Rules Rules Rules!

The next morning, I woke up feeling hopeful. I had no idea where that feeling came from, but I knew that it would keep me going through the day. Even though I felt alive, I was not in a mood to be among people, especially Jack. I was still hurt by his words the previous night.

There was a knock on the door, and I jumped out of bed to answer it. One of the chefs had come to inform me that breakfast was ready and that I was expected to show up. I went to the bathroom, took a bath, and came back to my room. Every time I had to use the bathroom, I would miss my apartment. Going outside my room in order to go to the bathroom was very inconvenient for me. I wore a long dress and headed downstairs to the dining room.

"Finally, the princess arrives." Becky shouted, annoyed, when I stepped inside the dining room. I looked around, and I was shocked to see that everyone waited for me. "Why didn't the chef tell me?" I thought. I hurriedly made my way to the table and sat next to Becky. Of all the people in the mansion, Becky was the only one who didn't terrify me that much. I think the fact that we are almost age-mates made me a bit more comfortable around her.

"Good morning; please pardon me. I had no idea that you were waiting for me. I would have been faster." I pulled the chair and sat comfortably on it, my head focused on the table.

"One of the rules in this family is that we eat together as a family. You will learn more as time goes on." Jack was the last person I expected to respond. We prayed and then began eating. There was a lot of food on the table, and there was no way that it could be finished with just us. 

"Wasteful!" I thought as I poured milk into my bowl of corn flakes. 

Damon emerged from the kitchen with a jar of fruit juice. I had forgotten all about him, and I was startled when I saw him. He walked straight and occupied the chair opposite mine. In a fit of rage, I stood up and prepared myself to leave. 

"May I be excused? I'm not really hungry." I gently pushed my chair backward and began walking away.

"Sit down!" Jack bellowed at me. I obeyed him and returned to my seat. I had already lost my appetite, so I forced the cornflakes down my throat, and finally everyone was done and breakfast was over. I was the first one to leave, and I rushed straight to my bedroom.

"Huh!" I sighed heavily as I had my back against the door, and suddenly I heard the door pushing. I stepped aside, and the last person I wanted to see on earth stood at the door entrance.

"Damon!" I spoke softly.

"I always get what I want, Mandy." He laughed at me and left, leaving me shocked and overwhelmed. I then told myself that I wouldn't let anything happen to me; I would fight Damon with everything that I had. I was not used to this life at all. I lacked things to keep me busy, so I decided to take a nap.

I woke up feeling drowsy. The first thing I did when I woke up was to check my phone. I wanted to look at the time, but something else caught my eye. I have 10 missed calls from one caller. It was Sergio, my boyfriend. My heart began drumming in my chest when I recalled that I had promised to call him so that we could meet. I had forgotten completely, and I couldn't imagine what he must be feeling right now, considering that I have not been completely honest with him.

I slipped out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, and splashed water on my face, then quickly brushed my teeth. I returned to my bedroom and changed my clothes. I haven't told anyone that I was going out today, and I knew that Jack was going to be mad at me, but I had to do it anyway. I took out my phone and called Sergio, but his phone rang once, and he rejected the call. I thought that he did it by mistake, and I called for the second, third, and fourth time, but he kept rejecting my calls.

"He must be so mad at me." I hurriedly opened my message browser and began typing a long message, telling him how sorry I was. Then I was suddenly disturbed by a knock on the door. I rushed and opened it, and my jaw fell agape.

"Relax; there is no one here. He kept pestering me about seeing you, so I let him. He said it was really important, and he said he called you and you were not answering your phone. Make it snappy; you have exactly 20 minutes." Jack's driver left after explaining to me why he brought Sergio to my room. I was still stunned and lost for words. I thought that Sergio was mad at me, and that's why he's ignoring me, yet he was on his way to the Miller mansion.

"I'm sorry that I missed your calls; I took a nap and my phone was on silent. Tell me, why are you here?" I pointed to the bed, indicating where he should sit.

"What are you doing here? What is really happening, Mandy?" He questioned me, and this time I knew that I couldn't escape his endless questions.

"Can we talk about it when we have enough time? We were given 20 minutes." 

"No! I'm actually here for some answers. You are my girlfriend, and you are supposed to be honest with me. Why are you staying here? And what happened with the charges laid against you? I thought you hated these people because they accused you of a murder you didn't commit. Why are you staying with them? What is it that you are not telling me?" He rose from the bed and looked directly into my eyes. I've never seen him like this, and it made me nervous.

"I am working here now, Sergio. I took my mother's place, since you know that she's in jail. There was not enough evidence to sentence me, so Jack forced me to work here. But don't worry about it because I kind of like it here; it's really cool." I hated lying to him, but it was necessary.

"I don't understand, Mandy, but your mother is still in jail for having a hand in the murder. Her charges aren't dropped, how?" He was not prepared to let this one go.

"Sergio, please know that I haven't healed from those accusations. I'm not ready to talk about it; I hope that you understand. I'm sure my mother's case will be sorted out soon enough. That's all I can say for now." I stood up and faced him with my arms folded across my waist.

"I understand, and I apologise for being this pushy. Whenever you are ready, you know I will always be there for you." A smile flickered through his face, and that melted my heart. I blushed a bit, and his smile widened.

"I have missed you so much, my darling." He took his hands, placed them around my waist, and then pulled me closer to him. I didn't hesitate, as I had missed him too. I took my arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. He leaned over to my face and softly brushed his lips against mine. We were disturbed by the sound of the door opening. I quickly pushed him away and fixed my guilty gaze at the door.