Chapter 6
Jessica's POV
The dining room was almost as large as Brenda's apartment. I paused for a moment before taking my seat opposite Alexander. A long mahogany table separated us, decorated with crystal glasses and silver cutlery. “So…,” I said, looking around. “Do you always eat alone?”
But Alexander just unfolded his napkin without looking at me. “Most of the time.”
“That sounds lonely,” I said, “Don't you feel bored eating alone.”
“No, I don't. I prefer quietness,” he replied.
I smiled faintly. “Well, as for me…I talk when I'm nervous.”
“I noticed,” he said, just as a servant began serving dinner. Then the room fell silent, I picked up my fork taking a piece of bacon before breaking the silence again. “Can I ask you something?”
Alexander nodded. “You already are.”
“So what happens now?”, I asked.
He looked up, “You live here.”
“I know that part. What else that's what I mean,” I said, my voice calm.
“You attend public events with me when necessary,” he said, as i nodded while he continued. “And we maintain the appearance of a married couple.”
“And after the one year?”, I asked, even though I already know the answer to that because i proposed it, but I still wanted to hear it from him.
“Then we go our separate ways,” he replied. His answer was immediate. No pause. No emotional reaction.
I lowered my eyes. “That looks very simple.”
“Yes, and it should remain simple.”
Before I could reply, Alexander's phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen, as his expression remained calm, but I noticed his eyes narrowed slightly. Then he answered. “Hello, mother.”
I quietly continued eating, though i was curious what the call was all about. As a woman's voice echoed faintly through the speaker. “I heard the news.”
“It's true,” Alexander replied.
“You got married without informing your family?” Her voice laced with anger.
“Yes,” he said, like it was no big deal.
“And when are you bringing her home?”
Alexander looked across the table then at me. “Tomorrow. Definitely.”
“Alright then, no excuses. Because i want to meet this woman who suddenly became my daughter-in-law,” she said, and the line went dead.
Then i slowly put down my fork. “That doesn't sound welcoming, at all.”
He looked at me for a second. “It isn't.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “I have never been good at making first impressions.”
“You don't need to impress them, just be the real you,” he muttered, and I looked at him surprised. “You sure, I don't?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Then what do i need to do?,” I asked.
“Nothing, just survive dinner,” he said calmly, taking a sip of water.
The following morning, I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the cream colored dress Caridadi had prepared. As a soft knock came at the door. “Madam?”
“Come in,” I muttered.
Caridadi entered with a jewelry box. “Young master asked me to give you this.”
“Okay,” I replied, taking it from her. And opened it, inside lay a delicate diamond necklace. I froze.
My own design, again. Someone else had claimed it. My fingers tightened around the box.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” Caridadi smiled. I forced myself to smile back. “Yes…”
Very beautiful. Too beautiful to belong to the thief who stole it.
“I will wear it,” I answered.
Not because i like it, but because every stolen design reminded me why I was here, I thought within.
Downstairs, Alexander was already waiting for me. The moment I approached, he looked up. And for a brief second…his usually unreadable eyes lingered on me. “You cleaned up so well,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that a compliment?”
It was an observation,”he whispered, as we head outside.
“I will take it anyway,” I said with a smile.
He opened the car door for me, I entered and he followed suit. As the driver, drove the vehicle through Kyoto's busy streets, neither of us spoke a word. Before finally I asked, “What are your parents like?”
Alexander answered without hesitation. “They are difficult.”
“Oh, okay. How difficult?,” I asked, a bit nervous.
“My mother values reputation, while my father values profit,” he said, voice low and calm.
I sighed. “So…that means they already hate me.”
“No, they don't know you,” he said.
“But they don't have to, before they do,”I replied.
Immediately Alexander turned toward me. “You don't lose easily, do you?”
I shook my head. “Good,” he said.
“Why do you say so?,” I asked, feeling confused.
“Because they won't make today easy for you.”
Forty five minutes later, the car stopped before an enormous traditional estate surrounded by stone walls and blooming cherry trees. I swallowed hard. “This is your parents house?”
Alexander nodded once. And before we reached the entrance, the front doors opened. A graceful woman dressed in an elegant silk kimono stepped outside, behind her stood a distinguished older man.
As several servants lined both sides of the entrance. The woman looked me up and down slowly, silently, without a single smile on her face. “So,”she said. “This is the woman who trapped my son.”
I met her gaze calmly. “No, ma'am.” As a faint smile appeared on my lips. “I’m the woman he agreed to marry.”
Instantly, silence fell across the courtyard. Alexander's mother stared at me, while his father folded his arms, then Alexander, himself simply watched. There and then, I realized this wasn't going to be a family visit. Rather an interrogation.
