chef until she agreed to teach me a few recipes. Behind my mother’s back of course.”Joyce smiled, “I see. She must have been a very good cook.”Lauren remembered her mother and smiled unconsciously, “She was the best.”The sound of a chair being drawn back attracted their attention.

Lauren walked down the street with a sigh, knowing the guards Malcolm assigned to her wouldn’t let her out of their sight. Two blissful yet boring weeks had passed since their contract marriage. During the first week, she had stayed indoors trying to get closer to Bryan but the little boy’s apathy for the opposite sex had grown so large that it might take a year or more for her to break it.Suddenly, her eyes caught a handsome boy outfit being displayed in a shop. She gasped and imagined it on Bubby’s body. Perfect! She nearly clapped her hands in glee but quickly remembered she was in public and it would be weird to see a young woman of a high social class dressed in an expensive designer dress and shoes clapping like a boy who won an award. Quickly, she half-ran into the shop, afraid if she wasted a bit more time, someone might end up grabbing it. She smiled and gave the attendant a nod to remove it for her but the minute she touched it, she almost let go

As the car entered the Knight mansion, Lauren removed every trace of sadness from her face, replacing it with a smile. She walked in and went straight to Bryan’s room.She knocked quietly, “Bryan? Can I come in?”There was no reply at the other end.She knocked again, “I’ll take that as a yes. I’m coming in now!”She pushed the door slightly open and walked in. Bryan laid on his big bed, playing a video game on his laptop. “I didn’t ask you to come in.”  “You didn’t ask me away either. How was your lesson today?” she asked sitting beside him on the bed.  “Boring, as usual.” He grumbled.Lauren smiled. She was making progress. Before, his answer would have been a nod of head or a curt reply.  “Boring? You don’t like your teacher?” she acted surprised.  “Shhhh!” He shooed, “D

Malcolm didn’t eat breakfast before leaving for work the next day. Lauren chuckled; had she made him that mad? Well, she was glad she, a nobody, could actually affect the almighty Mr. Knight. She came downstairs for breakfast only to see Bryan seated already.  “Good morning.” He greeted.She was half-surprised, “Morning Bryan. Hope you slept well.”He nodded and watched as Kate emptied the can of cereals on his plate before adding some milk she had taken from the refrigerator. Lauren opted for the same dish. She never had cereals before. When she has entered the Byrne mansion newly, Grace had forbidden Michelle’s nanny from letting her use it. Her entire breakfast back then was leftover bread from other’s breakfast.  “You know, you don’t have to pretend just to get my attention,” Bryan stated scornfully, stirring his bowl without looking up at her.Lauren smiled awkwardly. If s