CHAPTER 11: Contract Rules
Laura POV
I sat down on my bed going through the contract papers Xavier has dropped before going to work in the morning.
There are a lot of rules here, I thought and scoffed.
There were ten rules in total. "No falling in love" That came first and it made me scoff. Who would fall in love with a cold jerk like him.
"No intimate relations" It made me smile, glad he named that.
"Public affection display must be perfectly acted"
"Invasion of privacy will not be condoned" I didn't think I would be able to do that though. I'm too clumsy to remember these.
I read through the rules and scoffed or laughed sometimes. Even the contract papers screams harsh!
I could try abiding by those rules but the tenth rule says; Abide by the other rules I didn't remember to put here. Meaning even if he says something and calls it a rule, then I have to abide by it since it's the tenth rule.
The girl is crazy and the guy is crazier. I'm going to live with these people for years?? I checked the contract again and made sure I read everything carefully again.
A door creaked open and I knew it was the door to the sitting room, the sound that door makes seems to be different from the others.
I quickly jumped out of the bed and dashed out of my room with the contract papers in my hand.
Just like I had expected, it was Xavier who had entered. I saw his car key on the table but I checked downstairs but he wasn't there. Did he go to his room within that short time??
I thought and walked back upstairs, opened his room gently and saw Xavier loosening his tie.
I gulped down nothing and blinked my eyes twice as he just stared at me.
I should have expected to see him there, so why do I look surprised.
"You like invading people's privacy right??" He said with a cold glare.
"I wanted to talk to you about this, that's why I'm here" I said returning the glare gesturing at the papers.
"So? It is clearly stated there, that you should not come into my room without permission, yet you came in here without knocking??" He said and I sneered to myself.
It would be stupid for me to tell him that I didn't expect to see him inside, that's why I didn't knock.
"I haven't agreed to the contract yet so why should I abide by the rules? I'm not abiding by the contract until I sign it!" I said and dashed out of the room, I could hear him sigh and that made me smile but that smile was immediately replaced by a frown.
Why wasn't I this bold when I was in my parents house? Why would I always give in to the torment they make me go through without trying to fight back?? But here, I talk so boldly like that's always been me, here I changed and I'm wishing I have always had this kind of personality, maybe they wouldn't have treated me like that.
I dropped the papers on my night stand and laid on the bed thinking about them.
Would they even try to find me?? Would they even care if I'm gone?? I bet they won't.
I closed my eyes to sleep but memories rushed in like they always do and this time, I allowed it.
I moved mechanically, cooking and setting the table for my family. Once the meal was ready, I went to wake everyone up, including my lazy stepsister, Olivia, who did nothing but sleep all day.
They all gathered at the dining table, not a single word of thanks for the food I had prepared. Instead, my stepdad insulted me for being late with dinner.
I pulled out a chair and sat down, ready to eat. This was the only meal I was allowed to have each day, and that's only because my mother was present.
Funny right? I cook three meals a day, but I get to eat one.
During the day, while I tirelessly helped my mother in her shop, I did that on an empty stomach awaiting the night to come so I can get to eat the only meal I do eat.
Just as I was about to start eating, Olivia began coughing dramatically, complaining that the food was too spicy.
No one else had an issue with it, but Olivia always found a way to create trouble just to make me suffer.
My mother immediately sided with Olivia, insisting that I cook a new meal for my stepsister. I wasn't even allowed to take a sip of water before getting up to redo the entire meal.
I hurried to the kitchen, preparing another meal for Olivia as quickly as possible.
I knew all too well that if I were even slightly delayed, I would be denied dinner that night.
Once the meal was ready, I brought it out to the dining room, relieved to see that my own plate was still untouched.
To my surprise, Olivia's plate, which had been full of the "peppery" food she had just complained about, was now empty.
Despite her earlier grumbling, Olivia had managed to finish every last bite.
"Stop staring at me like an idiot and serve me already!" She snapped, her voice sharp and commanding.
"S-sorry, Oli, I stammered, like a fool with my voice trembling. Though I was two years older than Olivia, I still found herself terrified of my stepsister.
As I moved closer to the dining table, Landon, my stepbrother, casually extended his leg, deliberately tripping her.
I fell hard, and the meal I had painstakingly prepared spilled across the floor.
"Is there anything you can do right, you useless fool?" My mother screamed in frustration.
"It's okay, Mom. I'll just make do with this, Olivia said, feigning magnanimity as she reached out and took mother's hand, a smug smile on her face. It was only then that mother's fury subsided.
I sat frozen on the floor, too stunned to respond. I stared helplessly at the food I had worked so hard to make, now scattered across the floor.
"Eat that food you wasted. That's your punishment for tonight," my stepdad commanded as he stormed out of the room.
"Make sure you clean up the mess and wash all the dishes," my mother added, following her husband out of the dining room.
"Enough!" I told myself as I turned on the bed facing the other side, that was the last memory I had in that house.
There was more to that day but I don't want to remember it, not now!.