The archaic and overused tune of 'Here comes the bride' filled my ears, as the double brass doors swung open noisily.
Everyone rose up. It was time.
I sucked in a breath and took a step forward into the cathedral, my eyes absently scanning the crowd for familiar faces. They landed on my co-workers who stared back at me blankly, trying their best to hide the jealousy and disgust evident in their hostile expressions.
Looking away, I slowly put one feet in front of the other, moving towards the altar slowly like Mrs. Darcy instructed.
"Chin up and take your time, darling. They'll wait," the wedding planner said, right before she winked at me and left to deliver the expenses to my in-laws.
I switched my focus to the groom and saw him spotting a frown while he subtly checked his watch. He still had not perfected the art of giving an expressionless face, raising his head to glare at me with an eyebrow raised.
I stared back at him and tried to smile as I walked on, posing for the unsuspecting guests armed with cameras and notebooks ready to tear me down the second I messed up.
Finally, I reached the altar and heaved a sigh of despair as the bridal train let go of my gown and the groom clasped my hand with urgency. Now, I had to deal with an unnecessarily heavy dress and a tight grip.
Immediately the priest made the sign of the cross–which I dutifully performed–and began to speak, I tuned my brain towards the last episode of Hotel de Luna and tears immediately pooled in my eyes.
Bad choice, as departing ghosts were now a weakness. I sniffed hastily, feeling the grip on my hand tighten.
I whispered instantly, "Please release my hand. I am trying not to cry, and there is no need to have a repeat of last night."
He dropped my hand too eagerly, causing it to hit the chair. I winced and rubbed around it, smiling at the memory. Sneaking around the dinner last night to get a glimpse of the final scene, tearing up and ruining my makeup in the process, and having a small brawl with my soon to be sister-in-law caused an incident no one wanted a repeat of.
I glanced back at the priest, a dark man with full beards who was speaking intently on marriage vows. I tuned out again, focusing instead on counting the bulbs of the high ceiling chandeliers.
After a while, he beckoned to the groom and I and made us kneel to receive blessings. Unlike in the movies, he skipped the part about exchanging our personal vows, and moved straight to the exchange of wedding rings.
Of course, he turned to the groom first and asked,
"Cole Winston, do you take Elizabeth Watson to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, to cherish and to protect, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
The whole church went dead silent, and I glanced at my boss. The entitled, arrogant, and unfairly handsome man I worked under for three years. The man I was about to sign a second contract with.
"Yes," he answered immediately and smiled at the crowd. For effect.
"Elizabeth Watson, do you take Cole Winston to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, to cherish and to protect, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
I nearly shook my head. Apart from 'lawfully wedded wife' and the riches part, nothing else held any weight. I was about to defy my beliefs and enter a contract marriage for money.
My value and freedom bought by money and fame, sure to end in separation. I felt my spirits dampen.
"Miss Elizabeth?" I heard my name, and turned to look at the priest who was still waiting for my response.
"What? Yes, I take Cole to be my husband," I responded, feeling a bitter taste in my mouth as the crowd erupted in applause.
The priest grinned and lifted up his hands, "With no further delay, I pronounce you husband and wife. Thanks be to God."
Did this man just call me a delay? If only he knew how many pay-offs the Winstons' indulged when our engagement broke out. Strings of flings and one nightstands with incriminating evidence, and enormous mouths to feed.
The man continued, oblivious to the sin involved in keeping up the sham, "You may now kiss the bride."
I froze up instantly and widened my eyes but before I could respond, Cole leaned over and pecked me softly on my lips. Thankfully, it was over before it began and the crowd seemed to accept it.
As they dished out congratulations to us, I smiled softly and tried to avoid the eyes of Cole's family. From experience, I knew they felt like strangling me now but instead his mother and sister came over with fake smiles plastered on their faces.
"Welcome to the family, darling," the red-haired woman said as she gave me a hug. The scent of her perfume stuck in my nose and I grimaced, fighting hard for air. The numerous pearl beads on her neck squashed against my low cut dress, pressing deep into my skin and I pushed back, but she held on.
"Just don't forget your place. You're not a Winston, and you'll never be. All this is just for show, none of us care one inch about you." She let go of me, still holding a perfect smile.
Cole chose that moment to walk away, advancing towards a group of older men who he clapped hands with as soon as he reached them, and a small jolt of pain washed over me. I would have to live with a man who felt indifferent about what his family thought about or said to me.
I raised my chin, and smiled back at the woman. No one of them needed to see my defeat. "Thank you. I have zero interest in your family name. Your son came with the offer, not me." I replied and turned to go, but stopped and glanced at his sister, "Your lipstick is smudged, by the way."
I walked over to where Cole stood, still talking, and put on the best forlorn face of a new bride who needed to be with her groom.
"Honey, let's go take a few pictures," I suggested, holding his hand while glancing over to smile at the men.
"Thank you for coming. You understand I have to steal him though, right?" I asked, layering on the sweetness I reserved for dealing with difficult clients.
"Yes of course. It's your big day," one of the men responded, urging us to move along. As we walked away, he called out, "Everyone of us is happy now, Cole."
We took a few pictures, and by the end of it, my cheeks were hurting me and the end of my four-inch heels had begun to bite into my feet. Contrary to the story she spun about it being ancestral and part of the family, I still believed my mother-in-law used them as a punishment.
A Ferrari drove into the hall, stopping right where I stood with my boss, now my husband. He made a stellar show of grinning as he opened the passenger door for me, stooping to plant another quick peck on my lips before getting into the driver seat.
Out of habit, I buckled up and waved at the crowd as Cole revved up and engine and drove us away, the soft breeze tickling my scalp.
"I'll transfer a part of the money to your account tomorrow," He said curtly, putting a black shade over his eyes as he turned into a high fenced building.
I nodded absently, turning to smile at the private jet waiting for our arrival. Being the Mrs. of a billionaire did not sound bad at all.
There was a certain thrill that came from planning a wedding. Whether an arranged marriage, a love marriage or in my case, a contract.Especially if the intended groom happened to own a whole lot of money.A private chaffeur, fancy parties, trips toworld-renowned designers, all expense paid stylists, helps to attend to my every need. But, the best part–seconded by the Annex card–was the popularity.In the weeks leading up to the wedding, my name was all over the news, bringing in both positive and negative reviews. Suddenly, everyone had an opinion they felt entitled to especially the receptionist and secretaries in Winston Corp.I saw the questions and accusations on their faces, some felt I did not deserve it, while others asked if blackmail was the reason. Why would a billionaire want to marry an unknown face, an ordinary secretary?If there was one thing Cole and I agreed on, any publicity was good publicity. He needed the media to see him as a humble CEO who fell for his 'number
Strings of loud chirps got me out of bed the next morning, and I forced my eyes to blink open. Pushing forward, I stretched slowly and grabbed my phone, still groggy-eyed and tired from dealing with Cole's drunken words the night before.I tapped it open, and instantly leaned forward as notifications and messages from different apps scrolled across my eyes.This could not be happening."Cole!" I screamed, rushing over to his study where he was hunched over several papers scattered across his mahogany desk. He raised his head to glare at me, an eyebrow raised."Liza, why are you shouting my name? Being married to me doesn't still give you that right," he chided, and resumed working on his papers."There's a problem. What do we do?" I ignored the jab and instead showed him the post on my Instagram feed, with over fifty thousand views.A video dated early last night of Cole, my husband frantically kissing one of his numerous flings.He stood up and grabbed the phone from my hand, repeate
In twenty-four hours, exactly three days after my wedding to the billionaire boss, my suitcase was packed and ready to go.I looked at the mirror one last time, and readjusted the black Gucci shades sitting on my face. I struck a pose and took a picture, making sure the flight ticket was visible in the mirror selfie.Uploading it, I walked out to the Mercedes waiting and joined Cole in the passenger seat. Immediately the car started, he turned his phone to me and frowned, "I see you've already started with the pictures."I shrugged an arm in response. "Theearlier, the better. Right?""Good day ma'am. We'll be arriving at the airport in approximately twenty minutes," the chaffeur greeted, looking at me through his front mirror. I nodded my head, and out of habit, signalled for him to put the partitions up. I held my leather jacket tighter against my body, letting out small breaths of air as I rubbed my palms together and placed them on my face.Cole glanced at me with an eyebrow raise
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 2Y7 with service from San Francisco to Maldives. We are currently second in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately five minutes time. The approximate time for departure is 10:15am, and we are expected to arrive the Maldives at 16:30pm tomorrow. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts–""Why didn't you say you felt cold?" Cole asked me immediately I held my jacket and fastened my belt.I raised my head to meet his eyes but even as he waited for my answer, his eyes were glued to the retreating figure of an air hostess. I shook my head and cleared my throat noisily.He glanced back at me, blatantly oblivious to his errors. I gave a soft sigh and answered, "I always say it, but you like setting the temperature low. Also," I gestured at the lady and continued in lower tones, "it would be very advantageous to us if we try to pretend to be in love during this vacation.""Of course, I know that," he responded.Th
In the middle of my third episode, Cole tapped my shoulder and motioned for me to pause the movie."Do you need anything?" I asked, removing the headphones from my ears as I leaned forward. Involuntarily, I grimaced feeling pain settle in my back from sitting in one position for three hours at a stretch."Yes. Did you bring those documents I was working on yesterday?" He questioned, a frown on his face."What documents? I do not know anything about them," I responded, covering my mouth to stifle a yawn. I needed to stretch my body or walk around a bit."Meaning what?" Cole raised his voice, now glaring at me. "How am I supposed to work on the proposal then? Why are you so incompetent?"I stared at him and began to flare up, but when he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, I took in a deep breath and responded,"Cole, you relieved me of my duties as your secretary when we signed the agreement. Besides, you did not inform me about any proposal nor any documents. Also, will there be
"There are a lot of people here," Cole commented immediately we stepped out of the tour car."It is the largest island in all of Greece, so it is expected."I put on the mittens I purchased as soon as we landed at one of the shops located in the airport, and shrugged as I walked forward into the heart of the crowd.The first thing I noticed in Crepe was the contrasting landscapes. Somehow, the scenery combined expansive coastlines and rolling mountains with lush greenery and rocky terrains. I could not resist taking a picture of the beautiful wonder.Like us, most people in the crowd were tourists and most of them stood huddled in separate groups. On one side, a tour guide hurried through his English as he described the exotic parts of the town to a majority to the crowd while on the other side, a family of seven took a picture sitting under a huge tree."Is this the Old Town?" Cole came up beside me and asked, showing me a picture of our location on the internet."Yes, it is. Have yo
I dabbed a tear from my eye, sniffing noisily when another tried to escape. How did him turning into a zombie and then dying make any sense in the storyline?"You should stop watching those Korean dramas of yours, Elizabeth. They give you false illusions about love and make you look silly," Cole complained into my ears just as the episode credits began to roll."Good morning Cole," I responded sourly, the sarcasm evident in my voice as I turned to face him. He shot me a sharp look in response before stalking off into the toilet. By the time he got back, the flight attendant–a middle-aged man this time– was done serving the breakfast and I had begun to dig in.He glanced at me and asked, "Did you make an order for me?"I nodded my head, my mouth full of food, and pointed at his seat where a dish was covered with cutlery and a serviette by the side.I watched as he opened it and raised an eyebrow turning to me, impressed. "How did you guess?""I worked with you directly for years, Si–Co
"Why did you pack so much?" Cole complained, even as he stood watching the driver load our luggage into his boot.I glanced at them and folded my arms as I responded, "They are not plenty, Cole. Besides, we are staying for two whole months. I do not want to run out of clothes."Men never understood our plight. While he could carry one box and fit all of his necessities inside, I had to have one large suitcase for my clothes, a medium sized box for footwear, make-up and jewelry, then a handbag for my body care products."What's the point? You'll still end up buying more anyway," he said and opened the car door for me."Still, you can never be too prepared. Anything could happen," I argued back, seeing the driver glance between us and give a short smile. The man was enjoying our banter, and I could bet he supported Cole."If you say so."I nodded once and looked outside the window as the car started to move forward. Long coconut palms spanned along the sidewalk, swaying from side to sid