Elena's face turned red at the thought. Gosh… why did she suddenly have perverted thoughts and imagine herself taking a bath with Elleard in that luxurious jacuzzi?
She massage her head and tried to get the image out of her mind. Elleard and she… were getting married soon. She still needed to get used to the fact.
Soon, being naked with him and taking a bath together would just be part of their marital duties.
Even though this desire to get married actually came from Elleard and Elena didn't feel ready because she didn't know the man too well, when she thought about it, Elena realized she didn't feel wronged and didn't really object to the marriage.
Elleard had always been nice to her. He also turned out to be serious about his intentions. He did not only talk about wanting to marry Elena, but he also showed his seriousness by asking Elena openly to Aunt Ursula.
And now… he had provided such a beautiful room to make Elena happy.
The girl's chest was filled with so much warmth. Secretly she thought she would be able to love her husband if he kept treating her so well like this. She didn't have any family or friends who were kind to her. Being treated sweetly and with respect made her feel so appreciated and valued.
Elena looked around again as she stepped deeper to enter her room. She approached the bed, wanting to feel how soft the sheets and blankets were.
Her fingertips caressed the smooth white satin blanket that looked very thick and fluffy. Slowly, she started to sit up. Gosh… sure it felt so comfortable and soft. Elena closed her eyes and smiled to herself.
She could imagine getting her beauty sleep on this luxurious bed like the girls from rich families.
Elena then lay down directly on the bed. Her nose smelled the soft fragrance of her wonderful bed. She felt like she was living in a fairy tale land about royal princesses and she became the main character.
Elena rolled over with her thin lips curved up in a wide smile. She was so happy, Ah, if she was dreaming or lost in a fairy tale, she didn't want to come back to the real world.
Elena rolled over once again and inhaled the scent of the soft sheets on her bed.
KNOCK
KNOCK
Elena fell silent when she heard soft knocks on the door. Gosh.. who is that? she thought to herself.
Elena immediately sat on the bed. When she realized her actions had made her bed a little messy, she immediately cleaned up the blankets and pillows on the bed. After making the bed, Elena stepped open the door.
"Yes?"
Elena opened the door and found a girl her age in a maid uniform who immediately bowed respectfully and greeted her.
"Good day, madam. You don't have to open the door. If you just tell me to come in, I'll open it myself," the maid said respectfully.
"Aaah, it's fine… I also happen to be going out." Elena laughed awkwardly. She still wasn't used to being treated like a young miss from a rich family, let alone by a girl her age.
"Ah, very well, madam," said the maid, now looking relieved.
"What is it?" asked Elena again. She assumed this was the maid that had been sent by Elleard to take care of her.
"Master Elleard forgot to give you this. So, before he left the house, he left this for you, Madam. Master also said I should help you choose the clothes in your walk-in closet," said the maid respectfully.
She added, "If there's something you don't like, you can tell me, I'll help get them out for the return. Or if there's something you want, I'll serve you."
The maids in this house all wore black and white outfits that were neat and professional. There was a name tag on the chest that showed their name. Being in this huge mansion with so many staff made Elena feel like she was in a luxury hotel.
She looked at the name tag on the maid's shirt that said 'GRETA'. Elena then stretched out her hand and asked for a handshake.
"Call me Elena." She said with a smile.
Greta returned Elena's friendly smile. "My name is Greta, madam."
Elena coughed when she heard Greta repeatedly calling her 'Madam', even though she wasn't married yet to Elleard.
"I'm not married yet and I don't think we're that much of an age difference, so you don't have to call me madam. Just call me Elena."
"Sorry, I can't do that, madam. Master Elleard wants you to be treated with respect, just as we treat him and his brother Master Xavier."
"Sir Elleard's younger brother is called Xavier? Does he live here too?" Elena remembered that when she stayed at Xavier's house again, the man did not come home.
Did Xavier sleep here that night?
"Mr. Xavier rarely comes here," Greta explained. "Uhm… and I should also call you madam since you will soon become the master's wife. So we'd better get used to it from now on."
Elena coughed at Greta's explanation. She didn't argue anymore and just let her maid address her according to what Elleard had ordered.
"Okay then," Elena nodded. "Oh, by the way, you said Master Elleard left something for me? What is it?"
Greta took a black bag from behind her back and handed it to Elena. "This is Master Elleard's presents."
Elena hesitated to accept it.
"Excuse me, madam."
"Mm… thank you."
Elena closed the door after Greta left. Then she sat on the edge of the bed and opened the bag to see what was inside. Her eyes widened when she found a black box containing the latest and most expensive cellphone. Elena put the phone beside her and then moved on to another gift box inside the bag. It was tied with a pink ribbon.
Elena pulled the ribbon and opened the box. It contained several credit and debit cards in Elleard Salvator Osbart's name. There was a small card written with his message on top.
[The pin number is 2305. Buy whatever you want, whether it's for college needs or whatever. You can go out with Vincent. He's the driver who'll take you anywhere you need to go. Elleard.]
A smile graced Elena's beautiful face. She imagined Elleard writing the note for her and wrapping the gifts for him. She felt very spoiled.
Elena took a deep breath. Then she lay down on the bed, looking at the ceiling of her four-poster bed which was decorated with light blue lace curtains. This bed truly made her feel like a princess.
She threw all the cards into the air. They fell around her face and then she laughed in disbelief. She found her current situation absurd. Didn't she struggle to get by yesterday? Wasn't she torn between paying for college or her parents' grave and crying so much at her poverty?
Now, she had all the money she would ever need, at her fingertips. This truly felt surreal.
She now had the most expensive cellphone, credit cards, luxury rooms, and a private chauffeur! She could buy anything she wanted without even thinking. Ahh.. it was so hard to believe!
She pinched her arm, to see if she would feel pain.
She did.
This was not a dream.
.
.
.
_________________________
From Missrealitybites:
Who doesn't like being pampered and showered with gifts? This is one of the reasons I really like writing Cinderella-inspired stories. It's just so lighthearted and less stressful.
For WSA (Webnovel Spirity Award), I just want to write something easy and fluffy - a bit different from my usual fantasy romance with a lot of angst.
If you liked those, don't worry, I will still write fantasy romance stories. I have two planned and I will publish them in August. They will be about dragons (The Dragon Prince's Replacement Bride) and vampires (My Daddy Long Legs Is A Vampire) and I will make them available in comics as well.
I experienced burnout in May-June and I became so uninspired to write. "The Mafia's Secret Wife" is my way to train my writing muscles again. I hope you will support my endeavor to get my inspiration back, so I can continue writing the stories you love.
The start of this book is not too fast-paced because I am taking my time to introduce Elena and the two male leads.
Once we get to a certain point, this book will have a lot of steamy scenes. "The Mafia's Secret Wife" is planned to have a lot of snusnu... so, if you are patient, you will be rewarded XD.