"She's bold! I like her already. And there is something about this one, she's quite different and outspoken, you have really met your match, someone who could stand up to you without fear" Dylan said and sat down on the couch.
He turned and met Aaron glaring at him, giving him the "really?" look.
"You know, the last time I checked, you're my best friend and you're supposed to be on my side," Aaron said vehemently, giving Dylan a questionable look.
Dylan giggled and replied "I'm on your side man, we want a better Aaron. And I'm particular that this one is going to blow your mind away real soon"
"Well, let me refresh your memory just in case you've forgotten. I'm still engaged to Lisa and no one, l repeat no one can ever replace her, and I'm going to do anything to find her and marry her" Aaron declared.
"Yet you're getting married to another. And not just anybody, a breathtaking and gorgeous lady, or is there something you're not telling me, Aaron?" Dylan teased and laughed.
"I'm done with you man. How are we even friends? You're clearly flirting with her already, someone you just met Dylan!" Aaron pointed out.
"Well, you can't completely blame me. She's way too beautiful and I couldn't help myself. How about we go grab some drinks? You're freaking getting married tomorrow, we should celebrate!" Dylan said excitedly.
"No! I don't want to. This whole wedding thing is a charade without Lisa, you might as well say I'm trying to save my reputation, that's it!... I'm going to throw her out as soon as l find Lisa, who is befitting of my love. So don't push your luck"
"Is crazy enough that you're marrying this girl just to save face. But l won't be a party to not treating her well. Have you ever considered the feelings of this poor girl you're dragging into this mess?" Dylan asked.
"I do not fucking care about her or her feelings. On a second thought, we should go grab some drink, l need to get my mind off things" Aaron said and grabbed his car keys as Dylan scurried behind him.
The next day……
Tessa smiled weakly as she greeted a few friends of the Winstons. She had just tied the knot with Aaron and it all felt surreal. She never knew her dreams of being with the love of her life were going to be this fast. Being married to the most powerful billionaire, Aaron Winston was every woman's dream. She was excited.
Well, not so happy. Aaron didn't spare her a glance, he flung her hands away as soon as they were out of people's sight.
It felt like she was all alone in the marriage already. l signed up to be his substitute bride, l knew what i was signing up for when i agreed to be his substitute wife. But why does it hurt so much? Seeing that the one man you cared and loved so much, doesn't give a flying fuck about you could drive anyone insane" Tessa thought to herself.
Tessa forced back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes and declared. "I'm not going to give him the joy of seeing my tears. I'm here as his substitute bride and that's it! I will avoid him and his tantrums by all means until he finds Lisa. I'm not going to gush over a man who doesn't see me or even consider me worthy of his love. Damn him!"
She smiled at the mirror in front of her and tried to undress. It has been a hectic day and she wanted nothing but to rest.
Suddenly a knock came at the door, even before she could remove her wedding dress.
"Someone by the name Mara is here to see you, ma'am. Should I let her in?" Leilani asked.
Tessa's heart sank. "Mara is here. How?" she questioned inwardly.
"Yes, please let her in" Tessa said as soon as she got off from her reverie.
"Whoa! You look absolutely stunning Tessa" Mara half screamed and pulled her into a warm hug.
"Why do you look surprised seeing me? I wasn't going to miss my best friend's wedding for anything in the world" Mara retorted with a huge grin on her face.
A smile crossed Tessa's lips and her eyes watered. "Thank you Mara for coming. What would l have done without you? I really needed someone to talk to. But how were you able to enter the premises? There are a lot of securities outside" Tessa asked.
"Well l have my way around these things. They wouldn't let me in at first but as soon as l mentioned l was your friend, they obliged. Seems everyone here loves you already" Maya said with a wink.
Tessa took a sharp breath and shrugged. "Well, aside from Aaron, who can't even survive in the same space with me. He looks at me like I'm one disgusting thing he picked up from trash. I know he would give anything to get rid of me already"
"You didn't ask to be here Tessa, the last time l checked he blackmailed you into being his substitute bride. You should even be the one irritated by his behavior, how dare he, make you feel this way on your big day? I should go talk to that arrogant jerk and let him know you're doing him a favour and not the other way round" Maya replied furiously.
"No Mara. I don't think you should do that. I just hoped that this will be all over soon and l will get back to my normal life, with you and my grandmother by my side. I don't want to complicate my life any further by letting you talk to him. He might as well increase my punishment, you know how these rich people can behave sometimes" Tessa said, trying to calm Mara down.
"He wouldn't dare!. Look Tessa, l know you've loved this man since I could remember but don't let the way you feel about him, stop you from standing up to him and doing the right thing. I don't know you to be this weak and I won't have anyone talk to you in a condescending manner" Mara retorted and hugged Tessa again.
Tessa felt a surge of relief wash over her. She reached out and took Mara's hand, squeezing it tightly "Thank you Mara for always looking out for me. Don't worry all of this will be over soon, l know he would find Lisa and l will return back to you and granny" Tessa said, giving off a faint smile.
Hours later. Mara left as it was getting late, she needed to run some errands for her mother. Before she left, she encouraged Tessa to be strong as all of this would be over soon.Tessa shrugged back on her bed after Mara left. Her mind reminiscing on the day's event, she could recall the hurt in Aaron's voice as he made those dreadful promises to her on the altar. She knew he didn't want to be married to her, Lisa remained his only true love.It hurts for someone you love, to love another. She only came into his life a few days ago, so it was understandable if he didn't see her in the way she wanted him to.She stared at the mirror and wondered how long she had to put up with Aaron before he found the woman he loved, Lisa.As she lay on the bed, gradually drifting off to sleep, a knock came on her door, which made her open her eyes and let the person in.Deep down, she wished it was Aaron knocking, probably coming to check up on her. Tessa knew that her wish was futile. Aaron would n
Aaron glared at her without uttering a word, he shifted his gaze and continued eating, not sparing her any further glance."Thanks for the new clothes" Tessa added and stood up to leave. Aaron's silence was beginning to take a thorn on her.…….It's been months, living with the Winstons and yet no news about the whereabouts of Aaron's fiancee. He was clearly losing his mind as he had tried everything possible to find her but all to no avail. Aaron and Tessa hardly speak as he always look irritated anytime he was around her. Nevertheless Tessa tried as much as possible to avoid him and his tantrums but Aaron wouldn't let her be without picking on her. It was as if he made it his life goal to frustrate and trigger her.Tessa was on her bed, wrapped up in the warmth of her beddings when her phone suddenly beeped and a message appeared on her screen. She squinted her eyes in curiosity as she saw that the message was from Aaron. Wondering what it was this time."We have a brief meeting wi
Tessa could feel Aaron's anger from the way he held her hand. "But l didn't do anything" She thought to herself. The party was epic. With different influential men trooping in and out, Aaron seemed to be the richest with the kind of treatment and attention he was getting from them. She was not left out, as almost everyone that came to greet Aaron gushed about her beauty."Aaron you've got a pretty wife" That was a compliment that Tessa got used to, it almost sounded like music in her ears.Aaron was called for a brief discussion with some of the men. Tessa was seated at the table, sipping her drink quietly and waiting for Aaron. It took long enough and Aaron was yet to return to the table. She turned using her eyes to ransack the party hall, looking for Aaron. "Looking for someone?" Alexander's husky voice echoed, coursing Tessa to turn and smile at him, a bit disappointed because she wasn't expecting to see him.Tessa nodded and shifted her gaze from him. Her eyes fixed at the ent
Tessa took a cab and after a few minutes drive she got to her grandmother's house. It was Mara's day off from work and she came around to wait for Tessa.Tessa enveloped her grandmother in a warm hug."You look so good Tessa" Mrs Taylor complimented her.Tessa smiled and replied "You don't look bad yourself. Thank you Mara for taking good care of her" "What are friends for? She's like a mother to me too, so it is also my job to take care of Granny" Mara retorted, pulling Tessa into a hug."I have missed you T," Mara said, patting her back softly. Eleanor had placed Mrs. Taylor on an extra salary for as long as Tessa lived with them. So everything she needed was provided for her. She was able to take care of the bills around the house with the tips she got from the Winstons.They all chatted for a very long time, trying to catch up with the things they've missed. A few hours later, Tessa's granny returned to her room to get some rest while Tessa and Mara continued with their discus
Tessa's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe her ears, "How did he get to find out? She thought to herself. "Whatt?" Tessa said, stuttering a bit but tried to maintain her composure."A friend dropped me off" She said, a little bit frightened. She watched as Aaron stood up and walked towards her, keeping an expressionless face.Tessa moved back a bit and stopped, looking at him and wondering what he wanted to do.He reached out to her and grabbed her hand forcefully saying. "When did Alexander Cooper become a friend?"He goaned, his grip on her hand tightened.Tessa winced slightly in pain and said "You're hurting me Aaron. Do you get to choose my friends now? He's a friend and he dropped me off" Tessa said stubbornly. Aaron clenched his fist hard on her hand and freed her. Tessa winched hard in pain. Her hand bruised. "Your friend huh? Fine. Leave my room" He commanded.Tessa sighed and left angrily, holding her bruised hand.As she left, Aaron clenched his fist harder. W
"You again? Are you following me?" Tessa asked, smiling at him. She was obviously tipsy."Let's just say it's a coincidence, Tessa. I'm glad to see your pretty face again" Alexander said, smiling back at her."So what is Aaron's wife doing at a club alone?" He asked as a smirk crossed his lips. His eyes trailed her body and he lost it, he pictured her naked and on his bed. The thought of fucking her senselessly engulfed his mind. He was surely going to do anything to make her scream his name."I'm not alone Alexander. I'm here with my best friend Mara" She said pointing at Mara who smiled at Alexander and brought out her hand for a handshake. "Nice meeting you, Mara," Alexander said, taking Mara's hand."Can I have a dance with you Tessa? Of course, if you don't mind" Alexander proposed. Tessa was about to decline when Mara interrupted her saying, "Of course she wouldn't mind"Meanwhile, Aaron was at his office earlier when Dylan walked in. "Hey, man. You're still working?" Dylan s
Tessa woke up with a headache from the hangover. The vibration from her phone didn't help matters at all. As she reached out for her phone, the events of last night flooded her head.She could remember how Aaron carried her on his shoulders out of the club. She felt like she was in deeper trouble than she thought. "Hey T, you finally woke up. I've been calling you, I'm sorry for suggesting the club and insisting that you dance with Alexander. And now Aaron would be mad at you again" Mara said, a surge of concern evident in her voice as she spoke."You don't have to be Mara. Speaking of Aaron, I have to go talk to him and probably explain things to him" Tessa said.After the call ended. Tessa struggled to leave the bed, the headache not stopping which made her groan slightly. Leilani walked in with a cup of coffee "Here, this would help with the headache" she suggested and handed the cup of coffee to Tessa, who smiled and muttered a thank you. Tessa freshened up. She had a short min
"Of course, that's not too much to ask for T. But what if he actually cares? I saw the hurt in his eyes last night as he carried you out of the club. You know he punched Alexander and the look on his face was unfathomable. He had a look of hurt and disappointment when he looked at you and grabbed your hands. I have to stop here before you end up saying I'm imagining things" Mara added and chuckled. "Right, I was going to say that. Aaron was just disappointed seeing me at the club and with Alexander. You needed to see the way he glares at me like I'm one bag of trouble, whom he can't wait to get rid of. And speaking of Alexander, Aaron seemed to be in a dispute with him and I don't know what could have transpired between them in the past" Tessa said and let out a deep sigh. "How were you able to get home last night?" Tessa asked as soon as the question came to her mind. "Dylan dropped me off. Aaron asked him to" Mara replied. "He did that?" Tessa asked with eyes wide open. "Yeah,