The Substitute Bride

"Hi." Daniella said in a weak tone. She glanced at someone sitting alone on their veranda. She pulled up the first row of chairs on the left and sat on them.

"Oh, you're here," Deianne muttered as she looked away from her drawing and looked up at her twin sister. They were born as identical twins, and the hospital declared Daniella as the eldest of them. 

"Am I disturbing you?"

Deianne shook her head. "No, you're not. And you know, you will always be welcome to barge in whenever you want to." 

A pregnant pause envelops them after that. Deianne isn't the type of person who will engage in a long conversation, and Daniella knew it.

"Oh! Daniella, you're here apparently. I was just about to wake you," said Sandra, the twin's mom, who brought two glasses of vanilla milk, which she put on the side table very carefully so as not to disdain the masterpiece her youngest daughter was doing. "Hey, what's wrong with you, Daniella?" Mrs. Montes asked as she probably noticed her eldest's sour face, as if there was no joy in her life.

"Mom, where's dad?" Daniella asked back instead of answering her mother's question.

"Why are you suddenly asking about your dad? What is happening, dear?" Arthur, the Montes patriarch, said to announce his sudden arrival as he gently grabbed Daniella's shoulder from behind, enough to make his eldest gasp in surprise. Arthur pulled a chair onto the veranda and sat down, then looked at his eldest daughter thoroughly. "Are you okay? You look pale. Did something happen to you? Do you have a problem with your subordinates at work?" The father of two asked again when he didn't receive any answer from Daniella.

"Do you want to tell us something or maybe you have come up with a decision?" Sandra, who seemed to understand what had happened to her daughter, pried.

"Actually..." said Daniella, intentionally stopping her sentence. She has finally come to a decision about the thing her parents asked her to do. She has thought about it through, but despite that, she still finds it hard to say it as it will be the start of her new life.

"What now? Come on, you are hanging us in our seats. Also, I want to finish this drawing today." Deianne said. She was also dying to know what was going on in her sister's mind right now, as the woman looked so puzzled.

Daniella took a deep breath before she said, "I... I am agreeing to the marriage." For some reason, there was a sense of relief in her heart as she let those words out of her lips.

"Really? That's good news! I am so proud of you!" Arthur uttered. He and his wife were constantly trying to convince their eldest to be arranged in a marriage with the only son of the Montaez family, but Daniella refused to do it for weeks now.

"Hah, finally I will have a son-in-law. I think it's about time to have one." Sandra muttered as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head slightly.

Daniella remained silent after that. She was busy with her own thoughts. She's been feeling weird lately. In fact, she really wanted that arrangement, as it only signifies that she has the upper hand in their family business, plus the fact that she will be the one and only daughter-in-law of the Montañez group. It will be very beneficial for her. But she doesn't understand herself either. She's having doubts about it. She wants to make her parents proud of her and love her more, but there's something inside her telling her otherwise.

Daniella then glanced at Deianne with a slightly strange look. Her twin sister, who felt herself being looked at strangely even then, frowned at her. 

"Why?" Deianne asked, with a look that was no less strange.

Daniella shook her head quickly. Now she has to stand up for what she decided. What is important now is that she will gain more from the arrangement.

Daniella then ran towards the entrance of their house, which was witnessed by three pairs of surprised eyes. "Dad! Mom! I will meet him today! I will tell him that I accepted the arranged marriage!" she shouted as she stopped right at the door.

*****

Marcus sits on a bench in the coffee shop near his office. Daniella asked him to go out because the woman had something important to say. He was reading some of the emails on his phone as he waited patiently. He looked so serious about it that he didn't even notice Daniella sitting next to him and looking at him seriously.

"Tch, you really are a nerd and a workaholic." Daniella commented and turned her face away. Now Marcus realizes that the woman is now beside him. He closed the email he was reading and put down his phone to focus on Daniella. He has to take care of the woman since they will be husband and wife in the future if both of them agree on the arrangement made by their parents. 

Since he was a child, his parents and his grandfather constantly reminded him of the arranged marriage he would be in before he took over the company. And he has no problem with that because, for him, it is just and right. He was an obedient son since he was an only child. Actually, his life was orchestrated perfectly by his parents and grandfather even before he was born. And growing up in a strict and firm family made him just accept it as part of his life. He just decided to see the goodness in it instead of rebelling.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Marcus asked slightly, tilting his head to look at Daniella, who had her back to him. The woman turned around with pouty lips. "Hey, don't pursue your lips like that. I am just really busy." he added as he looked at her lips as well as her slightly puffy cheeks.

But Daniella didn’t stop pursing her lips; instead she added it with her eyes narrowing sharply.

"Hey! You look scary like that." Marcus said it again. He lightly backed into his seat to avoid the woman's sharp gaze. Daniella then gets closer to him, making him uncomfortable with her behavior.

And out of the blue, Daniella kissed his cheek briefly. He was taken aback by what had just happened.

Still wearing a shocked expression, Daniella laughed at him in amusement.

Marcus grunted. He then sits straight and goes back to checking his emails.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?" said Daniella in a spoiled tone. Her hand grabbed Marcus’ left hand, which looked sturdy. She hung there and took out a moment to be pampered.

"Uhm, you said that you have something important to say, right? What is it?" asked Marcus, straight to the point.

Daniella stopped clinging to Marcus’ hand, and a gust of wind that she felt was strange hit her at that moment. She sits properly, with straight eyes, looking at the man beside her.

"Should I say it now?" she asked.

"If you want to, I don’t want to pressure you or anything." Marcus answered as he put back down his phone again to focus on the woman.

"You’re not pressuring me. In fact, I asked you out today because I said that I had something to say, right? But…" Daniella said. Her obsidian eyes rolled, as if looking for something to complete her dangling sentence.

Marcus held the woman's hands with both of his. Their eyes met, and they saw each other's reflection in their eyes. "Then why? I can sense that you’re hesitating to say it." he asked seriously.

Daniella shook her head slowly. 

"Then? Come on, Daniella, tell me. I can assure you that I will not react negatively to whatever you will say." Marcus continued.

"I already agreed to our arranged marriage. My parents knew about it. So, it is now up to you if you want to proceed with our "wedding". 

Marcus smiled at Daniella.

"Of course, I will. Let’s make our parents proud and happy."

"And let’s try to build a relationship together. I want to make this one work." Daniella added with a smile, as she tried hard to ignore her gut feeling of just run away.

*****