Danielle woke quite early. She was surprised how she easily fell asleep since she was not so accustomed yet to the environment. She blinked and then reality dawned . Things had really changed and she was no longer in her small bedroom anymore. She lay on the bed motionless for a moment, listening to the chatter of vehicles stuck in the city’s traffic. She was covered by a thick duvet and cold had nothing on her. She pulled the duvet, swung her legs across the side of the bed, and sat up. Since she was barefooted, she could feel the smooth wooden floor. The room was big, quiet and very strange.

She was thirsty and her throat felt dry. So, She stood up from the bed and walked towards the door and her heart was beating very fast. Just by the door, she saw a small envelope on the table. She picked it up and read the writing thereon: “Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes. From Chef Anna” The handwriting on the envelope was very neat, artistic and impressive.

“Fifteen minutes?” she soliloquized. She smoothened her hair with her hands again very conscious of yesterday’s deal. Indeed, she had lost her original identity as She was now Ms. Harper, the prospective bride to Reed Langford. These words made her stomach rumble.

She found the bathroom which was exquisitely furnished with marble counters. The water from the sink was warm, and she splashed some on her face repeatedly. She walked down the hall in her pajamas and an accompanying soft slippers.

At the end of the hall, she found the dining room and the dining table was filled with plates of French toast, powdered sugar, a bowl of fresh berries, and two steaming mugs of coffee. Chef Anna stood behind the table with her arms folded and a warm smile.

“Good morning, Ms. Harper, I hope you slept well. I have French toast and berries on the menu today, unless you would prefer something different .”

Danielle nodded in appreciation as she whispered “Thank you so much. I must confess that this looks wonderful.”

Anna set a small plate of chops beside the toast and poured a cup of coffee for Danielle from the mug. “Please, feel free to sit anywhere you like. I will be back in a jiffy with your tea.”

Danielle sat on one end of the table and she ate the berries which tasted very sweet and cold. She looked out from the window and she was mesmerized at the sight of very exotic cars driving through the morning traffic. At this point, she felt a tinge of guilt. Her beloved sister Mia was out there, waiting for her surgery, and she was here enjoying coffee and French toast in an exquisite mansion.

Chef Anna returned almost immediately with a pot of green tea and set it just by Danielle’s cup. “ Please You are welcome to ask questions if you need clarification on anything,” Anna said. “ Here, breakfast is usually served every day at eight. Perhaps you crave for a snack later, do well to just let me know.”

Danielle smiled and managed to stammer “Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

Anna responded by nodding and quietly leaving the hall. Danielle turned back to feast on her toast. She still felt guilty for eating so richly, but she knew that she required a great deal of energy for the journey ahead. She cut a small piece and held it in front of her for a moment, as if she was placing it on a scale to ascertain the weight of her gratitude against her guilt. The taste of the toast was warm, soft, and she enjoyed it with cinnamon. She chewed it slowly with her eyes closed.

She was halfway through the plate when she set down her fork and grabbed her phone. She dialed Mia’s number and i t rang twice before her sister’s voice came through.

“Good morning Mia? Are you awake already?” Danielle asked, intermittently swallowing a bite of her toast.

“Good Morning, Dani, Yeah, I am awake. Hope you slept well?, Mia asked.

Danielle glanced out the window as she replied “Yeah, i tried my best to sleep well. You know the feeling here is different. It is big, lonely and quiet here.” She cleared her choking throat as she continued: “I Called to tell you that I am really okay over here.

There was a pause in the conversation, as Mia adjusted her phone to tease her: “You are eating French toast in a big mansion, right?”

This made Danielle to laugh out a big loudly “Yeah, French toast with berries and green tea. That sounds great right?”

Mia’s laughter, really made her day feel great already “Do not forget that you are still you. I want you to Promise me that nothing will change you and that you will always be yourself and not change to someone else.”

She touched her chest as though Mia was physically present with her. Then she whispered “I promise but I have to learn and get accustomed to all these new rules, like eating breakfast at eight in the morning, zero guests policy and not asking or answering any question about the family. The rules are crazy, Mia.”

“I trust your capacity to endure. You will be fine. Just do not lose yourself.” Mia said.

“I promise you that I wont, I swear.” Danielle then managed to feign a smile, then she glanced at the coffee which was getting cold. “I should go. I will call you later tonight.”

“I Love you” Mia’ said in a little and shaky voice.

“I love you more.” Danielle relied as she hung up and set the phone beside her plate.

She finally finished eating the toast and drinking the coffee. She knew that she needed to eat and stay strong since she was not sure of what was coming next.

There was a soft click at the far door. Danielle looked up as the door opened and Reed Langford was standing there. He wore a well ironed white shirt and grey trousers. His hair was well combed and very neat, with a very calm facial expression.

“Good morning, Ms. Harper,” he greeted her, though in a low tone.

Danielle jumped at the sight of him and nearly spilling her coffee “Good morning Mr. Langford,” she stammered as she rose from her chair. Her hands were tucked behind her at the edge of the table.

He stepped in and placed his mug of coffee on a tray by the side. He lifted a single sheet of paper from the table and stretched it out to her Saying “ This is our schedule for the week. You will have personal training at ten o’ clock, etiquette lessons will take place by noon, and on Wednesday a charity luncheon will take place, whereas a board meeting dinner is slated for Friday. I need you to learn and acclimatize quickly.”

Danielle said “Yes, sir. I thank you and I promise not to disappoint.”

He took a sip of his coffee from the mug as he continued to fix his gaze at her, as if he was trying to make sure that she understood.

After a long pause, he asked her if she had any questions or issues that required clarifications.

She shook her and replied that she had No questions , promising to adhere strictly to the schedule.

He nodded courteously as he replied “Good.” Thereafter, He turned and walked toward the doora. Just when he got the door ,Danielle said “Excuse me, Please. Thank you so much for yesterday. I really want to appreciate you for helping Mia.”

He paused but did not turn as he replied : “You did what you needed to do So I also did what was expected of me. As soon as he landed with those words, he opened the door and left.

As soon as he left, Danielle took a deep breath and sank back into her chair and her hands appeared to be shaky. She looked at the paper that he had given her , which was a schedule neatly typed thus :

“10:00 a.m. – Personal Training with Marcus at the Gym situate on the 11th Floor

12:00 p.m. – Etiquette Lessons with Victoria Langford will take place at the Conference Room B.

2:00 p.m. – Lunch with Thomas Reed at the cafeteria.

4:00 p.m. – Tour of the Main Office on the 20th Floor

6:00 p.m. – Meet & Greet at the Langford Art Gallery located at 7th Avenue”

Below the above schedule, it was also neatly typed in smaller fonts “All appointments are compulsory with no exceptions.”

Danielle folded the paper into the pocket of her dress as she reflected on the wordings of the paper which seemed heavy to the eyes. She felt as though she was living someone else’s life. Already She had a dress which was well ironed and prepared for the luncheon at noon, a gym outfit was also in in her suitcase, and several new shoes were lined up in the closet. Her new reality was indeed glamorous.

She stood up and took a deep breath again. She knew that she had two jobs to learn which were being a contract wife which she had signed up for, and the other one which was caring for Mia, and keeping the promises that she made to her. Though this new life seemed to be soft and rosy, she was worried about the things that were expected of her too in that new role.

Danielle turned from the table and took a step into the hallway. She walked pass different doors with different inscriptions. She was particularly intrigued when she got to a door labeled “10A” and the other one labeled “10C.” She was curious as to what inspired such labelling and the stories that emerged from there. With each step, she was consoling herself with the lyrics of a song titled “One day at a time.” Indeed, she was determined to live one day at a time. However, she could not help but wonder whether or not she could fit into this new world and retain her originality.