Chapter 2

Shantala took her time walking on that aisle as she tried her best to simply look at the priest waiting for her arrival. She did not like the attention she was receiving because it somehow felt like she was still in that strip club she was working in with all the eyes of men on her. The faces in her peripheral view were only a few but all unfamiliar, especially the man waiting by the end of the aisle. What's more... Her heart was pounding like crazy that she was afraid it would break out from her rib cage. Even when she tried to take deep breaths to calm her nerves, it was ineffective.

The sound of the violin being played echoed in the large church but it was overwhelmed by the fast-beating heart of Shantala. With every step, she walked towards her destination while her will of wanting to run away grew stronger but the thought of her sister being in her shoes made her waver. Getting involved with a mafia was already something one should avoid, thus, getting tied with one through a sacred union was something worse. She would never allow Stacey to be in such a situation. She did not raise her to get involved with a dangerous person.

As she drew closer to the altar, the face of the infamous Hyperion came into view. Her eyebrows knitted into confusion as she stared back at him, giving her the sweetest smile she had ever seen.

"Were the rumors about him all wrong?" she asked in her mind.

He was looking at her with eyes full of sincerity and there was no hint of danger or threat coming from him. His lips became a thin line as he smiled at her making it seem like he was the proudest man to ever have a woman like her. If he was such an innocent-looking man, then, how could bad rumors about him spread like a wildfire among men who visit and make transactions in her workplace? That's what was running in Shantala's mind until she came to a stop when her groom extended his hand towards her.

Taking a deep breath and finally relaxing her shoulders, she smiled at him and accepted his hand. Together, they both walked towards the priest who was smiling from ear to ear. All throughout the ceremony, all Shantala could think about was the whereabouts of her sister. She would be relieved if she would come to know if Stacey had run away because that was the best choice she had rather than pay their father's debt with her own body.

What made Shantala snap back to reality was when the priest announced that the husband may kiss the bride and Hyperion was already lifting her veil. She gulped out of fear that he would notice that she was not Stacey at all but when he stepped closer to her, she could only shut her eyes.

"Please, let this man be oblivious of who I really am."

Those were the words that Shantala chanted in her mind as she felt the warmth of the mafia's lips on hers.

If she were to speak honestly, she would not deny the fact that the dangerous man's kiss was so intoxicating that she was afraid she would not want to part with him. Even with her eyes closed, she felt like she was on cloud nine, she could not help herself but slightly bite down his lower lip before Hyperion leaned back.

"Hold back for now," he whispered in her ear with a smirk drawn on his lips. "But you can definitely go all out tonight."

His words, together with his warm breath that tickled her skin, made Shantala turn red in no time as she realized what she had just done. She did not have the courage to look into his eyes after what just happened so she simply took ahold of his hand and they made their way out of the church.

Riding on an expensive car that could cost her two continuous years of working in the strip club had never even crossed Shantala's mind. And not to mention, the man on the driver's seat had such a face that could make any woman fall, especially with his thick eyebrows paired with a silver pair of eyes that seemed to glimmer under the sunlight. But what truly felt surreal to her was the cold touch of the silver ring placed on her finger which was the total opposite of how Hyperion's hand felt as he intertwined their hands together.

"Where are we going?" Shantala asked to break the silence between them. She also noticed that they were headed to the highway leading away from the city.

Hyperion, who was sweeter than any chocolate Shantala ever tasted, kissed the back of her hand without sparing her a glance.

"You will know once we get there," he replied.

She wanted to feel elated with the fact that she does not need to go back to the strip club. However, her shoulders still felt heavier than ever because she still had no idea where Stacey was and if she was safe at the moment. She was also worried about Lance because he might not have some dinner served when he goes home tonight, especially since their father would always be somewhere else every time the night falls upon the city.

"Is something bothering you?" Hyperion asked when he noticed the sudden silence of his wife and how she was spaced out. It was unusual for him to see her like that since he was used to seeing the hyper side of Stacey before.

Shantala, on the other hand, shook her head. "I just feel like everything is just a dream. Everything... it just happened so fast I could not catch up."

"Well, this is no dream, Stacey. This is your reality now."

After saying those words, the two of them were once again covered with silence until they reached a beach house. Shantala got out of the car and her feet slowly took her to the white sands extending towards the seawater seemingly calling out to her. The wind blew quite swiftly that her veil was close to getting blown away but she did not give it much attention. The heat of the sun started to feel scorching but the ocean breeze negated it, making such contrasting feelings nostalgic for Shantala.

Ever since she was a child, she only touched the sea once in her life when she ran after her mother who committed suicide upon knowing that they were drowning with debts.

"You like it?" Hyperion asked in almost a whisper.

She felt his hands wrapping around her torso as he laid his chin on her shoulder. If only she was with someone she loved and not with a stranger, this could have been the perfect wedding and honeymoon she could ever think of. But since she was simply impersonating her twin sister, there was always a sense of danger tugging at her gut every time she would get carried away.

With a small nod, she replied, "Yes. This place... it is magnificent."

Hyperion let out a small chuckle and without warning, he carried her in his arms before running towards the touch of the ocean. Even with his suit on, he lets himself be soaked by the water, and upon feeling its touch on his knees, he stared into Shantala's brown eyes before a smirk grew on the edge of his lips. All of a sudden, he dropped her before walking backward.

Shantala, on the other hand, tried to get back on her feet but had to struggle a bit because of the weight of her dress.

"You just didn't do that," she muttered loud enough for Hyperion to hear.

"I just did, though."

Upon standing on both feet, she shot him a glare before taking off her white heels that were also decorated with water droplet-shaped crystals. This time, it was her turn to grin towards the man who came to realize what she was about to do. The moment Hyperion turned on his heels was also the time Shantala threw her shoes but she missed twice, giving her no choice but to run after him.

For minutes, she totally failed to get back at him so out of frustration, she grabbed a handful of wet sand and clasped her hands around it to make a sand ball.

"Hyperion!" she called out and without a passing second, her husband stopped in his tracks and turned in her direction.

There was a confused look plastered on his face but she did not make a big deal out of it and simply threw the sand ball towards him. Since Hyperion was still in a trance, he did not bother dodging the sudden attack and only came to his senses when he felt the sand ball hit him right on the chest. Shaking away his confused thoughts because he did not want to spoil their fun, he ran towards Shantala.

During those times, she felt genuinely happy without even thinking about the problems she just left back in the city. For once, she got to laugh again after the death of her mother and had briefly forgotten about the debts of her father that she had to pay, their apartment rent, the tuition f*e of her two siblings as well as the worry if she had to deal with rude clients in the club. This was one of her reasons that even though the sea had killed her most beloved loved one, she still felt like it had become one with her mother and was now letting her be happy.

"I thought you would hate the sea," Hyperion stated with his arms held around Shantala's small hips.

"I love it," she said as she wrapped her arms around her man's neck.

Even though the cold water doused them from their feet up to their chest, Shantala did not really mind it because just by being close with Hyperion, all those coldness seemed to be washed away. She could not really tell but even though she knew too well that the man she was holding so close was one of the dangerous men in the city, some part of her was telling her that he would treat her so well. Some part of her was slowly being convinced that if she continued with the charade, she would be able to make Hyperion fall for her so that even if he comes to know of the truth, he would accept her. And most of all, every inch of her body was tempted to close the gap between them.

Looking into his silver eyes that gazed back at her as if she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen, she initiated the kiss. Without exerting much effort, she lifted both of her feet and clipped them together around his torso as Hyperion deepened their kiss, bringing her into great, pure bliss.

A little while later, Hyperion carried her away from the touch of the water until they were finally inside the lone small beach house. Shantala shivered when she felt that her dress was being unzipped behind her. Slowly leaning back, she looked at Hyperion and all she received from him was a playful grin. She already knew what was going to happen next and that she was supposed to say no to it but her body said otherwise.

"I'm quite concerned that your dress might be weighing you down," he told her with a teasing look.

She did not want to back down either so she started to unbutton his dress shirt and helped him take it off upon tasting his sweet kisses once more while feeling his hardness. Being touched bare by a man was no longer something new for Shantala after working in the Evening City Garden club ever since she was 18.

However, doing it with a man she barely knew right on the beach house after being soaked by the cool water with a wedding ring on her finger was definitely a first for her. And definitely, she would not regret doing it with the man feared by lots. Or so she thought.