"Welcome to the house, dear." A cheerful greeting spread across the room. An elegant old lady in a modest long sapphire blue gown smiled at Luna as she approached.
"Grandmother...." Both Luna and the man had different reactions to the same woman; the man's surprised expression contrasted with Luna's excited expression.
"Danish, please allow me to introduce you to Miss Luna Yang." This is Danish, my grandson, Luna." Luna's pupils dilated as she pondered whether this was the man she would marry. In short, the excitement had cast a shadow over her eyes. Her brain, however, worked faster than her imagination and cleared that thought from her mind. "Luna is going to live with us."
Luna's hands unconsciously extended to shake his hand. She was met with rejection. That frigid man swiveled with the dark his suit in his hand; the door engulfed his body. Luna swallowed her disenchantment's saliva. "I apologize for his offensive demeanor." The grandmother looked at her with remorse. Luna shook her head, pretending to smile, to respond that it didn't bother her.
Grandmother led her to her bedroom on the top floor, where she would sleep. It was too big for her to live alone. The grand bed could accommodate three adults at once, and the massive wardrobe could house all of her family's clothing. She took a look at her small luggage, which took up a teeny-tiny space in that wardrobe. The vanity table was close to the bed and had a large mirror that reflected her attention to the room.
"You can leave your belongings here, and I'll show you around. Tonight, I'll introduce you to the rest of the family." She nodded and trailed behind the grandmother who led her out, leaving her awe with the bedroom.
Their next stop was her private room in the second-floor corner. They walked through the open door. It might not appear to be as large as other rooms, but it was cozy and well-organized, with two cabinets on each corner.
As soon as they sat face to face in Grandma Li's desk, she handed Luna a file. The file containing information about her grandson, Danish Li, had fallen into Luna's hands in a second. Luna's eyes widened in surprise as she read the information; Danish was their company's CEO.
Graduating from one of the most prestigious universities in the United States was just one of his remarkable achievements. The more she read, the less confident she became; she was nothing in comparison to him. She was like the dust on his shoes as only a senior high school graduate.
"That's my grandson, the man you're going to marry." Luna almost choked as she listened to Grandma Li's statement. Was she having a dream? She had never imagined herself marrying the CEO of a large corporation. Destiny must be playing with her right now. How could a poor and ugly woman like her be fated to be with a smart, handsome, and wealthy man like Danish Li? She felt like Cinderella for a brief moment. She exhaled all her hope while holding her breath. She couldn't hurt herself by having unrealistic expectations. "If you're finished, I can take you somewhere else." She made the offer. Luna ducked her chin quickly.
They left Grandma Li's room and went on a tour of the house. According to its size, the house took up half of her village, with many floors and stairs connecting them. Their walks led them to the dining room, which was larger than her house, and then to the kitchen, where the maids were busy preparing lunch. When the maids in the same uniform saw them, they greeted Luna and grandmother with a bow.
Grandma Li didn't engage them in conversation, instead sauntering to the back yard and leaving them with a heartfelt smile. The fresh air rushed into Luna's nose as soon as her feet touched the ground. Another lovely sight in the backyard was a fish pond.
"Now that you've seen some of this house, make yourself at home." When referring to her, this woman always spoke in a soft tone. Luna could only thank her for all of her kindness.
Luna was stuck, standing like a fool, not knowing what to do. This building was too large for her to explore. She was haunted by the feeling of being completely lost in this place. What if Grandma Li went out with her friends? She'd be stranded here. She was perplexed as to what she needed to do. It was her first time meeting new people in her life. For so long, her village had imprisoned her. She didn't even know how to act around the rest of the family tonight.
"You look tired. You may return to your bedroom." Her feet carried her to her room voluntarily.
The large size of the house confused her. She randomly ascended the stairs that brought her upstairs, unsure which way she should go. It was unfortunate that there were so many rooms with identical door shapes and colors lining both sides of the corridor. Her steps stumbled in fear. Closing her eyes, she shoved one of the doors; she sighed in relief as it was unlocked, indicating that she had forgotten to lock it before following the grandmother.
When the door was pushed shut, the darkness blinded her eyes. Her hand fumbled with the switch to turn on the light. Her jaw dropped open when she realized she wasn't in her bedroom. The clean, well-organized environment now surrounded her. She spun in an instant, but the maids' voices stopped her. If one of them found her here, she'd ruin her reputation. She waited for them to leave, holding her breath.
"It seems that Danish rushed to the office and forgot to lock his door." Luna's ears rang with a whisper from one of them.
"He did that a lot. Apart from his cold demeanor, he was extremely careless." Another maid chimed in.
"If you don't want to get fired, don't gossip about him."
"Well, despite his arrogance, Danish, I mean... young master was stunningly handsome and wealthy. Isn't that what a woman looks for in a man?" They carried on talking, which made Luna uneasy. She wouldn't be able to leave the room if they were outside.
"I told you to stop talking about him."
"Alright, I'll do it."
"Let's go." Their loud shoes gradually faded away.
Luna exhaled a sigh of relief.Her hand reached for the doorknob. It didn't work out no matter how hard she tried. They had locked her in this room, which was unfortunate for her. She walked back and forth, her panicked sweat on her brow, thinking of a way out of this place. If they caught her sneaking into Danish's room, her world would come crashing down around her. Grandmother would toss her in with the rest of her belongings. She'd end up as a beggar in this big unknown city with nowhere to go.
"I have to find a way," she thought, her imagination running wild. "I've got to get out of here." She bit the back of her hand, which she did when she was nervous.
Luna jogged toward the door, using all of her strength to reopen it. Her attempt only created the red bruise on her palms. She rumbled her hair, despondent. Despite the fact that she had wrecked her brain, she had no ideas. She could only resign herself to her fate and plopped her hip on the fluffy mattress.
Time had flown by so quickly. She lay down on the mattress, surrendered by fatigue and irritability. The creak of the door jolted her awake, and she stood up in an instant. A young man in a dark suit stood on the doorstep and stared at her.
"Danish... it couldn't be him," Luna's lips quivered with horror and embarrassment. With his intimidating gaze, he strode toward her.
"What brings you into my room?" His voice sounded as cold as snow. Luna's feet slithered backwards in terror. His pause gave her time to plan her escape from his room. She wished she had the ability to dissipate herself in the blink of an eye.
"I-I....I got disoriented." Her trembling words only revealed her anxiety and hopelessness.
"I thought you came here to have a good time with me." His pink lips curved into an impish grin. But his legs remained immobile.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"You understand exactly what I mean." In an unreadable expression, his racy eyes winked at her. He shifted from where he was in slow motion, taking off his suit and tossing somewhere.
"Stop moving!" Luna exclaimed, having mustered all of her courage.
"This is my bedroom; I can do whatever I want in here." Luna's trembling feet dragged her backward. He didn't stop, and now his hand was removing his tie and unbuttoning his white shirt. Luna's body was so distracted by the bed behind her that her buttock fell on it.
"S-stop... S-stay" Her words choked in her throat, battling her dread. Only a meter separated them; his unbuttoned shirt revealed his broad, fair chest. Luna screamed in terror, pressing her eyes shut, as his hand caressed her face and then landed on her lips.
"No....." Luna's eyes widened. She had a nightmare after sleeping for hours on the bed. Her breath throbbed irregularly, as if she had just completed five rounds of sprinting. Her t-shirt was soaked in sweat.
The clock had struck five. Her memories of how she could dwell and lay on the bed flashed through her mind like photo slides. She'd be in big trouble if she stayed any longer. But how was she going to get out of here? Her small mind couldn't even assist.
The sound of shoes slamming on the tiles abruptly broke the silence outside. The sound got louder and louder. Her hands had balled into fists, putting an end to the panic. The shoes came to a halt near the door. A glimmer of hope entered her heart; there was a shadowy corner near the wardrobe. She dashed to that side without further ado. The wardrobe's shadow protected her from whoever came in.
A towering man's silhouette stood by the open door. When he trotted toward the bed, his back was turned to Luna. He took off his shirt while throwing his suit around. Luna took advantage of the opportunity to snuck out of the room. Her arm unexpectedly nudged something, causing it to crash to the floor.