"A Dinner of Spices, Secrets, and Unraveled Fates"

Twenty minutes later a man called at my door, " miss, dinner is served please come out I will lead you to the dining room".

I was surprised by the turn of things. Just a few hours ago, people were treating me with hostility and pity in this house but now someone is calling me miss and addressing me with respect. Anyway it still doesn't change the fact that I am kidnapped and I am a prisoner. Or maybe I am just a prisoner by destiny. All my life I have been a prisoner in one way or another. From my childhood life to my teenage and youthful life I have always been held captive.

I went to the dining room that was next to kitchen and then the massive luxurious living room . Everything was either black white or gold. From the kitchen sink and cabinets, wall paints , utensils and equipment, to the dining set,the curtains , carpets and to the living room, everything even the tiniest detail was either white, black or gold. I never knew these colors could go along so well but from what I see here, i guarantee you that the do match perfectly.

I sat on the opposite side of the table directly facing him. His eyes were looking directly into mine and I felt like they were too sharp for mine so I decided to focus on the food. The table was set beautifully but the food oooh my God why do I have bad luck in everything? The main food was the famous Turkish dulma, it is rice , minced meat and spices stuffed in grape leaves or bell pepper ,Abidjan and zucchini. This is a great meal but I am a Kenyan remember. There was also baked salmon with a creamy sauce topping, really looking delicious but I do not eat sea food. And then there was a side dish , it was creamy cauliflower baked with cheese. This really looked nice. There was also fruits and salad well designed on the plate and then funny enough, the dessert was pumpkin! Ooh my God , all my life pumpkin has only been a vegetable then when I fell in love with cooking, I learned to make pumpkin bread, and soups among other things but a whole pumpkin as a dessert? No way!

" Won't you eat?" His voice interrupted my little mind. I realized I have been judging these food yet I had not touched any or tested anything so I moved my plate closer only to see the soup served was mushroom soup. Jesus Christ! I hate mushrooms at this point I almost walked out of this table . I think he saw my expression so he said again. " mushroom soup. It's rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, supports immune function, and can aid in weight management due to its low calorie and high fiber content. Additionally, mushrooms contain compounds with potential anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. You should try it, you will love it."

"Yes sure" I smiled while grabbing my soup spoon. The only thing I know about mushroom is that you can pass here in one minute and there is nothing and the second minute there will be a fully grown mushroom and after another minute the mushroom is rotten with worms everywhere. Also these white mushrooms should not be eaten because they can make you run mad and yet someone is preaching about low calories and anti cancer properties , this life.

I took the first seep of the soup and the strong mushroom scent hit my stomach. I tried to keep a straight face but deep inside I really wanted to throw up. I decided to concentrate on the taste of the cream and mozzarella cheese instead. I have been cooking for a while by one bite of the food I can tell every spice used in it . For this soup I know there is onions, garlic, cooking cream,chicken broth and mozzarella cheese. These helped me took about five spoons but I knew right there I couldn't do it anymore,one more spoon and I will throw up , so I pushed the bowl away gently and whipped my mouth. I then served myself one small dolma and the cauliflower totally ignoring the salmon. I feel his eyes on me all this while but I chose not to make eye contact. I took my knife and fork and yes, it was time to take a bite of my nightmare. I hate this dolma , I have tried it before in Diyarbakir it has a lot of lemon and spices. But I did not die then I will not die now so, I made a small slice and put it in my mouth. What the hell, the burning sensation of hot peppers hit my mouth and immediately I started sweating, tears started flowing down my cheeks and I had a runny nose. I reached out for a glass of water and a paper towel at the same time trying to while my face . The water did not help. The burning kept on rising . How do people eat this? It's like cooking hot peppers and seasoning it with a pinch of rice and meat . How do you call this food?😭 ok maybe if I eat the creamy cauliflower it will reduce the burn so I took a spoonful of cauliflower but guess what? It was a mistake . This was even more spicier than the dolma. I couldn't take it anymore, but I had to behave myself. I took another paper towel wiped my mouth secretly throw the food in my mouth and rapped it well then I stood up. " excuse me please". He looked at and pointed the right side with his fork showing me the direction of a washroom and his mouth full of food I was wondering how the hell does he not feel the flaming hot spices. I entered the bathroom and started washing my mouth. It took me about ten minutes trying to calm down then I came out. He was still there , eating the pumpkin dessert. I was not hungry anymore but he insisted I should sit down. On my plate there was a bowl of jajik . This is just youghut with cucumber and mint . It is the only thing I was sure of not being spicy. " this will help cool the hot spices ". He said calmly. So he knew all this while that I was struggling with the spicy food. I took the jajik and surprisingly like magic , my mouth felt normal again. He wiped his mouth putting his plates aside and said" did you like the food?" . I looked up and for once I almost cursed the food but I smiled and "said yes it was beautiful." He looked like he was not satisfied with my answer. " so why didn't you eat more?" He asked. At this point I felt like he knew what happened and he was just intimidating me but I played along. " it is very late. I do not eat much at night" I answered looking directly into his eyes.

"What should I call you sir" I remembered I don't know his name.

"Sir" , he answered. I didn't know what he meant by that.

"Why did you kidnap me?" I asked.

"You are going to be my wife." He said calmly looking at me to see my reaction.

"What?"

His wife? Who said I want to be a wife?

"You are my property now , no one is coming for you and you are going nowhere so you either do as I say or I have my way it is all up to you." His words were evil and threatening and he had a poker face on. I was scared again.

"What?" I asked again and this question pissed him off.

"You heard me Joy. I will give you the details tomorrow morning. You can go to your room and rest for now." With that he stood up and walked gracefully to the elevator.

As the elevator doors open I shouted, "you must be joking sir I cannot do this!!"

"Goodnight Joy!" He shouted back as the elevator door closed and his figure disappeared from my sight.

As I sat in the luxurious dining room, the dim light flickering, a mysterious air surrounded the room. Suddenly, a soft melody echoed from an unseen source, adding an eerie yet captivating ambiance to the unfolding drama. The man's motives became more enigmatic, leaving me to wonder if the spices in the air were not the only things veiled in secrecy.