Pampered Like A Princess

. Zayden and Nelissa soon arrived at the Quest’s family home.

It was pouring and they both shared an umbrella.

Nelissa turned towards Zayden, surprised to see that his other shoulder was drenched in rainwater. At this moment, he seemed like a thoughtful gentleman.

Flabbergasted, Nelissa was unable to comprehend his actions.

After all, she had spent six years with Zayden, thinking that she knew him like the back of her own hand. However, she was proven wrong when he betrayed her without batting an eyelid. It was only then she realized that the days they spent together meant nothing to him.

……

Nelissa took the warm towel from the servant and wiped her hands absent-mindedly, her eyes wandering around the living room. The villa hadn’t changed a bit since she left home five years ago.

Then, unexpectedly, Zayden took the towel from her and started to dry her hands, “I knew you’d come back someday. So, I kept everything the same as how you’d like it before.”

Nelissa felt a tug in her heart.

A moment later, he passed the towel back to the servant and headed towards the stairs. “Come with me.”

Zayden extended his hand to her at the bottom of the stairs, but Nelissa ignored him and made her way upstairs. His gesture had evoked bittersweet memories from the past, and she didn’t like it.

“I’m not a child anymore. I can walk on my own.”

Stunned, Zayden watched as Nelissa slowly ascended the stairs. It felt as though it was only just yesterday when she needed him for everything.

Nelissa was a spoiled little girl, especially after Zayden joined the family. There were times that she would ask him to carry her up the stairs just because she wanted to.

She liked him so much that she eventually grew dependent on him. And Zayden couldn’t say that he wasn’t happy about it.

Young Zayden shunned almost everyone away from him. Nelissa was the only exception.

He was her faithful knight, fulfilling every wish of hers, clearing every path she walked.

Nelissa loved French roses, so there were always blooming roses in the Quest family home. Whenever it rained, she would rush out to protect the flowers, and Zayden would be carrying an umbrella to shelter her.

Despite this, Nelissa would still fall ill the next day, and Zayden would spend nights taking care of her until she recovered.

Once in a while, Zayden would collapse after he had nurtured Nelissa back to health. And when that happened, they would have a good laugh out of it, and Zayden would always promise her, “Nelly, I’ll build you a greenhouse in the future. Promise.”

……

Nelissa watched the rain pour over the greenhouse in the backyard through her childhood bedroom window.

A greenhouse was built over the bed of roses. Clearly, Zayden kept his promise. Even the decor in Nelissa’s old bedroom was left untouched.

“Since you left, no one has been in your room apart from the servants,” Zayden said, closing the door behind him.

Nelissa stepped away from the window and said, “I’m leaving once I get the albums.” She walked towards the compartment hidden in the shelves and entered the pin number to unlock it right in front of Zayden.

There were many photo albums in the secret compartment. The one that Zayden had given her earlier was insignificant, only containing their photos together. But it wasn’t the case for those in this compartment.

One by one, she took out the albums, flipping through them. All of a sudden, she felt Zayden’s hands wrapping around her waist and his warm breath next to her neck.

“Stay, Nelly. Stay, and we could start over,” he pleaded.

Nelissa shuddered, the album in her hands dropping to the ground. She knew what he was asking for, but she refused to yield.

Body stiffened, she looked at the ceiling to prevent tears from falling, “Who am I going to be if I were to stay? Susan is the daughter of the Quest family, not me. And you know what your secretary and your servants think of me, don’t you?”

“None of them knows who I am, and they’ll see me as the woman who ruined your relationship with Susan even though that is far from the truth. She was the one who came between us. Zayden, are you going to ask me to be your mistress?”

Zayden turned her around, “We’ll get married right away!” He looked her in the eyes, and Nelissa could tell that he was being sincere.

He continued, “I only want you as my wife. Susan… I don’t love her. She’s only a stand-in for you. Nelly, I know that you want me to stay by your side all the time. But I’m an ambitious man, and I really want to make a name for myself.

“I’m thinking maybe we could keep our marriage a secret for the time being. I promise I’ll treat you the same as I always do. If you don’t like it here, I could always send you abroad. And I’ll love your children like my own. Then, when the time comes, I’ll bring you to light.

“So, please,” Zayden brought Nelissa’s hand to his lips. “Nelly, come back to me.”

Nelissa’s eyes never moved away from his, “What about Susan then?” She choked, “Didn’t you say that she’s my stand-in? After we’re married, is she going to take my place on your bed too?”

Zayden’s face fell, and his grip on her arms tightened.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Nelissa pushed him away and freed herself from him. Wiping the hand that Zayden had kissed, she scoffed, “You forced me to leave five years ago with the show you put on with Susan in your room, Zayden. You’ve shown me your true colors, yet you expect me to pretend that nothing has ever happened. Please spare me if you are going to do such despicable things again. I don’t have the time nor patience to be waiting for you again like a fool!”

“I may have once loved you, Zayden, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll accept you being affectionate with another woman. My tolerance will be the end of your ambition.”

Zayden started, “You were too young-”

Nelissa snorted, cutting him short. Susan was younger than her by two months.

“Nelly!” he yelled, grabbing onto Nelissa’s arm to stop her from leaving. “I can promise you that there wouldn’t be anyone else from now on.”

He threw her onto the bed, pinning her down. His voice turned husky, “You were so young, and I had been taking care of you for years. I love you so much that I couldn’t even bear to hurt you. So, nothing’s going to stop me today.”

Zayden unbuttoned Nelissa’s top with ease, revealing her fair skin. Pressing his lips to her collarbones, his kisses trailed up to her tight lips, where he could taste her tears.

As he kissed her, he caressed Nelissa’s neck and noticed that she was wearing a necklace hidden under her outfit. He wanted to reach out and take a good look at it.

Nerissa grabbed his hand to stop him. Looking at Zayden with brimmed red eyes, she threatened, “I’m going to leave you again if you don’t stop.”

At this moment, the phone in the living room rang, and the servant went to answer it.

“Is Zayden back yet?” Susan asked from the other end of the line. “I can’t get through his mobile.”

The servant hesitated. She knew she couldn’t speak the truth. She couldn’t tell Susan that Zayden came home with a strange young lady, and that they were alone together in a room upstairs, doing God knows what.

In the end, she could only lie, “He’s back with a guest, Miss Susan. They’re in the study room now.”

At this moment, the servant saw Nelissa sprinting down from the second floor and ran out of the front door without sparing another look at her.

Susan heard the commotion and she asked, “What was that?”

The servant replied, “It’s Mr. Zayden’s guest. Please wait for a moment. I’ll hand the phone over to Mr. Zayden.”

The servant went upstairs and found Zayden in the room, the door ajar. She passed the phone to him, “Mr. Zayden, Miss Susan is on the line.”

Zayden took the phone from her and brought it to his ear, signaling for the servant to leave. He then asked, “Did you know when Nelly left five years ago? Did you do that deliberately so that she would see everything?”

Not expecting to be questioned by him, Susan stuttered, “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Zayden, I know you loved her. But she walked out on you five years ago. I’ve stayed with you longer than she did, so why should I back down the moment she returned?”

“Who do you think you are to compare with her?” Zayden hissed and threw the phone across the room, watching it break into pieces as it landed heavily on the ground.

The disappointment on Nelissa’ face haunted him, and it tore him apart to realize that he had made things the way they were now.

He was all she had years ago, but he betrayed her.

……

How dare he hang up on her?!

Susan clenched her fists in fury. She had never felt so intensely jealous of Nelissa. This woman had everything she dreamt of!

She knew she was incomparable with Nelissa, but even the commoners could overthrow the monarch, yes?

Tricking Nelissa into leaving Zayden five years ago was the wisest choice she had made. She just didn’t expect that it would get Edward involved.

Not only was he there at the pub that night, but he also left with Nelissa after.

……

Under the dim streetlights, Nelissa walked along the road in the rain. Her mind was in a mess.

In the end, she only had the album that Zayden had given to her earlier. She had no choice but to leave the villa without the other albums she wanted. If she had stayed any longer, Zayden would have forced himself on her.

She recalled Zayden’s suggestion earlier. Why would he think that she would be fine with a secret marriage?

Nelissa rubbed her eyes, unable to tell if tears or rain had blurred her vision. Alas, it did not matter, as the roads there were dimly lit.

She used to be afraid of walking in those dark lanes, That was why she had always arranged to be chauffeured everywhere.

Once, the car had a flat tire, and both she and Zayden had to walk home. Despite the company, Nelissa was still afraid of the dark, and Zayden had to carry her all the way back home.

Despite what people had been telling Nelissa, Zayden had always been gentle with her, doing everything as she wished.

She snapped back to the present, where she once walked on the very same road with Zayden. Only this time, he wasn’t next to her.

……

It took Nelissa twenty minutes to walk to the nearest bus station, and she was already completely drenched in rainwater.

Shortly later, a bus came to a stop at the bus station. Numbed, she stared at its bright headlights in a daze, only to come to her senses when the driver snapped at her, “Hey! Are you coming up or not?”

“Yes,” Nelissa replied. “I’m sorry.”

She got into the bus and sat down, shuddering from the coldness.

The bus began moving.

Nelissa leaned onto the window, and she made a mental note to take a long warm bath once she returned home. She began to think of how unfruitful her trip to the Quest family home was. Not only did she not get what she wanted, but she had unexpectedly stirred up a lot of unwanted memories.

Letting her thoughts wander, Nelissa was gradually rocked into a slumber.