C9 Who do you think you are ?

Sofia's POV

"Miss Sofia," the maid's voice cut through the haze of my groggy thoughts, gently pulling me back to the present.

"Y—yes," I stammered, a shiver racing down my spine as if the air had suddenly grown colder.

"I'll take you to your room. Once you're feeling better, I’ll show you around and explain what Mr Alex doesn’t want us to do.” she said, and the sudden urge to puke enveloped me, the disgusting thought of living under the rules of that bastard made my insides retch.

I nodded weakly, her words barely registering as my exhaustion weighed heavily on me. My mind began to drift again, but her voice called me back.

"Miss Sofia," she repeated, stepping closer, her tone patient. "Let me help you."

I accepted her hand as she gently helped me off the chair, her steady grip grounding me. "What’s your name?" I asked, glancing at her. "I don’t think I caught it earlier."

"Rae, Miss Sofia. My name is Rae," she replied, her tone warm but formal.

I nodded, not saying another word as she guided me down the hallway. The walk felt longer down the suffocating corridors than it probably was, the weight of my fatigue making every step seem heavier, until we finally arrived at the door.

“We’re here,” Raya said, helping me ease onto the bed. She adjusted the pillows behind me with care, ensuring I was as comfortable as possible.

“Do you need anything else? Food or maybe something to drink?” she asked.

I managed a small, frail smile and shook my head slightly. “No, thank you. I think I’m okay for now.”

Raya gave a small bow before straightening up. “If you need anything while I’m gone, just press the bell beside you. I’ll be here as soon as you call,” she assured me before quietly leaving the room.

As the door closed softly behind her, I sank deeper into the bed, the quiet of the room wrapping around me. Though I was alone now, her words lingered. What Mr Alex doesn’t want us to do…

Exhaustion tugged at me, but curiosity whispered in the back of my mind. I closed my eyes, promising myself that I’d figure it out later. For now, all I could do was rest.

**********

My eyes opened slowly, the sunlight streaming through the curtains made me squint my eyes to adjust to the brightness, my body felt stiff and my head slightly foggy as I shifted on the bed, under the unfamiliar sheets.

For a moment, I stilled, stared at the room — the ceiling before it hit me, this wasn’t my room. It wasn't my house, it belonged to the man I was married to.

"Where's that bitch, if she thinks all she can do here is to sleep, I might as well lock her in a room and let her sleep her life away," I heard Alex's familiar bark through the hallway, heading to my room, and before I could move, the door was kicked open, with Alex standing like he was an inch away from devouring me.

"Why are you still in bed?" He demanded, storming into the room. " I didn't think there was a curfew on sleeping, dear husband," I replied, my voice steady as I threw the blankets off my body.

"You're supposed to be a wife, and not a pig, you bitch, and just so you know, it's my house and my rules, and whatever rules I make, you follow," he growled, his face twisting with fury.

"I think you need to tap into your brain, much as I hate to say this, I am your wife Alex Holmes and whenever you think you want to pull your power theatrics, I'm the worst person you should come to for that, we have an agreement between us Alex, I hate being married to you, but don't take my lack of options for submission, you would very much hate the consequence," I said. His men shifted uncomfortably behind him, their eyes darting to the floor as his face turned a deep shade of red.

"What did you just say? You dare to talk back at me?" He yelled, his face red from the humiliating anger, and his breath, hot and acrid.

"Yes, I do, if you decide that I'm not worthy of respect, you need to remember that it works both ways asshole," I cussed, spitting at his nuances.

"Sofia!" He growled, his voice sending shivers down the spine of every person in the room.

"Your nerves are popping, dear husband, be sure to take care of yourself, or you might one day die from a ruptured nerve..." I said back, and his palms resounded against my face. A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, making me stagger backwards, my vision blurred as pain exploded through my cheeks, making me grip the bedside stand, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit my tongue.

The throb of his palms made my ears ring, tear warmed my eyes but I blinked it off, staring back at him. The room had gone stilling silent and only mine made his ragged breath filled the room.

"Now, that should teach you how to talk around your husband..." He barely completed, when I slammed my palms across his face, as hard as I could, so much that I could feel my palm sting afterwards.

"What did you just do?" He asked, his eyes red and I could feel his fingers trembling. I couldn't bear the risk of him strangling me again with his reverberating anger, and the best thing I could do was walk away from him, because I knew very well how humiliated he would feel, after he was hit by a woman.

I flung the door open to Zack by the hallway, his eyes lingered on my body before he darted his gaze away, walking away without another glance.