Second Thought

Chapter 5

                                                                                    Serenity's POV

    While walking down the stairs, I couldn't help the smile that played upon my lips. I knew no one could see me, Liam included. He took me by surprise because he was so much different than his brother. I could sense that already. He was very kind and gentle even. I was already hoping for the next time we could spend a little time together. He made me feel seen and normal for once in my life. Before I even realized, we were at the dining room. Liam opened a double door to reveal a big dining table with eight chairs on either side and two chairs at the ends of the table. At the end of the table on the opposite of myself was no other than Alexander. My breath caught in the back of my throat and I was momentarily struck still. Liam pulled out the seat for me and motioned for me to take a seat. A moment later a man appeared holding three plates and placed one in front of each of us. He uncovered the top of the plate to reveal French toast and bacon. A cup of coffee also was placed beside my plate and my mouth began to water. I had my hands in my lap again unable to look up at either Alexander or Liam. The smell of the food began to feel my nose and my stomach grumbled. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now. I never usually got to eat anything like this. The most that was served to me was small pieces of bread and water that left me hungrier than I was before I ate it.

    "Go on and eat, you are going to need your strength. We also need you to gain some of your weight back," I heard Alexander say. I do as I am told, and I start the assault on my food. I devour everything within minutes, and I knew how crazy I must have looked. I wanted to savor everything but once I put that first bite to my mouth, I couldn't. Not being able to eat a decent meal had taken its toll on me. I heard laughter coming from Liam and my cheeks started to turn red. Out of nowhere, I heard a big thud come across the table. Liam's laughter suddenly came to a stop. I looked up for just a moment and caught Alexander's eyes on me. I started to feel very uneasy and all I wanted to do was to run from this table and back to room and hide under the bed. Looking at Alexander for the first time, I could see the similarities between him and Liam. They also had many differences but once you looked at them you could tell instantly that they were siblings. Alexander had light brown hair that was pushed to the side in an almost sexy way. His eyes were a dark blue color. His eyes spoke so much about him without even really knowing him. I suddenly heard Alexander speak, "You will no longer look down when I am in your presence. You will look and speak to me with respect and I expect nothing less." I felt his eyes burning into mine as I slowly lifted my head back up to look at him. "Yes sir," was all I could manage to say. He smiled as if that pleased him. "I want to go over the rules with you while you are here in my home. As you know this process is not set in stone until I make the decision to marry you. You will live here under my roof for six months and that is it. I expect you to answer when I call and if I request your presence, I expect you to stop what it is that you are doing and come to me. I will do with you what I please and you will always obey me. You are not allowed to come out of your room unless instructed otherwise. My office is strictly off limits, even to Liam, unless I say otherwise. I will allow you your space for the first three months and you will stay in your own room. However, after the three months are over, you will move into my room for the remaining three months of your stay. I cannot make a proper decision for you to be my wife if you do not live with me." What? Is he crazy? I am not going to live with him, in his room! It makes me disgusted even thinking about it. This is a man that takes what he wants when he wants it and it is the most appalling thing I have ever heard of in my life. I do however know that if he does turn me away and sends me back to my family, they will most likely kill me. The worst thing for a woman is to be rejected by the man that is trying to take her hand. It is a shameful thing to the family and that is what your purpose is. You have no use if you are rejected and, in most cases, you are either killed or subjected to leave. I know my family wouldn't let me leave because that is exactly what I wanted. They would find the worse way possible to end me.

       I look over at Liam, his face is full of pity. It looked almost as if he cared about the way his brother was treating me. He acts as if he is going to say something, but he stops himself and continues to stare at Alexander.

    "Do you understand how this works?"

    "Yes, I understand," I said quietly.

    "Good, now Liam take Serenity up to her room for the remainder of the day. I will need her around 8pm as we will be going out alone tonight. Make sure she is ready by then and not late."

    Liam stood and walked over to my chair and pushed it out for me and waited for me to stand. I followed him back up to my room. Liam turned to me once we reached the door and said, "I'm sorry for how rude my brother is, he will come around." He opened the door and led me to my walk-in closet and told me to pick something out that is very beautiful and nice. I looked puzzled because to me all of these dresses were beautiful.

    "Take your time and pick out something and I will be up around 7:30pm to make sure you are ready."

    "Ok, thank you," was all that I could manage.

    "By the way, I think you should try the yellow dress. It would look beautiful on you." With that, he left.