006

Marcel’s POV

“Daddy!!” Akira, my baby girl, ran to hug me, and I picked her up from the floor.

I always have a stressful day at school or work but seeing my baby girl always made it better.

“How is my baby?” I pecked her on the cheek, and she giggled. “Where is Granny?”

“Your daughter makes me run around the entire house,” Mother sat on the couch, “Thank goodness you are getting married to someone fond of children.”

“Mother,” I dropped Akira so she could go play with her toys, “I think we should call off the wedding.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” Mother asked with pure concern, “Did something happen when you last met with her?”

“Not really, I just feel that Karisa isn’t prepared for this wedding, I have a feeling she is being forced into it,” I voiced my concern to Mother, hoping she would understand.

“You know it’s already too late to call off the wedding, it’s tonight,” Mother said calmly. Mother was always calm and understanding, “But if you want to call it off then I will speak to your Father.”

“We can’t call it off,” Father said when he entered the living room, “This alliance is the best alliance this family can have, they are number one in the business world and they will be useful to me.”

I didn’t understand Father’s greed. We also had businesses, and they were all doing well, even my law firm was number one, and all our businesses together beat theirs.

“What about her happiness?” I didn’t want to stay with someone who wasn’t happy and who didn’t want to be with me.

Deep down, I knew I wasn’t in love with her but I needed to be her friend so we could be good parents to Akira.

“Her happiness isn’t your problem at the moment, it’s her family’s problem,” Father said nonchalantly, “When you marry her then you can think of her happiness.”

“I should go get ready, Akira will stay with Grandma tonight,” I said as I stood up.

“You look stressed, do you need a head massage?” Mother asked and I shook my head with a smile, “Is that student, what’s her name again?” Mother paused then suddenly snapped her fingers, “Inaya, is Inaya still giving you issues?”

The thought of Inaya made me tired and mad, that name was a pain in my life, I spent just a few hours with her and I can’t stand her, then how do the people that live with her do it? “Unfortunately, yes, she gets worse all the time.”

“Who is her family?” Mother asked. I knew she wanted to handle it by herself.

“I don’t really know, but it seems she is from a very powerful family. The people in school respect her; it’s like they don’t want to get on her bad side,” I explained what I have noticed with time.

“Just go according to the school rule with her and I will handle it,” Mother smiled, “I can’t let anybody stress my son.”

“Sure,” I said before I walked up to my room, “Why are you two here?” I asked Nelson and Zachary, my best mates when I saw them lying on my bed dressed in suits.

“We are waiting for you,” Nelson said, showing me my wedding card. “Your wedding.”

I nodded my head to whatever Nelson was saying, he reminded me so much of Inaya, but they weren’t the same. Inaya was torture while Nelson was Nelson.

“Who owns that alcohol on the table?” Zachary pointed at the table.

My eyes followed to the table, “I seized it from a student some days back.”

“How did that student get that wine?” Both Zac and I looked at Nelson with confusion, “That wine is from Mr Valentino’s company, that wine isn’t even out, like it’s out but not to the public, so who exactly is that student?”

I laughed mentally, so her family is actually powerful in society to get an unreleased wine, “Just some troublemaker I don’t want to speak off,” I tapped Nelson on the shoulder, “Let me go get ready.”

Getting married again didn’t feel real, it’s been three years since Selena divorced me. I understood her; she was tired. I understood it was difficult for her to speak slowly whenever she was with me; she must have been embarrassed, and I didn’t bother to fight for us.

Karisa, on the other hand, I feel bad, I was about to marry her, and yet I didn’t tell her anything. I understood she didn’t accept this marriage willingly when she never asked about my hearing aids.

Everyone had learnt to live with me and do things with me, I had never had anyone mock me until I met that god forsaken girl, Inaya, who made fun of my disability in front of the entire class, she made me a laughing stock, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I will make sure she never practices law in this country or worse, I will make sure she never graduates from Lexington Law School.

“It’s been three hours, why isn’t the bride here?” Zac asked and I shook my head.

“I don’t know,” I replied tirelessly. They need an extra three hours, but it’s more than that.

“Maybe the bride ran away,” Nelson laughed. I glared at him, and he shut his mouth up.

Maybe the bride did run away, I mean why would they give out refreshments when we haven’t exchanged rings?

“You should go to the altar, the bride is coming out,” Father said, I stood up and went to stand at the altar.

My eyes stared deeply at the bride as she made her way to the altar. She was wearing a beautiful black handless ball dress and a long veil.

This didn’t feel like Karisa, the Karisa I spent last month with wasn’t one to break the rules, but then again, I didn’t know much about her.

Karisa hesitated to say I do and put the ring on my finger. I was concerned for her, but that concern turned into worry when I perceived alcohol on her breath.

Now I was curious as to why she drank before the wedding, does she regret the decision already?

I took a deep breath and removed her veil. My entire world went still, my blood froze, “Inaya…” The name I hated the most left my mouth.

The person I hated the most in the world was standing before me at the altar, where I had just gotten married.

I was in a fucking nightmare, someone please wake me up from this nightmare, “Sir?” Her voice woke me up from the nightmare; it wasn’t just a nightmare, it was a reality, and that reality made my blood boil.