Surreal Beginnings

Lucas left the mansion after signing the papers. As soon as he was gone, Lillian was able to breathe properly. She did not want to think of what would happen when he returned that night, preferring to worry about it when the time came.

"Madame, you can rest in your room," Thomas suggested. Lillian did not reply but nodded and turned away. The small number of people had dispersed, going back to their work while Thomas left to submit the marriage documents to the court.

Lillian hesitantly returned to Lucas' room- no- her and Lucas' room. She shuddered at the thought of sharing a room and possibly…

She was too scared to even think of the second possibility. Shaking the thoughts of her worst fears away, she decided to freshen up first. Her suitcases were already kept in a corner. Extracting a towel and her clothes from there, she entered the bathroom.

Like the rest of the mansion, the bathroom was also quite splendid. The grey marble floor was squeaky clean with matching sleek walls. There was a long alcove at the end of the bathroom which was a shower space while the middle area was occupied by a large tub which was put on top of a couple of marble steps. A white chandelier hung right above it while a series of mini cabinets were installed on both sides.

On her left was a long mirror and a sink was placed in front of it. A soft scent of cedar and cinnamon hit her nose and for a minute, Lillian was mesmerized by the smell. It was quite pleasant and for some reason, familiar.

She put her toiletries on one side and locked the door before stripping off her clothes. Entering the shower, she turned on the warm water, letting it hit her.

Instantly, she felt more relaxed and was able to think straight. The past few days were a blur to her and she was dreading this day.

I'm married now, she thought. But the whole thing was so surreal that it did not sink into her mind yet. Instead of feeling elated, she was lost and confused by her decision. She entered a paper marriage for the sake of her father and now, she had no idea what to do. Lucas Hao's proposal for a six month marriage contract sounded laughable on paper but in reality, she was overwhelmed by the ordeal.

Six months. For the next six months, this dreary mansion was her home. It was luxurious and, if she was in a sound state of mind, Lillian would have loved living there.

But the riches felt a sham to her and the luxury around her was nothing more than a golden cage. It kept her captive, not letting her go.

The tears she had held back for so long were now flowing freely with the warm water. She sobbed hard, the pitter patter of the shower shrouding her cries. Her heart was in a gut wrenching pain and she wanted to go back home to cry in her mother's arms. She was scared of the new place she was in. Everything scared her, made her bones chill. Nothing felt like home and Lillian was disgusted at herself for being so weak.

And most of all, she was scared of the man who was now her husband.

Now she was regretting making that silly wish. Happy? What was so happy about this?

"Don't cry," she told herself. "Don't cry. Just endure it all with a smile until the nightmare ends. For dad. Just endure."

She knew she was weak and under Lucas Hao's mercy until her father's debts were paid off.

Finally, she turned off the shower and stepped out of it. She was no longer crying but resigned herself to her fate. Six months would probably pass by in a blink and she would be free. Until then, she would have to deal with Lucas Hao's atrocities.

Lillian wiped herself dry and changed into a woolen sweater and jeans. She came out of the bathroom to find that someone had placed a tray full of food on her bed. After such a strange day, she realized that she was starving.

She quickly chowed down her food and neatly stacked the plates back on the tray. Picking up the tray, she went downstairs to put it away in the kitchen.

As soon as Lillian stepped out, she paused. The place was very new to her and she did not know her way inside the mansion. She slowly made her way through the corridor, still carrying the tray in her hands. Her feet moved along the sleek dark floor. Several small lights illuminated the way as she passed by the large windows which were covered by heavy curtains. Even though the mansion was beautiful, it was too dark for her taste.

"This place needs more light," she muttered. Putting the tray down, she pulled the curtains apart to let the sun rays inside. She smiled slightly, pleased to see the scenery again. For some reason, seeing the city from this high was exciting. Despite her unusual circumstances, the view of the beautiful landscape was making her feel at ease.

"Now for the kitchen…"

She walked around with the tray, going in circles. There were four other bedrooms inside the mansion but all of them were smaller than the master bedroom and had very little light in them.

Finally, she reached the grand stairway and descended it. One of the maids spotted her with the tray and immediately rushed to help her.

"Madam, please hand over the tray to me!" the maid requested. "I'll take it to the kitchen."

"That's okay, I can take it!" Lillian said but the maid shook her head.

"Madam, you're now the mistress of this mansion," she said. "You're not supposed to work with so many maids and servants around! Let me take it!"

Without another word, the maid took the tray from Lillian's hands and hurried away. Lillian pouted a little; she was used to doing her own chores and did not want to trouble others for it.

Making a note to continue doing her own work as much as possible, she decided to explore the mansion further. To her dismay, the whole place was too dark for her so she pulled open the curtains in the living room to let the light in.

The mafia lord really likes to stay in the darkness, she inwardly winced.

She explored the metropolitan style living room. There was a small bar at one end with various colored wines and alcohol bottles lined up neatly at the back. Lillian was awed by the selection. She usually settled for cheap beer and rarely drank the good stuff unless she was out with friends. Thankfully, she had a strong alcohol tolerance.

Should I sneak a taste at times? She wondered but then immediately shook the thought away. The mafia lord would probably skin her alive if she touched his precious wine collection.

A few of the maids were observing their new mistress with interest but Lillian was oblivious to their stares.

"I never knew the master had a girlfriend," one maid whispered.

"He's always such a secretive guy!" another maid sighed. "Handsome but scary and secretive."

"Poor girl," a young maid in her late teens spoke up. "She seems really nice! How did the demon end up with such a nice girl?"

"They say that opposites attract."

"Yeah but for how long? His family is crazy! Imagine what'll happen when that rotten stepsister of his finds out about this…"

"Shh!" one of the maids shushed her. "Don't talk about that bitch. She'll only ruin everything…"

They were all curious about the new mistress, eager to stay on her good side. Lillian moved on to another room which turned out to be locked.

"It's locked," she muttered. The maid who took the tray for her earlier, came rushing out to stop Lillian.

"Madam, that's the master's private study," the maid cautioned her. "No one is allowed to go inside. Not even the staff members."

"Why?" Lillian asked.

"We don't know," the maid said. "But the master will become angry if he finds out that you've gone in."

Lillian was very curious about the room. Why was it locked? And why could not anyone enter it?

"When will he...I mean L-Lucas Hao come back?" she asked nervously.

"I'm not sure, madam," the maid replied apologetically. "He can return anytime. Or he might not return home all night. He's...he's unpredictable."

Unpredictable. That was right. Lucas Hao was unpredictable and now that Lillian was married to him, her life also turned to be such.

I really ended up in a strange place, she thought.