CHAPTER 7 – Becoming One

The days moved by quickly, faster than she wanted it to. Rachel observed as she stood in front of a huge mirror that graced the wall of her personal bedroom. This was going to be the last moment she spent in this room, she was to move over to another room this night.

His room…

Ah, he must be anticipating it — What a weirdo he was. Rachel laughed out loud in the empty room, as she got ready for her wedding ceremony that was to start in two hours time. George had hired a professional hairstylist and makeup artist to transform her face and hair, and honestly, she couldn't recognise herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Not in the bad way actually…

She never knew she could look so ethereal, so elegant, so beautiful…It had been a long time since she had rested so well, eaten so well and actually felt like a princess. The hardship she had faced these last five years had thrown her off balance and she had forgotten how to take care of herself. In the last two weeks, George didn't allow her to lift a finger. In fact, if it was possible for him to hire someone that would carry her to the toilet when she needed to use it, he would do that. That was how much he didn't want to see her do anything.

"Rest as much as you can, My Angel. You have two whole weeks to rest and eat anything you want. After these two weeks, you won't be able to rest so well, as we'll both be doing some 'serious work' in bed" He had said this to her every single day, and winked at her when her mouth opened up in shock.

Crazy man…

She didn't expect him to be so brazen and bold. Rachel thought he would be cold and withdrawn like every billionaire in those novels you read. But this man! He had something shocking to say every single day, and would tease her till she turned red in the face. And she hated that part of her that was enjoying it.

A maid walked in with her wedding gown, a high grade silk white dress with beaded stones. When Rachel wore the dress and looked at the mirror, she gasped… She looked like the wife of a king. Her hair, makeup, dress and shoe worked together to create the most beautiful combination she had ever seen….

"You look beautiful, Miss Rachel" the young maid that stood beside her affirmed. "Mr George is going to love this"

"Thank you" Rachel smiled, appreciating her compliment and ignoring the second statement. Even as she looked at her beautiful reflection in the mirror, even though she could get whatever she wanted in the blink of an eye, she knew it wouldn't last, it wasn't even real.

A marriage that was to last only for a year, would you call that a 'real' marriage? Yes, the marriage could last for a longer time if she wanted it to, but that wouldn't be possible. Staying here after throwing the whole company upside down just to find the culprit of her father's case wouldn't even make sense. 

Every moment from now, she has to remind herself of what she is really here for so she does not get carried away. Turning around to face the maid, she asked "Where does his family stay? I haven't seen any of them since I came here. Does this whole villa belong to him?"

"His family stays in this villa too, at the other side" the maid answered "it's a huge villa that extends for miles. This is just Mr George's own part of the villa. You'll be seeing them today"

"Oh, I see"

What a weird family. Rachel could see she wasn't really welcome here. How large could the villa be that his parents couldn't come over to see the woman their son would marry. Even if they were so busy, if they really wanted to see her, they could have sent for her. She would come. To think they had actually been living in the same villa for two weeks and she didn't even know.

Rachel wasn't sure what her future days here would be like. She just had to find a way to adjust and breathe through it.

                           ~~~~~*~~~~~

It was a small wedding, just the way she liked it. Rachel was so grateful to George for choosing a small hall with just a few people. The hall was decorated with intricately beautiful chandeliers that gave the place an exotic feeling. A three layer vanilla cake was a few steps away from where George stood at the end of the aisle, waiting for her with a smile on his face and a bright spark in his eyes. 

      

Her friend, Sophia came to represent her mom — who couldn't come due to the ridicule and embarrassment she might face. Rachel could understand her mother, they saw her as the wife of a thief and a drug trafficker. Even as she walked down the aisle to be joined to the man who stood at the end of it, she could see the look of mockery on the face of some of the invited members. They were not even trying to hide it, they made it clear that she no longer belonged here and should be thrown out as soon as possible.

It took her a lot of strength and courage to walk all the way down until she reached the end of the aisle. George smiled at her, stretched out his hand and pulled her up when she placed her hand in his. He mouthed the words 'you look beautiful' to her and Rachel smiled.

The officiating priest moved on with the ceremony and they said their vows. Rachel wasn't sure about saying the vows — it's not like she'd be staying here for a long time. When she heard the words 'you may kiss your bride", she glanced at George only to see a mischievous smirk on his lips…

There was no way this guy was going to kiss her, right?.... Right?

He leaned towards her direction, bringing his head closer to hers and Rachel's eyes widened in disbelief. He was totally crazy….

George saw her eyes widen in shock, he wanted to laugh. He leaned closer and pressed a simple kiss to the edge of her lips, almost like he was kissing both her lips and cheeks at the same time. He lingered for a second before pulling back, making Rachel blush a bright red from embarrassment. After that, the priest carried on from where he stopped…

                        ~~~~~*~~~~~ 

During the light reception party, Rachel excused herself to go to the restroom. Just a few steps away from the door of the restroom, she heard whispers from a group of ladies talking…

"They fit each other. The daughter of a drug lord and a burnt billionaire…" one lady spoke while the others burst into laughter.

Rachel cringed inwardly. That was so mean. Couldn't they wait till the wedding was over before they drowned in their endless gossip? She really needed to use the toilet, and that also meant she would have to confront them. Rachel sighed, she didn't want to get into an argument with spoilt rich kids…definitely not adults.

"When he kissed her, I almost threw up what I ate this morning…" another lady chipped in and their irritating laughter increased.

"She's so shameless to marry George when her father almost implicated his family with the drug trafficking case." A third lady added.

"Gold digger. She's probably here to dry up his money. What a joke she is."

"She might as well join her father in prison…" and they all burst into another round of laughter.

Rachel had heard enough. She marched in and headed for an empty toilet, but not without hearing one of the ladies say 'here she comes'.

Ugh!! This was going to be a very long wedding day. Not what she expected.

When she was done tidying herself up, she came out and turned to leave when one of the three ladies who was clearly the 'leader' of the gang blocked her way, standing in front of her.

Rachel kept her face straight, and looked at the lady who wore a very expensive dress that accentuated her curves with expensive jewelry that increased her beauty. Yes, she was beautiful, very beautiful for someone with a nasty mouth like hers. Rachel hated to admit that even to herself. "You're standing in my way…" 

"Of course, I am" the lady spoke with an air of pride. "What do you want to do about that?'

"Do we know each other from anywhere?" Rachel sighed, what's wrong with this lady?

"Oh no, we don't. I don't mix around with peasants" She echoed while the two ladies at the back burst into laughter, to show some support for their 'leader'.

"You must be drunk" Rachel smiled warmly "if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding to attend"

"Something you must know is…" the lady drawled on, "...I'm the woman George's mother wanted for her son. I just wasn't interested anymore, so our marriage was canceled. A lot of women rejected him too. I mean, he has a lot of money but who would want someone that looks like that?"

"So?" 

"Nothing much, really. It's just a pity to watch you get the leftover that nobody wanted. Two leftovers. Both of you fit each other" 

"I'm glad his marriage to you didn't work out…" Rachel stared at her in disgust "... He's better off dead than having a wife like you" And with that, she twirled and marched out of the restroom, leaving the ladies gasping in shock and gossiping some more. 

As she walked out of the restroom, she bumped into someone and when she glanced up, it was George. When did he get here? She studied his expression…

"Did you hear everything?" Rachel asked him.

"Yea. You were taking so long to return, I was wondering why and came here to check up on you" He replied, no emotion present on his face.

"Are you used to things like this? You don't seem to be bothered" Rachel asked, referring to the brutal insults thrown at him by the gossiping ladies.

"Yes, it's totally normal. I've faced it for five years, it's nothing now" He reached for her hand and pulled her gently "We have a wedding to conclude. Let's go"

As they walked side by side , Rachel couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She had faced her fair share of insults. It was good that she wouldn't be staying here too long. 

Just a year. One year. After that, she wouldn't have to put up with the nasty rich people in this place. By then, she'd be gone.