I arrive at the penthouse, the familiar sense of dread settling in my stomach. Roan is nowhere to be seen, which is a relief. Durleigh, however, is still here, looking quite pleased with herself. "Now that everything is sorted, I will be taking my leave. We will have the first follow-up meeting at the end of the week. Try your best to put in some work," she says, her tone professional.
I nod, feeling exasperated, and walk her to the door. I watch her leave, and as soon as she enters the elevator, my stiff smile falls. She is only doing her job but damn, I was still angry at her for being so strict.
As I pass the kitchen, I hear Milli humming a cheerful tune. To anyone else, it might sound pleasant, but to me, it's the song of a siren before slaughtering sailors at sea. I step into the kitchen, and Milli greets me with a bright smile. "Madam, dinner will be ready soon."
I don't dare eat her food. "No need to worry about me," I say, lifting the takeout bag. "I have my own food."
Milli's smile falters. "Food from outside isn't clean."
I chuckle, remembering how Roan never ate out unless it was at his family's lavish restaurants or prepared by a personal chef. Another stupid rule I had to follow in my past life. "It's fine. It's going in my stomach, not Roan's."
Milli looks like she wants to argue, but Roan suddenly calls her. I place my food in the microwave, the tantalising smell quickly overwhelming the scent of the steamed fish Milli has been making. I take out a beer from the fridge, feeling a rebellious thrill. Manners be damned. My goal is to annoy Roan to the point where he begs his grandfather to ease the conditions before our annulment.
Soon, I am sitting opposite Roan, eating from the takeout box with no etiquette at all. I shovel rice mixed with shrimp into my mouth, only lifting my head to gulp down the beer. The food is delicious, bursting with flavours I have missed. When I see Roan staring at me with a look of disgust, I ask, "What?"
He pushes his dinner plate away. "Thanks to you, I have lost my appetite."
I chuckle, a smirk playing on my lips. Roan stands and walks up the stairs, his aura oppressive. He is obviously angry. But I am not done with him yet.
After dinner, I drag my suitcase up the stairs, each step echoing my resolve. Without announcing myself, I push open the bedroom door and stride in, heading straight for the walk-in closet.
The space is filled with Roan's things neatly arranged. I find a space that seemed deliberately left for me. I start hanging my clothes, with no regard for the owner of the house.
Suddenly, the bathroom door swings open, releasing a cloud of steam. Roan steps out, his bathrobe clinging to his damp skin. His eyes widen in shock as he sees me. "Selene, what are you doing in here?" he yells, his voice bouncing off the walls.
I arch an eyebrow, a smirk playing on my lips. "Husband, do you come out of the bathroom like that? Why are you wrapped up so tightly like a nun?" I ask, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
Roan's fists clench, and I notice the tension in his jaw. Oh, how silly I was in my past life. If I had known that messing with Roan would give me this much satisfaction, I would have done it sooner. "Husband, since we are meant to live like a happy couple, maybe you should show more… skin," I tease.
"Get out," he growls through gritted teeth.
I pout my lips, feigning innocence. "Where am I supposed to go? This is my home too."
"I don't care where you go, just get out," he snaps.
I let out a soft "Oh" and walk out, the door slamming shut behind me. In the hallway, I glance up at the camera, my expression dejected for the lens before a smirk creeps back onto my face. I head to my laptop, settling down to continue the game and screen record my gameplay with my headphones on.
An hour later, I feel a knock on the table but ignore it. A hand appears in front of my screen, and I look up, frustration boiling over. "What, what, what?" I yell, pulling down my headphones. I was so close to finishing the side quest.
Roan stands next to me, his pyjamas buttoned to the top and his morning gown wrapped tightly like a burrito. He clears his throat. "You can come back to the room," he says, his voice filled with reluctance. It seems the old man saw me being chased out and called his grandson to fix it.
I smirk. "You told me to get out, so how can I dare go back?"
Roan closes his eyes, exasperated. "Why are you being difficult?"
I focus on my screen. "I don't hear an apology."
He suppresses his anger. "Then you can only deal with me for a year," he said before leaving.
I want to see him grovel and apologise but it seemed impossible. Swearing under my breath, I switch off my laptop and carry it upstairs. I push the bedroom door open and meet Roan's gaze.
He is sitting on one end of the huge bed, reading some papers. Without a word, I put away my laptop, take out my panda onesie and toiletries, and head into the bathroom, shutting the door with a bang.
When I emerge, dressed in my panda onesie, Roan's brows crease, but he says nothing. I climb into the bed, and he asks, "Wait, what are you doing?"
"What do you think I am doing?" I retort.
"You sleep on the chaise," he insists.
I know Roan is mysophobic and doesn't like sharing his things, but there is no way I am making him comfortable. "You sleep on the chaise. I am not going to make myself uncomfortable for your sake."
Roan is furious, but he can't pick me up and throw me off the bed. "Switch off the light when you are done," I say, pulling the quilt over myself.
I hear his angry movements as he gets out of bed and the sound of his footsteps as he leaves the room with a bang. Ten minutes later, the door opens again, and I hear him settle on the chaise overlooking the balcony. I smile slyly, enjoying the torment I have inflicted on him.
I wake up the next day in an excellent mood, the kind that makes you feel like the world is full of possibilities. Maybe it's the comfortable bed that has me feeling so relaxed. I sit up, rubbing my sleepy eyes sheepishly, and notice that Roan is already gone. The chaise is empty. I smirk, feeling a small victory, before jumping out of bed and hopping into the shower.
Thirty minutes later, I am downstairs in an apron, making breakfast. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling eggs fills the kitchen. As I plate my super fluffy omelette, Milli walks in, having just arrived.
"Madam, I was going to make breakfast for you," she says, her voice tinged with concern.
"No need," I reply, sitting down with my cup of coffee. I can feel Milli's gaze burrowing through my back, but I ignore it. After eating, I clear up my plates, but before I can wash them, Milli stops me.
"Madam, this is my job," she insists.
I don't argue. Instead, I head back upstairs, change clothes in the bathroom, and leave the condo. I wasn't interested in dealing with Roan this morning and spoil my mood so I chose to leave early.
The busy streets are alive with the morning rush, and I think about going to my office first. But as I pass an open salon, I do a double take and stare at my reflection in the window.
As Mrs. Kingsley, I was told to cut my hair to fit Roan's preference. But today, I feel rebellious. If I can't grow my hair overnight, I can at least change its colour to something so obnoxious it will irritate Roan on sight. A sly smile creeps up my face as I slip into the salon. To get one's revenge, there have to be sacrifices, and I'm not afraid to sacrifice my hair.
ROAN
I step out of the gym in my penthouse, sweat trickling down my back, a towel draped over my neck. The cool air of the hallway greets me as I take a long sip from my water bottle. The smell of eggs wafts towards me, and I assume Milli has made breakfast. For some reason, I feel particularly hungry this morning.
As I step into the bedroom, I notice Selene is gone. Good riddance. Last night, no, the entire day yesterday was a nightmare because of her. I head into the bathroom, letting the warm water cascade over me. Closing my eyes, I recall how she played the victim in front of Durleigh, all while smiling evilly at me. I sneer, running my hands through my hair. Selene has a way of invoking sympathy from everyone including my grandfather, making herself look pitiful.
After telling her to leave last night, I immediately got a call from the old man. He threatened to extend our marriage for a year if I didn't apologise to her. Apologise? For what? She forced my hand and made me sleep on the chaise.
I left the bedroom in anger thinking the old man was no longer watching but just like clockwork he called again. I couldn't even go out to get a glass of water in peace.
She is good at pretending to be innocent in front of others, but to me, she is a little devil.
She even haunted my dreams. Last night, I dreamt she was sitting in the lounge of the penthouse as I returned from work. I asked her what she was doing there and how she got in, but she lowered her head with a timid look in her eyes. I told her to get out, but she wouldn't move.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door. She raised her head and said "husband" sweetly, making me shiver. "Let's have a baby," she said. I tried to shake her off, and during the push and pull, Selene fell. The scene changed to a snow-covered road as soon as her body hit the ground. I reached out to help her up, but she was run over by a car, blood splattering everywhere.
I woke up gasping for air. This was the most horrifying dream yet. I have been having sleepless nights, yet she sleeps peacefully in my bed in a stupid panda onesie. It's because of her that I woke up early again today.
I step out of the bathroom and into the walk-in closet. Half the closet, which I had cleared out for Sunny, now has a few of Selene's clothes. Irritated, I get changed and head downstairs.
I sit at the dining table, but there is no sign of Selene. Milli brings my cup of black coffee while I scroll through the morning paper on my tablet. "Good morning, sir," she says. I glance at the cup of coffee sitting alone on the table and ask, "Didn't you make breakfast?"
Milli looks a little surprised. "Sir, you never have breakfast, so I didn't make any. It was the Madam who made breakfast." She pauses before adding, "She only made some for herself."
I snort coldly, not even in the mood to drink my coffee anymore. Milli offers to make something quick, but I wave her off. "No need," I say, getting up.
When I step into the car, my oppressive aura is so suffocating that the driver doesn't dare breathe too loud. At the office, Conrad instantly begins reiterating the plans for the day, sensing my foul mood. I tap the desk softly, an impassive look on my face. "Where is Selene?" I ask, cutting him off.
Conrad, who hasn't seen her today, replies, "She hasn't arrived yet."
I furrow my brow, my fingers halting their tapping on the desk. Where on earth has she gone now?