Chapter 1 1- Absurd Conditions

Ashley Walter's pov: "You will NOT show your face to your husband. Agreed?" She asked me in a stern voice. "Yes, Ma'am," I muttered under my breath. "I can't hear you, girl. Louder!" Her voice turned harsher. "YES, MA’AM," I screamed. "You are not allowed to sleep beside your husband in the bed. You will use the mattress in the corner of that bedroom. On the floor. Agreed?""YES, MA’AM!" I yelled again. "He usually doesn't spend his time in his room but once he will be back, you are not allowed to talk to him, not allowed to walk, eat or drink in that room. You are not allowed to use the bathroom. Agreed?" Now that was too much. I lifted my veil to have a look at this old goat's face who was getting me married to her grandson for ten million dollars. Where was I supposed to pee? On carpet? "I can't hear you, girl. Do you want money or not?" She screeched in my ear making them ring. Urgh! I did want that money. It could solve my problems. I could get Mother Superior treated for cancer. "YES MA’AM!" I pressed my lips in a thin line and dropped back my veil. My vocal cords would suffer if she would keep asking me to shout like this. "You will behave like you do not exist. You will think of yourself as a furniture piece… Just lying there. Now if you agree to my conditions, sign the papers." She threw a pen on the table and slapped her hand on the document. I tried to read my soon to be husband's name but she was quick to hide it with her hand. "Why are you reading it? Either sign it or get lost!" Damn. Can't she talk in a normal tone? Why she keeps on screaming like this? I signed the papers and voila! I was married! I just turned eighteen when the orphanage management asked me to look for a job and leave the premises. With my limited education, I applied for a maid job. When I received the call, I was over the moon. The interview was taken on the phone. I packed my bags and landed here. The first time Mrs. Electra De Luca met me, she ran a suspicious gaze from head to toe. I could not blame her. After traveling by bus for so many hours I was sweating like crazy. The cheap cosmetic base that I applied to my skin must be dripping by now making me look like Dracula… Or maybe female Dracula! Within a few hours after my arrival, I was asked to marry her grandson whom I knew nothing about. I never saw him and didn't know his name. Except that he was her grandson. I was supposed to stay married to him for just one year. After that, I was free to leave the place with millions in my account. When I was about to sign the papers, she held my hand with an iron grip. "Signing this certificate doesn't give you any right to even bat an eye at my grandson. Don't even think of touching him or talking to him." She brought her wrinkled face near mine. "You try to touch him and I will shoot you. You hear that?" Gosh. She was a bitch! I thought her grandson was man enough to put forward these absurd conditions. Well! He seemed like a baby who was still attached to the umbilical cord of his grand Mommy. “No, Ashley.” I kind of scolded myself. Ignore her face! Try to imagine ten million dollars. Yes! That did bring a smile to my face. "Yes, Ma'am," I said happily. The moment those words escaped my mouth she left my hand nodding in approval. I quickly signed the papers and we were out of there in a jiffy. A car stopped near us and I was ordered to sit in the passenger seat with the driver. The grandmommy sat at the back. Once we entered the gigantic mansion, I was left alone on the doorstep near the entrance and she went inside slowly tapping her stick on the floor. "Come. I will show you the room." The other maid who had become my friend during that short time of one or two hours took me to a master bedroom after passing through so many hallways. Oh, my God! The room was so ... spectacular. The huge king size bed was inviting my tired body but then my gaze fell on the small mattress in a corner. "Listen, Nicole. Can you bring my bag? My all necessities are in it. Or can you ask someone to hand it over to me?" Instead of replying in her old friendly way she just nodded keeping her eyes cast down. The poor thing got the shock of her life when I told her that the old witch just proposed to me to marry her grandson. They did not let me wash my face or clean my hair which still had all the mud and my leftover makeup. "What! How is this f*king possible? He is... sinfully handsome, Ashley. You have got a lottery girl. Congratulations." Though I did detect a hint of jealousy in her eyes she quickly hid it. When she left the room, I started looking around. I had seen such bedrooms in the movies when we used to have those movie nights in the Eden Home orphanage. Gosh. I missed my friends like crazy. My heartbeat quickened when I heard loud heavy footsteps coming towards the room. Grand Mommy told me that the man was rarely home. I went to my mattress if just in case... I was not supposed to show him my face. Oh. It was him. My husband! I know, I was NOT allowed to call him that. But it was ok to call him this in my heart. The doorknob turned and the moment it flung open, I ducked down on the mattress and hid my face. Turning my head, a little, I saw the man standing across the bed. His upper body was visible. The broad shoulders flexed under that white shirt. He took it off and oh man! He was all muscular, tattooed, and delicious. My my! I wish my friends were here. We would have screamed in excitement. He must have felt my eyes on him and tilted his head a little. I squeezed my eyes, shutting them tightly. Oh, please, God. I don't want to lose those ten million dollars!

Chapter 2 2- Not Beautiful

Justin De Luca's pov: The way she fell on her mattress made me smile. Taking off my shirt I turned a little when I felt her eyes on my back. Her face was hidden by her palms and her eyes were squeezed shut. Didn't somebody tell her that shutting your eyes doesn't make you invisible? Well. I think granny did a great job in training her. After a shower, I put on a t-shirt paired with denim and went out of the room without glancing in that corner where my so-called wife was resting.... or should I say hiding? "Here comes the groom, man. Congratulations! Liked your wife?" Sean never failed to irritate me. "Shut up! She is NOT my wife." I snapped at him. "Justin. Ignore them. You tell me. Did you feel that someone else is living in your room? If she did anything to make a pass at you I swear I will slit her throat." My granny was always this sassy. "No, granny. To tell the truth, she is trained well. Thanks!" I kissed her cheek. "Is she beautiful?" I heard my cousin Sean's dreamy voice and all I wanted to do was punch him in his face. There was still that scar on his left cheek which I gave him when we were twelve. "I don't know, Sean. I haven't seen her yet. Can you please stop it? Or do you want another scar on your face?" He knew when not to push me any further. He threw his hands in the air, "Hey. I am sorry. I was just teasing you." I was about to shoot him with another insult when granny intervened. "Sean. Stop it. Will you?" Then she put crackers on a plate and slid a bowl of soup along with the plate towards me. "Don't worry at all, dear. She just reached here and doesn't know much about our family. I have asked her not to gossip with any of the helpers." Then she looked at Sean, "And no. She. Is. Not. Beautiful!" The conversation ended with finality. I must have hardly taken a few spoons of the soup when my phone started vibrating. It was a video call from my fiancée Sarah. “Hey! Congratulations baby.” I could hear insecurity behind that excitement. “How is your trip, Sarah? Enjoying?” I tried to act normal. She was the one who forced me into this marriage along with granny. “I can never enjoy without you, baby.”“I know, babe. Want to talk to granny?” I rotated the camera towards granny. Sean practically pasted his cheek to granny, “Sarah! We are missing you. When will you be back?” Granny had hardly waved her when Sean started the conversation. He and Sarah shared a great bond. They both were buddies. “I know. I miss you too, Sean. Granny! Tell me about her. Is she pretty?” Now, what was that obsession with prettiness? Sean asked the same thing now it was Sarah. “No. She is not my dear. She was quite dirty when she reached here. After a long journey, the poor girl didn’t even have time to wash her face.” I didn’t like it. She was not given a chance to freshen up? “Granny. She should be sent to the bathroom after her arrival. Whatever she is doing, no matter how much we are paying her. We can’t strip her of her basic rights.” I liked it when Sarah spoke my heart out. “Oh, dear. Do you think I would do that? She is supposed to stay in that room for ONE YEAR. There is a big bathroom which she will be using throughout. Her meals will be sent to her. Isn’t it enough?”“Oh. That’s good.” Sarah was satisfied. I was a bit more possessive about my bathroom. Due to some reasons, I had to agree to share my room and bathroom. That was just for one year. Even Sarah knew that after becoming my wife, we would share our bedrooms but no bathroom sharing. Call me a weirdo. But I could not bring myself to share my bathroom with anyone. That was the reason I hardly used public bathrooms. After saying our goodbyes and exchanging flying kisses, I disconnected the call. "Granny. I need to go. Thank you." I jogged outside to meet my friends. I didn't realize that I let out a sigh of relief while going out. I was not ready for this marriage but my grandma convinced me that she would choose a poor and ugly girl and would make her agree by paying her a good amount. She also promised to train the girl. Whoever she was, I didn't want to see her face. She was just here for one year and then we will go our separate ways. After that, I would be free to marry my fiancée Sarah. She would be the only one to enter my life as my lawfully wedded wife. Little did I know that fate had other plans.

Chapter 3 3- Are You My Husband?

Ashley Walters pov: Despite so many requests, nobody bothered to send me my bag. I was still wearing the same dress that was emitting a sweaty stench. Yuck! It had been three days since my wedding. I still hadn't seen the handsome guy's face and I was hell curious. That naked delicious back still popped up in my mind when I was doing nothing. That is for most of the day. Today I took a shower and washed my clothes with that gent's body wash. Did I have a choice? My husband seldom came to his room. Last night he did sleep in his bed and I held my pee waiting for him to go to sleep. Thank God he didn't take long. The maid who used to clean his room and used to bring my three meals to the room was now getting a little bit friendly. Though I was not allowed to interact with anyone but staying the whole day in a room, waiting for the meals where I was not allowed to even watch TV. This absurd routine had started taking a toll on me. This afternoon I opened the door just a tiny bit and peeked out. Good. I could not see anyone outside. At this point, I was even ready to talk to the man who was my husband. I just wanted someone to talk to. The maid had told me that the whole floor belonged to my husband and no one was allowed to check the rooms except those selective maids who were responsible for cleaning. Walking around in drenched clothes, I was not least a bit scared that someone might catch me red-handed. Who was I? Their pet? Even a pet has rights. The long hallway ended at a room. Though there were several but I didn't try to look inside. Holding this door's handle, I was still trying to decide if I should go inside or not when I heard an amused voice behind me. "Getting bored, sweetheart? I felt my heart jumping up my throat. With great might, I turned around slowly and looked at him. A cute guy who had a scar on his left cheek was standing there. His black bangs were falling on his forehead and the cute smile made him approachable. "I am... sorry. I ..." For some odd reason I suddenly felt thirsty. Licking my lower lip with nervousness I tried to stretch my lips for a smile. His eyes dipped to my lips for a second. "Hey!" His face became serious. He raised his hand to brush his knuckles against my cheek, "It's ok. I was just asking. You are dripping right now making the whole carpet wet. This can land you in trouble." I nodded and tried to walk past him when he blocked my way. I looked at him questioningly. Oh, God. Please. I did not want to lose my ten million dollars. I was kidding a while back when I said I don't want it. Holding my hand gently he started walking me to the room, “Let me escort you to your room.” He remarked while his blue eyes gazed at my chest making my heart skip a beat. Who was he? What was he doing here? Reaching the room, he opened the door and gestured for me to go inside. Muttering a quick thank you under my breath I went inside. He followed me inside the room and closed the door behind him. Oh My God! Was that cute guy my husband? I was damn lucky. I wished umpteenth time that my friends were here. They would have been jumping with excitement by now. A shy smile crept to my lips. "A... Are y... you my h... husband?" God! Was my affection for him that obvious in my eyes? I never stuttered in my life. Maybe I was not expecting such a cute guy to be my husband. I had always imagined that my husband would be someone with a pot belly. "What!" His eyes went wide and he started laughing. What was so funny about the question? "You don't know anything about your husband? Tsk!" He clicked his tongue inside his cheek and chuckled. "Honey ball!" He brought his face close to mine... Like ... very close. My heartbeat quickened because no guy ever came this close to me. "I am your husband." With that, he pulled me towards him and his mouth started opening hungrily on mine. There was something fishy. Till last night he was successfully ignoring me and now? Now he was attacking me like I was a feast to his eyes! And lips! I tried to push him away when he did something unexpected. Lifting my skirt, he tried to insert his hand into my panties. "It's ok love. I just need to check your wetness!" His voice had turned husky. Checking my wetness? Can't he check it from my clothes? I was still dripping wet. I slapped his hand with full might. He paused for a second and then tried to smile. "Listen, honey ball. No need to shy from your husband. Do you want to check my wetness? See?" Guiding my hand, he inserted it inside his pants trying to make me feel his intimate part. Yuck! This time I gathered all the courage and shoved him back with full force. He wasn't expecting it. Before he could say or react I quickly opened the door and ran out. I didn't know where to run. Whom to call for help? The moment I came across a room, I just twisted its handle and closed the door behind me, locking it. It looked like a storeroom. It smelled of dust and the furniture was covered in white sheets. But nothing mattered right now. I placed my hand on my chest to control my heartbeat. I felt like crying and felt a shiver running through my body. I went to a white sheet cladding the couch and laid on it. And then tears started slipping down my cheeks. My arms were tied around my non-existent bo*obs to comfort myself. I was hugging myself to keep myself warm and to avoid shivering. The image of my husband forcing my hand inside his... I could not think anymore and let my body fall limply on the couch but landed on the carpeted floor. Instead of getting up, I dragged my body under the bed and passed out.

Chapter 4 4- My Husband Tried To...

Justin's pov "Hello, Sarah. How is the tour going?" I asked Sarah leaning back my head on the recliner. "Oh, Justin. I can't tell you how refreshing it is. I planned initially to run away because of your wedding. But it proved to be a mind booster and refresher." I could feel her munching something. “Sarah!" My mood drastically changed due to the reminder that I had to marry against my will, "You and granny wanted it. I did it for you. And now you are playing this blame card as I cheated on you." This was not fair to me. It was initially granny's wish and Sarah favored her. I knew she loved me but I was getting tired of this blame game now. The only conditions I put forward were not to see her face and no interference in my life from her side. No friendship no communication. That was the reason the girl was getting such a big amount. Granny wanted to pay her one million but I knew it was not an easy task to cut yourself from the outside world for one year. "Hey. I am sorry babe. I just..." "I will talk to you later, Sarah." Without listening to her further explanations and apologies I disconnected the call. It had been three days since my marriage. That unknown girl was keeping part of her bargain. I hadn't seen her face but the way she used to cling herself to the mattress initially used to make me smile but after that, I felt sympathy for her. When my phone started ringing again, I picked it up and canceled it. Now my fiancée wanted to apologize and wanted to give reasons behind her bitter words. Last time, she was adamant to know if my wife was beautiful. She didn't trust me enough that I haven't seen her face. She was trying to call me again and again so I decided to put my phone on silent mode. "Hey, mate!" Keith, my friend came out of the pool and sat on the sun recliner beside me. "You look hell. What is it?" He asked me while drying himself. He was my childhood friend and the closest to me. He was the most trustworthy person for handling my business. I just handed over my phone, "She is trying to contact me. First, they get me married to that maid now they want to know if she is beautiful enough to get banged on my bed." "Oh. Ten missed calls! Mate! I think your fiancée has lost it!" He was about to hand me back my phone when he frowned and looked at the screen. "Justin. I think you need to take this. It’s from granny." *** "Is everything all right at home? You look worried." While driving the car, Keith asked me, "Even granny sounded panicked." "Yeah." I brushed my fingers through my hair for God knows how many times, "The girl... I married to... She is missing." Keith slammed the brakes with full force making me strangled in my seat belt. I did not know what got into him. "Missing? What do you mean by missing? Is she a piece of jewelry that is missing from your drawer?" Great. Now I had to give answers to my friend too. "Listen, dude. I am already worried. She is nothing but a loader for me. She was paid to stick her ass to that corner of my room and..." "Paid? For sticking to a corner? Are you out of your fuckin mind?" By now we both were screaming at each other and I was hating that girl more for causing a rift in my friendship, in my engaged life. "You are the fuckin boss of this empire, Justin! And you have bought a fuckin girl to stick to your..." he was now almost spitting on my face while shouting at me. "Whatever your empire cost you. If I will pay you double of it, will you stay in a corner of my room, Justin?" "I was NOT the one to ask her to marry me. My granny... and my fiancée ... "Fuck your granny and fiancée, Justin. She is your LAWFULLY WEDDED WIFE! She is living under your roof and here you are telling me this shit that..." Throwing his hands in the air he punched the steering. "Fuck you, Justin." Opening the door, he was out of the car, “I will take the cab.” I didn't try to stop him. If he did not want to drive, I fuckin damn care. Shifting to the driving seat, I started the engine and drove the car exceeding the speed. When I reached home, granny was sitting there on the couch, holding her head. Sean was trying to console her. "Did you check the cameras?" I snapped looking at Sean. "We were waiting for you. Granny's BP shot up. Someone had to stay with her." Apparently, the maid who used to take meals to the room found her missing when she went to deliver lunch. The guards did not see her going out of the boundary. So, she must still be inside. I swear once I will get a hold of her, I was going to kick her sweet ass out of my home and life. When I started climbing the stairs, I heard granny behind me, "I hope she doesn't let out our family secrets." Fk with these secrets. I don't give a damn. I would look for her myself. Reaching my floor, I opened my bedroom door. The carpet felt wet. Frowning a little, I searched for her in the bathroom and under the bed. She was nowhere. I did not know why but now there was a terrible sensation in the pit of my stomach. I started searching all the rooms. The guest rooms, my private theatre, the indoor games hall... she was nowhere. Man! Where was she? Did she run away? Wouldn't it be better if you could just inform us that you were leaving? I asked her standing outside the last room that served as the store room. It belonged to my mom and it was seldom used by anyone. I twisted the handle but it seemed locked. "Bring the keys to the store room." I snapped on the intercom that was fixed outside the room. Within a few minutes, a house help came with a set of keys and started trying them one by one. My patience was running thin with each passing minute but now I was more worried about the situation. At last, when the door opened I dismissed the helper and went inside the room. After flicking open the switches, I ran a careless gaze in the room. No. She was not here. I was about to turn around when I saw some wetness on the white sheet covering the couch. Frowning to myself, I moved ahead. On a hunch, I gradually bent down and saw a tiny figure lying under the bed. The clothes were drenched in water and she was shivering like hell. My heart skipped a beat. No one in her right senses would ever dare to come to a room that did not have any air conditioner or a proper ventilator. A room that was full of mud. "Sweetheart," I called her gently and held her wrist. Now where this ‘sweetheart’ came from? I never called Sarah that. The girl did try to yank her arm away feebly. I slowly pulled her towards me. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Never in my life, have I sweet-talked anyone. Not even to Sarah. She started punching my chest feebly. "Please. Don't touch me. Let me go. Please let me go." She was burning with fever. Her cheeks were wet with sweat and tears. "Hey! It’s all right. You are safe." I gently moved away black hair from her face and there was the most beautiful face I had ever seen in my life. She opened her eyes and that aqua green color! Was granny losing her eyesight? Why did she think that she was not beautiful? "Please let me go. Don't do this to me. I promise I won't tell anyone." What the hell! She was ... Shit! Did somebody try to rape her? No! That was NOT possible. She was under my roof. Under my protection. This was my home and nobody dared to do any such thing with any woman. "Sweetheart. Who did this?" I cupped her cheeks with my palms, "Don't get scared. No one will harm you." I tried to assure her softly. F*ck. I didn't even know her name. Keith was right. His fury was justified. "Who did this to you? Tell me!" I was tying her wet hair at the back and was looking for a towel to dry her. She could hardly open her eyes. Looking at me, her lower lip quivered like a child. But it was the answer that got my attention like anything. Her statement was enough to blow away my mind. "M...my husband. He t... tried to ... force my hand inside his... pants!"