Ben
“What's taking so long?” The priest came up behind me and whispered in my ear. He was getting impatient. “She'll be here soon, Father. I answered. She's probably stuck in traffic.” But the congregation was beginning to get fussy. People were muttering and grumbling, but quietly, careful not to make too much noise in the house of God. I stood there at the altar, heart thumping beneath my new suit, as I waited for Shirley, my lovely bride, to show up. I turned to my twin brother, Benjamin. “Try her number one more time.” “I have, she's not picking up. And just now it's switched off,” he answered. I nodded, but the anxiety was beginning to gnaw at me. “What if I go and look for her?” He suggested. “No, Ben. I need you here with me. You know I can't handle this big crowd alone.” I said as I removed my glasses, and cleaned it for the hundredth time. It was a great suggestion but I needed him. My introverted nature can only handle so much at once. As we stood whispering to each other, my father came up to us on the altar, bending slightly in reverence as he approached. “What's going on Benedict?” He directed the question to me. “Why aren't they here yet? It's been half an hour and people are starting to leave. The investors took their time to be here today and now this?” “Investors? My bride could be lying in a ditch somewhere and you're worried about business? Dad, please.” I cautioned him in my most calm voice. My father is a good man, but sometimes his dedication to business can be obsessive, making it seem like his only priority. By now, the priest had retired back to his altar chair and kept glancing at us in displeasure as we huddled together and held a mini whispering meeting right there on the altar, in front of the congregation. Hands on my waist, I paced back and forth within the small circle we’d formed. Every two seconds, I would look towards the church entrance, willing her to appear already. What if she really got in an accident? Or got kidnapped by some psycho? “Let me go and look for her, Ben. You stay here, in case she comes back before I do. So you can get on with your wedding and not have to keep people waiting.” Benjamin suggested again. “Yeah, okay.” I nodded profusely. Anything to find my bride. He was my best man and I was grateful to have him by my side at that moment. Benjamin immediately left to find her. One hour later, a figure finally appeared by the church entrance. I was engrossed with my phone, trying to reach my bride or Ben. But the murmurs forced me to look up, only to see someone walking on the aisle towards me. Since I was nearsighted, I couldn't see her clearly unless she came closer into view. The congregation looked on in awe as she walked down the aisle, towards the altar. Finally. I was already smiling. I straightened my suit and stood erect, shoulders high. But my smile soon faltered as soon as she came into focus. It wasn't Shirley, my bride. It was her Chief bridesmaid, Chloe. What was she doing? Chloe has always had a thing for me but this was not the time to play games. She came up to join me on the altar. “What the hell is this Chloe? This is no time for your games. Where's Shirley?” I demanded furiously. “You're her bridesmaid and yet here you are, without her?” Ignoring my questions, and to my greatest shock, she hugged me and pecked me on the cheeks, her eyes filled with pity. Not the usual love or admiration, pity. “I'm sorry, but Shirley won't be coming.” She said. The crowd gasped. The sounds of oohs and ahhs reverberated through the packed church. If Chloe thinks I'll marry her in Shirley's place, she must be delusional. What was she trying to pull? “What do you mean she won't be coming? Is she okay? Did she get in an accident?” I asked in trepidation, hoping my fears had not manifested. “She's fine, Chloe answered resignedly. “Then why isn't she here?” I probed. I was ready to pounce on Chloe if it turned out she'd done something to my bride. “Because she doesn't want to marry you, Benedict. She left you.” Chloe's face didn't seem like that of someone who was joking or lying. The church erupted in chatters; they didn't even bother to pretend to be discreet this time. All of a sudden, they were utterly unconcerned with offending the Lord. A sickening feeling swept through my entire body and I felt nauseous. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and gradually trickled down my armpit, my back, and my thighs. I felt hot all of a sudden as my navy-colored suit instantly became drenched in sweat. I wished Benjamin was here to offer me some much-needed support. He's the one with the most backbone out of the two of us. “With who?” I finally summoned the courage to ask, completely shaken by the next word that came out of Chloe's mouth. “Your twin, Benjamin.”Ana My phone had been ringing off the hook since I resumed my shift. I knew it was my sister, who was probably calling about my son. I answered it on the second ring. “Beth?” “Ughh. I'm tired Ana. Little One is crying for his mama.” She whined over the phone. “Stop calling my child that. His name is Liam, and he'd grow up to be a great man.” I chided my sister for the umpteenth time. But she doesn't listen. “Seriously Ana, when will you be home? I need to get ready for practice, remember,” she said. My sister was the sweetest, helping me care for Liam while I worked to put food on the table. “Give me an hour, two max,” I answered. “But two hours is too–” she started to complain but I cut her short. “Sorry, Beth. Gotta go. My boss is here.” I dropped the call and heaved a sigh. I'd lied. But it was a necessary evil. I needed to work at least two more hours if I was going to successfully dodge Tony today. And the queue was getting longer. “Hey sweetheart, get me a
Ana I closed for work and left the shop, eager to get back to my son Liam, and also relieve my sister so she could go for her music practice. As I stepped out the door, I noticed a black car that looked a lot like the one from earlier, parked a few blocks away from the entrance. A lot of people own black cars so I didn't worry about it. I didn't have a car of my own and I had to walk some distance to catch the bus. I hurried along but soon noticed the black car idling alongside me on the sidewalk. I swallowed hard and clutched my bag tighter. I increased my pace, looking back intermittently to see if I was still being followed. The car increased speed as it tried to keep up with me. Why would the man who tried to save me a few hours ago be following me? I've had enough of stalkers and wasn't interested in adding another to my list. I picked up speed and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. The car revved up too and sped along, nearly knocking down an elderly couple who w
Ana Now it was my turn to stare at him like he was crazy. “Are you crazy?” I asked genuinely, because I was expecting to get a direct answer to the question. Granted, he didn't look like someone who was crazy. He looked quite normal. But asking a stranger to marry him? That was crazy. “Quite the opposite," he said, his tone measured and calm. He slipped his hands into his suit pockets, retrieved a soft cloth, and began to meticulously clean his glasses. He didn't even look at me. He was sexy with the glasses on, and without it, he was simply a snack. When we met at the coffee shop, I was too distracted by Tony to even remotely take note of his features. A waiter appeared, carrying a tray with two glasses of wine. He took one and nodded at me, “drink?” “I don't drink.” I said, eyeing him cautiously. My father was an abusive alcoholic. Each night he stumbled home, reeking of cheap alcohol. He would descend on my poor mother and proceed to beat her mercilessly. My sist
BenI glanced at my watch for the umpteenth time, the same old dreaded anxiety creeping up on me. Where was she?I hated having to wait on people. It was one of my pet peeves. Shirley had made sure of that.“Damn it.” I swore under my breath. If she doesn't show in the next five minutes, I would cancel the deal. To hell with the business.The door to the lounge opened and my business partners walked in. There were three of them; two men and a woman. I wasn't exactly comfortable meeting with them again, given that they'd witnessed my humiliation five years ago. But I had to do this for my father. He needed this deal to go through.I stood and came forward to meet them. We shook hands and I took them back to the seat where I sat with the woman not quite long ago.Dressed in suits, they looked like they didn't have time to waste, and I wasn't one to dally when it comes to business either. But my new wife - I didn't even know her name - was nowhere to be found.“We thought you'd be her
AnaThe text I'd received earlier from Beth was vague, but I didn't care. My baby was running a serious fever and was crying incessantly. Not even food could pacify him. I had to rush home and take care of him myself.I left the lounge and sprinted home, the only thought in my mind was my baby, Liam. I would've flown if I could.But then I remembered I had some money from the man, and immediately stopped a taxi.20 minutes later, I burst into my house and headed straight for Liam's crib. “Oh, my poor baby,” my throat tightened as I touched his hair. He cooed and turned on his side. He was sleeping peacefully, but his body was still warm. Beth was lying down close to the crib, sleeping. She looked exhausted.I tapped her, “Beth, wake up.”She opened her eyes, and on seeing me, she instantly sat up, rubbing her eyes.“Ana. Liam is sleeping now.”“Yes but I still need to take him to the doctor, he's still running temperature.” I said, searching round the room for his pacifier.Somethin
Ben “I'm sorry, wha–” I hung up on her, reclined in my chair and released a deep sigh of victory. What I wouldn't give to see the look of anger on her face right now. The woman was a complete piece of work, and she was stubborn. It was high time she got a taste of her own medicine. She was still trying to process the news and definitely start something when I ended the call; I wasn't going to give her the chance to protest. I didn't like the obvious mess I'd gotten myself into with this arrangement. I have no interest in being in anyone's space, especially not a woman's. But I'd do anything for my father, and for the company. So, unfortunately for me, I needed her. But I would never let it show that I really needed her that bad, or she would smell my desperation and use it against me. I didn't doubt that because she already showed me what she was capable of. This was a game and I know all about that too well. And I'd never be caught hands down. Never again. It was l
Ana When I woke up the next morning, I had an uneasy feeling. Ben's last words over the phone kept echoing in my head. I didn't exactly like the man so the thought of being his pretend wife for 30 days annoyed me. 30 whole days! What would I do about Liam? How would I take care of him and at the same time pretend he doesn't exist when I'll always probably be around Ben? I could hire a long-term nanny with the money he gave me but Beth needed new kits or they would kick her out of the music program. My life was a whirlwind of challenges that never seemed to end. I took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from my brow and continued to serve customers. The shop was already filling up with customers who either joined the queue or took a seat and waited for a waiter to come to them. I got busy serving and chatting with customers. However, the thought of making a decision about Ben skirted around in my mind still. While I was mulling it over, the door to the coffee shop opened and a man
Ana I entered the office to find two men seated and discussing. One was Ben, and the other was a man I'd never seen before. Ben gave me a strangely comforting smile and asked, “How was the ride over?” “You basically forced me to come here but sure, it was fine.” I glared at him. He ignored my retort and continued. “Ana, this is my lawyer, Remi Laurent. Remi, this is my wife, Ana.” Remi chuckled mischievously at the mention of ‘wife’ and Ben gave him a warning stare. I could tell that their relationship was more than that of lawyer and client. They were friends. Remi rose and came over to where I stood. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Please, call me Remi.” We shook hands. He was friendly, warm and courteous. He was so different from Ben's brooding personality and that was a welcome change. I liked him right away. Ben poured himself a drink from the bottle of whiskey standing on his desk. He got up, picked up the glass, and went over to stand at the window, his hands in