The wedding

Chapter 4

Lisa's POV

I have just finished packing our bags. In a few minutes, new life with Alessandro begins. I'm tired from all the work, but I can't even nap because Piero will be here any minute now. I just lay on the bed and thought about my marriage to Alessandro. He is so arrogant, bitter, and heartless. I wonder if he will ever be satisfied with my service. O, and his lifestyle, UGG, don't get me started.

Will I ever adapt to that lifestyle? I'm used to a simple life. Not this life with money and all the fancy Patsy stuff I saw last night. We have such different personalities and have nothing in common. We don't even speak the same language, for the love of all things good! Numerous questions flash through my mind, questions to which I can't get an answer. I am trying to understand why the wedding should occur so late in the evening. I can understand just as little why there are gold diggers in the world who want to make life difficult for others. Now that I think about it again, I realize I don't understand Mancini.

Piero's arrival at the hotel interrupts my busy mind; he's ready to take me to my future home. I look at my simple dress; maybe I should wear something fancy instead. Alessandro is blind, but the other people aren't blind. Oh, they can go to hell. I'm an ordinary person, not a rich man's daughter, and she won't pretend to be born rich. The porter took my suitcases to the car parked in front of the hotel while I went to pay the hotel bill. Afterward, I greeted the hotel manager and walked to the waiting car.

Alessandro's POV

When a car stops, I relax with my brother and sister-in-law on the front porch. “O my soul, what a beautiful girl! God must have taken his time creating her!” My sister-in-law whispers.

“Who are you talking about, Sophia?” I asked with a frown.

“I think it's your bride because she just got out of your car, Alessandro.” My sister-in-law explains. I immediately stand up when I hear Lisa's footsteps approaching. I immediately recognized her by her perfume. I hold my hand out for Lisa, hoping she will take it. My brother and his wife don't know about the agreement. Then I felt a cold hand take mine.

“Allow me to introduce my sister-in-law Sofia and my brother Gabriele Mancini to you, Lisa.” I then turn to my sister-in-law and say, “Lisa is the woman I'm marrying tonight. Her name is Lisa Saunders.” Lisa greets them kindly. I was just about to invite her to sit down when I heard

“I don't think there's time for talking, guys; grandma has just arrived with the makeup artist,” Sophia says before Lisa can sit down.

“Sophia, will you take Lisa to her room, please?” I ask before they think I'm not interested in my wife-to-be.

“It's not necessary, Alessandro. If you can tell me which room, I'm sure I will find it myself.” Lisa objects. Just as I want to speak when Grandmother says

“Good to see you again, my dear. I assume you’ve already met Gabriel and Sophia? Let's get you ready. Alessandro, please go and get ready.” I nod. I don't want to get married to a woman I have never seen before, but I can't say no to my grandmother. I hear Sophia talking to Lisa.

“I hope you don't care; I already put your wedding dress and everything that goes with it on your bed this morning,” before they walk away.

“Come, big brother. I hear Gabriel say something beside me. “I can't believe you're finally getting married.”

“If I were the one to marry her, I would have hidden her too.” Gabriel continues.

“Let's go.” It was all I said before I felt Gabriel lead me to my room.

Lisa's POV

“I assume you have already taken a shower; I will only help you get dressed; grandma hired a makeup artist and a hairdresser,“ I hear Sophia say.

“That's very kind of you, Mrs. Mancini.” I forced a smile.

Sophia doesn't allow me to say more: “Since you're about to become my sister-in-law, Lisa, call me Sophia instead of Mrs. Mancini.”

“Alright, I just have to get used to it,” I tell her. “This is all new to me, and I don't know Alessandro that we'll yet.“ I continue. “Come, dear, let's get you ready, and from now on, you can call me grandma,” Maria says as we enter a room. Suddenly, all the tension, worry, and nervousness that I experienced vanished. I couldn’t help but be impressed by the luxury surrounding the room. The bed is a king-size with black and red bedding; there's a large flat-screen TV fixed to the wall; and on my right-hand side is a large walk-in wardrobe larger than my bedroom back in South Africa. The bathroom is large, with black tiles on the floor and walls. There's a Jacuzzi and even a small flat-screen TV; the shower is so big that four people can shower at once. I was still checking the room when Sophia said, “We have to get ready before the groom comes and takes you himself.”

What should have been a happy day for me was a day full of worry and stress. The thought of my sister gives me the strength to push through with the wedding. Otherwise, I would have run away already. Finally, I'm dressed in my pure white wedding dress. The dress is shoulderless and has a low neck; at the bust, there are delicate beads and diamonds; her back is open, and then the dress flows past my feet. They let my hair loose, so my natural curls show, and my makeup is skillfully applied. The sled is so long that it looks like I'm dragging the red carpet behind me.

“Something new,” Sophia said as she put a heart-shaped necklace around my neck, “Something old,” Followed by a beautiful hairpin with white gold roses. “Something borrowed”

Sophia says as she puts a beautiful yet simple bracelet on my arm, “Then last but not least, something blue.” Sophia helps set the garter around my leg.

“You are indeed the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, Lisa”, I hear Maria say with admiration. “It is a pity that Alessandro cannot see you today; he will never know how beautiful you look today.”

“Thank you very much, Grandma,” I say with a sad smile. There was a knock on the door, and Sophia went to open it, “Are the bride ready?” I hear Gabriele asking.

“Yes, I'm ready, Gabriele; thank you very much,” I answer as I walk to the door. Maria, Sophia, and I walk behind Gabriele to the back door leading to the garden. There, Gabriele leaves us to go to Alessandro.

“Are you ready, dear?” Maria asks as she takes me to Mason. “As I will ever be,” I reply. We stop in front of Mason, “You look beautiful, Lisa. Thank you.” He says.

“No, thank you.” I give a small smile.

“Sophia, you can go in with me. “Grandpa will take her in,” Maria says to Sophia. Mason took my arm and led me down the aisle. There is an audible whisper among the guests when Mason and I appear in the garden. We stroll with ease. Then we were with Alessandro and Gabriele. I take the arm Alessandro holds out for me and am suddenly aware of how beautiful Alessandro looks in his black suit.

Then I hear the priest say:

“We are gathered here today to unite this man, Alessandro Mancini, and this woman, Lisa Saunders, in the bonds of matrimony.

Alessandro, do you take Lisa to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I DO,” Alessandro says in an irritated voice.

Lisa, do you take Alessandro to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I DO,” I say sadly, knowing I'm this man's wife after today.

“By the power vested in me by the State of Vatican City State, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” As soon as I hear this, my heart beats fast. What will Alessandro do? Will he kiss me in front of everyone?

Before I know what's happening, Alessandro pulls me to him and kisses me on her cheeks—the freaking cheeks! “Wait, why am I upset about it?” I thought the sound of applause and whispers from the guest brought me back. Alessandro let go of me and turned toward the guests.

Hand in hand, we walk to the tent where the reception is being held. The guests throw colored confetti as we walk into the tent. I see a wedding ring set made of two blue diamonds. I must admit it's beautiful, but something tells me this is a family ring. I didn't notice the ring on my hand until I heard, “I have never met a woman with such small hands,” Alessandro said.

Once we are alone, I will give the ring back to him. The family comes to congratulate us, and some reporters take photos. Then I hear Gabriele announce, “Will the bride and groom please step to the dance floor?” Ed Sheeran's “Thinking Out Loud” starts playing, and Alessandro and I walk to the dance floor. I started to feel nervous about being so close to this handsome man. It seems to me that Alessandro cannot wait for the dance to finish. After this, everyone sits down for a festive meal. Champagne flows freely, but I only drink one glass, and I notice that Alessandro is doing the same. I wonder if he will go to the hospital with me. “Wait, what are you thinking, Lisa? Of course he will not”. I remind myself. The guests left a few hours after dinner; everyone made arrangements to leave except Alessandro's brother and sister-in-law, whom he had invited to visit for a few days. After the guests leave, I excuse myself to change.

But then I suddenly hear Alessandro say, “I want to feel what you look like before you go, Lisa, if you don't mind.” He gets up from the couch and continues, “Please come stand in front of me. Even though I have no eyes to see you, my fingers can tell me just as much “. Alessandro first feels over my face and hair with his fingers; then it feels like his hand gently caresses my shoulders, arms, waist, and hips. I feel a hot blush push up against my cheeks. Then I heard him say again, “You are indeed a beautiful bride.” Alessandro let his hands fall to his side and continued softly, “You can change now, Lisa. I'll go to the hospital with you tonight.” Lisa takes his arm and says softly, “Let me just help you sit down first, then I'll get dressed.” I told him and helped him sit down. Then I quickly left them and went to my room.

It still feels like a dream when I dress in my new black vintage scoop neck casual dress and the black pumps I bought at the fashion house yesterday, hang a beautiful diamond infinity necklace around my neck, and wear gold earrings to complete the outfit. I suddenly remembered the diamond ring on my finger and returned it to Alessandro. I walk back to where I left Alessandro. “May I please talk to you for a moment, Alessandro?” I asked him. “Yes, come sit next to me and tell me what you want to talk to me about, Lisa.” He says. She carefully takes a seat next to him. “I would like to... I mean, I want to give your ring back to you. I realize it is a family ring.”

“You are right,” he rudely interrupts. “It's the family ring with which every Mancini heir usually becomes engaged. My grandmother wants you to wear it.” He says it in a cold voice. I don't know why I suddenly felt a sting after he said those words. “What time do you want to visit your sister?” He changed the subject.

“I think we better go now; otherwise, I won't be able to see her after visiting hours,” I say. “Alright” was all he said when he stood up. I suddenly realize how tall a big-built man he is, And the suit shows his muscles under all the clothes. His shiny black hair is neatly combed back, and his gorgeous face is expressionless. I took his arm and led him to the car. On the way to the hospital, it is quiet in the car.

Piero stops in front of the hospital and helps Alessandro out of the car. “You can wait for us here in the car, Piero.” He addresses his driver in Italian. “Mrs. Mancini will assist me further.” I have no idea what he just said, but it sounds sexy. I took Alessandro's arm and carefully led him inside. It didn't take long to reach Lilani's room. Lilani was still awake when we entered the room. “Lilly, I would like to introduce Alessandro Mancini to you,” I say in English. I'm glad that Lilani learned to speak English early, so I don't have to translate everything for Alessandro. “This is my sister Lilani Saunders, Alessandro.”

Alessandro greets Lilani, and I help him sit on the chair beside the bed. I then bent down and kissed her on the head. “Are you ready for the operation tomorrow, little one? As soon as you leave the hospital, I will arrange for a nurse to look after you at your new home until you have recovered.” A shy smile appears on Lilani's lips as she says, “Am I going to stay with you, uncle? My sister says it's a big house; it looks almost like a castle. Are there any fairies in your garden? Do I get my room? “ Lilani rattles on. Alessandro kindly replies. I can't believe how this man suddenly turned ninety degrees in personality. “Yes, you will stay with us; my house is probably as big as a castle. And I do not know if there are fairies; maybe you can find out for us as soon as you are healthy? And to answer your last question, yes, you get a room with a bathroom. “ Alessandro says it very calmly.

Lilani thanked him kindly. “You just got married? Did you look like a princess to your prince, Lisa? Oh, and was there cake? I wish I were there.” She says it dreamily. I can only smile at her innocence. “Yes, the people say your sister looked beautiful; I will get a cake as soon as you get out of the hospital, then you can celebrate it with us,” Alessandro says, friendly. Lilani smiles and closes her eyes; very soon, she falls asleep. I sigh and say, Worried.

“She seems to be asleep. I think our visit and the excitement have exhausted her.”

“In that case, we should rather leave so that she can rest.” Alessandro softly says, I kiss my sister gently on the head, then takes Alessandro's arm and leads him to the car. On the way to the mansion, both of us were quiet.

Upon our return home, Alessandro immediately disappears to his study, where he handles most of his business by telephone during the day. I sigh and walk around the house until I see Grandma. “O, hey dear. Come sit here next to me. How's your sister doing?” She asks. “Alright, I guess,” I reply sadly. “I hope it goes much better with your sister after the operation tomorrow, Lisa,” Grandma says. “Alessandro is all Gabriele has left, except for Mason and me. Their parents died early. Alessandro was in his last year at university, and Gabriele was in his last year of school. Alessandro then had to take over the family business and care for Gabriele. Alessandro is not one of the friendliest people today. He never talks about himself anymore. Grandpa and I tried to be there for them. But a child still needs his or her parents, no matter how old they are. You see, that's why I asked you to marry him. After his fiancé left him, he became more and more heartless.” Grandma explains with sadness.

I look at Grandma and nod. “It's true,” I softly say. “He's not a friendly person. He must be careful; one of these days, he will become an old grumpy man.” Grandma laughs softly and then says, “Alessandro was not always so unfriendly, Lisa. His former fiancé, Bianca Lombardi's heartlessness, made him so bitter. He will later realize that not all women are like Bianca. I fear that it would be too late to compensate for all the damage he had done”.

“Yes, I have to notice that he doesn't even trust people who are sincerely kind to him,” Lisa says. Grandma nods. “You're right. My grandson is nobody's friend at the moment. He's under the impression that people are only friends with him because he's rich. That's why the family is not keen on coming to visit. His brother visits him whenever he can, and me and grandpa, well, I make sure that knucklehead doesn't push us away, but maybe you're just what he needs to get back to his old self.“

“I wonder if I'm going to be strong enough to do it,” I say truthfully. “He's so... Arrogant?” We chat for a while longer when Grandma announces that she will make some tea and then head to bed. We went to the kitchen and found Alessandro and Gabriel eating ice cream. “I see you boys haven't changed one bit.” Grandma scolds them. “It's his fault, granny,” Gabriel says, pointing to Alessandro. “Lisa, dear, do you want coffee or tea?” Grandma asks me. “Coffee would be great; thank you, Grandma,” I reply. I take this opportunity to study Alessandro when he suddenly says, “Your sister will be operated on at six tomorrow morning, Lisa. If you're at the hospital at five, you can probably still see her before she goes to the theater. “ Alessandro said. “Thank you, Alessandro,” I reply.

Grandma hands me my coffee, and I sit down on one of the chairs. Gabriel and Alessandro talk about their childhood and what they did to Grandpa. After a while, I excused myself. “I will ask the housekeeper to make sure you wake up on time tomorrow morning, Lisa,” Alessandro assures me. “I think you need a good night's rest after your busy day,” Grandma says. I wish everyone a good night's rest and leave the room. I remembered that today was my wedding day when I climbed into bed. I was supposed to be on my honeymoon with my husband, but sadly, this isn't a normal marriage. I turn the lights off, still thinking about the arrogant man.