My phone was constantly ringing and disturbing my peaceful sleep.

I couldn't remember where I kept my phone last night. Still with my eyes closed, I ran my hand on the bed in hope that I will come across it.

"Aargh!", I groaned, finally opening my eyes and I located my phone on the nightstand.

I picked it up and answered the call.

"What?", I said grumpily.

"Thera?", Josh's voice came from the other end.

"You just ruined my peaceful sleep, Josh! Don't you know till what time I usually sleep?!"

"I do know till what time you sleep, you sleep till 7:30 in the morning and till 10 on weekends. But if you could just bother to check the time you will know that it is freaking 10 in the morning and it's Monday and you are still not in the OFFICE!"

"Oh, shit!", I exclaimed, suddenly getting up as I searched for the wall clock and when I spotted it, it was already 10:05. I was suppose to be in the office at 9!

"Are you coming now?"

I scratched my head as I fell back on the bed, "I don't think so...I just got married yesterday and who goes to office on the next day of their marriage?"

"Your husband", he answered.

"Remember that your office was going to be shifted in his building from today as you both are now the joint CEOs", he added, "and I am here in his building, getting your office set up while he is questioning me that why you are not here yet."

"Wait...did he ask you to call me?"

"...yes..."

"Couldn't he call me by himself?"

Josh remained silent making me speak again, "You know the reason why he didn't call me himself, right?"

"...yes..."

"And may I know the reason, please, Mr. Oliver?"

"Let it be, Thera."

"Mr. Oliver", I warned.

"He said that he doesn't want to waste his time reminding people about their job. And he said that he can't tolerate irresponsible people."

Irresponsible? Just because he is also the joint CEO now, he thinks that only he is the one who is responsible while others don't know anything.

Is it a joke? I was handling my company much effortlessly on my own.

"I am not coming today, I am very exhausted and you better tell this to that asshole, I don't care." With that I hung up the call.

After that I finally got up and went inside the bathroom to freshen up.

Finishing my morning routine, I decided to roam the house after breakfast as I know that asshole would not give me a tour of the house.

I reached the kitchen to make myself breakfast but there was already a woman present there, her back towards me, and she was cooking something.

I cleared my throat for attention and she turned around. She looked in her mid-40s, black hair with a few strands of gray hair as well and she gave me a warm smile.

I mirrored her smile and she spoke, "Good morning, Mrs. Grayson."

Mrs. Grayson. That sounded so foreign.

"I am Cynthia, the housekeeper", she introduced herself.

"Well, nice to meet you, Cynthia and you already know me", I smiled, "don't call me Mrs. Grayson, I am not used to it yet, you can call me Thera."

"As you say, Thera. I thought you would have gone to the office too because Isaac was not here."

I mentally rolled my eyes, "I am not a workaholic like him. I needed rest, so, I didn't go."

"By the way...what would you like for breakfast? I am going to make waffles though."

Waffles...just the name of it made me hungry.

"Do you have vanilla ice cream to top that with?", I asked enthusiastically making her chuckle, "Of course."

I watched her whip up the batter as we talked about random things.

She was working with the Graysons for many years. She almost raised Isaac so he was just like a son to her.

She told me about Isaac's childhood stories and it was a surprising to hear that how cheerful and playful Isaac was. It was unbelievable.

"But everything changed after Serah's death...", she sighed, "Isaac changed completely."

Who's Serah? His sister? His ex-girlfriend?

Cynthia didn't say anything else about it, she might have thought that I already know but the truth is, I have no freaking idea who she was!

"Umm...who's Serah?", I finally asked.

Pouring the batter into the waffle maker, she turned towards me, "Isaac didn't tell you?"

"...no...he doesn't tell me anything."

"Then, I think it would be better if you ask him only."

Like hell he would tell me!

"Please, you can tell me..."

She politely shook her head and turned her attention to the waffles.

A few minutes later, she served me a plate of chocolate waffles, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Yum.

And it didn't take me a lot of time to finish those.

I was devouring them but at the back of my mind, it was constantly ringing, "Who is Serah?" And why do I feel she is somewhere connected to the real reason behind this marriage.

Only Isaac can answer that.

_________________________________________

It was already evening and I was roaming my so-called new house where I was supposed to spend the next, God knows how many years of my life.

The house was magnificent, almost every wall was made of glass giving the view of the pool outside.

I was back at my room's door when I heard the front door open and I already guessed that it was Isaac, so, not in the mood to face him, I quickly went inside my room.

At least I had a seperate room, I could be at peace here for sometime.

But my peace was short-lived as the door of my room was slammed open and in came an angry looking Isaac.

Well, he is always angry.

I tried not to be intimidated by his angry looks as I stood there with my arms folded.

"Don't you know how to knock?"

His jaw clenched and he walked closer to me and showing me his phone's screen he said, "What's the meaning of this?"

"What?", I asked.

He clicked on the screen and an audio started playing, a call recording of the conversation I had today with Josh, "I am not coming today, I am very exhausted and you better tell this to that asshole, I don't care."

"Where did you get this recording from?"

He completely ignored my question, "Let me make this clear, I don't care how you handled your company earlier but now it is my company even, so, you better start to care about it."

I didn't say anything instead I started to move towards the bathroom but he caught my wrist and pulled me back, "Understood?!"

I rolled my eyes at him and that pissed him off, completely.

And the very next moment he slammed me into the wall and pinned both of my hands above my head and I took in a deep breath, completely caught off-guard by his actions.

There was hardly any gap between, I could feel his breath fanning my cheeks.

"You better mend your ways, Thera or else I will have to punish you", he threatened.

Punish you. What did he mean by that?! What would he do?!

He released my hands and stepped back, turning around to leave when I finally asked him, "Who's Serah?"

He stopped immediately, his body froze as his back was toward me.

I thought he had a heart attack but my happiness was short-lived as he finally turned around, slowly.

"Who told you?", his voice was calm, low yet it sounded dangerous.

"Cynthia, your housekeeper told me this morning."

"What did she tell you exactly?", he asked taking a step towards me.

"The only thing she told me was that 'everything changed after Serah's death.' I questioned her though about who she is but she refused to tell me saying that I should be asking you", I said the last word pointing a finger towards him.

"So, I guess you need to tell me", I added.

"You are not supposed to know everything."

"I do have the right to know, I am your...", I stopped mid-sentence, remembering what he said the last time I referred myself as his wife, "let it be...goodnight."

He smirked, moving even closer to me and he whispered in my ears, "Good, you learned your lesson. Goodnight."

As he left my room, I realised that how smartly he changed the topic.