The Wedding Preparation

Her heart was throbbing so fast. Gertrude was inside her room and patiently waiting to be called on by her father.

That was the day that they would be discussing marriage with the Ford Family. The ticking sound of the hand of the clock was echoing inside her head which just made her emotions intense.

She could not deny that she was excited to see Dane and at the same time, she was nervous to see his reaction.

It would be the first time that she would be able to interact with the man directly. She never had the courage to talk to him like any other girls.

The knock on the door brought her back to her senses.

“Gertrude,” it was her father. “If you are ready, please come down. The Ford family will be arriving soon.”

“Okay, dad,” she answered as calmly as she could. After hearing what her father said, her heart pounded twice of its rate earlier.

How could Dane affect her that much?

Since highschool, he never failed to heightened her emotions even just by seeing him from a distance.

Gertrude got up from bed.

She took a deep breath and gave herself a glance in front of the mirror. She was wearing a very simple dress for the occasion. Though it was a luxury brand and a limited edition. The dress exuded a refined charm.

She was wearing a diamond studded necklace paired with diamond earrings. Those were heirlooms passed down from her mother. She was becoming emotional and wished that her mother was alive. Probably, if she was alive, she would be able to help her out with her situation.

Gertrude was hoping that Dane would not be disappointed in her.

It didn’t take long and the Ford family arrived at the villa of the Jimenez.

Gertrude felt as if there were a flurry of butterflies inside her stomach.

In front of her was Dane. He was an epitome of perfection in her eyes.

His roman nose added charm to him while his heart-shaped lips felt like they were inviting her for a kiss. But what really caught her attention was those mesmerizing eyes he had. Those were a combination of deep green and blue hues.

There was a magnetic pull that moment. Her emotions were dancing inside of her.

“Good evening, Darren. I am happy to see you tonight,” her father’s greeting to their guests dragged her back to reality.

Gertrude felt her cheeks turned red because of the obvious reaction she had upon seeing Dane. She quickly averted her gaze in a different direction, avoiding the man’s eyes.

“By the way, this is Gertrude, my only daughter,” he introduced her to them and she had no choice but to face them and project a smile.

“It’s nice meeting you, Ma’am and Sir,” she said to Dane’s father and grandmother. “Good evening,” she just simply said to Dane.

Her heart was betraying her that moment. She was grateful that she didn’t stammer when she spoke.

“Good evening, my dear, please call me grandma,” the old woman of the Ford’s family said to her and gave her a warm smile.

But the man just coldly looked at her and then nodded as if he was not interested in what was happening.

“Dane,” Darren called out to his son as that cold gesture didn’t escape from his eyes. “Don’t treat your future wife like that.”

But unexpectedly, Dane stepped closer to her and then he gently pressed his lips against her cheek which made her freeze. She felt her heart stop beating at that very moment.

It didn’t take long and they all went to the dining room where the discussion of the marriage was brought up.

“So, like what we have told you, Gertrude, Darren, you will be getting married in a month’s time,” Darren initiated the conversation.

Gertrude didn’t know how to react especially with the indifferent reaction she could see from Dane. It was obvious that he was not happy with the arrangement.

“A month?” She couldn’t help but ask again. Wasn’t they in a hurry?

“Yes, dear. We would like it to happen as soon as possible. I am really old so your grandmother is. We don’t know how much time we have left in this world,” Dane’s grandmother said in a very emotional tone. “We are not just simply businessmen in this circle but if you do not know yet, your grandmother is one of my closest friends. This marriage is really important for both of us.”

Gertrude couldn’t do anything but nod and go with the flow.

Time flew so fast and a month had passed. The day that she was supposedly waiting with excitement finally came. But instead of being excited, uncertainty and doubt was filling her mind. She couldn’t understand but there was a weight that she couldn’t explain which made her anxious.

Probably because of Dane’s coldness towards her.

It really broke her heart to know that the man was just forced to marry her. If he wouldn’t, she knew that his father would get the position from him.

“Dear, you should smile. This is your special day! You should look happy!” Her grandmother commented and Gertrude was forced to draw a smile on her lips. She tried to turn away the negative thoughts she had with Dane. “You are stunning. Your wedding dress is perfect,” the old woman added.

“Thank you, grandma,” she said and looked at herself in the mirror.

The hall where the wedding ceremony would be held was decorated elegantly. There were different flowers everywhere. The lighting was perfect. The guests were all from the business circle and as expected, since it was the union of the two children of two multi billionaire companies, it was broadcasted live.

From the exquisite decoration to the presence of VIP’s, the wedding was grand and prestigious. It could be called the wedding of the year. It was so perfect. A dream of every woman.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You can kiss the bride,” after the priest said that, the shout of the crowd echoed inside the hall where their wedding ceremony was held.

Dane looked at her. His deep green and blue colored eyes were looking intensely at her. She didn’t know what she should be doing. But before she could take any action, she felt the man’s lips against her.

The shout from the guest became louder.

Gertrude felt like she was in cloudnine and wished that would not end. His lips were so sweet.

Dane didn’t let go of her until they were chasing their breaths. She looked at him quickly and she saw the sarcastic smile on his face. It seemed that he just did that to please the guest.

“Now that I am married to you, what do you want to do?” Dane directly asked her as soon as they got inside the hotel where they would be spending their first night as a husband and wife.

The day had been so long for her but the man seemed not to let go of her.

She took a deep breath. She already reached her breaking point and on top of that, she was really exhausted.

“Dane, can we call it a day for now?” Her words couldn’t hide the weariness she felt. “All I want right now is to take a rest,” she added as she dismissed him. She knew that it could be an endless conversation and she needed to get used to that because their marriage was not out of love.

Their marriage was like a business transaction.

“No, Gertrude, we need to talk. I cannot just simply go with the flow. You should understand that I just married you because of my grandmother and father’s wishes. Do not expect anything from me. You should also keep your distance from me.” His words sliced her heart into a million pieces. She knew that very well but the pain after hearing it directly from him was different.

“I understand, Dane. If that’s your wish, I will respect it. I will keep my distance from you.”

“Good,” the man said and he turned around going to the bathroom.

At that moment, Gertrude felt that she needed to protect her heart from pain. Their marriage was not like any other marriage but she wouldn’t give up.

Dane was busy signing the papers in front of him when all of a sudden his office door suddenly opened. 

He lifted his head and he was about to shout to the person who entered with his permission but he was shocked to see who was in front of him.

“Is it true?” Agatha’s voice was slightly trembling. The sadness and pain was visible in her expression. “Why?” She asked again when he didn’t answer.

Dane was caught off guard.

“A— Agatha, why are you here?”

“Is that the way you are going to greet your guest?”

“No, I mean, I didn’t expect to see you,” he said, still recovering from shock. “When did you come back?”

“Just now. As soon as I heard that you got married, I booked the earliest flight. What happened? You don’t love me anymore?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Then, what is it?”

“Arranged marriage,” he answered in a low voice.

“Why did you agree?”

“I can’t. My dad wanted me to do so.”

“But what about us?”

“I don’t know. I l—”

But before Dane could even finish his words, he felt Agatha’s lips on his lips. The woman was so aggressive that he couldn’t help but close his eyes and savored the taste.

Agatha, she was the woman that he loved.

They were chasing their breaths when their lips parted. He couldn’t deny the longing that he had for the woman. His heart was beating so fast as if he was a teenager reunited with his crush.

“I love you, Dane. Divorce her. You can’t be married to any woman except for me.”

“Hi, Dane. I cooked your favorite food. Let’s have dinner together,” Gertrude said in the liveliest voice she could as soon as she saw Dane arriving from work.

But she was like thin air for her husband. He didn’t even look at her. He just went straight to the guest room of their house where he had been staying since they got married.

It had been a week and the man was still cold as ice towards her. But she was trying to be patient and hoping that one day, he would wake up that he loved her.

She took a deep breath and just grabbed her phone which was at the center table of the living room.

Her eyes furrowed as she zoomed in the photos she saw over the internet.

‘Agatha Anderson is back and seen with Dane Ford.’ 

That was the caption of the photo. Her husband was with another woman inside a fancy restaurant. The woman was beautiful beyond words. She could see the smile in her husband’s eyes as if he was having a great time with the woman.

She knew Agatha as a famous runaway model but she never thought that she had a relationship with her husband.

Since they got married, he never took her out. He never even introduced her to their company. But she just let him do what he wanted to do.

She felt a pinching sensation inside her heart. She never saw that coming. But she tried to put some sense inside her head. . But she tried to put some sense inside her head. She couldn't just react based on a single photo that she had seen over the internet.

“Maybe, she is just an old friend. Paparazzi are really good at making stories to trend.” She thought.

That calmed her down a bit and she knew that she had to work hard to capture her husband’s heart.

But as the days passed by, news articles about Agatha and Dane were scattered everywhere. She was worried that her dad and her grandmother would react to it.

She threw the newspaper to Dane who was having breakfast.

“What is this?”

“Didn’t I tell you to keep your distance from me?”

“I am still your wife.”

“In papers.”

“Still, you owe me some respect. You cannot just simply flirt with a woman outside.”

“Agatha is my first love. She isn’t just any woman like you.”