Celine's POV
The alarm clock by the bedstand woke me up. I had thought so much about the past and the present, I've weighed their similarities, and in essence, my tears have seemed to dry up.
I drifted to sleep, only to be woken up by the annoying sound of the alarm.
I walked to the dresser after I had my shower. I examined the spots Madison had taken care of the previous night.
There was a significant improvement. A few minutes later, Miss Madison comes in.
"I'm here to make sure you look presentable," she said, quickly moving to the box of makeup she had dropped in my room last night.
"You know that I'm not property and I can take good care of myself," I stated.
"Maybe you can, but not to his taste," she maintained, going for the wounds at my back first.
I sighed as the towel touched my back. I was so lost in the conversation the previous night that I didn't notice how soothing this was.
"I'm done with your back. Now turn, it's time for me to touch your face," she said, drawing the makeup kit closer.
"Madison," I called out, hesitating a little.
"Yes, speak," she urged me
"You haven't told me the twelfth rule."
"Yes, about that," she said, looking at her wrist watch. "Let's hope I won't take up your time, because you would be meeting Mr Cassian by 8 o'clock and it's 7:25 am already."
"Maybe you have to hurry with the speech then, I'm anxious to hear it," I answered her, moving to the closet to pull out the dress I was to wear today.
"The last rule: You are not allowed to say any curse words to Mr Cassian or any of the messengers he sends to you. If you do that, you are insubordinating him, and you will be tied and thrown into the dungeon until Mr Cassien is appeased."
"Well, I'm likely to fall short of this one," I blurted before I could stop myself.
"You have a sharp mouth, young lady; you should learn to bridle your tongue then, or you will spend most of your days in the dungeon," she said, shaking her head disapprovingly.
In all these things she had said, I still don't know what had happened to the previous slaves. I wanted to ask, but I knew she wouldn't want to tell that story now, because time was already far spent and against us.
"I think you are good to go," she said, breaking the awkward silence as she tied the rope on the blue satin dress.
I looked at my reflection, and I couldn't recognize myself; I had transformed into royalty.
I touched my face before I could stop myself.
"No," she said, smacking my hands off my face. I looked at my hands and realized they were stained.
"Don't you know that it's a makeover and touching it spoils it, especially when it's not dry yet. I'll do a touch-up, don't touch your face again," she said, adjusting her makeup kit and applying some dust on my face again.
I've seen the makeover kits over and over again, at least with Mrs Klein, but I never knew how to use them.
She never taught me, and I didn't go to school, nor did I have a phone that could browse about all these things, so they just felt foreign to me.
She smiled at me, noticing my distress. It was a gentle, reassuring smile.
Somehow, I felt that I could get used to Madison; she reminds me so much of my mum.
There was a light tap on the door, bringing me back to reality as I had already zoned out, thinking of how different my life would have been if my parents were alive.
"Hurry up, grab your suitcase, the guards are here to take you to Mr Cassian," she said, hurriedly giving me a look over.
It was just ten minutes to eight, and I could estimate that I would be with Mr Cassian even before it was eight.
"Why the rush? It isn't even up to eight yet," I said, grabbing my suitcase regardless.
"First impressions matter, Celine. You have to impress Mr Cassian; he has some good in him, you might benefit from it if you break those walls around him.
Don't forget, powerful men have weaknesses, sometimes more than the men considered to be weak," she said, giving me a wink and opening the door.
"Your bags," one of the guards said, extending his hands towards me to take the suitcase.
I handed him the suitcase, and he took it swiftly and turned. "Behind you," they chorused.
I walked in front of them, although my inner mind wanted to protest, but I couldn't help replaying the rules and Miss Madison's last words.
And just then, I had a new mission. I have to try to win Mr Cassian's heart by all means.
I'll find out what he likes and what he doesn't like, and I'll make sure to keep to his rules.
Maybe he will fall for me, and when he does, I'll pay a visit to the Kleins.
"We have brought her, Sir," the bodyguard announced, calling me out of my thoughts.
I looked up at Mr Cassian, and the sight before me mesmerized me. Even though he was evil and never in my life would I want to be with a man like this, his features were handsomely striking.
His presence was defined and refined.
"Celine, stop, you are to seduce him and not the other way round," I muttered under my breath.
Mr Cassian stared at me for a while, and I thought I could see something else in the stare, but he quickly hid it.
"What are you waiting for? Drop her luggage in the trunk," he commanded the bodyguards and walked towards the car.
The bodyguards hurriedly went to drop my luggage while another two bodyguards held out both sides of the car for us.
I steadied my footsteps to the car. Once I was inside, Mr Cassian darted his gaze towards my direction, and I tensed up immediately.
"Good," he said, "You dressed just the way I like it."
The way he said those words was so controlling, so possessive, yet so charming.
He didn't show any form of emotion when he uttered the words, and he looked forward immediately, facing the driver.
"You know where we are headed, so move," he said, referring to the driver.