CHAPTER NINE : I BOUGHT YOU LEGALLY

The man walked down the hall, his long legs making powerful strides on the stairs as his eyes roamed around the room, examining the dining hall.

The maids retained their frightened expressions and behaved as if they were on pause, knowing that any mistake could cost them their job .

"Good morning, young master" they all chorused as soon as he stopped in front of the table. He nodded his head, attempting to acknowledge their greetings without bothering to look up, keeping his eyes trained on the table.

He passed by Sophie without looking at her, as if she were invisible, and took the seat at the front of the table, representing the head.

Sophie then took her seat at the opposite end of the table as directed by Madam Sandra.

The man gracefully picked up his fork and knife from the table, cutting into his eggs, then picking them up with his fork, exhibiting all forms of table courtesy.

Sophie sat still at the table, shifting in her seat due to the uncomfortable silence, looking at the maids who stood at the side of the table, waiting eagerly for the man to taste the egg. They folded their hands with nervous expressions, not knowing if they would be fired today.

He finally put the fork in his mouth, tasting the egg for the first time. They all waited for a reaction, but the man retained his expressionless face and continued eating, causing them all to let out a low sigh of relief.

He finally raised his head to make eye contact with Sophie since her stare seemed to be burning through his skull, disrupting his peaceful breakfast.

"EAT," he said, looking at her without any expression on his face, as Sophie opened her mouth to question him with many questions swirling in her mind.

"EAT," he said again, shutting her up, leaving no room for argument. She retracted into herself and faced her breakfast.

He stood up from the table, smoothing his suit with his hands, and turned to face Madam Sandra, who had just walked into the room. He gave her a nod. His dull and lifeless eyes seemed to harbor the most minimal emotion for her, as she gave him a motherly smile.

As he took steps to walk out of the room, Sophie immediately jumped from her seat, noticing his actions.

"Wait," she shouted as he immediately paused, not saying anything.

"Who are you, and where is Mr. Shane?" she asked, finally gaining the courage to speak. She stood in front of him as he raised his head to stare at her. His eyes—Sophie repeated in her mind—those unique eyes again, the same eyes that had stared at her in the darkness last night. His blue eyes on the left reminded her of the ocean, and his hazel eyes were completely different, blue mixed with flecks of yellow and red ,they seemed different from the night before.

They looked darker last night almost like black , a pool darkness hinting with a pro ise of fire at the end . Looking into them, you could see a completely different world, a world filled with beauty but hiding a storm at the end abd she could not help but admire the beauty once more . But one thing was off , that is the dullness in those beautiful eyes made her chest squeeze uncomfortably.

"Who is he?" the question repeated in her mind, and as if he heard her thoughts, he replied immediately.

"I am Shane Collen," he said.

Sophie's eyes widened. "What " she shouted frantically but all in her head.

"How?" she questioned, as it was the only word she could manage.

He looked at her shattered face as his brow furrowed in anger, wondering what kind of drama she was putting on now.

"How?" he asked her back, wondering what kind of stupid question she was asking.

"I am Shane Collen, heir to the Collen Industries. Do you have any other questions?" he asked her with a frown of impatience, continuously checking his watch.

"Why did you marry me?" Sophie asked the obvious question. If he was the heir to the Collen Industries, he didn't need to trick any girl into signing a marriage contract. Girls and noble families would line up to marry him.

"If you are Shane Collen, the heir to the Collen Industries, then why did you marry me?" she asked again. "You can get any girl you want, so why did you choose to marry me?" she asked as he looked at her with disgust and anger in his eyes.

"Don't think you're anything special. I married you to see you suffer," he said, his eyes glinting with disgust as the corners of his lips twitched upward in a sneer. With the rest of his face hidden by his black mask, she could not see his entire face, just his lips and eyes, but she knew his facial expression must be one of mockery.

It was no news that the young master of the Collen family never revealed his face, and nobody had ever caught even a glimpse of it, as it was always protected by a black mask he wore. She had seen it in many magazines before but never truly paid attention.

Although she had heard rumors like, "He wears the mask because he is very ugly," and "He has a scar from killing his mother, and he wears the mask to cover it," the last one seemed a bit more reasonable to her at that time. Last night, when she was attending to his illness, she did not have time to get a clear view of his face but could only see his eyes shining in the darkness. Even in the darkness, she could at least make out his facial curve and was sure he had a god-like face.

"Make me suffer? Why?" Sophie asked with confusion on her face as her anger grew.

"That is not for you to ask," he said as he took steps to walk away, leaving Sophie behind.

"I don't agree to this marriage," she shouted, making him halt in his steps. He then turned his back to look at her, as tears of anger glistened in her eyes, and his lips twitched in disgust at seeing her tears.

"You have no choice. I bought you legally," he said as...