The Jaded Prince

Sinful Seven Thirty (Chapter 2)

It was next morning, when Grace opened her eyes. She looks besides her to see her husband but the place was vacant. She looked around to find Tora, but he was not in the room. She also checks the washroom, but it is also vacant. She wonders when he had left. She remembers that he said that he leaves at 8 am. She glances at the clock to see that it was 7.50. That means there were 10 minutes left and so that meant he hadn't left. She quickly goes down the stairs to reach the dining area.

He is sitting on a chair and quietly having his breakfast that the male servant has served. She walks towards the dining table and stands near him but maintaining a distance.

He didn't react in any way to her presence, as if she didn't even exist. She waited for some moments for him to say something, or even look up at her but he didn't. She didn't understand what kind of man she was married to? How can a person be so unaffected? Why was he so silent?

When he didn't utter even a word or didn't even look up then she clears her throat to gain his attention. She musters all her courage to start a conversation.

G-Good morning !

Grace greets him with a smile.

He rolls his eyes up without moving his head and looks up at her. His pitch black eyes were so dark and deep that they could penetrate through the soul. He just nods.

He gets up picking his briefcase. But before leaving he again reminds the rules with his emotionless voice.

T-I am leaving, will be late. After 7.30, stay in. Lock the door properly.

G-but....

He stops his steps and waits for her to complete.

G-but...how would you get in the room, if I lock it.

T-I have the keys.

He walks out of the house without another word.

As he goes, Grace looks around the house. The drawing room had a huge bar in it. It had all class, quality and type of liquor she could even think of. But to Grace they were just some colorful liquids. But the drawing room was in a mess, she looked around to see the liquor bottle lying here and there. The room was in a complete mess, with things lying everywhere. She frowns with astonishment as she glances around.

The servant, Robert gauges her dilemma and quickly starts to clear up the mess.

R-Madam, let me clean this up

G-But...how is this place so messy?

R-Mam...mam...every...every night...

G-Every night?

The servant gulps unsurely

R-Nothing madam....I will go and wake up Orgo sir (Tora's uncle)

The servant quickly leaves leaving Grace with numerous questions in her mind.

~*~

Its afternoon, Grace decides to prepare the lunch herself as it's the first day of her new beginning. She wants to start the new life with new hopes and wishes and wants to forget the scars of her past.

Grace is working in the kitchen and the servant is helping her.

G-Tora doesn't take lunch from home

R-No, Sir eats out

G-And dinner?

R- Sometimes he has the dinner at home sometimes not

G-Okay, then I will prepare the dinner today. Everyone can eat together

R-No Madam, Sir has asked me to keep your dinner in the room before 7:30 PM so that you can have it there. You can keep Tora sir and Orgo sir's dinner in the kitchen. They will have it

She doesn't reply to him, as again the same question arises in her mind that what happens after 7.30?

G-Okay, Orgo sir woke up?

R-No Mam, he will wake up late

G-Late? Its already 12!

The servant shrugs leaves the vicinity as he is ordered not to open his mouth much.

~*~

The evening approaches and as instructed she goes back to her room and locks herself inside. She looks at the clock as it ticks 7.30. She sits back on the bed, wondering what will happen now, what is the mystery behind the 7.30? She could hear the cars being parked and people approaching downstairs. There are voices, voices of people talking, all are men she guesses. But why are so many men in the house. Who were they? Were they her husband's friends? If even they are Tora's friend then why isn't Tora introducing her to them. After all, she was his wife. Doesn't he consider her as his wife? Why has he asked her to lock herself up, when his friends were downstairs? More Grace would think about the matter more drowned she would get in her confusion.

It was late and Grace drifted into sleep, when Tora open the door of the room and entered.

His steps were noiseless, but Grace  wasn't fully asleep, she was just in a slumber. She slightly opens her eyes to take a look at her husband. She could smell the alcohol in the air but he didn't look drunk, but just slightly less sober. He enters the washroom like the previous day, takes a shower and lays down besides her without even uttering a word to her.

She also doesn't dare to ask him about his whereabouts and the happenings downstairs.

~*~

A week passes with same routine consisting of her getting up in the morning (she decided to whole heartedly give the wedding a try, so made it a point so get up before him), preparing tea, he getting up with a buzz of the alarm, she handing over him with a cup of tea, she preparing breakfast, he going to washroom for shower and getting ready in 10 minutes, he getting down, having the breakfast silently and leaving. She sometimes thinks of calling him, but then decides against him as she remembers his words.

This is my mobile number, call me when it is Very necessary.

And the last thing she wants to do is annoy him and further spoil his perennial grumpy mood.

She always wishes while preparing breakfast and dinner for him that he will at least compliment her once as every time she tries to do her best, even if they don't have the their meals together. But he never says anything. Actually, he seldom talks. She wonders how a person can live without talking. His answers and replies just consist of single word or single sentences. Neither had she ever seen him smile, laugh was beyond expectation.

He never seems to notice my presence

She would think, then she would argue with herself that why would he notice her, she is not good enough for him. At least he seems to not hate her, that should be enough.

~*~

Grace was hurrying with her work as it would be 7.30 soon. She quickly turns off the burner as the clock ticks 7.30 and retrieves to her room. Shutting and locking it properly.

Some hours pass like usual, but suddenly she remembers that she had forgotten to put the dinner on their plates, as she did a daily chore of putting the dinner for Tora and Orgo and covering it with a lid.

It was already 10 pm and she thought they would go to the kitchen to have dinner. She gets up quickly to finish her unfinished task.

She walks down the stairs. As she reaches down she witnessed a dozen men stationed at every corner of the drawing room, with drinks in their hand. Some were half-drunk and some can't-even-stand drunk. Among the unknown faces she locates Orgo who is blabbering something in his drunken stupor and sitting at the corner on the bar stool is Tora, who is aloof from all the commotion and is silently sipping his drink.

She decides to ignore these men and make her way to the kitchen, but she easily gets noticed. She could feel the gaze of those lecherous men traveling from the tip of her hair to her toe nail. She decides to fasten her pace, but before that she hears the familiar deep voice calling her name.

'Grace !'

~*~

Note: Thank you for reading my story. Please don't forget to comment and share your thoughts. It really motivates me to write more