“Sure,” he replied.
“What?” I exclaimed without hiding my shock at the sudden change in his decision.
“We did make a deal. You can go outside as you please. I’ll let everyone in the mansion know about this change in rule,” he declared decisively.
“Really?” I asked because I just couldn’t quite believe it.
We did make a deal that I would be able to go outside but now that it was really happening, I was still taken by surprise. At least, I was right in thinking that Bradon was a man of his word.
“Yes, but under one condition,” he said as if making sure that I still remembered the deal that we made.
“You’ll accompany me at all times,” I finished off his thought begrudgingly.
Bradon nodded his head firmly once to affirm that I had gotten it correct. I let out a sigh when I tried to picture us hanging out together. Somehow, I found it quite difficult to imagine us spending time and going out and about together. I could already imagine how we would fight and how the dynamic between us would just go haywire.
“I know we made a deal with that condition and all that, but do you honestly need to accompany me at all times when I go out? Isn’t that a little extreme? Listen, even my sister doesn’t need an escort all the time when she goes out and about,” I tried my best to negotiate.
“Things are different now,” he replied simply.
“How so?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“You’re married to me now,” he stated bluntly.
What is that supposed to even mean?
“But...” I mumble as I tried to come up with another reason.
“Take it or leave it. Do you want to step foot outside with me or would you rather rot in here?” he said passively.
“What kind of choice is that?” I asked before glaring at him.
“Your decision?” he demanded.
“I’ll...go outside...with you...” I muttered.
“A wise choice,” he complimented while I wondered if he was just being sarcastic.
“So...where are we going today?” I asked brightly.
“Is there somewhere that you would like to go? Zain told me that you wanted to go shopping?” he inquired.
Oh. I did say that didn’t I?
Zain probably told Bradon what I had said about wanting to go out to buy things. That was just one of the excuses that I made up to go outside, though.
“Umm...not really...” I mumbled.
“You don’t want to go shopping? Good. You’ll follow me for today,” he said decisively.
“Follow you?” I asked curiously.
“Haven’t you been asking everyone in this place about what I’ve been up to?” he asked knowingly.
I guess there was nothing that went on in this mansion that Bradon didn’t know about. Everything was probably reported to him by everyone. Since he was right that I was curious about what kind of work he did and how he spent his days, I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to learn more about him. Plus, going out with him would help me check the box to update my social media feed about our lives as newly-weds.
“I guess...I’ve been doing that...” I replied hesitantly before smiling a little to hide my sudden embarrassment.
I didn’t think that I would get a chance to find out what Bradon really does and so soon. No one really told me anything about him before and the few sentences that my father used to warn my sister and me about him did not provide any details. Curiosity was truly part of human nature and I found myself wondering more and more about the hidden world that this man seemed to rule. The more my parents warned us against doing something, the more I was drawn to it. I wanted to know more, and I wanted to experience all that I had never seen or known.
“Will it really be fine for me to tag along?” I asked although my heart was beating so wildly in my chest.
“If you don’t want to come you can always stay home for the day,” he said before suddenly standing up from his seat.
“No! Wait! I really want to accompany you,” I replied as I shot up from my seat.
“Then stop asking so many questions...” he said emotionlessly before walking right past me.
...
After leaving the mansion I sat nervously next to Bradon in the back of his large black limousine. I wasn’t sure how long the ride was but the fact that we did not talk to each other most of the way as we sat next to each other made me feel slightly anxious. As a result, the ride probably felt much longer than it actually was. I had no idea where Bradon was going to take me and what he had in mind. Trying to guess what he was thinking felt like an impossible task and asking him probably wouldn’t lead me to any answers.
“Dahlia...” Bradon called my name suddenly.
“Y-Yes?” I replied while stuttering.
The fact that he had just called me by my name caught me slightly off guard and I wasn’t sure how to react. That was when I remembered that he wanted me to be myself and act as Dahlia when we were alone together. I guess being in the back of the limousine together did count as being alone together.
“We should be arriving soon,” Bradon said after he seemed to hesitate to say something.
“Ok...” I mumbled softly.
...
So, this is a part of his world...
“What is this place exactly?” I asked in wonder as I leaned closer to the car window to take a clearer look outside.
“It’s a casino. One of many...” Bradon replied in short.
“A casino? As in the place where people come to gamble all night long until they don’t have any money left to their name?” I asked as I felt oddly excited.
“Something like that,” he replied.
I could tell that he thought that my reactions were entertaining; however, I didn’t have time to worry about what he thought.
--To be continued...