Wedding Ceremony

Anna had never imagined that her wedding ceremony would be this crowded, and that she would be surrounded by so many people she barely knows. Her family did invite some of her relatives, but majority of the guests were new to her. She can tell by the way they dress that they are not just wealthy but filthy rich and powerful. Furthermore, because his company is spread all over the world, she noticed a lot of foreigners who flew all the way here just to attend their wedding. Ibrahim must be a significant figure. Throughout the ceremony, she was instructed to remain by Ibrahim's side to greet the guests, and a new fact she learned about him is that he is extremely intelligent. She was amazed to learn that her husband could speak four different languages. He speaks Japanese, Chinese, French, and Spanish. She realized it when she overheard him conversing with the guest in their language, which she barely understood. She was surprised seeing the power this man holds over the people here.

She couldn't lie, she is exhausted now her whole body ached, just standing by his side to welcome the guests. The wedding ceremony and banquet were held on the same day, and she spent almost the entire day in her heavy wedding gown and high heels. Her face turned sour every passing hour because she was hungry and tired, but she doesn't dare to complain to Ibrahim about it not because she's afraid of him but she doesn't want him to think she's rude. She could tell his guests were influential people, and she couldn't afford to make a mistake right now.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable?” Ibrahim inquired that she had been acting strangely for the past twenty minutes. He could hear her letting out a soft sigh every time she shifted.

When she didn't respond, he asked again, "Perhaps, are you tired?"

Could Anna affirm? She is definitely tired. "I am fine. I could still manage to welcome your guest. For the entire occasion, including this marriage, you have paid a fortune. I couldn't refuse." said Anna.

For a second, a guilty feeling flooded his heart. He should be happy to see her suffer, but his heart ached when she refers their marriage as a product he created for a show. It offended him.

"You can take a seat if you’re tired. I don't want anyone to think I'm torturing you, and I know you’re hungry. The sound your stomach is making is quite loud." Said Ibrahim.

Anna nervously bit her lips in an effort to stifle her shame. Why would her stomach be growling in such a circumstance? She asked again, not wanting to offend him, "Is it okay if I leave you alone?"

As soon as Ibrahim nodded his head, she didn’t wait any longer and vanished from his sight right away. Her legs are so sore already that they feel numb now. Moreover, she’s hungry. She has been admiring all of those delicious-looking foods, but she was unable to eat them sooner because she needed to stay by Ibrahim's side to welcome the guests. She feels a small sense of relief that Ibrahim could comprehend her. He's not as bad as she anticipated.

When Anna took her seat and began to eat her food, she found it strange that she didn't see her parents or brother, but she couldn't think about it as her entire focus was on the food.

“Hey!! Anna.”

Anna almost got chocked when she heard someone calling her name. Who would know her here? She didn’t recall inviting any of her friends.

"There are a lot of things you really need to explain to me."

Anna's eyes grew wide. How could he be here? “How come you are here?” she asked in a bewildered tone.

Jacob Murray rolled his eyes in annoyance. For some reason, he felt like he was deceived by her. “Business connection. Not me, but my father.” Jacob answered. It’s not a surprise for Anna now. Jacob’s family might be as rich as Ibrahim’s. It’s not odd that his family is invited.

Anna sighed and uttered with a guilty look. “Sit down."

Jacob was unable to think clearly. He considered this girl sitting next to him to as his sister rather than just a friend. How could she able to keep this news from him?

"Now speak. We made a promise to meet at a club a week ago. I waited until 1 in the morning, and you didn’t even show up. I was so worried thinking that something might happen to you, and do you know how surprised I was to learn that you were going to wed Ibrahim?" Jacob expressed his displeasure.

Anna sighed upon hearing what Jacob said. She knew how much he adored her, but she’s not ready to tell anyone about her marriage "What do you want to know? You can ask me now. I’ll answer it one by one." She appeared helpless.

Jacob sighed. "I'm not upset because you didn't tell me about your marriage, but I am concerned. How did you meet him? How much do you know about him before deciding to make him your partner?"

Anna tried her best to give Jacob a smile to let him know that she was fine. "You don't need to be concerned. My family owes him a large sum of money, but his only term and condition is that he wants to marry me," she says.

Jacob's eyes narrowed in perplexity. “What? Owe him? What money? Why would he want to marry you?”

"My father's company was about to go bankrupt when that man showed up and bought all the company's stock. That fund is sufficient to cover all losses and expenses. I knew nothing about business, but I believe it could have saved my father's company. Regarding his request, I'm not sure I understand it, but he stated that in order to claim his father's will, he needed to marry." She elaborated.

Jacob is still puzzled. What does business have to do with marriage? "What did it have to do with marriage? Anna, even if he saved your father’s company, it doesn’t mean that you have to marry him."

"Although I don’t want to, I have to, and I don’t have any choice but to comply with him." She almost cried as she was so depressed about this forlorn marriage. She looked at the whole ballroom. All of this sudden cheerfulness will end in just a blink of an eye.

“Anna. Don’t you think there’s something in wrong here.” Jacob sounded suspicious.

“What’s wrong?” Anna asked.

Jacob took a sharp glance at Ibrahim who was still busy greeting the guests. “As far as I know, Ibrahim is an orphan. Could you see any of his relatives attending your wedding? All you can see are his merchandisers and some of his close friends.”

Anna was dumbfounded. An orphan? Does that mean he is lying about his father’s will? "Are you sure?" She couldn’t believe what she just heard.

Jacob confidently nodded his head. "I don't know much about him, but from what I've heard from my father, he grew up in an orphanage because none of his relatives were willing to care for him."

For a brief moment, Anna felt as if the world around her was spinning, making it difficult for her to think clearly. If he's an orphan, he's probably lying. His real intention for this marriage is not to inherit his father's estate. "Do you mean he's lying to my family?" She is on the verge of crying.

Jacob exhaled sharply, knowing Anna was in pain right now, but he had to remind her. “I'm not sure, Anna. The only thing that I would like to remind you is that you have to be very careful with this man you called husband today. As far as I know, he is not an ordinary man.”

If Anna hadn't been sitting, she would have fallen to the ground. She will be living under the same roof with Ibrahim and now that she has to be vigilant with him, what has she gotten herself into? She was cursing herself for agreeing to marry him in the first place.

She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that when she lifted her face, she didn't notice that her husband, Ibrahim, was already standing in front of her.

"I had no idea you had invited any of your friends, Anna." Ibrahim said, refereeing to Jacob.

Jacob almost choked when Ibrahim appeared in front of him. He had no idea he'd be so nervous. He didn't even bother to respond to Ibrahim, instead remained silent. This man's aura is no joke.

Anna nodded her head, “Jacob, he is my best friend.”

Ibrahim cast a sharp glance at Jacob. "Breathe," he said.

When he heard what Ibrahim said, Jacob exhaled. He had no idea he was holding his breath. He got up from his seat, extended his hand in greeting, and said, "My name is Jacob Murray. Congratulations, and it's a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Saunders."

Ibrahim accepted the handshake with a small chuckle. Now that he could clearly see the tall man, who appeared to be so close to his wife, close enough that they could casually hug each other. "It's nice to meet you too, but it'll be much more pleasant if you put some distance between yourself and my wife. Please excuse us," Ibrahim said. He drew Anna along with him, leaving a perplexing Jacob behind.

Ibrahim sighed and rolled his eyes. He was enraged when he saw Ibrahim drag Anna along with him. "Seriously!" he exclaimed. His mind, however, is still filled with questions. There's something strange going on here, and he's going to figure it out.

Anna couldn’t do much either when Ibrahim took her away from there. She’s so tired today that she doesn’t have any energy left to fight with him. However, there are a lot of things that she learned today about Ibrahim and the people around him.

First and foremost, he is a wise man.

Second Luke is his only best friend.

Third, Jessica Watson is the only secretary he entrusted his business to.

Fourth, he is an orphan.

Except for the last, none of the preceding points bother her. Why would he lie? Just who Ibrahim Saunders is? What makes him want to marry her? She promised herself that she would piece together every answer and reveal the true self of that mysterious yet dangerous man.