4. Making Friends

Alina's Pov

"What nonsense? Where is Mr.Maxwell?"

"He left early for work." I sighed before looking at Martha.

"Look Martha, you don't need to follow these rules around me. I'd actually like it if you had some with me. I don't see anyone who'd tell Mr.Maxwell anyway? Just sit, will you?" After thinking for a good one minute, she finally nodded, sitting next to me.

"See? Wasn't that hard, right? Now dig in. I'm starving." It was now she who was looking at me as if I had grown two heads.

"What?" I muffled, with my stuffed mouth.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in amazement, looking at me like I was some antique piece from a museum.

"Um.. eating?"

"No I mean. Here as in, here. In this house. Being Mr. Maxwell's wife? How did you end up here?" I laughed at her question. "I'm sorry I don't mean to offend you or anything. It's just. Mr.Maxwell is so different, and you are the complete opposite. Then why did you marry him when you hardly know him?"

"No offense taken. But to answer your question Martha, I don't know myself what I am doing here. I'm still finding my purpose, I guess." I joked, to which she didn't laugh. I really am a terrible person at making jokes.

"You're really nice," she said all of a sudden.

"Why, thank you. You are really nice too. Now eat, will you?" Just as we completed our breakfast, a guard came into the dining hall. His eyes widened, looking at Martha sitting next to me, but he ignored it and turned to talk to me.

"There is a guest waiting for you in the living room, Mrs. Maxwell." Ugh, can they quit calling Mrs.Maxwell?

"Guest, for me? Who?" Who would come all the way here to meet me. I don't even know many people.

"Mr. Roosevelt." Dad? What was he doing here? I only prayed, he isn't here to give me one of his lectures again. Well, only one way to find out.

"Dad?" I saw him sitting with one leg propped over his other, like he owned the house.

"Mia," he stood up once I entered the living room. "Sit." I followed and joined him, taking a place opposite from his position.

"Theodore isn't here if you came to meet him."

"I'm not here to see him. I'm here to see you." Why would he want to see me? He never really paid any visits to my room when we lived in the same house. Now he has traveled all the way up here, to see me. What does he want now?

"How are you both getting along?" Why did he care?

"Um. I'm not sure. I never talked to him." Why did he think that I would get along with the man who I literally met for like a total of fifteen minutes, exclusive of the time spent at our own wedding?

"Well, I have to inform you that we cannot have that." What had gotten into him all of a sudden? "You need to make sure he takes a liking to you. It would be even better if you were carrying his heir by the next month or so." Was he seriously saying that? I frowned, looking at him. Where was he even going with all of this?

"Gain his trust. That's what you have to do, since you are his wife now. Make the most of the time you see him around yourself."

"Why does it even matter?"

"Don't ask questions. Do as you are told!" He scolded me like I was a ten-year-old. Not interested, is what I wanted to tell him. But why get in a debate with this man when you can simply choose to ignore his existence? Giving him a single nod, I agreed. Honestly, I just wanted to do something to get him out of here. He was spoiling my peace. Again.

"Good. Remember my words, Alina. It would not only benefit me, but you the most. I am only looking out for my daughter, knowing the kind of man he is." Huh! What a hypocrite! He just said, this was all for his benefit.

"Well if you really care about me, and are actually looking out for me, then why did you get me married to him anyways?" I fired at him. This was the first time I dared to question his actions. Maybe because I wasn't living under the same roof as him. And I knew that he couldn't do anything here to me. There were servants and guards all around the property. And we could surely not ignore the cameras that were installed in every corner of the house.

I saw his fist clench. "You dare question me, Alina? Do I have to remind you of who you are?" He gritted out forcefully.

"I know who I am, dad. And I also know who I'd want to be." Not your daughter, I wanted to add, but couldn't.

"Then you better drill my words in your thick head, Alina. I'm warning you. Do not mess anything up."

"I wouldn't have to, dad. You do it by yourself, for the most part."

"Haven't you grown an attitude the moment you stepped foot out of my house? Trust me Alina, if I can get you married to him, then I can get you divorced from him sooner than you think. So it's better if you follow what I say. Or it wouldn't end well." He was trying to do it again. Dominate me to cut my voice. Honestly, who cares what he says? Haven't I done enough by marrying the most obnoxious person on this earth for his sake? His company is out of debt, he's gotten rid of me. What more does he even want now?

"I will do whatever you want." I just wanted him to leave.

"That's what I thought." That was all he wanted to hear, before marching his way out of the house. Shaking my head, I got up and retired to my room.

Only continuing my creative fantasies could get me out of the sour mood my oh-so-great dad had put me in. With that, I opened my laptop and started tapping the keys, accelerating the production of dopamine in my body. Writing was therapy for me. The only thing that could bring me temporarily away from my little dispirited life, and the terrible people existing in it. Only God knows how I manage to put up with them.

I didn't realize for how long I delved into my fantasy world, until my neck started to hurt. "Oh damn," I groaned and yawned, bending it from side to side to loosen up a little. Huffing out a sigh, I shut the flap of my laptop, before getting off of the compact table and making my way to the kitchen. It was almost 4 pm. Damn, I really lost track of time.