The Grand Mistress

Simione was loaded into a car despite her protest. There was just no way for her to be able to escape such strong men. As soon as she was pushed inside safely with no escape, a man who was dressed in all brown came in and sat beside  her. Disgusted, Simione gathered herself to the corner.

"To the Haze mansion…" The man with her instructed the driver as he sat like a boss at the other corner. Although he could see Simione\'s indifference, he was not slightly bothered by it and sat like he wasn\'t forcing a woman to come with him.

"I refuse to go with you," Simione blurted out in his face.

"That is not an option for you this time madam," The man replied without giving her a look. 

"How much did you pay my grandfather for me?" She asked, trying to see how much Don Benedicto profited from her. 

"I am not the one who settled those things madam, I\'m afraid I don\'t have that information with me," The way the man answered made Simione suspect that he wasn\'t the husband who brought her.

"Are you not the one who brought me?" Simione immediately asked.

"I am just a subordinate madam," The man replied and turned to her this time. "I am Mr. Brown. At your service,"

"Who is the man who brought me?" 

"You shall meet him soon," he replied. "At the moment, you are to stay at the Haze mansion until the wedding is settled,"

"Tell him I want to make a bargain with him," Simione sat straight and tried to plead for her freedom. "My friend will be willing to pay him the same price he brought me or more. Besides, I\'m very sure he doesn\'t want a troublesome wife like me,"

"I\'m afraid that I cannot tell him that," He politely refused. "He already told me you would surely do some bargaining and he wished me to tell you in case you do that he isn\'t interested in any bargaining agreements right now. You shall marry him at all cost,"

"What?" Simione was surprised to learn that.

"He meant to marry you madam," He made it clear and for some reason Simione felt nervous at that. There was something about this whole situation that doesn\'t seem right that made Simione curious as to the identity of the man whom Don Benedicto chose to be her husband.

"Then he\'ll regret it," Simione promised and withdrew to one corner wondering what kind of person was behind this all. However, she feared no one then and so she was planning ways to escape this marriage even before it started.

***

It was probably exhaustion that made Simione sleep and so the journey became quite along the way. When she opened her eyes, the car had come to a full stop already and when she looked outside, she found a very huge property that looked like a castle. Instantly, she knew whoever her husband was, he must be a very rich person. 

Curiously though, her head formed lines at the thought of how foolish it was for a very rich person who owned this property to resort into things like buying a wife. Was he that ugly that no one wished to marry him despite how rich he was?

"Welcome home madam," Mr. Brown opened the door for her and Simione stepped out, she saw a line of servants bowing their heads at the entrance. She raised a brow at their pleasantries but didn\'t say a word. Mr. Brown walked ahead of her and like a sheep unfamiliar of her new pasture, she followed him diligently. She still wanted to be free and escape but by how huge the garden walls were, she knew she had to plan things carefully before she could throw herself out of those walls.

"Your husband sends his greetings but unfortunately he isn\'t home right now," Mr. Brown added and a housemaid came with a bunch of beautiful roses and handed it to Simione who was certainly not expecting it. She even stared at it for a moment, not able to move.

"If you don\'t like the flowers madam I can have it replaced," The maid told her as she suspended her hands in front of the girl as she was offering the bouquet to her.

"Oh no, it\'s fine," Simione took it and looked around as she couldn\'t believe where she was at then. Just an hour ago, she was in Han\'s ancestral home arguing with her grandfather and then suddenly, she was in this beautiful castle and got to be the queen of someone she doesn\'t know.

"Get the madam something to eat," Mr. Brown instructed the maid and turned his attention back to Simione, "Madam do you wish me to bring you to your room so you can rest? I can have your food be brought there,"

"Yes please…" Simione agreed easily as she was too tired she couldn\'t anymore manage to argue at the moment. Mr. Brown walked further and she followed him until she found both of them walking through beautiful fabricated stairs. Then they turned to the right side where exquisite paintings were displayed. "So many paintings," she unconsciously breathed out.

"The master of the house is an art collector. He loves painting and other unique items," Mr. Brown explained the fact. "Does the madam love paintings too?"

"No. No I don\'t," Simione lied. Truth was she was very aware that the paintings that were displayed were no ordinary ones. Most of them in her estimate cost millions of dollars worth and this only made her more scared of who her husband was. If he can afford paintings like that it meant that he really was too rich. Could he still escape the grip of such a wealthy man? For sure his wealth is also as good as his connections and his influence.

"This is master\'s room madam," Mr. Brown opened one big door and the view of a dark red themed room displayed at her sight. Everything in it breathes brilliance and artistry from the furniture to the bed that made Simione lose her breath for a moment. She took in the sight for a few minutes before she finally got a hold of herself.

"Is this where I am staying?" Simione stupidly asked when the answer was too obvious. Good thing Mr. Brown was a very patient man.

"Yes madam, this is the master\'s bedroom," The subordinate replied. "If you wish to take a bath, just ring a bell and the maids will come to help you. As for the food, I will have it brought here so you can eat,"

"Well…thank you," Simione answered gently. Truth was her mind was still processing all the things that was happening to her then that she couldn\'t think well. Besides, the house that she was at was just too beautiful and too perfect for her. How could a prison be as beautiful as this?

She knew very well this was a prison. With how high the walls were and how guarded the palace was, she knew she couldn\'t escape and the only thing she had left to escape this situation was to beg her husband not to push through the wedding or divorce her after.

She wondered then what is he like? 

For sure he was an old man as there were only a few bachelors in Devon City who could possibly own this kind of estate and most of those bachelors were either taken and the rest were surely not interested in marrying such a girl like her.

God! Her situation then was worse than death. Hawk Monsanto should have just killed her on the spot during the concierto of Feather.

"Madam?" A small voice pulled Simione\'s mind back to the present as she found herself sitting at the bed while a maid called for her at the door.

"Yes, its open,"

"I brought your food," She said and smiled politely at her as if she was a real madam of the house. 

"What is your name?"

"Miranda madam,"

"Miranda do you know my husband,"

"I have seen him once, madam," Miranda admitted. 

"What is he like?"

"I\'m afraid I\'m not in the place to answer those madam," The maid politely refused as she dragged the tray of food to a nearby coffee table. "But he say he is a good man,"

"He isn\'t a good man I\'m sure," Simione refused to believe it. "If you have seen him only once, then it means he doesn\'t come here regularly?"

"Yes madam, that is true. This property I think was only one of his properties," The maid tried to answer all those that she was allowed to. "They say he was very rich and owned many properties here and abroad. The master I think is really a stable man madam,"

"Then where does he live?" Simione thought of it. Does  her husband have another family that\'s why he hid her there? Then, what is she? A mistress?

Oh God! That was more terrible than she ever thought it would be!