Chapter 7 – Enter Fallon Ravestreen Rios: The Rios Clan Mistress

My wedding, I heard, was today.

My first day in Casa Rios and it's already my wedding. He didn't want to waste time, it appears. Of course. They've been planning on welcoming their master's wife for so long, that they've already prepared the wedding. Like I was the last missing key to finish this all.

"The mansion's garden has been prepared for this special event, Madame. I have arranged everything nearly to perfection that any bride would find this wedding dreamy," said Linda as we made our way to the event place.

It didn't surprise me at all that they chose the garden, not a church. Their rivals might take advantage of this peaceful event and ruin it—either by attempting to assassinate Jett or me. The floral pink dress I wore had a sheer pink veil over it that ended at my waist, with a wreath on top of my head. This is a very feminine dress, although not extravagant.

As we reached the glass double doors to the garden, the mellow orchestra reached my ears. I almost winced. A servant gave me a bouquet and opened the double doors. Linda held my elbow, making me turn to her.

"Please, Madame, walk down the aisle," she muttered, her head bowed, but I could feel her smiling. I quietly nodded and looked ahead. This is it, I'm taking another step towards my mission's success.

My breath hitched when the beauty of the garden overwhelmed me. Vibrant trees lined up neatly and at safe distances made up the pathway to the small lifted aisle at the end, where a priest stood behind a lectern, and to his side was the man I'll be marrying.

His unruly yet oddly neat hair swayed with the breeze, and his black suit added to his magnificence. The witnesses sat beside the trees, their number only a little over 20. All of them were dressed up in either white or pink attires. I could only see a handful of women.

As I sauntered to the aisle, taking my time as a bride on her special day would, I felt their gazes of mixed emotions weighing on me. Some were curious, some awed, some staring with excitement.

"Took you long enough," he greeted me as soon as I reached him. He was half-grinning as he surveyed my outfit.

"You look decent compared to last night, at least. I'd be offended if you didn't dress up for our wedding."

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Rios. I only found out about the w-wedding this morning..." I replied, my lips trembling. "I can change to a proper wedding dress if you—"

"Mr. Rios?" He frowned at that, as if not registering the other words I said but that. He was about to retort something when the priest in front of us cleared his throat.

"Shall we start?" The relatively aged man opened his bible before we even had the chance to answer. I saw Jett scowl at him from beside me.

"Rude," he whispered under his breath.

We both quietly listened to the priest. I didn't expect a traditional wedding, to be honest. I also didn't expect him to be patient with the priest's ceremonies, but it was obvious he wasn't paying attention. I wasn't too. I was still surprised by the amount of effort given to this wedding. I expected a civil wedding and even planned a new signature of mine befitting Fallon's fragility and innocence.

We said our vows and exchanged rings, and I was even more surprised to witness Jett's cooperation. I expected a dangerous boss like him to ignore all these embarrassing parts of the wedding, but he seemed like he was waiting for those. His personality did not match his line of work.

"You may now kiss the bride."

My heart hammered so loud I thought it'd break my ribcage and leap out with every beat. Jett turned to me again, a playful smirk dancing on his lips as he lifted my veil. My grip around my bouquet tightened as he leaned in. We were in such close proximity and his subordinates were loudly cheering him on. I kept my gaze down in nervousness. This feeling isn't an act, I realized.

I remained frozen on my spot, my feet rooted to the ground. This wasn't my first kiss. God, no. This wouldn't have made a difference from the last kisses I've done if not for the highly charismatic man in front of me that's overflowing with sex appeal. Oh, and that he's also a notorious man—a savage, coldhearted beast.

His rough, large hands snaked around my skinny waist as he paused.

"Don't be so frightened, wife," he whispered. Our faces are so close that our breaths mixed. I could still feel his smirk. "A kiss won't cost you your virginity if you still have it."

My shaking muscles tensed. My gaze on the floor steeled.

His sharp honesty made my once cold blood boil. All nervousness I had suddenly evaporated and dissipated in the air, replaced by my fury. This jerk of a man.

Then, he leaned away and planted a kiss on my forehead instead. I heard his faint laugh and the audience's cheer. Some were even whistling. We turned to them with his hand resting on my waist. He waved at them and grinned.

I remained quietly pursing my lips, even when they released the party poppers as we passed the path I had taken earlier. The vibrant garden was shining with glee and the environment was so bright, courtesy of the wide smiles plastered on the audience's faces. I forced a tight-lipped smile to compensate for my sour mood and accepted their good wishes.

"Congratulations!"

"Best wishes to the new Mistress!"

"All the best to both of you!"

Inside, the main hall was decorated too, with a big four-tier cake on one side and a table full of meals. There were balloons, confetti, and garlands all over. The servants joined the celebration with his subordinates, to my surprise.

"It's time to cut the cake! Everyone, make way for the groom and his bride!" Someone shouted and everyone cleared a path for us to the cake. Is this necessary?

I roamed my eyes around the place, their happy faces clouding my sight. Even the priest is clinking glasses of wine with someone. I thought of the worst-case scenario for this wedding, and for this scene to play out—a complete opposite of the one I expected—is overwhelming me. Still, I didn't want to break out of character. So I accepted the jerk's offered arms and encircled my arm with his as we neared the cake.

He held the knife and turned to me. "Well?" He asked, smiling. I subtly observed the emotions playing in his eyes and didn't believe what I saw.

With much hesitation, I held the knife over his hands and we sliced the cake together. Sincerity. I saw the sincerity in those eyes, as well as perfervid joy. No sign of deceitfulness or wickedness. Did he dream of a wedding as simple yet fun as this? Is he living his dream right now? Or is he glad to finally be one step ahead of his mother's fortune?

Probably the latter.

I chose to stop thinking about his questionable emotions and let him feed me a bite of the cake. Once again, the others erupted in cheers and yells. I forced my cheeks to redden out of embarrassment.

"Cheers to the newlyweds! To a long-lasting union!"

Everyone raised their glasses of wine and cheered. I looked around, feeling the warmth of the people. What a way to welcome.

I found Linda's eyes and smiled at her, quietly mouthing 'thank you'. She smiled back, her wrinkled eyes twinkling, and bowed.