Eden looks at Bennett’s car as it drives away. The red Toyota, too, drives away shortly. Eden could not move from the pavement, she looked at the floor and begged her feet to take her back to the house, but they wouldn’t listen. Her heart was fluttering, and she was still breathing heavily. She knew she was not supposed to feel any of it. Knowing how calm Bennett was about it, it was embarrassing how much it was affecting her. She understood that it was just a publicity stunt because a reporter had been tailing him. She forced her mind to stop thinking about anything and walk back home. She could still feel the wetness on her lips, and for some reason, she wanted it to stay that way. Eden knew she should not think too much about any of it, as Bennett told her before kissing her. ‘Don’t think too much.’ The words kept ringing in her mind. She thought, ‘There’s no way this doesn’t affect him in any way.’ But the, there was no way of telling. As much as she hated her brain for this, all
Carter Schmidt’s hands shook violently as he looked at the local newspaper. There she was, his beloved Eden, in the arms of another man, kissing him. He could not bear the thought of not marrying Eden, her father had given him his word. The headline read “The Two Most Eligible Bachelors of The Town To Be Wedded In 2 Days?” An anonymous source had tipped the reporters that Eden Brown and Bennett Mason were to be married in a very, very short span of time. And, of course, there was the image of them kissing, taken by the paparazzo. That called for speculation all over the town, and more reporters started crowding the houses of Brown and Mason.Carter could not believe it. He quickly dialed Alfred on his private phone. He picked up after three rings.“What is this bullshit in the newspapers? Why does it say your daughter is going to marry the Mason boy.”“Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, Carter. We can call off the merger now, I don’t need it,” said Alfred, with a condescending tone.“What
“I agree, you look absolutely beautiful, Eden,” Grace too was shocked. Eden knew this was the dress when Grace agreed. Every time they went shopping, Grace was always too indecisive with dresses, she never knew what to buy. It always took her the whole day to decide on one dress. But when she asked Eden to get the wedding dress, at first sight, she knew she had to.Though it did not matter to Eden what kind of dress she wore, some part of her wanted to look her best. She thought that maybe it was because of Bennett but quickly shook the thought out of her mind, not wanting to let the unwanted feeling get to her again.After getting the dress, they got matching white shoes for Eden from another place and decided to get coffee. They want to a small cafe that was not known by many people. Mom and Pop’s Cafe, run by a sweet and old African-American couple, was the one place where the girls liked to hang out the most, mostly because of the delicious homemade pastries and coffee. While mos
Eden was supposed to visit the University of South California (USC) in a week to meet with the counselor and decide which course she’ll be pursuing, as said in the letter. Bennett had apparently pulled some strings and found her a seat in the college before the new session started. Eden was thankful but not very pleased because she should have been the one to decide which college she wants to go to. She texted this concern to Bennett, saying she wants to choose a college on her own.Bennett replied, ‘You can’t find a better college in the whole of Los Angeles, this is where I graduated from, believe me, it’s the best.Eden texted back, Wait how old are you?Bennett: Twenty-four, why?Eden: You’re a lot older than me.Bennett: Um, ok.Eden: But that’s not the point. What if I wanted to apply to Harvard or Yale?Bennett: Yeah, you can’t leave the city for that long while we’re married. Eden: Right. What about UCLA? Bennett: Even I don’t have sources there. You can apply there but they
Eden woke up at 11 AM the next day since she and the girls had slept very late the night before. Natalia and Sophia had already left earlier in the morning but Grace was next to her, drooling all over her pillow and snoring. Grace smiled and thinks she’ll have to get the pillow washed. Eden shakes grace and asks, “Don’t you have to go select the bridesmaid’s dresses?”Grace moans groggily, asking Eden, “Ugh. What time is it?”“It’s 11 right now.”“Oh shit,” said Grace while getting out of the bed. “I have to go, all the best for your lunch.”Eden thanks Grace as she looks around for her phone and purse. Eden went to the bathroom to get fresh and when she came out Grace was already gone. She sat on the ledge of her window, staring at the spot where she and Bennett had shared a kiss. Once again, she thought, Why was he not affected at all?’ Eden felt angry at herself for feeling so much while he felt nothing. She was nervous to see him and his family. She was worried that they might s
Eden did not want to feel the things that she was feeling, but there was something about Bennett that intimidated her. Maybe if it was not for her situation, if she had not tried to kidnap him or if he didn’t know what her father did, she thought she could have had him smitten by her like any other man. The car stopped and Eden looked out the window at the Mason Mansion. It was as big as a castle. It was surrounded by huge gardens, with trees and bushes trimmed to perfection. A complex of cuboids volumed the land around an impressive terrace. A covered outdoor lounge was attached to the main mass, whilst an exposed fire pit nestles into a niche created by two volumes, and an outdoor bar hooks up to a pool. Green roofs on the outermost volumes integrated the build into the garden’s green borders. It was the most beautiful yet modernistic house Eden had ever seen. She expected nothing less from a family who had been in the diamond business for years.Before Eden could step out, Bennett
Eden told Betty and Chester the same story that she and Bennett had agreed upon. After hearing the story, Betty said, “I must say I agree with Chester. I never saw Bennett as a man who could fall in love so fast and so hard. I suppose it is a blessing that you broke his shell. We thought we would never get to see him with a girlfriend, now we’re getting a daughter-in-law tomorrow.”Eden faked getting shy and looked at her plate while smiling and tucking a strand behind her ear. She then looked at Bennett lovingly, making sure that his parents were watching. She held his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers and said while staring into Bennett’s eyes, “Betty, it’s the same with me. I never knew I could fall in love so deeply with a man in just a matter of weeks. I am lucky to have found your son, I have to say he’s all that a woman can ask for in a man.”Bennett smiled at Eden and leaned in to peck her lips, “You’re all that I can ask for, too.”From the corner of her eye, Eden sa
Eden looked at Betty, hoping that she was not about to as a difficult question. Betty took a deep breath and asked, “I know that you come from a rich household, everyone knows that your father is a billionaire. You could have anything you want, so I know that you are not marrying my son for money. What worries me is that you are too young to be married, you have not even gotten a college degree yet. I love that you were able to make my son fall in love, I always worried that we would have to find a suitable wife for him ourselves. But it worries me about what this means for your future. I swear I do not want this wedding canceled, but you seem like a sweet and smart girl, and for your sake, I just want to make sure that you are not rushing things, and won’t regret anything.”Eden looked at Betty and it made her feel horrible that she was about to tell bland lies to her. Betty sounded like she really cared about her future. Eden tightened her grip on Betty’s hand and said, “Betty, I