Chapter 25: Christian's hidden identity

Clarisse groaned as the reflection of the sun shone into her eyes, she moaned as she turned around. Just then she heard the door open and then close, she pretended to still be asleep afraid the person who came in was Christian, she didn't want to see him or have any conversation with him and she hated the fact that he was the first person she's going to be seeing as she opened her eyes in the morning.

She heard footsteps going towards the window side and the curtain was drawn open causing the light to penetrate the room further thankfully she was backing the window.

" I think it's time to wake up ma'am", she heard a man's voice say but the voice wasn't Christian's. She sprang up to see who the strange man was and saw a man who seemed to be in his middle fifties.

" Good morning ma'am", he greeted with a smiles and bowed slightly.

" Good morning sir", she jumped up and bowed also.

Her attitude was amusing to the man whose smile deepened, " I'm not sir ma'am, please call me Clinton, and I'm here to make sure all your needs are attended to",

" Huh? Uh. I'm fine, please don't bother", she said anxiously as she's not used to being respected, not even by an elderly man.

" It's my Job, ma'am",

" Clarisse, please call me Clarisse",

" I'm sorry but I can't do that ma'am",

" Why? I'm sorry, I mean you're my elder",

" And you're my boss",

" Boss? Me?", she asked pointing at herself and chuckled nervously, " I think you're mistaken ".

Clinton smiled, "However, I'm here to invite you to the dining room, the breakfast is ready ".

Clarisse heart skipped so hard, ' are the families waiting for me? But I'm not ready to meet them, they'll surely hate me ', she said in her mind as the image of when she first met Victor's family flashed through her mind.

" Can..can I skip it?",

" Is everything okay ma'am? Are you feeling sick? Should I get my master's?",

" No, no, no, no, I'm fine, I just..just not ready to have breast fast ".

Clinton furrowed his brow, he watched her getting nervous and clenching her fist with her nightgown.

He put on a smile, " would you mind if I bring it here then?",

" Huh? You can do that? Won't they be angry?",

" They? I don't know what or who you're talking about, but I can do that", he said, bowed and walked away.

Clarisse sighed looking worried, she wondered if she had made the right decision by not just following the man. She wished to reverse the time.

" Will they barge in yelling at me? Will they throw me out or lock me somewhere?", she kept asking herself.

She had begun to say goodbye to the soft big bed she had fallen in love with. The bed was so soft that she didn't feel any body pain unlike what she was used to.

Christian watched Clinton coming back without Clarisse, he looked up to see if she was coming out but she wasn't.

" What's wrong? Why is she not coming out?",

" Maybe your face is scaring her".

He glared at the man in response.

" She wants to have her breakfast in her room", he said simply,

" Why?",

" Isn't your face scary ",

" And how's my face looking scary?", he glared up at him,

" Maybe if you look at the mirror, sir".

Christian scoffed, he knew Clinton so well and how he respectfully got on his nerves but he ignored him and returned to his food not saying any more.

Clinton went to the maids to get them to take meals to Clarisse's room but he took another look at him and sighed. He knows Christian very well, he isn't a man who talks too much, is cold and indifferent, a man of authority who doesn't take no for an answer, he isn't a person who shares his feelings or knows how to open his heart to get someone in, maybe because of the secret to his identity. One thing you'd never hear Christian say is ' thank you ', or ' I'm sorry ' and he had only heard him say it twice in his lifetime. He's a cold, dominant man right from when he was a kid but the only person he happens to show some soft side to is his grandfather whom he does joke with, he loves his family but it takes a while to accept them.

But apart from his grandfather, another person who has forced him out of his shell is, Clinton, they were never on good terms but he takes him as an uncle, his grandfather was worried that his domineering attitude might get in the way of his marriage and that's why he sent him over.

The maid followed him as they went to Clarisse's room, who jumped on seeing the door open and the room was soon filled with aroma and mouth-watering meals. They placed the food and Clinton dismissed them afterwards.

" Here's the meal, ma'am".

Clarisse gasped, "This is no meal, this is a feast".

Clinton smiled, " If it's my lord that offends you and that's why you chose not to join him for breakfast, I apologized on his behalf, I know he's not the type to say sorry but I hope you can see this as him apologizing", he said bowing slightly.

" He didn't offend me and he said sorry", she said not paying all attention to Clinton. Her eyes were on the feast, this would probably be the best meal of her life and she was trying to be sure she was not dreaming and all these were for her.

" Eh?", Clinton felt he didn't hear her right and this was when he had her full attention, " My lord has ever apologized to you",

" Hm", she nodded,

" My lord? Christian Charles?",

" Yes",

" When?",

" Countless times, even on our wedding day, when he arrived late".

Clinton stood transfixed like he had just listened to a bizarre story. After some seconds he laughed, she must have heard wrong or misinterpreted, maybe he used another means to apologize, probably a sentence but definitely not ' I'm sorry, or even sorry' so there's no way he believed what she was saying, No way. Maybe when he sees it by himself.