Daughter of a Villainous Billionaire

In this world we live in, it's eat or get eaten alive. You have to be sly as a fox in order to make it to the top of the chain. Be the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. "By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Grimaldi-" Caden didn't even let the judge finish, he turned and walked out annoyed. I smiled apologetically and took the marriage certificate and followed him out. Our marriage was already off to a great start. The chauffer bowed politely and opened the door for me. I silently got in and put the marriage certificate between us, waiting to see whether I'd get any reaction or comment on it. He completely ignored it. I shouldn't have expected anything from him. I sighed audibly. He threw me a piercing glare that sliced through my soul. I had never seen so much hate filled in anyone's eyes before. Or maybe I had? 'Be a fearless bastard and an emotionless bitch.' Ash's words flashed in my brain. Ash, formal name Asher, was my best friend who brought me out of my naive days. The ride back to my new 'home' was painfully awkward. I wanted to work a little but I couldn't. Being a Grimaldi meant I couldn't be part of the Aldridge business anymore. Without me, it was definitely going to completely collapse. I needed to find a way to prevent that from happening. I gazed outside the window watching the people we drove past. How nice it must be to live an ordinary life, a life where you were actually in control, could make your own decisions and not just a puppet. Why did we have to go so far just to get a marriage certificate and some rings that were quickly brought in with no emotion tied to them? I held out my perfectly manicured hand and stared at the ring. It repelled me. I slipped off the ring without a second thought, took my bag, dumped the ring and grabbed a wipe to clean my finger. I checked the time. We were still approximately half an hour away. I was pulled out of my reverie when I heard him conversing in Italian, and he didn't look very pleased, though on second thought I might have been the cause of his displeasure. My eyes wandered to his hand and I noticed he'd also removed his ring and rolled up his sleeves. My tongue slipped out, wetting my suddenly dry lips as my inner goddess drooled and screamed for more. I looked away quickly, not wanting to make a fool out of myself. What was wrong with me? I shook my head agitated and mentally face palmed. "George, drop me off at the office." He said as he ended his call. The disappointment that washed over me was overwhelming. I couldn't help the words from spilling out, "But today is our wedding night…" He looked at me like I had said the stupidest thing on this planet. "And?" The least you could do would be to give my body some pleasure and consummate our marriage. That is what I wanted to say, but I had to remember, be a lamb. It was too early to bare my fangs and raging hormones. "I thought we'd spend the night together, have dinner-" "Don't be ridiculous. Didn't you already get what you want? A marriage without prenup. Don't get too greedy." I cringed inwardly. Those were my father’s terms. George had already pulled into the parking lot. He got out and opened the door for his boss. "Bring the car back to me before you go home." George nodded and closed the door silently. So many emotions swirled within me, but I decided some wine would calm me. And ice-cream. Maybe I would even bake myself some pity cake. A few minutes later, we pulled into the driveway of my marital home. George parked right in front of the doorstep and sat waiting for me to get out. Of course, he'd never show such behavior if his boss was around, but I was too tired to give a s**t about all the servants' shitty attitudes towards me. After all, they saw how their master treated me and I was the princess from a collapsing kingdom, so I deserved no respect since I had no power whatsoever. I sighed and dragged myself out through the other side as I grabbed the certificate on the way. Ordinarily, I would leave it there for 'the master' to find it, but it was of more importance to me than him. I headed upstairs to my bedroom and went directly to the bathroom, shedding my clothes as I went. I scrubbed myself clean, washed off all the makeup and any dirt that stuck to my hair, and when I felt like I was clean enough, I stepped out of the shower, dried myself up, dried my hair and pulled it into a high messy bun. I pulled on my bunny onesie and put on a face mask. I went round picking up the discarded clothes and put them in the clothes basket. I went and lay on the bed and closed my eyes. I needed to collect myself and regroup. All this had happened too fast, I barely had any time to register it. The important thing was, I was married to a Grimaldi, the wealthiest foundation that dealt in literally anything and everything. From hotels to banks to children's homes. I had the opportunity of a lifetime here. I just had to be strategic. I knew for a fact Caden was a force to be reckoned with. It wouldn't be so easy to have my way. But as long as I had Frank on my team, he would be my trump card. I headed downstairs after removing the paper mask and applying a different kind of mask that needed to be on longer. It was a clear gel-like mixture. I was relieved to find out that the maids had already retired for the day. I went directly to the freezer and pulled out my tub of ice cream, took the scoop from the cabinet and dug in. When the first taste hit my tongue and the refreshing coldness hit my whole body, I couldn't help the moan that escaped my mouth. I took one huge mouthful then went over to the wine cabinet. I grabbed the first bottle that caught my eye, Masseto. Hmm, Italian wine, okay. I went back to the kitchen feeling my spirits lifting already. Should I bake or not? I had that debate going for a while. I decided to hop onto the counter and put some music on my phone as I continued to enjoy my ice-cream. Then an idea hit me. Why not bake a cake with my wine and ice-cream? All three of my favorite things combined. I got excited just thinking about it. I quickly got down and started preparing my ingredients. For my cake, instead of using milk, I'd just use wine and hope for the best. I quickly whipped up the cake, making a huge mess in the kitchen, and I quickly put it into the oven. The excitement that was coursing through my veins was unbelievable. I would enjoy this little peace; let my brain relax a little bit. I found myself dancing to Troye Sivan as I set the timer for twenty-five minutes and cleaned up the place. Once I was done cleaning, I saw that I had twelve minutes left for the cake to be ready. I turned off the music on my phone, took one last scoop of ice-cream and put it back in the freezer. I went to the sitting room and scrolled through the channels for something interesting to watch, but there was nothing interesting. I left it on some weird channel for the background noise and indulged myself in my phone, replying to the various messages. Then I noticed three missed calls from my mum, one from my dad and five from my aunt. Had someone died? It was only 7:30 according to the grandfather clock, so I decided to call my mum first. "Cora? Where have you been? I've been calling all day!" "I'm fine mama. The wedding, rather, we got the marriage certificate today." There was a moment of silence on her part. The oven dinged in the background. "W-what?" her voice came out all small and shaky. "The court marriage was today, mama. Not what we had planned at all as I grew up." I tried to keep my voice as light as possible. I put her on speaker phone as I went to check on my cake. It was ready. Yayy. "Don't worry, baby girl. He'll fall for your charms soon." I now see where the naive genes came from. I couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that left my mouth. "Maybe in our dreams, mama." I slipped on my panda mittens and removed my cake. I admired it briefly as I set it down on the counter. "Don't be like that, Cee. Things will look up. Where is your hunky husband anyway?" "Take a wild guess, mama." I created space in the freezer by moving things around and dumping others on top of others, not caring about their delicacy. Once my cake had cooled down enough, I planned on icing it using ice cream and storing it in the freezer. "Buying you a wedding present?" I snorted in an unladylike manner. "He's at work." "On your wedding night? Oh, honey," "I don't need your pity party mama. Pass my regards to your husband." "Don't you want to talk to him? He's right here-" "Actually, Caden is already here. Call you later, bye." I rushed out as I quickly hung up before she said something silly. I didn't feel like his negativity. Did I feel like my aunt's drama now? Nope. I decided to look for something on forums for an interesting series online to binge-watch on Netflix. Ten minutes passed and still nothing interesting enough. It was so hard to find something interesting. I mentally screamed. Aggravated, I put my phone down and went to check if the cake was cool. It was partially cool. I didn’t have anything better to do, so I decided to go ahead and ice it. I continued to add my ice cream to complete my mega creation. Or wait, had someone already invented this…oh well, who cares? I carefully divided my cake into two, my imagination running wild picturing myself in a busy bakery with friendly customers and the sweet cake scent surrounding all of us. My phone's loud ringtone pierced my happy bubble as I came back to reality. I finished dividing it; carefully put them on separate boards. I looked at the caller ID and saw FATHER flashing. My brain froze for a moment as I gingerly answered the call, placing it on my ear. "Cora, you have your marriage certificate?" he questioned grouchily immediately after I picked up. "Yes." "Good. Has the wedding been consummated?" "No," I continued with my monosyllabic responses. We both knew that I wouldn't get much from this marriage until it was consummated. And here is where the opportunist in me came from. "Hurry that up. In the meantime, get a job in his office. Don't slack off," he ordered, and hung up. I slowly let out the breath I'd been holding and got out of my attentive stance. Oh, the plans I have for you, father. I was this close to finding out what was causing our collapse and I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure he was the cause. I just needed solid proof. Sigh. I took deep breathes in and out. Inhale the good, exhale the bad. I quickly decorated the cake, my work having been made easier since Caden's kitchen was so well equipped, and put it in the fridge. I checked the time, it was already 9pm. My beautiful day was coming to an end, I thought sarcastically. I should probably call Asher, but its 4am in Paris, and he's not a morning person. I shrugged my shoulders and went to the sitting room. I might as well watch a movie before going to bed. "Okay Netflix, what's popular…" I muttered as I scrolled through the options, then finally selected a random film recommended for Caden. I wonder if he ever actually sat down to watch a show. I went back to the kitchen, grabbed my phone and a bag of chips and settled down. Fifty-eight minutes and half a bag of chips later, I decided that this movie was pure bullshit, but I was almost done, so I might as well finish what I started. I let it keep playing as I went to the kitchen to cut myself a slice of cake, baked by the Great Cora. "And the crowd goes wild wooooh, wooooh," I giggled, happily, amused at my childish behaviour, and sliced myself a big slice. My mouth watered at the mere sight of it. I took a saucer from the cabinet, put my slice on it, grabbed a fork and went back to the movie. I need a mini fridge in my room. There was no way I would leave my cake here with the savages in this house. I was done with my first piece of the divine cake and still halfway through the movie when I decided to go cut myself an even bigger slice than before. I hadn't even moved far from the couch when the door suddenly banged loudly and an annoying giggle followed right after. I turned my head to the source of the noise and saw a very tipsy blonde bimbo in a tight red designer dress with her boobs almost popping out and the hem just barely below the butt practically not leaving much to the imagination, who I was willing to bet my life was one of the famous models who pine over Caden all the time and a tipsy Caden in tow. My heart stopped and rage took over. I literally saw red, what happened next was out of my control and fueled by the little wine I'd drunk earlier and the one infused in my cake. Their expressions when I charged at them were priceless. I snatched that bimbo away from him so violently that I sent her sprawling back out. The strong scent of whiskey hit me once I got closer to him. The saucer I'd even forgotten I was holding found itself flying towards Caden's head but he skillfully dodged it. Blondie had left her purse on the floor. I grabbed it and threw it outside at her scared and confused face and banged the door. Just as fast, I opened the door and shouted, "You better pray I never find you with him again you b***h! He's married to me now and I don't share!" I banged the door again and walked to Caden, who was still bewildered. I landed a hot slap on his cheek and watched as his eyes filled with fury, becoming so dark I felt my bravado slim a bit. "What the f**k is wrong with you?!" He shouted, his words slurring a bit. "I can't control your behavior nor do I want that burden," I was letting the words out through gritted teeth poking at his chest, "but I will not tolerate being disrespected like this. I have standards and you better step the f**k up." I fumed and stepped back. The little bone on his jaw ticked and I knew I might have made a horrible mistake. But I wasn't going to let him continue treating me like trash. f**k being the lamb. I watched him storm angrily towards the door but I was one step ahead. I barricaded the way and grabbed onto the door frames. He played himself having his architect build it in this design, he didn’t think he’d be married to a crazy lady. "Move, Cora." His voice was dangerously low and it sent shivers down my spine. Thinking about it now, he'd never called me by my name. Hearing him utter it evoked a completely different response for my body and I had to clench my thighs. "Move or the marriage is off." I could see him trying to control his rage. "Oh please," I rolled my eyes, "as if Frank would agree to that." I challenged him, silently waiting for him to bow his head, tuck in his tail and walk away like the obedient grandson he was. Instead, those eyes that were now so dark and showing no emotion pierced through my very being and I looked down first. I hated giving in, but I had lost this one. I still wasn't moving from my stand though. "I'm not letting you go with your damsel in distress tonight Caden." I said with finality in my voice. As if he'd finally snapped; his hand reached out as if to hit me and my body recoiled out of old habit, he punched the door right above my head and I could feel the reverberations all over. He turned and walked to the stairs, taking them two at a time, and slammed the door shut. My legs a bit shaky, I locked the door, just in case the bimbo decided to break in, and went to the kitchen to get my cake. It was about time for me to retire to bed anyway. All this drama and this was just the first day of marriage? Would I really be able to go through with this? I groaned loudly, agitated.