The White Rose
Chapter Two: The First Night
The mansion was dead quiet as Isabel walked to the kitchen hoping to make some dinner for herself. Her socked feet padded softly against the cool hardwood floor as she went down the hall. Just a moment ago she had finished talking to her father and catching him up on the situation. Even though he tried to hide it she could tell that he was worried about her being up there for the night. She assured him that it was only for the night and she’ll be back home as soon as she dug her car out of the snow. She only hoped that it would be that easy.
Isabel looked down and frowned as she walked into the spacious kitchen. Please let it be that easy, she thought. She gave a start as she looked up to find Adam leaning against the counter with a glass of water in his hand. “What are you doing here?” she asked him.
“Well, it’s my kitchen in my house. Why shouldn’t I be in here?” It was a rhetorical question of course and she didn’t answer. “I’ve actually been waiting for you,” he continued as he placed the glass down on the marble counter. It made a clink as it touched the surface. “I’m famished and wondering what you’re going to make for dinner.”
“Excuse me?” Her hands where on her hips. “I am not making dinner for you since I’m not on the clock.” She walked towards him and stopped in front of a cabinet to his left. She opened it and grabbed a glass for herself. Glancing in his direction she said, “You make dinner for yourself when I’m gone, so why should this night by any different?”
“Because,” Adam started as he took a step closer to her, “you’re here,” he said like it was obvious. “Just consider it overtime.” He was now standing right next to her and reached over causing Isabel to take a step back. His hand went to the cabinet door and closed it. “Now, I’m in the mood for steak. Medium well with some mash potatoes.” He began walking away.
Isabel carefully put her glass down before following well calling out, “Hey!” A thought went through her mind as he exited the kitchen and she did as well. Didn’t we do this already? He suddenly came to a stop and she had to slow her pace, least she collided with him.
An annoyed look was on his face, she noticed, as he turned to face her. “What?” he asked with obvious disdain.
“I am not making you dinner. That’s something you are going to do for yourself.”
“If you want to stay in this house tonight you will,” he shot back.
She narrowed her eyes at him. Isabel was someone who wasn’t quick to become angry and managed to keep herself calm, but as she looked at his smug expression on his handsome face she just couldn’t help it. This man tested her every single day, and she hated him for that. “We never agreed to that,” she finally said, not breaking eye contact. “We only agreed that I was to stay for the night.”
He took a step closer, trying to scare her off with his height. The intimidation worked when she looked away and he smirked. This was too easy. So easy that it almost took the fun away. Almost. “Well, I’m changing the agreement. My house, my rules. What I say goes. Now, go into the kitchen and make me my dinner.”
Now, Isabel has been going over to the mansion for quite some time and was used to the way Adam usually acted. But this? This was a side of him she had never seen before. Yes, he was her boss but that didn’t give him the right to just order her around like that. Her mouth opened to give him an earful but she never got the chance to utter one syllable. At that moment all of the lights turned off at once. Darkness was all around them.
“What now?!” Adam yelled, frustrated that he wasn’t going to get dinner anytime soon.
“Maybe that snowstorm you were so happy to be right about knocked out the power,” Isabel said, using the cover of darkness to hide the anger on her face. She kept her voice steady, trying to keep all of the hatred hidden. “Hey, that was my foot!”
He had walked over in her direction but being unable to see in front of him stepped on her foot. “Get out of my way!” She turned wildly at the sound of his voice, swinging her arms around. “Ow! That was my nose.” His hand covered his nose, stopping the blood that began flowing down.
“Sorry, sorry.” She took a step back, giving him room to walk by. The sound of him hitting a wall or table and letting out a curse had her stifling a laugh.
“Damn it all to hell!” she heard him yell from the kitchen. “All of the electricity is out! This is all your fault, Isabel!”
Her face instantly went into a shocked expression. “My fault?!” How can he possibly think that the power going out was because of her? Had he finally lost it?
“Yes, you’re bad luck! I knew it was a bad idea to let you stay!”
He continued yelling but she tuned him out. A horrific thought dawned onto her as everything sunk in. If the storm is strong enough to take out the power then does that mean it wasn’t letting up anytime soon? If it was as bad as the news made it out to be, then it might go on for days. Maybe even weeks! I might need to stay here for more than one night. She backed up until her back hit the wall and a hand went to the headache that was now forming.
“Isabel! Isabel!”
“What a craptastic first night this is turning out to be,” she muttered as she slid down the wall and dropped her head into her hands. There wasn’t a shred of hope in her body that she would survive living in the same house with that man.
Isabel looked down and frowned as she walked into the spacious kitchen. Please let it be that easy, she thought. She gave a start as she looked up to find Adam leaning against the counter with a glass of water in his hand. “What are you doing here?” she asked him.
“Well, it’s my kitchen in my house. Why shouldn’t I be in here?” It was a rhetorical question of course and she didn’t answer. “I’ve actually been waiting for you,” he continued as he placed the glass down on the marble counter. It made a clink as it touched the surface. “I’m famished and wondering what you’re going to make for dinner.”
“Excuse me?” Her hands where on her hips. “I am not making dinner for you since I’m not on the clock.” She walked towards him and stopped in front of a cabinet to his left. She opened it and grabbed a glass for herself. Glancing in his direction she said, “You make dinner for yourself when I’m gone, so why should this night by any different?”
“Because,” Adam started as he took a step closer to her, “you’re here,” he said like it was obvious. “Just consider it overtime.” He was now standing right next to her and reached over causing Isabel to take a step back. His hand went to the cabinet door and closed it. “Now, I’m in the mood for steak. Medium well with some mash potatoes.” He began walking away.
Isabel carefully put her glass down before following well calling out, “Hey!” A thought went through her mind as he exited the kitchen and she did as well. Didn’t we do this already? He suddenly came to a stop and she had to slow her pace, least she collided with him.
An annoyed look was on his face, she noticed, as he turned to face her. “What?” he asked with obvious disdain.
“I am not making you dinner. That’s something you are going to do for yourself.”
“If you want to stay in this house tonight you will,” he shot back.
She narrowed her eyes at him. Isabel was someone who wasn’t quick to become angry and managed to keep herself calm, but as she looked at his smug expression on his handsome face she just couldn’t help it. This man tested her every single day, and she hated him for that. “We never agreed to that,” she finally said, not breaking eye contact. “We only agreed that I was to stay for the night.”
He took a step closer, trying to scare her off with his height. The intimidation worked when she looked away and he smirked. This was too easy. So easy that it almost took the fun away. Almost. “Well, I’m changing the agreement. My house, my rules. What I say goes. Now, go into the kitchen and make me my dinner.”
Now, Isabel has been going over to the mansion for quite some time and was used to the way Adam usually acted. But this? This was a side of him she had never seen before. Yes, he was her boss but that didn’t give him the right to just order her around like that. Her mouth opened to give him an earful but she never got the chance to utter one syllable. At that moment all of the lights turned off at once. Darkness was all around them.
“What now?!” Adam yelled, frustrated that he wasn’t going to get dinner anytime soon.
“Maybe that snowstorm you were so happy to be right about knocked out the power,” Isabel said, using the cover of darkness to hide the anger on her face. She kept her voice steady, trying to keep all of the hatred hidden. “Hey, that was my foot!”
He had walked over in her direction but being unable to see in front of him stepped on her foot. “Get out of my way!” She turned wildly at the sound of his voice, swinging her arms around. “Ow! That was my nose.” His hand covered his nose, stopping the blood that began flowing down.
“Sorry, sorry.” She took a step back, giving him room to walk by. The sound of him hitting a wall or table and letting out a curse had her stifling a laugh.
“Damn it all to hell!” she heard him yell from the kitchen. “All of the electricity is out! This is all your fault, Isabel!”
Her face instantly went into a shocked expression. “My fault?!” How can he possibly think that the power going out was because of her? Had he finally lost it?
“Yes, you’re bad luck! I knew it was a bad idea to let you stay!”
He continued yelling but she tuned him out. A horrific thought dawned onto her as everything sunk in. If the storm is strong enough to take out the power then does that mean it wasn’t letting up anytime soon? If it was as bad as the news made it out to be, then it might go on for days. Maybe even weeks! I might need to stay here for more than one night. She backed up until her back hit the wall and a hand went to the headache that was now forming.
“Isabel! Isabel!”
“What a craptastic first night this is turning out to be,” she muttered as she slid down the wall and dropped her head into her hands. There wasn’t a shred of hope in her body that she would survive living in the same house with that man.