Bella sank deep in her chair, feeling the need to just disappear and appear in a quiet and cozy place where there was no Jackson and definitely no scary-looking driver. She then realized that the car ride didn't make her stomach do a 180° flip over.
"When people ask who you are to me, you should not under any circumstance, call yourself my wife." Jackson's voice of warning broke into her thoughts, and she blinked at him repeatedly in confusion. She couldn't stop the frown that made its way to her face as she asked,
"What then should I say I am to you?"
"Anything that wouldn't taint my image, my maid." He shrugged like it was an obvious fact. Bella had never been so humiliated. She spared a glance at the driver who seemed to be uninterested in their conversation. He should be, she thought in her mind.
"What?" She had never been that speechless. Did he really say what she thought she heard him say?
Bella stared into his eyes which looked to be serious and burst out laughing, only for it to die down some moments later and be replaced with a frown.
"You're joking right?" She asked. He had to be joking, he just had to be.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" He stared straight at her eyes, boring a hole wherever his gaze touched.
How could he? How could he even refer to her as that without even an ounce of remorse?
"You are so brutal." She breathed out.
"I'm not a maid." She blurted through gritted teeth and before he could say anything to her earlier claim, and the car came to an abrupt halt. Looking out of the car through the window, Ella noticed that they had arrived in a small but comfortable-looking apartment. Just her dream type. It was too beautiful, so beautiful that looking at it made her heart ache sweetly. It looked cozy and inviting, so much so that Ella momentarily forgot about the disturbing conversation she had with Jackson not long ago.
Climbing out from her side of the passenger's seat, she stared around in awe, before taking in a deep breath. So beautiful. Everywhere was just plain beautiful, unlike what she was used to in the village. She was afraid that if she blinked, she'd be back in the village.
Although, she missed it already; the noisy streams, the children's happy chatters as they gallivanted about the whole village, her flower picking sections, her friends and families. The list could go on and on, but she wasn't in Paris to be homesick, she had made up her mind that the time she spent in Paris would be fruitful, and she'd manage to win Jackson over. She had to make her inescapable marriage work, it had to work. It just had to.
"Let's go in." Jackson's voice broke into her train of thoughts, and she turned to stare at him. She was supposed to be mad at him, but she couldn't remember the reason why for a moment there. And then it hit her; he wanted her to introduce herself as HIS maid to whomever cared to ask.
She knew that even if they were the only ones present wherever, out of earshot, he would still not acknowledge their relationship, what made her think that he'd acknowledge it in front of anyone ever?
She walked up to him and made to take her luggage from him but he wasn't having it.
"What do you think you're doing?" He cocked a perfectly shaped brow at her in askance.
"I can carry my luggage myself." She stated in a rigid tone, avoiding any form of eye contact.
"I know." He stated in a clipped tone and made to move forward, but she remained adamant by standing in his way.
"What the fuck are you doing now, woman?" He grumbled out.
"You don't have to pretend to be a gentleman, I can carry my luggage by myself." She repeated in a firm voice. He wasn't nice, and she knew it. He didn't have to act the part. He didn't have to pretend.
He stared at her a tad bit too intently for her comfort, before he then lifted his hand holding her luggage, thereby putting a strain on his mouth-watering looking biceps which bulged in return, and then he let go of the luggage, letting it fall with a loud thud on the ground beside his feet. Ella cringed at the offensive sound.
He then proceeded to walk towards the house with his own luggage in his grip, but halfway through to the house, he turned back and walked towards Ella who was struggling to carry the heavy luggage, and he dropped his at her feet.
She stared quizzically up at him and he said: "I'm tired, carry mine too."
Then he walked away and into the house, leaving her to gape in horror. He couldn't be serious!
When she had managed to drag the two unbelievably heavy items of luggage and other extra stuff which the driver had left by the door before driving off, inside, she slumped on a chair, struggling to keep her breathing in check under the watchful gaze if Jackson who was sitting on one of the chairs and watching.
She had to prove him wrong. If he made her carry his luggage too just to punish her, she had to make him think that she was not one bit affected.
"Are you tired?"
What did he expect?
She stared at him with anger bubbling inside of her, but she tried her very best to not allow her facial expression to show it.
"What do you expect? It was a long flight, wasn't it?" She tried to not let the anger she felt taint her tone. Anger was a strange emotion to her, she rarely ever felt it. She hardly ever got angry, and the fact that even the mere sight if him made her angry, made her believe that he knew just the right buttons to press when it came to annoying her.
Jackson regarded her with his heated gaze, before saying,
"Your room is the one with the brown door, mine is the one with the black door, never go in there. Understood?"
Bella felt like lashing out a reply along the line of 'You wish' or 'Never go in mine too' or 'whatever' but she didn't want him to resent her the more, so she settled for:
"What will I be doing in your room anyway?" Which was accompanied by a scoff from her. She immediately realized that it was just as much of a bad reply as the others.
"I mean….yes, I understand." She quickly corrected herself, playing with the hem of her top, and staring at everything and anything but him. Her teeth were quick to nip on her lower lip.
"Good." He curtly stated, before standing up and going over to his luggage that laid at an odd angle beside Ella's own. He picked it up like it weighed a feather, and Ella couldn't digest the fact that it was the same luggage that almost removed her arms from their positions as she watched him, but then, she had to remind herself that he was a strong and fully grown man. He disappeared from her view, and she guessed that he was headed for his room.
She stared bewilderedly at nothing in particular, thinking of how he carried the luggage like it weighed nothing. Those same hands could do a lot of damage to her fragile self. She began panicking and had to remind herself that she was an optimist. She saw good in even the worst of situations. He would never hurt her. They had known each other for over a week, it couldn't be said that she was living with a complete stranger, right?
*
She could take it no more. The harsh groaning of her stomach, sounded like a lion's roar. She was sure it could be heard all the way in Nma Emily's food house back in the village.
Since they had arrived in the city of Paris, she has had nothing to eat. Seeing as Jackson happened to be in a messy mood since they arrived, she didn't want to disturb him. Climbing down from the bed, she made her way out of her room; a room she absolutely loved.
She let the tips of her slender fingers graze the walls as she made her way down the hall. She also stared around her in awe. The house was spotless and beautiful.
The pieces of furniture were top-notch. Soon enough, she found the kitchen. Venturing into it, she let her eyes take in every single thing in it.
She didn't even notice that she had been lost in the beauty of the whole place, until her stomach growled once again, and this time, it was louder, and a sharp pain followed.
She placed her hand gingerly on her belly with a grimace on her face. She had never faired well with hunger. Taking in a deep breath, she reached for the fridge at a corner in the kitchen, but was met with disappointment when she pulled it open. Not a single grain of food was in it.
She couldn't stop that 'you've got to be kidding me' expression from forming on her face. No food!? Nothing at all in the kitchen?! She resulted to opening every single drawer and cupboard she could find, but was greeted by random utensils that could not in any way satiate her hunger.
"You'll find nothing." Jackson's voice broke into the self-pitying thoughts of how she might die of hunger which she was having.
She froze at the sound of his voice, remaining in the position she was. Her elbows were on the counter, and her head was resting in her palms.
"I know." She murmured.
"Why is there no food in the house though?" She asked sadly as she turned around to stare at him, and her eyes widened momentarily at the sight of him. She felt the urge to turn back around when she found him standing there in all his shirtless glory, but she couldn't move. He had on a grey sweatpants. She'd really have to get used to the idea of living alone with him. Her eyes lingered on his V line which disappeared into his pants, before quickly averting her eyes, and she bit down on her lower lip. His dreadlocks were let to cascade freely down.
She knew he saw her ogle him, and that made her cheeks burn in embarrassment. Jackson who was watching her closely, didn't miss her reaction. What could he say? He was used to being stared at by women like he was a very appetizing snack.
Although, there was a difference in the way Ella stared at him, he had to admit. The innocence was clear.
Pulling away from the door frame which he had been leaning up against, he approached her with his hands now dug deep into his pocket.
Ella's back straightened in alert when Jackson started advancing towards her, and when he got to her, her breath froze. She stood still with her eyes looking straight into his, as she wondered what he wanted. She didn't dare let her eyes wander.
Jackson on the other hand leaned into a distressed-looking Ella who leaned away as he leaned closer out of instinct. "Uh, what are you doing?" She asked seeing how close he was, before nervously biting down on her lower lip. Jackson then reached for the cupboard above where she stood, and took out a glass cup, not once taking his eyes from her.
"That's where the cups are kept." He showed it to her, before moving away from her, heading for the tap.
Ella breathed a sigh of relief. He had wanted the cup all the while? Why didn't he just ask her to move, or simply just take it without leaning into her and almost giving her a heart attack and letting his rich smelling cologne played chess with her senses.
Ella's eyes followed his every movement like a hawk. He first rinsed out the cup, before filling it with water and gulping it down all in one goal, with his eyes closed. She couldn't stop her eyes from zeroing in on his Adam's apple and the few drops of water that escaped from the corner of lips. Just when she had her eyes on his full pink lips after he had brought the cup down from his lips, his eyes snapped open, looking straight into hers.