"Ayla?"
"Do you need me to call the doctor?" Claude spoke up again when he didn't hear a reply from her. His worrying mind was already thinking of the worst. He could only stand there as he contemplated what had gone wrong with her.
"N-no."
A sigh of relief left his lips when a stuttering reply made its way into his ears.
"Are you sure?" He was still doubtful about it. Her pale face and shallow breaths told him a completely different story.
"Yes. I am fine." Ayla replied to him hurriedly this time. She would hate herself for creating a scene right after arriving at the Atkinsons' family manor. "I think I only need some food." She added as she kept her eyes glued to the covers.
She was trying her best not to look him in the eye. The thought of it alone made her feel weird. What added to her nervousness was how casually he was taking it
"You purposefully went to another city, just so you could avoid meeting me before our wedding." Ayla couldn't believe her ears. She was struggling to believe Claude's words, but knew better than to not trust him."Sort of, yes. I was hoping to surprise you right on the wedding day. I didn't know that things would go south before I was able to return." He exhaled out a tired sigh as his thoughts returned to that eventful day."Even if I have chosen to stay here, I would have to leave eventually because someone decided to not do their job." He continued, giving her a better picture of things."Did you fix the problem?" Ayla couldn't help but inquire about it, trying to keep the conversation going."Of course. Otherwise, I would not be here." He replied to her. "One more thing, do you know about the event tonight?"Claude decided to address the bigger i
[Half an hour later.]Ayla made her way down a not-so-narrow corridor as a maid guide the way. She didn't know that Claude's room was literally located in another wing. If she had an idea prior, she would have rather had the maid call him to her.But given the circumstances, she didn't want to bother him much. Especially after how he helped her with her outfits and everything else. It wouldn't be wrong if she was to say that he was acting like the ideal husband one could ask for. The only problem was that she wasn't someone who'd thought about it—ever."There you go, Young Mistress." The maid stepped to the side and bowed her head ever so slightly.Ayla thanked her with a small nod before her eyes shifted to the wide oak door staring back at her.'Do I go inside or not?' She began to contemplate over it once the maid left.
The couple walked down the staircase, Ayla's hand resting in the crook of Claude's elbow. It wasn't long before they entered the hall where the guests were gathered. Since Sylvia had arranged it to be a big event, the doors of an adjoining hall were also pushed open to ensure that the place would not end up being too crowded. In addition, the buffet was supposedly arranged outside in the garden, ensuring an open atmosphere for those who wanted to enjoy the outdoors. "Your mother outdid herself it seems." Ayla could only remark at the arrangements. The place itself lacked nothing, but the dull white fabric of the sheer curtains only added to the charm of it. Especially combined with floral arrangements which added color to the atmosphere. "She does not take this lightly." Claude shook his head, reminiscing about all the past events that were arranged by her. "But this i
"First of all, I would like to thank you for taking time from your routine. It's an honour for me to have you all here with me as I share my happiness with the world."Claude continued speaking into the microphone as soon as he managed to get everyone's attention. His arm has slid down the curve of Ayla's back, making sure to not let go of her."Please, give me the honor of introducing this beautiful lady." He gently nudged Ayla forward before pressing his lips to the side of her head."Most of you must have already recognized her as Ayla Lawrence. But today, I am here to introduce her as someone else. Ayla Atkinson." His words washed over the whispers going around in the room, their eyes going wide in shock."You heard me right." Claude continued, confirming their suspicions. "This gorgeous woman is now my wife. We tied the knot last weekend." He finished off before turning h
The duo was done changing into their own nightwear, ready to hit the sack. Ayla watched Claude move around the room for the next fifteen minutes while she kept herself up despite the fact that she was tired. It was getting harder for her to keep her eyes open as the clock ticked by, but Claude showed no sign of resigning for the night.Instead, he picked his laptop up and began to scroll through his emails. He was so focused on the screen that she was struggling about interrupting him."What is it?"The silence was broken down by the man. He could sense her staring at him from time to time and decided to ask her about it."Nothing." Ayla shook her head frantically even though she could see that his eyes were still glued to his laptop."Are you sure?" He finally looked up from the laptop. "You look like you need to sleep, but you are forcing yourself to sta
The day was about to come to an end as the clock struck two in noon. It was about time that the lady in white wrapped her books up and found herself a ride back home.It was Claude who had dropped her off in the morning despite the fact that he asked her to let him rest for a while. She wondered whether or not a driver was sent to fetch her back home as Claude did ask her about the time she got off.Contrary to how Ayla was expecting, there wasn't much of a talk about last night's evening. While she caught a couple of people throwing cautious glances her way, there was no buzz around her either. At first, she found it weird but later chose to shrug it off. She knew better than anyone how fast news travelled around her campus. The evident delay only worked in her favor.She was all ready to find herself a ride back home when her eyes landed on a familiar face, waiting patiently by the exit."May I ask, what are you doing here?" Ayla rolle
The last words that left the lady's mouth were all that took for Ayla to lose her calm. She clenched her palms into fists as she took a step closer to the counter. "Rachel, is it?" Ayla snuck a glance at the lady's name badge. "Why don't you do as I am asking? Pick up that damn phone and tell your boss that his 'wife' is here to see him." She had no plan of rubbing it into anyone's face, but she would rather do it than get humiliated by some random woman who thought too highly of herself. To her dismay, her words seemed to have no effect on Rachel. She just laughed it off before exchanging a look with her colleague. "If you are our boss's wife, then I am a celebrity." Rachel burst into a fit of giggles, getting the attention of the people passing by. "But both of us know that it's nothing but crap. So, I suggest you leave right now and find some other place where you can actually pull this off." She added haughtily while looking down on Ayla
"You can not go inside, Miss." A female voice interrupted Ayla's movement, making her stop in her tracks. "Excuse me?" Ayla fought the urge to roll her eyes. 'Not again.' She thought to herself. Her eyes darted around the foyer like space and then moved to the wide dark wood doors on her right. The spacious corridor was empty with the exception of a single desk which was occupied by the lady in question. "Mr. Claude is in a meeting right now." The lady spoke up, answering the unasked question. "You can wait in the waiting area. I'll come get you when he's done." The woman assumed that Ayla must be a representative of some other corporation and was there to see Claude. Her words piqued Ayla's curiosity and she couldn't help but question her. "I was told that he's free." "He's in there with his girlfriend. It might take some time." The woman replied to her without disclosing the identity of the lady. "May I