5.

Iris and Luca sat on a high platform watching their guests dance to the classical tune played by one of the finest orchestras in the country. Iris was grateful for the backup wedding dress which was a lot more simple but just as expensive as the one she wore for the wedding.

Iris risked a glance in her husband’s direction and saw he was not pleased and had an expression that did not fail to hide that he would rather be somewhere else than be stuck here. Iris wanted to tell him they shared the same thoughts but she knew he would not appreciate her opinion so she kept her thoughts to herself.

They were both waiting for their turn to share their first dance which Iris was not looking forward to and it’s not because she was a bad dancer because it was the other way around. Mrs Evelyn had hired the best dance instructor to polish her dance skills to perfection but she was worried about getting that close to Luca again.

The kiss they shared still had her floored and her head was still lightly spinning from it. She could still feel the feel of his lips lingering on hers and she didn’t know what would happen if he held her close and looked into her eyes. It would be too much intimacy even for her to handle.

“Smile if you don’t want people to think I am marrying you at gunpoint” Luca drawled and Iris was startled out of her thoughts. She turned to look at Luca but he was still facing front with a straight face. If Iris didn’t hear him properly, she would have thought he didn’t speak at all.

“What?” She asked dumbly because she didn’t know what else to say.

“Try not to look as though you would rather be anywhere else but here”

“I think I should be the one saying that to you, Mr Rutherford” Iris gaped. She wanted to shove her hand into her purse and handed him the mirror she kept there so he would see his face.

“Luca”

“What?”

“We are married now so it wouldn’t be smart to call me Mr Rutherford. Call me Luca instead” He snapped and Iris frowned. The passive aggressiveness in his voice was not needed but she wouldn’t call him out, not with so many people staring at them.

Before Iris could reply to him, they were being called out for their first dance. Just like she was taught, she stayed seated and allowed Luca to stand up first and offer her his hand which she took graciously, just like she had practised a million times the last month.

Luca led her to the dance floor and Iris held her breath as she felt the countless eyes on them, all waiting to get a good look at the couple’s first dance.

Luca pulled Iris to him, wrapping one hand around her waist and tugging her impossibly closer to his chest.  He placed one of her hands on his shoulders and held the other in his hand. The orchestra picked up again playing another tone Iris could not identify but it was a lot slower and more intimate than what they had been playing earlier.

They began to sway to the music softly, moving in rhythm and perfect sequence with each other. Iris couldn’t help to notice again how well she fit with her husband. She placed her head on his shoulders and to others it looked romantic but Iris just wanted to avoid looking into Luca’s eyes. Thankfully, he didn’t pull away but held her closer. Like this, Iris could almost imagine that her husband didn’t dislike her.

The music ended and Iris moved away from Lucas as though he burned her, as if she wasn’t just attached to him. Luca, once again took her hand and led her to their seats, only this time, Evelyn was waiting for them with a wide smile.

She pulled Iris into a big hug when they got closer to her. “That was beautiful, my darling. I am so happy I decided to let you marry Luca instead. You fit each other so well” She gushed and Iris couldn’t help but sneak a glance at her husband but she was left disappointed as he looked offended at his mother’s statement.

“Thank you” Iris whispered lamely when Evelyn kept looking at her, hoping for a response.

"You don't have to stay any longer. I know you have a flight to catch so hurry up. Luca will take you home to get your bags. Vera already had them packed for you to go” Evelyn said as she began pulling Iris towards the back door.

“Wait, what flight?” Iris stopped just as they entered the hallway that would take them outside to the cars. No one told her anything about a flight. In fact, no one told her about the plan for what would happen after the wedding and she was just realizing that.

“Oh, my goodness. I didn’t tell you that you would be moving to London. That was a mistake on my part. I told Vera and I assumed she told you. Maybe she forgot”

“London?”

“Yes, darling. Luca lives in London. He only came here for the opening of the hotel branch and I used that opportunity to make sure he got married. Do you mind living in London?”

“If she doesn’t want to go, it’s fine. She can stay in the penthouse I use here” Luca said coldly.

“Luca!!!” His mother exclaimed “She is your wife and you will both live together. You better mind the way you talk to her, I won’t let you disrespect her, especially in front of me” His mother scolded but he didn't reply. He walked past them, heading down the hall and disappearing round the corner.

“Don’t mind him, my darling. I promise he isn’t as bad as he is pretending to be. I don't understand why he has been behaving coldly when he has always been aware that his wife was going to be chosen for him by me. If he tries anything to make you sad, just call me and I will give him an earful” Evelyn said with a scoff.

“It’s fine. So, am I going to London immediately?” Iris asked instead.

“Yes, dear. I know it’s not ideal but Luca has work to catch up on. It’s not the same but you can also treat it as your honeymoon. I’m sure you were expecting a nice honeymoon but Luca won’t go anywhere else no matter how hard I tried to persuade him. Maybe you can ask him to take you on a real honeymoon?”

“No, I don’t mind at all. I was just a little surprised because I didn’t know I’d be living in a completely different country after the wedding”

“So you aren’t angry?”

“No, I promise. I already figured out that he was a very busy person” Iris said with a tight smile because she couldn’t tell the woman that she didn’t expect any form of love or affection from her son.

The sound of running footsteps interrupted them and forced them to look in the direction. They saw Alanna hurrying towards them with a panicked expression.

“Hi, Mrs Rutherford.” She breathed out before turning to Iris “Mr Luca said you should hurry up if you don’t want him to leave you behind”

“Luca! He has always been so impatient” Evelyn tsked but pushed Iris in the direction Alanna had just come from “Go, dear. You don’t have to worry about the guests. I’ll take care of everything here”

Iris allowed Alanna to pull her in the direction she came from and she saw a different car from the one she arrived in. She looked at Alanna confused. She thought they were going to her place first.

“Luca said you don’t need your old clothes. He will get you new ones when you arrive in London”

“I can’t believe I am going to London all of a sudden. It’s too fast” She told Alanna. She was worried. Was she really going to leave without seeing Helen and Vera again?

“Why should you be worried? You should be fucking ecstatic that you won’t get to see those two again, at least not for a long time. You deserve to be happy and I would not get tired of telling you that. Now go before your husband leaves you” Alanna said with tears in her eyes before pushing Iris towards the car.

Iris turned and pulled Alanna into a tight hug and she felt her eyes well up with tears as well. Alanna was the only friend she ever knew and this move might mean they wouldn’t get to see each other again.

“I’ll miss you” Iris confessed.

“Me too but you have to call me every day and promise to pick up my calls when I call you. I'm sure Luca will finally get you a phone and I hope you don’t change when you begin to experience the affluent lifestyle of being a Rutherford” Alanna said, pulling away from the hug and handing a piece of paper with her number on it to Iris.

“I won’t change and I doubt I will be treated any different from how I was before. I promise to call and pick up your calls too” She laughed and put the folded paper into her bag.

“Now go” Alanna pushed her towards the car again and this time she went willingly. A bodyguard opened the back door for her and Iris slid into the dark back seat of the car.

Luca was on his phone when she got in and he only gave her a displeased sideway glance while she fumbled awkwardly in her seat. A scowl appeared on his face at her fumbling and Iris quickly sat still, not wanting to give him more reasons to hate her than she knew he did.

The car rolled out of the wedding venue and Iris let out a relieved breath. She was going far away from the people who had mistreated her the entire time she lived. She felt a tinge of regret that she never got the opportunity to feel the love of her father but it was too late. She was now Iris Rutherford and she needed to forget her past life now. She was certain they would also want nothing to do with her anymore now that they had gotten rid of her for good.

They arrived at the airport and Iris was impressed when they drove straight to a private hangar where a private jet was waiting for their arrival.

“There are some clothes in the room for you to change into. It will be more comfortable than what you are wearing” Luca said, the gesture a big contrast from his hard tone as soon as they boarded the plane.

“Thank you” She whispered before disappearing into the door he pointed. Iris was relieved when she saw a simple floral gown, sweatpants and a t-shirt. The flight would probably be long so she decided to take a bath first.

She opted for the sweats and the T-shirt because they would be more comfortable. When she exited the bedroom, Luca was still on his phone. He eyed her from her to toe, making her squirm.

“You’ll have to change when it’s time to land. Sit and buckle up so we can depart. When we’ve settled in the air, you can take a nap”

Iris scrambled to the empty seat beside Luca and began to fumble with her seat belt. She had never been in an airplane before so she had no idea how they work. Luca grew irritated at her constant fumbling and leaned in to help her with it.

Iris sucked in a breath and caught a whiff of his cologne and she almost moaned from how good he smelt. She had to remind herself that she needed to be cautious. She needed to be careful and not irritate him but it was so hard forcing herself to resist running her hand through his dark hair that was so close to her face.

“We’ll be stuck in this place for more than five hours so get comfortable” He says before going back to his seat and pretending like he didn’t just manage to steal the breath of his new wife. Iris closed her eyes and begged the heavens to help her through the flight.

The moment the pilot gave the green light and the seat belts disengaged, Iris wasted no time in flying into the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her. She could barely survive twenty minutes alone in his presence, how was she supposed to survive the rest of her life with him?