Tessa rolled her eyes at him, not sure if she heard him correctly. She had always loved him since forever but presenting her as a bride to his mother out of the blues did not make sense to her. This had better be a joke, she thought to herself
Her mother stood up from her chair and approached Tessa, trailing her eyes at her body as if she was filled with filth. Tessa's clothes were stitched at the edges and merely looking at her one could tell she was from a poor background.
Mrs. Winston let go of her gaze and stepped back to her chair saying, "She's such a pretty girl. Aside from her horrible choice of clothes, which is not a problem. We can fix that up. She's perfect for the job," A smile suddenly crossed her face and she relaxed back in her chair.
Tessa chuckled inwardly, she gazed at them as if she was lost and what they were saying held no meaning. She managed to snap out of her trance and fired back at them"This is some sort of joke. Right?"
Aaron shot her a deadly look. She must really have the nerve to throw a stupid question at them. He moved closer to her, keeping an expressionless face, he grabbed her arms aggressively as he turned her, making her face him directly
"You sure do have the nerves to still ask questions. Not after l caught you red-handed snooping around this premises. Do you know l can charge you for invasion and intrusion? For all l care you could be a spy or a thief," he scoffed angrily
Tessa winced in pain as his grip tightened with each passing second."You're hurting me" she cried out. Just then it dawned on her that she was in a deep mess. She has heard stories of the rich oppressing the poor and this was a shred of evidence that they were not just stories but facts.
"Leave her Aaron, you're hurting her" his mother half yelled.
He let go of her arms and furrowed his eyebrow at her, "You do not have a choice here miss, you heard our conversation and this is your punishment for eavesdropping and intrusion. I do not have all the time in the world, my wedding is in two days. And you, my darling will be my substitute bride" he said mockingly
Maya gasped as she squinted her eyes in disbelief. If only she had listened to her grandmother, she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. No doubt Aaron was a jerk and he went about the situation the wrong way. If only he had asked her politely to stand in as his bride, she would have done it wholeheartedly without any questions but he must really be an asshole if he thinks she was going to give in without any struggle. She has been dying to see Aaron for the longest time, little did she know that their first meeting would turn out to be a charade.
"I'm no thief, neither am l a spy. I'm the gardener's granddaughter, sent to stand in for her as she's sick and won't be able to come to work. And if you think you're going to force me into marrying you, then you must really think twice Mister Winston,' Tessa remarked
"She's unbelievably bold and outspoken. I like her already" his mother let out.
Aaron smirked mischievously. He glanced at Tessa and gave her a deadly stare."It seems you do not grasp the situation you're in, which is quite understandable seeing your type of person. But l do hope you know the consequences of your actions, l could send you behind bars at the snap of my fingers. So do not think for a second that you have a choice. Don't let your stupidity land you in a bigger problem than you already are. I'm going to give you till noon tomorrow to decide if you will give in to my request or spend the rest of your miserable life in prison,' he sneered angrily
"That's enough Aaron," his mother said as she stood up from her chair. Tessa understood that the woman wasn't totally a bad person as people portrayed her to be. Though she seemed and acted though. But at least she could differentiate between good and bad, that was commendable.
Tessa shifted her gaze to Aaron's Mom. At least she seemed reasonable and she felt she should apologize for eavesdropping on their conversation."I'm so sorry ma'am, l apologize for snooping in on you guys like that. I know l shouldn't have, please forgive me" Tessa apologized, not sparing Aaron a glance
Before Tessa could finish, Aaron turned and left the room angrily. He clenched his fists in rage as he walked away. Tessa could see the anger on his face.
She was supposed to hate him for the way he spoke to her, she was supposed to be angry at him for trying to blackmail her into marrying him. But rather she was drawn to him. How could she possibly be drawn to such an arrogant and ruthless man, she thought to herself.
She suddenly felt really bad for the way she spoke to him, he was probably depressed about his missing bride-to-be. She should have handled the situation differently, she thought inwardly.
She was suddenly interrupted from her thoughts when Mrs. Winston placed her hands around her shoulder."Is fine dear. I apologize for my son's behavior earlier. He's going through a lot and he's usually not like this. I'm not trying to justify his actions. However, please promise me that you will think about what he proposed earlier, I'm not trying to sound selfish or inconsiderate but see me as a helpless mother who will do anything to protect her son's image and reputation. Your grandmother has worked with us for years and she's one of my trusted workers. I do not doubt that you will make a good stand-in bride for Aaron."
Tessa's heart melted at her words. She indeed was a nice woman and people were wrong about her the entire time. The way she cared for his son was commendable. Growing up without her parents made her wonder what it felt like to have a mother or a father but nevertheless, her grandmother was everything to her.
Tessa has been in love with Aaron for like forever and sincerely speaking she would love to help him out of this situation but the fear of being hurt in the process was holding her back.
"How do I explain to my grandmother that I landed myself in trouble and my punishment was to marry Aaron Winston? My long-time crush."
Tessa walked into their apartment with mixed feelings. It was just a two-bedroom flat and they were just doing fine with the little they had. Tessa couldn't possibly say her day went well but she was glad she met Aaron. Even though their meeting didn't turn out well, she still couldn't get over his cerulean blue eyes, he kind of looked cute when he was angry."No! Tessa, you can't possibly be drawn to that arrogant man" she could hear her inner mind yell at her, but No! She couldn't help it, she seemed to feel something deeper than she could explain.Tessa quietly tiptoed into the bedroom, not wanting to wake her grandmother up, she had enough already in one day. And knowing how inquisitive her grandmother can be, she was definitely going to find out that something was off about her. However, she was not going to hide the situation from her for too long. One way or the other she was still going to find out."You're back?" her grandmother's voice rang in the room. Her heart almost jump
"l have to be on my way now. I need to give my boss my resignation letter," Tessa said, bringing out the letter from her bag. She had worked in the convenience store for the past six months. The pay was not that enticing but it helped take care of some of their bills."Working for the Winstons meant getting a fat paycheck. But the money came at a cost - having to deal with their demanding and often unreasonable requests. The Winstons were known for being difficult to work for, and the high pay was meant to compensate for the stress and trouble they caused. But when Tessa got to meet Mrs. Winston, Aaron's mother, her initial narrative about her changed. She just saw a sweet loving soul, though putting out a tough side of her to people but deep down she was kind at heart."Alright hurry up, so you can park up. I have a feeling that Aaron Winston won't take no for an answer," her grandmother said teasinglyMaya chuckled at her grandma's obvious joke and let out"Bye grandma. See you soon"
"Are you sure Lisa is actually missing or she doesn't want to be married to you?" Dylan asked.Aaron clenched his fist in anger and glared at him "What do you mean she doesn't want to be married to me? You know how much Lisa loves me and she doesn't have any reason not to want to be married to me. She might actually be in trouble or even worse kidnapped, have you thought about that?" Aaron pointed out, anger and frustration evident in his voice. "Ohhh true, but what if she isn't? Moreover, have you sent your men to investigate this and probably look for her?" Dylan asked, keeping an expressionless face.Dylan Thompson was Aaron's childhood friend, he never liked Lisa for Aaron. But Aaron was too blindly in love with her to even notice how much of a snitch she was.She was clearly with Aaron because of his money and that's it. He had seen Lisa with different men on different occasions but somehow she manages to escape being caught. The last time he tried to tell Aaron about it, Aaron
Aaron glanced at his wristwatch and said "It's noon already. I'm here to take my bride-to-be home" Tessa's eyes widened on hearing that. Such an arrogant jerk! She fumed. "And what if it's a No!" She fired back at him. "Why do l have a feeling that it is a yes? You wouldn't quit your job if you were going to decline. And you wouldn't dare to say No" Aaron said proudly. 'What? How do you know that?" Tessa asked with widened eyes. "There is a lot you don't know about me Tessa, and l hate to be kept waiting is inclusive" He said and brought out a file, he handed it over to her and said. "Open it or perhaps you can go through it on our way home" "Home? Is this asshole being serious right now? I haven't even given my approval yet" Tessa thought to herself. "This guy is clearly an asshole and why can't l just say no to him and go back to my normal life. How can l be in love with such a jerk, who doesn't even give a fuck about me? Hope I'm not making the worst decision of my life?"
"She's bold! I like her already. And there is something about this one, she's quite different and outspoken, you have really met your match, someone who could stand up to you without fear" Dylan said and sat down on the couch.He turned and met Aaron glaring at him, giving him the "really?" look."You know, the last time I checked, you're my best friend and you're supposed to be on my side," Aaron said vehemently, giving Dylan a questionable look.Dylan giggled and replied "I'm on your side man, we want a better Aaron. And I'm particular that this one is going to blow your mind away real soon""Well, let me refresh your memory just in case you've forgotten. I'm still engaged to Lisa and no one, l repeat no one can ever replace her, and I'm going to do anything to find her and marry her" Aaron declared."Yet you're getting married to another. And not just anybody, a breathtaking and gorgeous lady, or is there something you're not telling me, Aaron?" Dylan teased and laughed. "I'm done
Hours later. Mara left as it was getting late, she needed to run some errands for her mother. Before she left, she encouraged Tessa to be strong as all of this would be over soon.Tessa shrugged back on her bed after Mara left. Her mind reminiscing on the day's event, she could recall the hurt in Aaron's voice as he made those dreadful promises to her on the altar. She knew he didn't want to be married to her, Lisa remained his only true love.It hurts for someone you love, to love another. She only came into his life a few days ago, so it was understandable if he didn't see her in the way she wanted him to.She stared at the mirror and wondered how long she had to put up with Aaron before he found the woman he loved, Lisa.As she lay on the bed, gradually drifting off to sleep, a knock came on her door, which made her open her eyes and let the person in.Deep down, she wished it was Aaron knocking, probably coming to check up on her. Tessa knew that her wish was futile. Aaron would n
Aaron glared at her without uttering a word, he shifted his gaze and continued eating, not sparing her any further glance."Thanks for the new clothes" Tessa added and stood up to leave. Aaron's silence was beginning to take a thorn on her.…….It's been months, living with the Winstons and yet no news about the whereabouts of Aaron's fiancee. He was clearly losing his mind as he had tried everything possible to find her but all to no avail. Aaron and Tessa hardly speak as he always look irritated anytime he was around her. Nevertheless Tessa tried as much as possible to avoid him and his tantrums but Aaron wouldn't let her be without picking on her. It was as if he made it his life goal to frustrate and trigger her.Tessa was on her bed, wrapped up in the warmth of her beddings when her phone suddenly beeped and a message appeared on her screen. She squinted her eyes in curiosity as she saw that the message was from Aaron. Wondering what it was this time."We have a brief meeting wi
Tessa could feel Aaron's anger from the way he held her hand. "But l didn't do anything" She thought to herself. The party was epic. With different influential men trooping in and out, Aaron seemed to be the richest with the kind of treatment and attention he was getting from them. She was not left out, as almost everyone that came to greet Aaron gushed about her beauty."Aaron you've got a pretty wife" That was a compliment that Tessa got used to, it almost sounded like music in her ears.Aaron was called for a brief discussion with some of the men. Tessa was seated at the table, sipping her drink quietly and waiting for Aaron. It took long enough and Aaron was yet to return to the table. She turned using her eyes to ransack the party hall, looking for Aaron. "Looking for someone?" Alexander's husky voice echoed, coursing Tessa to turn and smile at him, a bit disappointed because she wasn't expecting to see him.Tessa nodded and shifted her gaze from him. Her eyes fixed at the ent