I hope so

WEDDING DAY

ROSALINE’S POV

I sat in front of the dressing mirror, lost in thought. The hair stylist was busy doing her magic on my hair, but that was the least of my concerns. In a few hours, I’d be married to a man old enough to be my dad. The memory of our conversation replayed in my mind like an unwelcome script.

“I will marry you,” I said, even though the words felt heavy.

“That settles it then. You have two days to clear your debt, right?” he asked.

I was baffled. How much did he know about me? Was he keeping tabs on me?

“Yes,” I reluctantly confirmed.

“Then, our wedding will be in two days. I will settle the debt after the wedding,” he declared.

I kept silent. I didn’t know what to say; everything was happening so fast. I felt like I was having a nightmare, but this whole occurrence was too real to be a dream.

I’m Alex Wright, by the way...Let’s go get your wedding dress. I’ll take care of all the wedding expenses. All you have to do is show up at the venue and get married to me, okay”

“Okay” I replied, forcing a smile.

A tap on my shoulder interrupted my thoughts. I turned around to find out why I was tapped, only to see my dad’s witch smirking at me. She had sent the hairstylist away.

“A penny for your thoughts,” she taunted, maintaining her smirk. I completely ignored her.

She smiled and adjusted her position to stand in front of me. I wasn’t in the mood to exchange words with anyone, so I pretended not to see her.

“How does it feel to be a gold-digger?” she provocatively tossed at me, a smirk dancing on her lips.

I shot her my best glare, but she wasn’t fazed. Instead, she casually flipped her hair and pressed on, “You’ve always insulted me because I’m with your dad for his money.”

Ignoring her attempts to get under my skin, I maintained my composure. She wasn’t going to win this round.

“How does it feel to get married for the same reason? You know I’m way better than you. I can’t imagine myself marrying a man old enough to be my dad. I—”

“Get out!!” I screamed, my frustration boiling over.

She grinned contentedly, then exited the room. I’m going to kick her out. And when I do, I’ll make sure to remind her of this moment.

“Ma’am, it’s time to put on your wedding dress,” a lady I failed to notice earlier informed me. The mention of a wedding dress triggered memories of the incident at the boutique. I wished I could run into that rude girl again and unleash my frustration on her. Oh, right, she’s his niece. Screw that, I’d slap her again if I ever set my eyes on her. Thoughts of the guy I slapped crossed my mind, and I felt a twinge of guilt. He was only defending his sister. But that was the least of my worries right now.

My phone rang, and checking the caller ID, it was my soon-to-be husband.

“Hello,” I said, answering the call.

“Listen, I’ll be going on an urgent business trip today. I’ll send someone to represent me at the venue. We’ll sign the legal documents together when I come back,” he said abruptly, hanging up before waiting for my reply.

“Great, just great... now I’m being treated like trash,” I muttered to myself, caught in a whirlwind of emotions.

****

FREDERICK’S POV

I stood next to Zara with a beaming smile, watching the makeup artist doll her up. Honestly, I felt like the luckiest man on earth. I’ve always imagined how marrying her would be. I can’t believe that my imagination will become a reality today.

“Why don’t you go and get ready,” my soon-to-be bride said to me.

“No, I’ll go once you are done. Don’t mind me; just continue getting ready,” I replied, still smiling.

She gave me a look as if asking if I was sure. I bobbed my head, making her focus back on her makeup. Moments later, Hailey, my younger sister, entered the room, looking... annoyed? I wasn’t sure how to describe the look on her face.

“Zara, can I have a word with you in private?” she asked, standing beside Zara.

“What do you want to talk about?” I asked curiously.

“Just some girls talk,” Hailey replied.

Zara followed her out of the room, and I stood there wondering what they were discussing privately. Zara and my sister were never on good terms, and the prospect of their conversation left me uneasy. Their past discussions always seemed to lead to tragic outcomes. A few minutes later, Zara came back looking upset.

“What’s wrong?” I inquired.

“It’s nothing; you should probably get ready,” she said dismissively.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she said with a smile that seemed forced.

A few hours later, we headed to the wedding venue. I sat beside my parents while Zara insisted on sitting with my sister, which I accepted. However, I couldn’t stop wondering what the duo was up to. I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling that something was off. I sensed a disturbance but couldn’t pinpoint it.

“What’s wrong, son?” My mum asked.

“I just feel like something is wrong.”

She smiled, sharing a story of her wedding day jitters.

“It’s probably because you’ve been waiting for this for a very long time... Don’t worry; nothing will go wrong,” my dad assured me.

“I hope so, too.”