CHAPTER 9

After two hours of working on my face, the makeup artists stepped aside to allow me look at myself through the mirror in front of me. I gasped for breath as I admired the masterpiece crafted on my face. Who would ever believe I was this beautiful?

I wore my wedding gown and went out of the house. Samuel was standing outside with a devilish grin. He gestured to me to get into the car while he sat in the front passenger seat.

“Are we supposed to ride together?” I asked with furrowed brows.

“Are you going to decide that or do you have anything up your sleeves?” He replied giving me a cold stare.

The drive to the event center was quiet and cold. We soon arrived at the venue and I alighted almost immediately. I looked around for nothing exactly.

“Go and meet Adrian at once”. Samuel commanded, making me jerk.

The bridesmaids approached me immediately and held the hem of my gown. I was about to leave when he called me back.

“You had better behaved yourself”. He muttered.

The large hall was full to its capacity with people from different works of life. The fleet of cars that crowded the parking lot already gave me a hint.

As I walked down the aisle with my hands intertwined with Adrian's, I couldn't help but feel nervous.

The wedding proceedings started in a jiffy. The priest came forward when it was time to take the vows.

“Do you, Jenny Winters, take Adrian Sterling as your lawfully wedded husband to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, come rain, come shine, until death do you part?”

I gulped hard as I fought with myself to give an answer but it seemed my voice had vanished. I could feel everyone's gaze fixed on me, I shut my eyes tightly and battled with my vocal cords again. The memories of Samuel's threats filled my head and the picture of mom on her sick bed looking terrible, flashed before me. Tears began to cloud my eyes but I tried to blink them back.

“Jenny Winters”. The priest called again this time with furrowed brows, bringing me back to reality.

“Ye-yes”. I stammered.

The applause that came from the audience was deafening. Adrian heaved a loud sigh of relief and looked at me intensely. He took his vows seamlessly and the priest released the bombshell.

“You may kiss your bride”.

I gasped as my eyes met with Adrian. He hesitated at first before pulling me close to himself with his hands on my waist. I could feel his warm breath showering on my face, I felt disgusted. Our lips met and I shivered in response. I had never kissed any man in my entire life and I'm sure he noticed.

The guest came up to congratulate us with either a handshake or a hug. I feigned fake smiles and so did Adrian, when Samuel came up I withdrew my hand as I cursed him under my breath. He patted Adrian on the shoulder and moved away with a satisfied look.

A particular young man also came up and Adrian did the same thing I did to Samuel; he withdrew his hands and hissed bitterly. The man only smirked in response and proceeded to give me a tight hug as if he knew me from anywhere. Adrian and I gave him a confused stare as he moved away, beaming with smiles.

Soft music filled the air and the guest were served, I kept counting the seconds as the went by hoping the wedding would come to a wrap soon.

My wish came to pass after an hour and we were already in Adrian's car heading to his house. The ride was a silent one, each of us ruminating on our own thoughts. The cool breeze that filtered through the ventilators gave me some kind of comfort.

The ordeal at the wedding suddenly flashed through my memory and I suddenly sat up and asked.

“Who was the man that you refused to give a handshake to?”

My boldness surprised him. He looked at me and replied.

“That's none of your business”. He snapped at me, looking away.

“He gave me a suspicious hug, that should definitely be my business”. I pressed on.

“It's nothing, don't take it seriously”.

I tried asking again and he gestured to me to be silent.

We soon arrived at Adrian's house and dawned on me why he was the youngest billionaire in America. I was welcomed with a massive beautiful gate, inside his huge mansion was well painted and decorated. It was a great sight to behold.

The living room was spacious like hell, the fixtures and fittings were mind-blowing. From the furniture, to the marble floor, to the glass walls………the list is endless.

I felt honoured to be a wife to a billionaire no doubt, but I wished it happened in a proper way. I have no feelings for Adrian and I'm sure it is mutual, so I wonder how this is going to work.

The maids led me to my room and I began to settle down, soon there was a knock on the door.

“Hi”. I muttered to the male figure I saw when I popped my head through the window.

“The boss wants to see you”. He announced in a deep voice and turned around to leave.

“Okay, please don't go yet. I don't really know my way around this mansion, you will take me to where he is”. I replied with a smirk.

Adrian is an asshole. We literally entered this house at the same time, why didn't he just say what he had to say by then?

I wiped my face free from the heavy makeup and packed my hair in a messy bun. I wore a long t-shirt that reached my knee top and slipped my feet into my flip-flops. When I opened the door to tell the guy that I was done, he was nowhere to be found.