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2024-09-03 16:57:34Our Wedding Day- The 18th of December
“Do you Lara Austen, take Clark Rique to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part.
I smile, pretending to be in love with the man in front of me, “I do”. The priest nods, “do you Clark Rique take Lara Carter to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part.
He nods, “I do”. I inwardly shake my head, so much for pretending to be in love.
“I now declare you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride” the priest says, stepping backward.
I flash a smile at Clark, waiting for him, inwardly grateful that I’m not the one that has to kiss him. He walks towards me tentatively like every step for him is painful.
Afraid that the guests will suspect that we’re not actually in love, I walk briskly towards him and place a kiss on his cheek before returning to my previous position.
The crowd cheers for us and Clark’s parents walk towards me, each embracing me in a tight hug, before moving to Clark who’s held in a conversation with my parents James and Tola Austen, who are probably over the moon that their 24 year old daughter is finally married.
As I watch their interaction, I smile, feeling at ease knowing that both parents know that our marriage was more arranged than it was for love. I would have hated it, if I had to lie to them.
“Can I please borrow my husband for a while” I say, slipping my hands around Clark which causes him to tense. Carson, Clark’s dad chuckles, “of course, we won’t keep your husband any longer”
I smile, “thanks dad” I say, which causes Carson and Jane to smile. I intertwine our fingers, pulling Clark along with me.
“What do you want?” He mutters quickly, I shrug, “nothing really, I just needed someone to speak to, after all it’s not right that a bride is bored at her own party. And who could I speak about these things with, if not you” I say, flashing him a smile.
“You know what just came to my mind” I say, taking a seat. “What” he asks, following suit. I smile, “there was this guy at your office that kept saying we were meant to be together, I was almost out of excuses but now I have a permanent way out”
“No man will try hitting on my wife” he exclaims, annoyed. I chuckle, “you should calm down, you don’t want me falling in love when you get so cute”
He rolls his eyes, “you know that’s not possible”. I chuckle, “I know, but you almost made my heart flutter with your jealous tantrum” I tease.
“I wasn’t jealous” he states, “it’s just disrespectful, that’s all”. I nod, “sure, whatever you say Mr Clark”.
My eyes fall on Lai, who’s walking towards us with a huge smile on his face, “look where the happy couple is” he says, exchanging handshakes with Clark before pulling me into a hug.
I’m so glad he’s taking our marriage well. He really wasn't happy when he heard I agreed to the arrangement, but after a lot of persuasion and reasoning he finally agreed. I know that inwardly he hopes Clark and I will fall in love.
“Don’t hurt my sister and don’t hurt my best friend” Lai says, looking at Clark and I. We both nod, “I won’t” we simultaneously say.
He nods, “good. I need to go and check on the wedding guests, since the actual couple won’t”. I shrug, “what can we say, we’re so much in love that we don’t have time for anyone else” I joke.
Lai chuckles, “I’ll be sure to let them know” he says, before walking away.
I yawn, “I can’t wait to get home to my bed, I’m really tired. Who knew planning a wedding was so stressful”
Clark nods, “let me call the car around” he says. I shake my head, “no need for that, I’ll just let Lai know I’m ready to go home. Thanks for the offer to drop me home though”
“Why will you go home with Lai?” Clark asks, confused. “I don’t know Clark, but maybe because we live together” I respond sarcastically.
“You do know you’re supposed to go home with me, right?” He states. I shake my head in disbelief, “what? You’re telling me that I have to live with you?”
He smiles in disbelief, “you didn’t think that it ended with us just getting married; of course we have to live together. Imagine what people would think if they found out that we lived separately”
“They’ll think we are a contractual couple” I reply solemnly with my head down, “but I’ll be very careful to not get caught” I say, flashing him a smile.
He shakes his head, “No, and besides since we are married we need to live together, not for show, but because you’re my responsibility now”.
I nod, “I understand, give me some time to pack my things and mentally prepare myself. This is all too sudden for me”. He shakes his head, “there’s no need for that, I’ve already ordered that all your things be moved to my home”
“As we speak your things are neatly arranged and placed where they should be in our new home” he says, walking towards me.
“As for mentally preparing yourself,” he says, intertwining our fingers, “you can do that on our ride home” he adds, dragging me along with him.
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I sidewardly glance at Clark who’s currently sitting opposite me in the car, part of me is debating begging him to let me spend some days at my own home and the other is considering leaving in the middle of the night, either way I won’t be spending the night in his house.I sigh for the sixteenth time in a row, and Clark throws an annoyed glance at me, “the way you keep sighing people will think you won’t be living in a state of the arts home”I roll my eyes, “I was already doing that at my brothers place, where I had my comfort” I say, pointedly. “And besides I didn’t realize getting married, also meant that I had to live with you. There are many couples who live separately nowadays”He nods, “that’s great for them but it’s not for us. When I took my vows I meant every word of them, meaning you’re my responsibility and I intend on us living together till we die”I roll my eyes once more, “thank you Mr Clark but I don’t need anyone to be responsible for me, I’m a grown woman” I say wi
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“Lai kindly ask one of the home keepers to prepare a room for your father and I, it’s been a while since we last came over” I hear a voice that sounds strangely like my mother’s say.I immediately head downstairs, almost falling down the stairs as I do. Walking briskly to the lounge room, I find my mom seated on the sofa as she converses with my brother.“You need to start preparing to take over the company” she says. Lai eyes widen in shock, not at the words that she just said but at my presence in his house.Mom notices immediately and turns to see what his attention is fixed on, “what are you doing here?” She asks, standing to her feet.“Hi mom” I smile sheepishly. “Don’t tell me you’ve gotten rid of your husband in just less than eight hours” she says, ignoring my greetings.“She couldn’t get rid of me even if she tried” Clark says, walking to my side. I roll my eyes, “I wish I could” I mutter under my breath, out of my mothers earshot but loud enough for Clark to hear.He chuckle
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“Does this dress look fine?” I ask Clark, my eyes fixed on the mirror as I speak. I intend to make an excellent impression on his parents, as we will be visiting them for the first time as a couple.He absent-mindedly nods, “Clark” I say, snapping my fingers in his face. “Yeah?” He says startled, “the dress” I say, pointing at the light pink dress I’m wearing.He nods, “oh yes, apologies. The dress is beautiful and even if it isn’t my parents already love you” he says with a shrug. I roll my eyes, “well is that a yes the gown looks pretty or a no, you need to change out of the dress?” I ask impatiently.“It’s a yes, the gown looks pretty” he says, a pointed look on his face. “Thanks, in that case I’m ready to go” I say, grabbing my bag from the bed.The trip to Clark’s parent family home a day before the annual general meeting is quite important to Clark. He wanted me to officially meet his parents and besides, it’d be awkward if the second time I’d be meeting my in-laws was at the co
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I stare at the light blue official gown I’m wearing, I really want to look as official as I can. Today is the annual general meeting at Clark’s company.I keep saying it’s the day where we dethrone Uncle Fernard but Clark prefers the term annual general meeting. Whichever it is, today is the day Clark gets possession of the company which is the real reason why I’m currently in a marriage of convenience with him.And on the bright side, the sooner he claims his rightful position, the sooner I can expand my business. Taking one last look at my outfit, I decide this is the way to go, I look beautiful but also authoritative enough to command respect.Grabbing my keys from the vanity, I head downstairs to the car park stopping at the kitchen to give instructions to the chef to prepare some food to celebrate Clark’s success.The drive to the company only takes about ten minutes, apparently this is no coincidence. My husband is such a workaholic that he ensured that he purchased a home close
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The clock strikes at 1:50pm, reminding me that the meeting is set to hold for 2pm. Without wasting time I carefully put my things away, leaving them in the lounge room as I make my way to Clark’s Office.On my way to the office I bump into Clark, who is closely followed by Lai, who’s busy arranging some documents that I assume are relevant to the meeting we are about to have.“I was just coming to get you” Clark says, with a half smile. I nod, “same, let’s head to the meeting floor so that we can get good seats” I joke.Clark’s eyes widen and I assume that he’s about to correct me when his mouth opens and closes immediately as he understands the joke, “you’re just joking about the seats” he says, as we enter the private elevator.“Never been in here” I say, referring to the private elevator, “and yes I’m just joking. I know we have assigned seats and we can’t sit anywhere we like” I smile.“Are you nervous?” I whisper to Clark as we walk through the hallway towards the meeting room. H
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“And the next successor to the Dames group is…” Daren, the company secretary says, as she presses the button revealing Clark names on the large screen displayed before those present, “Clark Rique”.I breathe a sigh of relief at the image of Clark’s name, the room erupts into applause as people congratulate Clark on becoming the new successor of Dames. From the results displayed on the screen 85% of people voted for Clark while the remaining 15% voted for Fernand.From the looks on the faces of people, it’s easy to tell those that voted for Fernand as they all mumble a word of congratulations as they remain rooted to their seats.My eyes settle on Fernand who looks like he’s about to explode either from anger or the embarrassment from losing. Either way I don’t really care, I’m just really happy that Clark is the new successor of Dames.“Congratulations Clark” I say excitedly, as I put my hand out for a handshake. He playfully slaps my hand away as he pulls me into a hug, “I couldn’t h
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“Please send Clark’s and Lai lunch through the driver” I hurriedly say to the Chef before dashing out of the house and into my car.The drive to my office takes about 20 minutes and I’m inwardly grateful that I didn’t have to face traffic on my way to the office.“Good morning,” Alice says, collecting my things. I smile, “good afternoon, are the clients inside?” I ask, checking my watch as I take note of the time. The meeting was set to hold by 9am and it is currently 8:59 am. Why I’m late is a different story and I don’t want to get into it.She shakes her head, “not yet, they called to let us know that they would be a few minutes late as they encountered some issues on the road”. I nod, “alright, that’s fine. We’ll wait for them in the meeting room” I say, feeling very grateful that they haven’t arrived, giving me sufficient time to collect myself.I spend the next fifteen minutes going through the documents for the book signing and promotion before the client arrives. This is a fi
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“Heyy” I say, carefully placing a kiss on Clark’s cheek for the sake of public appearances. “Hey babe, you look quite tired” he says, putting an arm around my waist, as we walk into the private room in the restaurant.I nod, “I had quite a day, if this wasn’t important to me and my business I would have rescheduled. I’ve barely had time to eat since I’ve been going from one meeting to another” I say to him.He has a serious look on his face as his assesses the situation, “I can always reschedule with him” he states. I shake my head, “no need, I’m already here so I prefer to get on with it and besides I’m too excited to reschedule”.He nods, “alright then, if you say so. How about getting something to eat, I’ll call the waiter to come take your order”. I smile, “thank you, but I’d like to eat after the meeting. I’m more tired than hungry, and I’d like to get a bit of sleep even if it’s just twenty minutes” I say, glancing at the time on my phone.Clark nods, “Alright, but there’s not e
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It was a crisp Saturday morning when Clark and I decided to escape the city for a while. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a golden hue over everything, and I could feel the excitement bubbling inside me. "Are you ready for our adventure?" I asked, glancing over at Clark as he adjusted his backpack. "Absolutely! I've been looking forward to this all week," he replied, a wide grin spreading across his face. His enthusiasm was contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile back. We hopped into the car, the engine humming to life as we set off toward the countryside. As we drove, I watched the scenery change from the bustling streets of Lagos to the serene landscapes outside the city. "Look at that view, Lara!" Clark exclaimed, pointing towards a sprawling field dotted with wildflowers. I turned my head just in time to see a burst of color against the green backdrop. "It's beautiful," I said, feeling a sense of peace wash over me. "We should stop and take some pictures." Clark pu
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As we dig into the meal, the aroma of the food fills the air, wrapping around us like a comforting blanket. The table is adorned with a colorful spread—fresh fruits glistening in the sunlight, a platter of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and golden-brown toast, all meticulously arranged to create a feast for the senses. I watch as he takes his first bite, his eyes lighting up in delight. “This is incredible,” he exclaims, savoring each mouthful as though it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted. I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm; it’s moments like these that remind me of the joy of sharing a meal with someone special.We fall into a comfortable rhythm, the clinking of cutlery and the soft sounds of chewing filling the space between us. I take a moment to observe him, the way he enjoys his food, the little quirks that make him uniquely him. There’s something so endearing about the way he closes his eyes for a brief second as he savors the flavors, as if he’s trying to capture the mome
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I smile, nestling deeper into his embrace, “what’s done is done, there’s nothing we can do about it now. And it’s not like you can fire her after all you went through to hire her” I say, sympathetically.He shakes his head, “right now, I’m thinking very much of firing her. She can’t go scot free with that sort of behaviour”. I smile, “no let it be Clark, I don’t want to leave you without help at the office. As long as this was a one time thing then I’m fine, let’s move on” He smiles, “you’re just too kind but I can see that your mood isn’t totally lifted. I shrug, wearing a tired smile, “I just feel trained after that conversation, why don’t you go ahead and have lunch without me. I’ll eat later” I say.He shakes his head, “no way, you came all the way to my office for us to eat together. So what can I do to lift your mood” he says, a mischievous smile on his face. “Letting me sleep” I chuckle, suddenly feeling very tired.“I’ll let you do that in due time, but please let’s have lun
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“Afternoon Miss Denie, you require our assistance” one of them says. She nods, “yes please kindly escort this woman downstairs”. They both turn to face me, their eyes widening in shock, before returning their attention to her, “that’s Mr Clark’s wife, please excuse us” they say, before exiting the room.I watch as Denie remains immobile and speechless as she processes their words. I don’t bother getting up as I patiently wait for Clark’s arrival.In less than a minute, Clark walks into the room, concern evident on his face as he walks directly towards me. “You sounded upset, is everything fine my love?” He asks, crouching down as he takes my hand.I look behind him to see Debie’s eyes widen at her mistake. I shake my head, “not really. I closed work early to come suprise you with some food and drinks” I say, raising up the lunch bag for emphasis.“But I was met with insults and disrespectful t from your assistant. She wouldn’t even let me inside your office. To think she actually cal
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I’m met by a woman who seems to be in her late 20’s. She is seated in Lai’s former desk. Her auburn hair drops over her shoulders, and her hazel eyes catch my attention. “Good afternoon” she says, rising to my feet, a surprised look on her face as she slowly assesses me.Feeling uncomfortable with being under her scrutiny, I mumble a quick greeting before walking towards Clark’s office. “I’m sorry you can’t go in there” she says, blocking my path.I look up at her, obviously surprised at her audacity, “excuse me” I say, trying hard to control my emotions. She gives me a smile, which is more of a mocking smile, “I’m sorry but you can’t see Mr Clark right now, you shouldn’t even be up here. I wonder who let you in here” she says, frustratedly running her hands through her hair.I chuckle, slightly moving backwards as she’s right in my face at the moment. I quietly assess her, wondering how to address the situation. I force my lips to form into a smile, “I don’t appreciate the tone that
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Clark brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch gentle and reassuring. “We’re in this together, babe. No one can come between us,” he assures me, and I believe him. Our bond is unbreakable, forged through years of shared experiences, laughter, and even tears. I lean into him, feeling safe and secure in his arms.“Remember that time when we first met?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood. Clark grins, his eyes sparkling with nostalgia. “How could I forget? You were so sassy, but you still managed to charm me with that confidence of yours,” he confesses, his voice filled with warmth. “Yeah, I can be quite sassy,” I admit, “but I didn’t know this side to you. You were definitely worth it.” Clark’s smile widens, and I can see the pride in his eyes. “And look where we are now,” he says, pulling me closer. “Married, happy, and in love. It’s a beautiful journey we’re on.”I nod, feeling a swell of gratitude for the life we’ve built together. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” I say e
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Jordan coughs, obviously uncomfortable with being made the third wheel, “I think you guys would love to be alone, so I’ll just leave and catch up with the others” he says, attempting to rise to his feet.Clark shakes his head, “absolutely not, I honestly don’t mind your presence here. A friend of my wife is mine” he states. Jordan smiles, “thank you, but in all honesty I have some things to discuss with Lai. Please excuse me and it was nice meeting you Clark” he says, before walking away leaving Clark and I to ourselves.“Why were you alone with him?” Clark asks, studying me. I smile, “I wasn’t alone with him, I was basically in the open. I purposely discussed with him, where you could easily see us” I say, chuckling at his jealous display.He smiles, “well I don’t like the fact that he keeps hovering around you. You might not be able to see it but I can definitely tell that he like you” smh r says, drawing me closer to him.“How so?” I ask, my tone evidencing my surprise at his words
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“So what have you been up to?” Jordan asks, as we settle down. I shrug, partially intrigued by his sudden interest in my life, “nothing much to be honest. Just the usual, handling my business and enjoying my married life” I say, with a smile as I dwell on my relationship with Clark.Jordan chuckles, “how’s that going? Last time I saw you guys, you were both heavily invested in an argument” he says, slightly leaning forward. I chuckle, “you know how couples are, we fight and we make up. It’s all part of the process of understanding each other and learning to understand each other's triggers and boundaries” I say, my gaze drifting to Clark who’s heavily invested in a conversation before returning my attention to Jordan. “So you guys are good?” He asks, suggestively. I nod, “we are more than good, I’m in love with that man” I say, my smile huge as I set my boundary. “What about you, how’s life going?” I ask, shifting the attention from me.He shrugs, “nothing much, except from the fact
Married to My Brother’s Best friend 136
“Heyy Belle” I say, running to give her a hug, almost tripping along the way. “Careful Lara” Clark yells after me. “How are you doing?” I ask, pulling her into a hug, before releasing her as I examine her face.She smiles, “I’m hardly getting sleep with Tululla’s sleeping schedule. But in all honesty everyday feels like a blessing to have my little girl in my arms” she states.I nod, totally understanding what she means, “what about Lai?” I ask, scanning the room for my brother. “He’s over there with your dad and mine,” she says, pointing towards a section of the backyard.“They must be giving him some stupid parent advice” I joke, noticing how serious their conversation is. “Heyy Belle” Clark says, embracing her with a hug, “how are you doing?” He asks, returning to my side.She chuckles, “your wife already asked that. Like I told her, I feel blessed” she says, a wide smile on her face and I can tell that this is the happiest she’s been since I’ve met her. Clark nods, “alright, let
