REHEARSAL. WHO ARE YOU?

PARTY REHEARSAL

"Your brain is better than I thought."

"Are you trying to be rude or insulting right now?"

"No. Alright, sorry. Let's go over it once more time."

We are sitting in our bedroom. Yes, ours - me and Jerol's.

Don't look at me like that, sha!

It was his idea, or should I say, one of the rules. As a married couple, we should sleep in one room, and on the same bed to avoid compromising issues. I didn't see any point of disagreeing, because he promised never to touch me, or disrespect me in any way. How can he do that, when the first rule of the contract clearly states that no falling in love? No feelings will be involved in this fake marriage. I guess that puts me on a safer side, right? Yeah. No love, no romance. No love, no touchy touchy. Sleeping beside him ain't such a big deal. I don't think he is as dangerous as a dog to bite me while asleep. Or a wolf, meh!

We have been going over this for the last couple of minutes, and his mood today is no difference. Arrogant, or rude, should be his middle name!

"When and where did we meet?" He asks again.

For the third time, I give him the same answer. "Nine months ago, at a hotel in town."

"When did we became a couple?"

"Six months ago."

"When, where, and why did we get married?"

"Just four days ago. We did a civil wedding because, well, we both knew what we wanted. We are sure of our feelings and we didn't want to waste any more time. Why a civil wedding and not a church wedding?" I guessed that was his next question, and he nods his head. "Church weddings take long to prepare and we couldn't wait that long. We wanted to live together immediately so instead of just moving together like that, we opted for the civil wedding as we start preparing for the church wedding. There, are we good now?" I ask, because honestly my back is starting to burn for sitting for too long.

He stares at me for a while. May be he is now convinced that I have memorized everything?

"And who am I? Aside from being your husband, who is Jerol O'Brian McCall?"

Whoa! I mean, well, who is he? Yes, who are you, Jerol? Because as far as I know, you are a stranger that I know barely nothing about other than your name. I just met you five days ago and you turned my world upside down.

Maybe he is a magician?!

"Who are you? I don't remember you telling me anything about yourself." I say, and his look on me turns from cold into a confusing one.

"You have no idea who I am?" I shake my head. "You.. have.. never heard of the name Jerol O'Brian McCall before?" I shake my head again, and if this is confusion I am seeing on his face, then mine is shock written on my face.

Am I supposed to know him? Why? Is he known for possessing some superhero powers or something?

The dark look in his eyes fades a little, and he stands up. "Come with me." He says without looking back and like an obedient puppy, I trail behind him after locking the door.

We start ascending the long sparkling stairs, the servants standing a distance away from us, some bowing their heads like it's their master passing, while others turn their faces away as is it's a devil they are avoiding. Who really is this man?

He doesn't say a word to the servants who are shaking in fear just because of his presence. He doesn't even stare at them, and I do the same.

We walk to the third floor, which is the next floor from our bedroom. He opens the only door there is on the left, ushering me in. I walk in, and he does the same, slamming the door behind him.

My eyes catch the attention of the framed photos hanging around on the white walls of whant looks like a house office.

This man in the all these photos, is the same one towering me from behind. I walk closer, scanning at each one of them. Even between other elegant men, I still can make out his face. There is also one common name and tittle on all these photos. I know the name, it's the same as my husband's, but this tittle? You gotta be kidding!

CEO of the multi - trillion ROYAL FUEL AND GAS COMPANY?

What is freaking happening here? I understand there might be a coincidence in the name, but his face? Why is he in the photos? And why is that name appearing everywhere on him?

I turn my shock of a face to him, my jaw rolling somewhere on the floor.

I look at him, with no expression at all on his face, then I look to the wall again, to that photocopy of his on those photos. I am in an exam room doing the compare and contrast test. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any contradicting points between the two.

"Are... you.. y.o.u, you are the owner of the Royal fuel and gas company?" I ask in absolute shock, my eyes on him while my left hand index finger is pointing to the wall. Not on a specific photo I am sure, because even my hand is shaking.

"Yes. That's me." And he is saying it so flatly as if he is admitting to owning a kiosk or a single milk bar shop?

Someone shoot me!

I pull the swivel chair and sit down because my legs are giving up. What kind of joke is this?

I am married to a tycoon? A money guru? Me? How on earth? How on freaking earth can this be possible?

Oh, life! This must be one the invalid dreams you are mocking me with, right?

"Whant else do I need to know about you?" I ask after studying him for a couple of minutes. It wasn't my intention, my mouth just ran dry with words and I decided to put my eyes in use.

"I own the majority of shares in the central bank," more shock, "and I have shares in the Royal insurance company because my parents owns it." I'm out of words. My throat is even cracking out of dryness! It's becoming too hot for me in here! I swallow hard the little liquid in my mouth which doesn't help much. "Here," he hands me an ipad, "everything you need to know about me is all there." I take the iPad, or so I thought, but the next thing I know, it's hitting my ankle.

"Ouch! Shit!" I bend to collect the iPad, but Jerol happens too be fast to react.

"Let me." He says, taking the iPad and returning it on the table, while I massage my ankle. Damn me and my shock!

I try to stand, at least to ease the pain. Darn! I still have those freaking heels to wear tomorrow, not to mention that it will be my first time wearing heels. And now I am adding more injuries? Wow! Just wow!

I stagger, and Jerol catches a hold of me before I embarrass myself. I didn't even know I was heading to the door, and I swear I din't plan on walking out on him when I stood from the chair.

"Get a grip of yourself, will you? What's wrong?" He asks, and I push him away from me, standing a step away from him.

"Everything, Jerol!" I brat out, tears beginning to fall, releasing the weight I have been crying from five days ago. Or maybe from the day I was mistakenly brought yo this earth. I look at him. "My life has been a stagnant situation of pain and suffering, but five days ago, something happened that changed everything. I leave home one morning, only to find my shop all demolished and all the stock destroyed. That was the only thing that was keeping me sane. My hopes and the only reason I have for living got crashed into ashes that horrible morning. While I dragged myself back home that morning, I got into an accident. I thought that perhaps all my miseries had come to an end. But no. I woke up here, in a strange house with a total stranger, as a wife to someone I didn't know at all. And why? Because my own mother had sold me. She had found a perfect way to get rid of the stinking garbage in her house. And now? Now I just learn that my strange husband is what, a trillionnn.. whatever? This is excellent, right? It's so much okay for all these shit to happen in such a short span of time, right?" I facepalm my face, covering my tearful eyes.

I didn't know I was holding so much. I thought I was strongly okay? I know I was strong. So why all these drama? Why do I have to breakdown like this in front of a stranger?

I feel the familiar arms wrapping around my shoulders, and I let my forehead rest on his chest, keeping my sobs at bay. Oh, dear, what a nice way of showing how broken I am! Like magic, the soothing of his arms rubbing my back calms me down, and I stop sobbing.

I pull away, and I start drying the wet parts of his shirt with the back of my hands.

"What do you think you are doing?" He asks, bending backwards, creating space between his chest and my hands.

"Drying up the mess I made on your shirt." I say softly, looking anywhere but his face. I know I look like pathetic a mess right now!

"Wipe these instead." He says, drying the tears from my eyes, and I get a chance to look at him. "You know, Tessa. I don't know what you went through before our paths crossed. But my advise to you is this. Don't be too hard on yourself. Take this as a second chance to live, and try to be happy in any way that you possibly can. You can redeem yourself through this!"

Well, that was the plan since I cut ties with my mother. It still is. I am choosing happiness and peace.

I take the iPad carefully from the table, and start taking small steps towards the door.

"You are right." I say to him. "I promise you won't see these tears ever again for the five months that we will be together. Plus," I stop and half-turn to him, "I bet the wife of a trillion.. trillio... wait, what am I supposed to call that? You are more than a billionaire."

"I am just Jerol to you, Tessa. The rest isn't important."

"Yeah, right! I will find that out." He smiles, no, is that a smile or a smirk? "I suppose Jerol's wife should be tough and strong. I will try to level up." I drag my foot again, turning my back on him. I need to digest all these. "And your smirk is annoying, by the way." I say as I reach for the door.

"And your limping sucks!"

Damn, I know that, you annoying jerk! Even my walking style alone can't be anywhere close to being good. What of when I am limping? Anyways, I don't walk to impress, getting where I am going is what matters to me. As long as I can lift my legs from the ground, as long as I am able to put one leg in front of the other, I am good.

I feel him behind me, and he puts his hand on the door nob before I do. I try to turn, but I bump to his face from behind me.

Heck!

"What do you think you are doing?" I ask, trying not to turn to him because he is so close. So dangerously close!

I should get used to this, though.

"We are going to massage that leg of yours because I don't want any mishaps tomorrow. Hold this." He hands me a first aid kit, which I take.

"And who is going to do the massage?"

"Your hubby, of course. Who else?"

Hubby! That huts, quite different!

"No, thank you! I will do it myself." I reach for the door nob, but before I know it, I am in his arms, a faint scream escaping my lips because I didn't see that coming. "Put me down, Jerol!" I say, and I am dead serious about that.

But who am I daring? The dare devil himself? He is about emit fire from his eyes to burn me alive!

"Open the door!" His cold voice echoes through my ears, his icy eyes daring me to say or do otherwise. I twist the nob, opening the door.

He walks out with me bridal style in his arms, while I am dying with embarrassment.

"Does he really have to camouflage like this? Jeez! He looks so ugly and scary, but.. still.. hot, when he is this cold! Is this how rich people behave?"

He stops on his feet, gazing at me with a murderous look, raising the eyebrows, making his semi almond eyes appear more bigger that usual.

"If you say one more word, I will drop you off and I will not even care about your screams as you roll down these stairs, you hear me?" He speaks way too loud that even the servants in the sitting room heard it. They all disappear to the kitchen in a hurry, and I am glad there is no one else on the stairway. Does he beat them or why do they fear him so much? What am I even saying? His authoritative and commanding voice is enough to scare even the devil himself! His damn eyes too!

"Then you will have no fake wife to present to your family and your rich guests tomorrow. I dare you!" I fire back.

"Shut the fuck up, Tessa!" He is shutting his eyes tight, speaking between gritted teeth, his lips trembling with anger as he speaks, and I opt to stop my childishness at this point. It's best for me if I don't want to end up with broken bones.

"Sorry, hubby. Carry on, please? I won't talk again." I finish, and I lay my head on his chest, as he picks up his pace again.