Chapter 48 Meet my wife, Karen
Karen stared wide-eyed at the door held open for her by Roger. The car was not one she saw on a daily basis, and even though she knew little about cars, she could tell that this one was out of her league.
“What’s the name of the car?” she asked. Roger smiled and pointed at the logo. “Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, and if you don’t like it, we can make a custom one for you,” he said casually. Karen was lost.
She wasn’t used to this, and seeing the sleek machine before her only made her feel out of place. Even with Roger, she was used to seeing him with a cheap Toyota, so this was just too much for her.
“How much is this supposed to cost?”
“Just thirty-two million. Come on, sit,” he said casually, still holding the door for her. Karen felt like she was experiencing a completely different world. The first time she sat in Van’s car, she thought it was the most expensive, but this?
The price already caused her jaws to drop, and this money should be used wisely, not wasted. “Isn’t it too expensive?” she asked before sliding into the car, instantly feeling the coziness of a rooster.
“Wow,” she remarked. Roger smirked but leaned in, and Karen’s cheeks flushed before the realization hit her. She hadn’t fastened the seat belt, and he was doing that for her.
The sound of the engine accompanying the movement of the car made her brows raise. This was a luxury she never imagined experiencing, and Tonia would die if she saw her in this car.
“I was thinking that you could take some driving lessons, or we can maintain a driver if you don’t want to,” Roger was saying, bringing her mind back from admiring the red interior of the car, which complemented the black rose exterior.
“I’d love to learn how to drive,” she replied, recalling how Van advised her against using the likes of bodyguards. Drivers could also be bought.
“Then I can teach you,” Roger volunteered, bringing her attention back to their relationship.
“We only have a week, Roger. I will learn on my own.”
Forcing a smile, he didn’t bring up the matter anymore. Try as he did to bring up a conversation, Karen’s attitude killed it until they arrived at the mansion.
The moment the garage door lifted, Karen was in a daze. “Where are we?” she asked, looking around curiously. The ambiance was dark, but bright light filled the garage the moment Roger stepped out of the car.
There were at least twenty luxury cars from what she saw, and the size of the garage made it seem like the cars were for sale.
This wasn’t the apartment they had lived in before, and the environment felt so foreign. “Our new home, kitten,” Roger said. She wanted to stop him, but the reason behind his calling her kitten and the time duration made her endure it.
Roger quickly opened the door for her, and from the garage, he led her to the kitchen. It was huge, but most things were out of view.
“Everything is automated, so you can control it with the remote,” Roger explained. The moment he pressed something on the remote, one side of the countertop would lift up, revealing wine glasses.
Another revealed the dishwasher and then other kitchen appliances. There were no groceries in view until they reached the pantry. “This looks like a supermarket,” she commented. Roger chuckled.
“I made sure to get everything you might need.”
Karen couldn’t believe this. She wanted to make him pay, but this thoughtfulness was weakening her resolve. Why did Roger develop a sudden interest in her?
“I love Karen,” a strange voice said, jolting her from her wild imaginations as she saw a brightly colored parrot. “So pretty.”
“So pretty,” Milo repeated. She laughed, and it was as if her anxieties dissipated.
“Milo, meet my wife, Karen,” Roger said proudly. Milo began the iconic word, “Meet my wife, Karen. I love Karen. She’s the only one for me.”
It used to sound good when he was alone, but with Karen here, it was embarrassing. “Enough, Milo, she’s here. No need to remind me.”
Karen was just finding out about the twisted side of Roger. “Wait, you constantly repeated those words?”
“She was the only one who understood my emotions. Everyone thought I had gone crazy when I began my search for you,” he said sadly. Karen was filled with emotions.
“Roger, you don’t have to do all of this," she was saying when he cut in. "No, kitten, you deserve all this and more. I had no idea about the life you had with your parents, and I made it worse with my emotional abuse."
She tried to stay strong, but his words broke her before she noticed something. "Wait, how did my picture get here from that night?"
There was a huge frame of when Roger carried her in his arms from the restroom. It looked so romantic, and here it hangs on the wall, so grand and beautiful in the right colors.
"Wealth has its advantages. I only forwarded it to an expert when I received it from Hector and told him what to do when you were sleeping."
Karen wanted to hug him but held back. "So, if we go our separate ways after the one week, what happens to it?" she asked, seeing the excitement dim from Roger’s eyes.
His response was simple. "I did everything here for you, even when I wasn’t sure I’d see you again. If you never love me again, it won’t change anything. This house is already in your name, so I’ll just move out."
Karen froze. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"
Roger shrugged and showed her documents on his phone. "I never bought you a wedding gift, so when I decided it was you I wanted and not Tonia, I decided to gift it to you."
Karen knew the true meaning of feeling a lump in her throat. She lived her life thinking that Roger hated her so much, but now, she was torn.
"I need time, Roger, this is too much."
"There is a lot more I need to show you, but I think this one will make you sleep better," he smiled before embracing her.
It was something he was dying to do but held back. Somehow, Karen found it comforting, melting in his arms as the scent of his cologne overwhelmed her.
When he pulled away, he led her through the front door, but before pressing the remote, he brought out a blindfold. "You have to go with your eyes closed."
Karen wasn’t nervous like before, only curious as the blindfold covered her eyes. The next moment, she was lifted into his strong arms, feeling his movements through the door to wherever, he was taking her.
Then he stopped, and she felt her feet touch the ground before a sweet and floral scent wafted through her nostrils.
The blindfold was removed, and her eyes eagerly opened, her jaws dropping as a series of emotions flooded her from the scenery in front of her.
"You…you did this? For me?” her voice was thinned, filled with emotions, as a joyful tear slid down her cheek