ALESSIA
Three months later.
I woke up late that morning, which wasn’t surprising. We’d gone two rounds the night before, and in the early hours of the morning, I was jolted awake by a strange tickling sensation. Despite still being drowsy, I forced myself to open my eyes and was shocked by what I saw.
The hem of my nightgown was lifted, and there was Claude, his face buried between my thighs. I grabbed his hair as I felt something building up inside me, a long moan escaping my lips. Shortly after, Claude lifted his head and stood up. I thought we were done, but my eyes widened when he suddenly thrust his hard member into me and began a series of rapid thrusts. My head was hitting the headboard with his speed. A few minutes later, his body collapsed on top of me.
“Good morning, sweetpea,” Claude whispered, panting.
“Good morning! What time is it?”
“Hmmm… it’s five o’clock. Go back to sleep. You don’t have class today,” Claude said before slowly pulling out. “Clean yourself,” he added, handing me a tissue.
I forced myself to get up. After cleaning myself, I picked up my panties from the bed and lay back down. I slept soundly and woke up at nine.
Around ten, I went downstairs to the dining room. Finding no one there, I headed to the kitchen and met one of the maids.
“Good morning, ma’am. Should I prepare your breakfast?”
“Good morning! Yes, please, thank you.” I returned to the dining room and sat in my usual spot.
Within two minutes, Constance came out with a plate and utensils.
“Good morning, ma’am!” She greeted me before setting down the items.
“Why didn’t you wake me up? It’s late. This is practically brunch,” I said, annoyed.
Constance scratched her head. “Ma’am, Sir Claude told me not to wake you. He said to let you sleep. I was just following his orders, so please don’t be mad at me.”
I raised an eyebrow at her explanation. “Are you sure it was Claude who told you not to wake me? Or was it Lavinia?”
“Oh, no, ma’am. It was definitely Sir Claude. Believe me, ma’am.”
I shrugged. After eating, I decided to go outside. I met several maids rushing around with things in their hands.
“Where are they going? What’s going on?” I asked, puzzled.
“Ma’am, they’re preparing for Sir Claude’s birthday,” answered one of the maids who overheard me.
“Huh? Claude’s birthday? When?” I asked.
“Today, ma’am,” Constance replied.
I glared at her, feeling a mix of surprise and frustration. “What? It’s his birthday? How come I didn’t know? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Oh! I thought you already knew, ma’am.”
“If I had known it was his birthday, I would have prepared a gift for him. I didn’t know, so I didn’t get anything. What should I give him now?”
Constance smiled widely. “Oh, don’t worry about it, ma’am. Sir isn’t really into celebrating his birthday. Ma’am Lavinia usually just prepares a simple dinner for him. If there’s any celebration, it’s just a small gathering with Sir’s close friends.”
“Even so, I should still get him a gift. It’s embarrassing. I’m his wife, and I didn’t even know his birthday. And now I have nothing to give him, not even a simple gift.”
“What do you plan to do now, ma’am?”
“Come with me to the mall. Let’s buy a gift for Claude.”
“Sure, ma’am. I’ll just get changed.”
“Okay, me too,” I replied, and we both went inside to change.
Less than half an hour later, Constance and I were in the car heading to the mall. Once there, we went straight to the department store. I wasn’t sure what to get. This is the problem when the person you’re gifting has money and already owns a lot. It intimidated me, making it hard to choose a gift.
“Let’s try the bookstore or school supplies section. Maybe I can find something there,” I told Constance.
We headed straight to the book collection in the bookstore. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any books that would suit Claude. I wasn’t even sure if he liked reading.
As I wandered through the bookshelves, I noticed some paperweights on display. I approached them and was amazed to see an hourglass paperweight. Instead of sand, it was filled with crystals that sparkled brightly when hit by light.
“Ma’am, do you like it?”
“Do you think this would be a good gift for Claude?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s beautiful and unique. I’m sure Sir Claude will love it.”
I clapped my hands in delight. “Alright, I’ll buy it.”
When we got home, I hid the gift and waited for Claude to arrive.
Just as Constance mentioned, there was a dinner prepared for Claude. A large table filled with food was set up near the swimming pool.
The family chatted happily while we ate. Claude was the first to stand up after finishing his meal.
“Thank you for the dinner, Mom. But I need to go. My friends are waiting for me.”
Claude kissed his mother on the cheek and squeezed his father’s shoulder before turning to me.
“I have plans, Sia. Don’t wait for me. Just go to sleep,” Claude said before leaving.
I wanted to catch up with him to give him my gift, but he quickly walked toward the garage, leaving me behind feeling a mix of disappointment and sadness.
After finishing my meal, I went straight to our bedroom and tried to sleep. I planned to wake up early the next morning to give him his gift.
I woke up early, but to my surprise, the bed beside me was untouched.
Did Claude not sleep here again? Where did he go?
A wave of anxiety hit me. I hurried to the bathroom, and after getting ready, went straight to the dining room where Claude’s parents were already seated.
“Dear, did Claude sleep here last night?” Lavinia asked as I sat down.
I shook my head. “No, Mom.” I saw no reason to lie, hoping Claude wouldn’t get in trouble for it. If I lied, the maids might tell the truth to my in-laws anyway. I’d only get scolded for hiding the truth.
The driver, Ford, took me to school. Despite being at school, I couldn’t stop thinking about Claude. I kept checking my phone, having told Constance to call me if Claude came home. By eleven in the morning, my phone still hadn’t rung.
My anticipation lasted until the afternoon with no call or text from Constance. When Ford came to pick me up, I couldn’t help but ask him.
“Ford, has Claude come home yet?”
“Not yet, ma’am. I haven’t seen him since last night.”
I bit my lower lip. “Can I ask something, Ford? Did Claude often not come home before?”
The old driver sighed. “Out of everyone serving in the mansion, I’ve been here the longest. I started working for the Robinson when Sir Claude was just a kid. I watched him grow up. I was his personal driver until he learned to drive and got his own car. Believe me, he’s a good person. The only flaw he has is being a womanizer, which I think he still is.”
My eyes widened in shock. I felt like crying. My suspicions seemed to be right.
“Do you mean, when Claude doesn’t come home, he…” My voice trembled, unable to finish the question.
“He sleeps at the office or at his condominium.”
“He has a condo?”
Shit! I shouldn’t have asked that. It was normal for someone like Claude to have his own space if he didn’t want to return to the mansion. I’d be more surprised if he didn’t have a condo. With his wealth, he could buy an entire house, let alone a condo unit.
“Ford, do you know where Claude’s condo is?”
“Do you want to go there?”
I nodded. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with visiting since I’m his wife. Besides, I wanted to talk to him away from the mansion, just the two of us. Maybe this was the opportunity I had been waiting for.
“Alright. Can you take me there?”
The driver turned the car around. It took us over half an hour to reach a tall building.
“Is this where Claude’s condo is?” I asked, staring up at the tall structure.
“Yes, ma’am. The family owns the entire building,” Ford replied as he opened the door for me.
“Ford, please wait for me. I’ll just talk to Claude for a bit.”
“Okay, ma’am. I’ll wait here.”
Approaching the two security guards, I cleared my throat.
“Excuse me. I’m here to visit Claude Xavier Robinson’s unit,” I said.
The guards exchanged glances.
“What is your relationship with Sir Claude?” one of them asked.
I hesitated, glancing back at the car. I saw Ford looking at me through the open window.
“Ah… I-I’m his wife.”
The guard immediately stood up, eyeing me from head to toe.
“Ma’am, may I see your ID?” asked the other guard.
I took off my ID and handed it to the guard.
“I haven’t changed my surname yet,” I explained, noticing the guard scrutinizing my ID.
The two guards exchanged looks again, clearly skeptical.
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask the driver who came with me,” I suggested.
The guards glanced at the car. The one holding my ID shook his head. “Okay, ma’am. I’ll escort you to the elevator,” said the standing guard.
His colleague returned my ID. The guard then accompanied me to the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor.
“Sir Claude’s unit is Room 1004,” he said before stepping out of the elevator.
“Thank you very much.”
I knocked on the door of the unit the guard had mentioned, but no one answered. I checked my watch. It is already six-fifty. Claude couldn’t be asleep at this hour. That was impossible. If he wasn’t in the unit, the guards downstairs would have likely informed me.
I knocked again, louder this time. After a few moments, the door finally opened.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw who opened the door. A beautiful woman stood before me.
“Hey! Who are you? Why are you bothering us?”
I couldn’t respond. I just stared at her, taking in her disheveled appearance.
“Hey, woman! I’m talking to you! Why aren’t you answering?”
I was about to speak when someone pulled the door open wider. My heart sank when I saw who it was.
“C-Claude…” My voice trailed off. I glanced back and forth between the woman and Claude, who was almost naked, wearing only boxer shorts. Like the woman, his hair was disheveled, and I could smell alcohol on both of them.
“Sia! What are you doing here?”
I couldn’t respond. I turned and ran away, my feet carrying me as fast as they could despite the heels I was wearing.