Arranged Marriage: Beneath The Rumors

Chapter 18: Who Are You To Order Me Around

The next day, Lisa remained holed up in her room, unable to muster the courage to face whatever lay ahead. She lay on her bed, tossing and turning, breathing in the fresh fragments smell of her room, thinking of a way to survive in this house and walk away from this doomed marriage.

She was lost in thought. "If I survive in this house, how will I make him divorce me?" she thought to herself.

"I want to get a divorce. I want to get rid of this marriage. I'm too young to be married," Lisa said to herself and started pounding, punching, and kicking the bed in frustration. Her hair was messy, her eyebrows were filled with tears, and her face was red from crying; even her eyes were swollen.

"Knock, knock, knock," someone knocked on her door again for the third time.

Lisa was so angry and frustrated that the servants in this estate kept on disturbing her to eat. She felt like barking a hell out of them. She didn't say anything, just kept staring at the closed door as if she could see through it.

"Ma'am, can you please try and eat something? Starving yourself is not good for your health, especially when you didn't even eat something last night," the butler said pleadingly, on the verge of tears.

Lisa frowned but didn't respond.

"Ma'am, please eat something. You are making things difficult for us. If something happens to you, people will hold us accountable and say we are responsible," the butler continued, calling out but still got no response from Lisa. He frowned and looked at the other maid beside him. "Is she dead?" he asked himself in confusion.

"Ma'am if you are okay, just say something and come out and eat," the butler said, worriedly.

"I- It's like something happened to madam," the servants said.

"Let's break down the door," the butler said.

Lisa heard this and furrowed her eyebrows.

They called a bodyguard to break down the door and the servants were all trembling in fear, thinking that something had happened to Lisa or she fainted.

The guard walked backward and rushed towards Lisa's door with a huge force to break down the door.

As he was about to land on the door, "You all are too noisy! I said I'm not hungry! Can you please let me be?" Lisa's angry roar filled everybody's earlobes, including the guard, who was startled by the sudden scream from the room. He missed his strength because of fright and fell to the ground.

All the servants were also startled. "She said that we are too noisy. Let's let her be. I'm going to report to the young master," the butler said as he walked away.

Lisa breathed a sigh of relief lying back on her bed.

The butler walked into Lugard's dark room. Lugard was standing by the window, looking at the bustling streets with a glass of chilled water in his hand, taking a sip.

"Young master, madam still refused to eat and she said we were noisy and that we should let her be," the butler said with a panicked voice.

Lugard's face changed, but he remained expressionless. "Since she said that she is not hungry, let her be. stop disturbing her, When she is hungry, she will talk," he said heartlessly without looking at the butler.

The butler thought, "Who are you blaming? Are you not the one that asked us to make her eat?"

"Yes, young master," the butler bowed before leaving Lugard's room.

When the butler left, Lugard's face turned black with anger.

Lisa skipped breakfast, and when the servants came knocking on her door again at lunchtime, she declined once more.

"Ma'am, the food is ready," the servant said, concern etched in her voice.

"I'm not hungry," Lisa replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

The servants exchanged worried glances. They had never seen a new bride behave like this before. Usually, they were eager to meet their husband and start their new life together.

But Lisa was different. She was scared, and she didn't want to meet Lugard. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

As the day wore on, the servants came back several times, trying to coax Lisa out of her room. But she still refused, her fear and anxiety keeping her paralyzed.

As night began to fall, the servants grew more worried and scared. They had never seen anyone avoid the young master like this before. Something was amiss.

As Lisa lay in bed, her heart racing with fear, she wondered what would happen next. Would Lugard come to her room? Would he force her to meet him? Would he skin her alive? Would he bite her to death?

She didn't know, but she was determined to avoid him for as long as possible.

When it was time for dinner, the servants came to call Lisa again, but she still refused.

"Ma'am, dinner is ready," the servant said, knocking gently on the door. "The young master is waiting."

Lisa's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Lugard's name. She didn't want to meet him, didn't want to face him, and she didn't want to talk to him or see him. "I'm not hungry," she lied, trying to keep her voice steady.

The servant hesitated, then said, "But ma'am, you haven't eaten all day. Please, just have a little something?"

Lisa shook her head, even though the servant couldn't see her. "No, thank you. I'm really not hungry."

The servant sighed and left Lisa alone in her room once more. Lisa knew she couldn't hide forever. Eventually, she would have to face Lugard. But what would happen when she did?

As the night wore on, Lisa heard heavy, deliberate footsteps outside her room. They belonged to Lugard.

Lugard's face turned gloomy and terrifying as the servants informed him that Lisa had refused to eat dinner again. He stood up from his seat, his massive frame towering over the servants.

"Does she think she can avoid me forever?" he growled, his voice like thunder.

He strode towards Lisa's room, his footsteps shaking the floor. The servants scurried out of his way, fearful of his wrath.

As he approached Lisa's door, he thought to himself, "Even if I am the world's most bloodthirsty demon, does she have to run away from me like this?"

His anger grew with each step. How dare she refuse to meet him? How dare she refuse to eat?

He reached the door and paused, his hand on the handle. For a moment, he struggled to control his temper.

Then, with a sudden burst of fury, he flung open the door and strode inside.

Lisa, who had been cowering in bed, let out a terrified scream as she saw him looming over her.

Her heart racing, she screamed as the door to her bedroom burst open.

"Who are you?" Lisa demanded, trying to hide the fear from her voice, thinking that he was a bodyguard.

But as she looked up at the man, she felt her words catch in her throat. The man standing before her was unlike anyone she had ever seen. His eyes were a piercing sea blue, his skin a radiant white, and his hair a rich, dark black. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a chiseled jawline that seemed to be carved from granite.

For a moment, Lisa forgot to be afraid. She forgot to breathe. All she could do was stare at the stranger, her mind reeling with the sheer perfection of his features.

"Who are you?" and why did you break down my door? she asked again, her voice barely audible.

Lugard's eyes blazed with fury as he towered over Lisa, his massive frame making her feel tiny and vulnerable.

"Come down and eat this minutes," Lugard ordered with a cold voice.

Lisa's eyes widened in shock. "Who are you to order me around?" she demanded, her voice trembling with anger. "And why did you break down my door?"

Lugard's expression turned cold, his sea-blue eyes glinting with annoyance. "This is my house, and I have the right to order you around," he repeated, his deep voice firm. "And I broke down your door because you refused to meet me. You refused to eat."