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2025-04-01 06:43:07Vida woke up early the next morning to a call from James telling her that her father had finally gotten up. She was so elated that she promised to be there immediately; she was able to put herself together. She had a lot to do but she knew that her father had to come first. She hurried into the shower and took her bath before throwing on some casuals.
"You look especially happy this morning," Maria said as she entered the kitchen for a cup of water. "Better than yesterday at least," she added, and Vida hugged her from behind. "Which makes me conclude that you have gotten the information from James," she added, patting Vida's head gently.
"I am so excited that I can not wait to see him."
"Sure but I can not let you roam around without having breakfast first," Maria said, pulling her to the table where an array of waffles made in different forms and shapes were displayed.
"All of this for me? Or is there a feast I am not aware of?" Vida asked with wide eyes as she turned her head from side to side. She knew that Maria liked to go overboard, but she was not complaining; it felt good to be babied after a long time.
"I just wanted to make enough so you have enough to eat, and if you want, you can bring some to the hospital for Mr Manchester and James."
"I won't do that," Vida said, shaking her head before she lowered herself into the seat. She knew better than to argue with Maria about eating. The older woman would never let her go if she did not eat breakfast so she stuffed her face hurriedly and once she was done, she was in a car to the hospital.
As she approached the door of the room, she heard her father's voice, and it sounded quite stronger than she thought. She wondered who the visitor was and what he was doing there early. Sje did not mind; however, it was a thing of joy that her father was awake. She opened the door and the smile on her face dropped so fast that she was afraid of herself. 'Axel? What is he doing here?' she asked herself as she took gentle steps into the room.
Her father lifted his head, and their eyes met. "Vida? My Vida?" His voice came to her, and she could not help but hurry to his side. "Am I seeing things or is it really my daughter?" he chuckled as she rushed to his side. She tried to push back the anger and bitterness she felt from seeing Axel there. How did he manage to get there before her? She did not like that she was feeling replaced, and he still managed to find a way to make her feel even worse with all of his actions.
She passed by Axel and fell into her father's arms. He looked so healthy that anyone who had not seen him yesterday would argue tooth and nail that he had not been on life support since that time. She cleared her throat as she passed Axel and ignored the greeting he threw at her.
"It is my little girl." John's voice sounded better as soon as Vida was in his hands. "Oh, how I've missed you," he said after a while.
"You missed me, yet you act so cruel to me," Vida said, pulling away so she could look at his face. "You act like you are childless with me. I mean, why on earth would you act that way? I am your daughter, your only child, yet I had no idea that you had one heart attack and then you had two, and the doctors..." She stopped because she realised that now was not the time to talk about all those things.
Her father was not going anywhere and he had just recovered so she did not need to begin to ask him questions that might make him release. "I am just so happy to see you," she said instead of all the words raging in her brain.
"Same here," he said with a smile at her, and she returned it. "I am glad I was able to see you before I left this world."
"Dad, don't say," she said almost in a scream at him. "I know that since you got older, you like making such bad jokes but please don't make them now; this is such a sensitive time," she said.
John wanted to tell her that it was not really a joke, but he knew that she might not be able to handle it yet, so he shook his head. "Noted, ma'am," he said with a fake salute at her. He raised his head to Axel, who was just standing awkwardly like he had been pushed aside, and gestured for him to come forward.
Axel took a few steps and was at the end. Vida straightened her back and frowned. Why was her father calling Axel closer to his bed? She did not want to think of anything; she stood up to turn to him; she wanted to thank him for all he had done; after all, he might need it but before she could say or do anything, her father pulled his hand and placed it in his and then placed Axel's hand over hers before enclosing it with his second hand, leaving her confused at the situation.
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Axel cleared his throat multiple times when his skin touched Vida's, but she stood there with confusion written all over her. She could not understand her father's actions and the reason behind them. She was sure it was probably the side effect of him having been in a semi-coma. Instead of asking him the reason and going round and round in circles, she quietly removed her hand, which made them all take their hands off. She pulled up the small chair and sat beside his bed, taking his hand and gently tracing the pulsing veins."Everyone thinks that I am a bad child," she began."Who thinks that my Vida is a bad child, and how dare they think that?" John asked. Anyone could see the bond that the father and daughter shared and how comfortable they were around each other. It would make one wonder why Vida was so comfortable staying so far away from her father; at least that was what was running through Axel's mind at that time."Everyone," she said in a stressed voice. "The nurses were loo
Last Updated : 2025-04-1421st Century Bride EIGHT
Vida sat still; she was expecting her father to wave his hand in her face and laugh it out, calling it a pranl but he never did. Her father always had a jovial personality and he liked pranks so she was sure that this also was a prank; it had to be because this was the twenty-first century so how could her father be talking about an arranged groom? She knew that it happened in families like hers but she never thought it would happen to her."Dad, are you serious?" she asked when he did not announce it as a joke."Why would I be joking about this? Axel is your husband to be," he said and she sighed."I know that all of this is because of your thoughtfulness, but I have to decline.""Decline? Vida darling, we do not have the luxury of that.""I do not have the luxury of declining to marry a man." She asked with a face-changing expression as she was trying to understand what was going on. "Why don't I?""Did James discuss the finances of the company with you?" John asked calmly. He was s
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Vida stood there until the doctors and nurses finished their work; by the time they left his side, he was no longer coughing violently and was now resting quietly on the bed. She wanted to say a lot more things, but she knew how insensitive it would be of her to bring them up after all her father had just been through. Instead, she kissed him gently on the head and headed out of the room quietly.She needed time to blow off the steam she felt and the way her blood boiled. She hoped that Axel had left the hospital and that she did not need to run into him or deal with him if she walked. She walked to the hospital cafe, where she hoped to get coffee, and right there standing in line was Axel, who was at the tail end of the line."Oh God! If this is a punishment for something I have done in the past, why don't you just let me know, and I will apologise to you instead of having to constantly see this man?" She said with an eyeroll as she walked to his back. She wished in the moment that s
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Vida went to see her father before deciding to leave for the day; neither of them brought up the marriage topic because it had ended badly. She told him that she would see him tomorrow before she left the hospital. All through the ride back home, Vida kept thinking of Axel and how she was going to get out of the marriage. She knew that if she had to marry him because of money, the only way she could get out of that situation was to make sure that the company was not able to file for bankruptcy; that way she was saved.She got into the house and went to her room. After changing out of her clothes and taking off her makeup, she called James. He was the only one who could help her with her plan. She had to find a way to get the financial status of the company and work from there; she was sure that there was a way to save the company from within, and the only reason her father was not doing it that way was because she was sick. She could not let her education go to waste like that."Ms. V
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Vida woke up the next morning feeling a little better; she even apologised to Maria for the outburst while having breakfast. The apology stunned Maria and even made her comment on how much Vida seemed to have matured since the last time they saw. Vida stopped over at a flower shop to get some roses for her father's room. She hated how damp and drag they felt; maybe some flowers would brighten up the place and make it smell nicer than it was. When she got into the room, she was happy to see that her father was much stronger than yesterday."You look stronger," she commented, and he threw her a smile."Of course I am stronger; I am Van Allen after all," he commented, making her smile as well. She took her time arranging the flowers into a spare vase she found in the room."Why did you bring flowers?" John asked as she sorted them."Are you thankful or are you nagging?" she asked him in a singsong voice."I just do not understand the need for flowers; that is why I am asking," he replied
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Vida excused herself early from her father to go meet with the financial team; she assured him that her plan was going to work and tried to make a deal with him that if her plan worked, she would not have to marry Axel, but he evaded it, saying he was waiting for results first. She was glad that they agreed to meet her, even though she was going to be spending a little money. "A little money for a great cause," she murmured to herself as she got down from the car.James was waiting at the entrance of the hotel for her, and he led her into the private room where three representatives were waiting to meet her."You have just an hour to go over the documents with them as they have to return to the office after the lunch break," James informed her as they stepped into the elevator."I will be sure to wrap it up within an hour," she declared and he nodded. The elevator ride up was silent, and once they got up, he led her to the room they were using. "Get yourself something nice for lunch a
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"I do not know if I am supposed to be telling you this," James began. Vida looked up to him with a confused expression on his face. If he did not want her to know, then he should not have said a word. He piqued her interest and now he does not want to say it? How would that make sense?"Well, now it does not matter if you should be saying it or not; you've begun the process of telling, so I am amused that you would not finish up whatever it is that you want to say," she said and took a sip from the tea in her cup.James cleared his throat and shuffled from foot to foot. He knew that all Vida was trying to do was help the company, and since she had asked him to help her, he might as well do that. John had asked him to take good care of the needs of Vida and maybe this fell under her needs."Well?" she said when he did not say a word. "You have to talk," she followed immediately. He cleared his throat again and pressed his eyes together."I heard that there is a bid where you can offer
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Axel's phone vibrated on the table; his eyes went to it, and James was calling. He was in a meeting, and he was not supposed to be getting the call, but James' call was a priority for him, so he excused himself from the room to take the call outside. It would be selfish of him to ask everyone to leave just for him to take the call. Why was he calling? His mind began to draw up different scenarios and reasons why he could be calling. Did something happen to John? Or was this about Vida? He could not help his mind from thinking about Vida.John had been so boastful about his daughter; he had spoken of how smart and beautiful she was. Although Axel had heard it multiple times, he was still not prepared for the sight he saw when he walked into the hospital room. She was more than everything John had described, and he could understand why John wanted to protect her; he too wanted the same.One thing he was still not able to place his fingers on was the reason Vida hated him; she had not sa
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21st Century Bride THIRTY THREE
Axel got home, and all he could think about was lying in bed, but he met his mom and sister in the living room. He was happy to see them, but he did not have the mental capacity to talk to them now. He could not turn them away, so he welcomed them after seeing that they had served themselves whatever they could find in the refrigerator."Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for a while now," Anna said as soon as they made eye contact."I was out ring shopping," he announced like it was ordinary news."Oh my, that's wonderful news," Nora said, beaming with joy. She had been on her son's case to get married. He moved out after making it big, and ever since then, he had been lovely, at least in the eyes of his mom. She was convinced that he would need a wife to make him less lonely, so hearing that he was finally tying the knot made her happy. She knew that Axel had good sense, so whoever he picked would be a good person. She did not need to worry and try to vet her."It is,"
21st Century Bride THIRTY TWO
The sales rep packed up the ring and escorted both of them out of the shop. As soon as they were outside, Axel turned to Vida. He cleared his throat and clutched the box tightly."Do you want to have dinner together?" he asked, and she immediately shook her head. It was as if it was her default answer because it did not look like she took a minute to think about it."You did not think about it; don't you think you should have at least considered it?" he was forced to ask."I know what I want, so I don't have to think too much about it," she replied, and he nodded."But that does not mean I can't plead with you to at least have dinner with me. We are getting married and...""We are getting married based on a contract, so I do not see why we will need dinner between us," she replied. Her tone was purposefully hurtful, but he did not want to hold it against her. "Moreover, my friends just came over, so I think I should have dinner with them," she added."I know that, but I thought you'd
21st Century Bride THIRTY ONE
By the time they stepped out of the house, the sun was already fully gone down and darkness was beginning to creep around. Axel drove them to the ring shop and she was kind of impressed at the brand name he brought her until she remembered that he was truly a big shot around there. They walked into the store and were ushered to the waiting area."It might take a while," the lady said, causing them to sit in silence for a few minutes. Axel wanted to look at Vida and he knew that it was going to be weird if he just did that without first striking a conversation with her. He cleared his throat and she looked up with one eyebrow going up in a questioning manner."I heard from your dad that you run a personal fashion business.''Yeah," she responded. She knew that it was typical of her dad to go blabbing about her like that. He knew that if he did not press, she would not say anything more. He gestured to her, and she shrugged with an eyeroll."What made you go into fashion?" he asked. It
21st Century Bride THIRTY
Vida left the house to get her friends from the airport. They insisted on coming down as soon as they heard that she was getting married. Vida did not mind having them around at all. They did not ask any questions and just wanted to support her."I knew that you were going to be the first among us to get married," Emily said, and Vida tried to dismiss it with a smile, but it was obvious they were not willing to let it go. "So who is he?" she added, trying to get a reaction from Vida.Vida frowned and turned her face downwards. "Oh, please don't ask me anything about him," Vida said with a sour expression. Her friends looked at each other as if they had hit a jackpot, and with a smile, they turned to her, Emily taking the lead."Why not? You are marrying this man, and yet I can't ask about him?""I do not want to talk about him, please." Vida did not feel her life was fair. She was forced to talk about him at home, even though she goes to meet her father even now again. She did not lik
21st Century Bride TWENTY NINE
"Little miss?" a voice called from her door, startling her. Vida did not understand why she was so jumpy that morning. She sighed, taking off the covers from her body and walking to the door. She knew from the voice that it was Maria, but she wondered what she wanted as she opened the door."Hi, Maria," she said as she opened the door and stood there."Hello, Vida, your dad sent a crew here.""A crew?" Vida asked with a frown. Why would her dad send a crew to the house? "What kind of crew?" she followed up when she realised she did not have the full details of what was going on."A wedding crew," Maria replied. Her face creased, and her eyes fell shut as she smiled. "You did not tell me that you were getting married," she added."Oh yeah, I forgot." Vida could not believe that she had forgotten to inform Maria that she and Axel were finally tying the knot."You forgot? You do not want me to be a part of your big day? How weird," the words fell from Maria's mouth all at once."Oh, come
21st Century Bride TWENTY EIGHT
After breakfast, Vida knew that she had to stop feeling sorry for herself and get on with life; things could get better and she was sure of it. She looked at the time and when she knew she could go see her father in the hospital, she got dressed and went there immediately. During the ride to the hospital, she secretly prayed that Axel would not be there, as she was feeling better and did not want anything to ruin her mood.She was glad when she had gotten into the room, John was speaking to his doctor instead of Axel as usual. She thought to herself that she was supposed to try and get used to Axel but she could not bring herself to hate him less than she already does. She walked into the room and both men acknowledged her."Ms. Vida Allen, I have to commend you," the doctor said, and Vida turned to him with a smile. Why did he want to commend her? She was about to ask, but before she could process her words, he spoke first. "Since you got back, your father has been doing very well, a
21st Century Bride TWENTY SEVEN
Vida pulled the covers over herself and stared at the closed window blinds. She did not know how long she had been awake, but she knew it was such a long time. She did not want to get out of bed as she thought over everything she had gone through in the past few days and how much it was taking a toll on her. She felt like she needed some more peace in her life, and she was not getting anything there. Since she got back to the city, all she could think about was how things would have been different if she had not moved away after her education; if she had come back and learnt the ropes of the business, would she have been able to save it from getting to this stage? Would she have been able to take better care of her father to make sure he did not suffer a second heart attack? Would she have been so good at her work that her father would not need to put her up for marriage to a man she did not know?As she thought over it all and beat herself up, she could not find answers to all of her
21st Century Bride TWENTY SIX
Vida wanted to ignore Axel, so as soon as she spotted him, she walked quietly and as far as her legs would allow. Axel had other plans because he stepped in front of her. She was mad that her father had asked her to stay back so he could tell her that he was a good man, but maybe he would finally stop the act and tell her what he wanted."What do you want?!" she asked with an angered expression. Axel could only wonder what had gone wrong in a few hours. When they went in together, they were not friendly with each other, but at least they were not pulling each other's hair out, but now it seemed like she would take the opportunity to hurt him without thinking twice."I noticed that you were very quiet and absentminded back there, and I was wondering if you were okay," he said, and she took a deep breath, ready to answer, when he continued. "I did not want to bring it up before your father...."She cut him off with a laugh and clapped twice before forcefully wrapping her hands around he
21st Century Bride TWENTY FIVE
Vida knew that she should be excited that her father had forgiven her, but she felt like he only did so because she agreed to marry Axel. Even though it was most likely not anything like that. She should be happy but she felt her mood grow sour, especially as she watched Axel and her father bond so much.John had always been a free person, but she did not expect that her father would replace her with this man just because she was away. She began to feel so angry that she had left in the first place just because she wanted a better life for herself. She hated that she was not able to make a little sacrifice for her father and be there with him after all he had spent all of his young days caring and nurturing her; why could she not do the same for him?She sat there watching them silently as her father spoke about everything, and Axel seemed to understand him without having to think about it twice. If anyone who did not know them saw the scenario, they would swear that Axel was John's s
