AIDEN'S POV
Today is the date with my soon-to-be wife and I am dressed as casually as I can, in a plain white T-shirt, black faded Jeans and a Jordan Air Force Three. I was already seated 10 minutes earlier than our appointment because I wanted to watch her walk into this restaurant like I used to do during the public events we attend. Call me a stalker, psychopath or whatever you want but I get this sick satisfaction of watching her power walk her way into a place with her chest out, shoulders back and head held high. I wouldn't love to admit it this early, but it turns me on. By the time I checked my time again, I realized that I had spent the last ten minutes thinking about a woman that didn't give two fucks about me. I heard the door bell jingle and I raised my head up to look at who was coming in, the only thing I could do was to freeze in shock as I sucked in a cold breath. Fuck. Me. Did she dress like that in this tight little dress that leaves little to one's imagination on purpose to test me? I thought as I stared at her walking towards me in a short, tight and skimpy, strapped red dress. Her accessories complimented the dress, as it highlighted her skin tone. “Mr Backwoods?" She asked with a smile, I nodded as I quickly stood up to pull the chair opposite mine back a little and heard her mutter a silent thank you, before I made my way back to my seat. “Yeah," I heard myself croak out, before I quickly cleared my throat and took a sip of the water in front of me. “It's nice to meet you, Mr Backwoods," She smirked at me, her eyes dragging over my figure from across the table. The pleasure is all mine. “Uh.. yeah, nice to meet you too. Should I call the waiter now, or do you have anything to say before we eat?” I asked, adjusting myself in my seat. “Let's order out food first, I'm very hungry," She replied and I seemed to have underestimated how hungry she was, because half an hour later our table was filled with different delicacies that I feared that I would not be able to finish myself. However my Fiance seemed to know exactly what she was ordering, I watched in shock as she wolfed down more than half of the food that she had ordered. After our table was cleared, I watched my Fiance pat her stomach with a satisfied expression on her face. She didn't even seem to be embarrassed about wolfing down the food that about four adult men wouldn't be able to consume in one seating. I started to wonder how she was still able to maintain her figure if this was how she ate, or was she trying to scare me? By eating a large amount of food? Cute. “Soo, Miss Morrison, now that you've eaten, pray tell me why daddy dearest wants us to meet tonight," I said, my eyes watching her every expression from the slight twitching of her eyes to the pursing of her lips. “I have no idea, Mr Backwoods, I thought you were the one that asked to meet with me when my father mentioned it. You should call me Avery by the way, Miss Morrison makes me feel a little uneasy," She said, leaning forward to rest on the table as she kept her gaze locked on mine. “Alright, Avery, you can call me Aiden too. How about we talk about our living arrangements after our marriage? I don't like people invading my privacy if you must know,” I stated, keeping my eyes on hers only for her to roll them at me. “Do I look like someone who invaded people's privacy? I wasn't the one who suggested getting married to you, that was between you and my Father,” She said, rolling her eyes at me with an annoyed expression. "Touché. Let's start this conversation again, shall we? What do you expect from our marriage?" I asked, a little interested in knowing what she thought about getting married to me. " Nothing much, it's a business arrangement, after all. I wouldn't expect you to fall on your knees now and propose to me with an engagement ring," She said, wiggling her brows at me suggestively. She was right, I didn't think to get her an engagement ring. " How romantic," I replied, a little smile playing on my lips. " I guess that makes it two of us who aren't really excited about this arrangement, but I wonder why you agreed to get married to me, a woman who got divorced by her husband and has a bad reputation," She said, gesturing towards some women seated at a corner in the restaurant trying their best to act normal as they threw interested glances at us as they whispered between themselves. "Sometimes, I also wonder why, I guess it's all for the business, huh?" I said, ignoring those women alongside other people that were looking at us. "Everything I do is for my family, Mr Backwoods besides you're... what word would I use? Acceptable," She said as she mimicked the gesture of thinking as she used her thumb and index fingers to rub her jaw. "Acceptable? Damn!" I said with a laugh, I'd never had a woman refer to me as being accepted, ever. "Don't let it get into your head, Aiden, I can tolerate you at best," She replied, looking at me with an almost uninterested look. "Hmm, and what do you think our marriage would entail, aside from the business and family aspects?" I asked, curiously. " I think we'll both do well maintaining separate bedrooms and living our own lives since you dislike people 'invading your privacy'," She stressed, as she quoted the words with her fingers. "Separate bedrooms, huh? You're that desperate to keep me at arms length? I thought that I was accepted, why are we considering having separate bedrooms?" I asked. "I'm being realistic, if you don't want your privacy to be invaded like you said I'd like to have my own room, far away from yours if that's possible," Her gaze locked on mine as she said those words and I knew that she was being honest. She probably didn't want to jump into any marriage after the one she had experienced. The alarm I set earlier before coming to the meeting rang and I turned it off. I stood up while nodding at her before saying,"I have a meeting right now, but I'll make sure to prepare your own room. Here's my number, you can call or text me if you have any other things you want to tell me. See you at our wedding wifey " I stepped out and took a deep breath at the entrance of the hotel, before quickly making my way to my car. I brought out my phone to call my assistant to get me a catalogue for wedding rings. If I couldn't get her an engagement ring, I would need to put some effort into getting our wedding rings. _______Avery's POV I am getting married again tomorrow.The night before my first marriage, I was excited and couldn't fall asleep. I had my bachelorette party three days before my wedding, because I didn't want to have a bad headache from all the alcohol I was going to be forced to drink on my wedding day. However, today I was going to get my wedding dress fitted for tomorrow and to buy some jewellery. The stark contrast between the wedding I did for my failed marriage and this contract bound marriage was so glaring, that I don't even know the people who were going to be in attendance for the wedding.I was ushered into the dressing room by an attendant, as I walked in I saw a beautiful floor length white wedding gown that was embroidered with delicate silver and gold threads in floral patterns. It was an off-the-shoulder gown that looked elegant with a timeless, elegant design.I was too stunned to speak or move as I stared at the dress. I thought I loved the first wedding dress I wore,
Avery’s POVI'm married again! As Aiden and I walked down the aisle I couldn't help replaying his words “You tasted delicious, Mrs Backwoods.” I blushed. Our first kiss was surprisingly nice. Don't get me wrong I'm not happy with this arrangement, I just have to give him his flowers, he's a good kisser. I kissed Theo for years and the thought of him being a good kisser never crossed my mind. I guess I was just used to it.“Are you thinking of the kiss Mrs Backwoods?” Aiden’s voice suddenly brought me back to reality and I almost jumped. I looked at him and rolled my eyes.“You wish.” I replied. It was time for the parting away, the time when the new bride and her groom are driven away. I temporary said bye to dad, and the back door of the car was opened for me by one of Aiden's bodyguard. Aiden got into the car through the other side. The driver ignited the engine, and before I knew it we were on the road already. I looked back and saw about three cars behind us already, must be his
Avery’s POVThe days after Aiden’s note blurred into a whirlwind of work and strange emotions I couldn’t quite label. Living under the same roof with Aiden felt like balancing on a tightrope, where one small misstep could send everything crashing. His promise to give me freedom and happiness, to protect me, lingered in my thoughts, yet I couldn’t ignore that I was still a pawn in this game our families had built around us.Aiden was, in many ways, a mystery wrapped in professionalism and cool restraint. He kept his distance physically and emotionally, despite his occasional gestures of friendliness. We could be standing in the same room, sharing polite words, but there was always an unspoken boundary—a mutual understanding that neither of us would cross unless forced. Maybe that was for the best.It was early on a Monday morning when my father summoned me to his office again. His voice had held its usual brisk tone over the phone, but there was something else—an urgency. The merger wa
Avery's POVThe investor, Mr. Porter, arrived promptly, his presence exuding authority and charisma. He was tall and imposing, with a sharp gaze that seemed to assess everything in an instant. Aiden and I greeted him, and as we led him into the living room, I could feel his scrutiny on us, as if he were measuring the authenticity of our relationship.“Thank you for hosting me today,” he said, his voice smooth and calculated. “I’ve heard impressive things about this merger, and I’m eager to see what you both have planned.”Aiden and I exchanged a brief glance, and he took the lead, explaining the benefits of the merger, our shared vision for the future, and how our partnership would strengthen both companies. I added a few comments of my own, playing the role of supportive spouse with practiced ease.Mr. Porter listened attentively, nodding along, but his eyes held a shrewdness that made me uneasy. “It’s clear that you both have a solid partnership,” he said finally. “A marriage of min
Avery's POV“I'm sorry Avery," I barely spared my husband… sorry, ex-husband a glance as I brushed past him as I pulled the last language I had out of the apartment we had shared for the past few years as a married couple.I tuned out his endless ranting and almost laughed mocking at myself as I stepped into the elevator, still ignoring him. I don't know why he was still following and begging me, right after serving me a very messy divorce.I almost couldn't believe that he had cheated on me until I saw his assistant’s baby bump. She had strutted into my apartment flaunting it to me as she detailed how long their affair had been going on and how stupid and ignorant I had been. She had even paid news outlets to publish their affair.The elevator dinged and I dragged my luggage bag with me as I walked out of the elevator. Immediately I stepped out, I felt his clammy hands grab my arm and I had to push down the urge to vomit. I wonder how I used to love his hands on me.“Let go of me," I
Aiden’s POVI adjusted my cufflinks, as I stared at myself in the mirror. Today is going to be a good day, I thought as I hummed a casual tune to myself.Walking away from the floor to ceiling window in my dressing room, I grabbed my suitcase and made my way out of my room and down the stairs, to the dining room where my house help was standing as she supervised the people setting up my breakfast.“Good morning sir," They all chorused when they saw me walk into the room, I shot them a smile and replied their greetings with mine as I made my way to the seat at the top of the dining table.“Here's the newspaper for today sir. We made toast, waffles, pancakes and eggs. Your ginger tea is also here, what do you care for this morning?" My housekeeper asked me as she handed me the papers, the two maids had already left the room by then.“Hmm, don't worry about it, I'll sort myself out, you can leave," I said, my hand as I opened the papers to read. “Okay sir, I'll drop your suitcase in the
Avery's POV"Who is it? Who is the man you want me to get married to, Father?" I asked, pursing my lips, as I thought about what my father had just said.“Aiden Backwoods, CEO of Backwoods Steel Making Company, you've seen him several times during public events that we attend. It's a marriage of convenience and the deal is already signed,” I opened my mouth to say something, but he continued without letting me to, “The wedding date is already set, you would be getting married to him next weekend, but before that I already set a meeting for both of you and you'll be there, no complaints.”After saying his piece, he got up and left, but I could feel the anger radiating off him. He's angry? I should be the one angry!I've almost never seen him loose his composure before. I wonder what Aiden Backwoods must have done to cause this though. I also wonder why he wants to get married to me. Although I've seen him at the events we attend, I've never really had any conversation with him, but I'v