by T. R. Iyer
“Jake, that is crazy. Nella, we are not running away.” Emily became frantic when she sensed that Ornelia was considering the idea. “There has to be another way to deal with this. We can maybe speak to a lawyer and find a loophole in the will. Running away would only cause a lot of unwanted problems.” Emily tried to talk some sense into both of her friends.
“This whole wedding is an unwanted problem. Jake, let’s go pack. I am ready to run away.” Ornelia took in a deep breath.
If she had to run away to avoid the situation from happening, she was ready to do that, to do anything, just to steer clear of this charade they were expecting her to put up with.
“Finally! Some adventure. Let’s go.” Jake squealed in excitement.
Emily sighed loudly. “I am telling you, this is a bad idea, Ornelia.
“Don’t listen to this idiot,” she warned her as she walked with them.
***
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson,” Jake greeted Ornelia’s parents, still excited like a little boy in a toy store.
Emily was helping her pack. Jake had already arranged for a ride for the three of them and had been asked to keep a watch at the door, while Emily and Ornelia packed, getting ready to sneak out.
“Jake, how are you? It has been a while since the three of you hung out here.”
Ornelia could hear her mom through her bedroom door, which was partially closed. Emily quickly shut the door and locked it so that no one would enter the room and catch them packing.
“I am great. Yeah, Emily and Nella are inside packing.” Jake bit his tongue. He was not supposed to tell them that. Both the girls were going to kill him.
“Jake, can you come in?” Emily called.
“Oh! Looks like they need me.” Jake laughed nervously. “I’ll see you guys around. Stay fresh.” He made a beeline for the bedroom.
Emily opened the door and let him in. “Jesus, Jake! Why? What have you done?” She was seething in anger. “This was your idea. Why did you ruin it?” She paced, worry clear on her face.
Before Jake could answer, there was a loud knock.
“Nella, open the door. Let us in. What are you up to?” Ornelia’s father yelled. The knocking became incessant.
“Nella, please don’t do anything stupid. Please, honey.” Her mother sounded like she would break down any moment.
Ornelia sighed and went to open the door, while Emily glared at Jake, who had his head bowed down.
“Oh, Nella, we are really sorry, but please don’t go anywhere. I promise it won’t be as bad as you think.” Her mother took her in her arms and stroked her hair.
“Please, let me go. I don’t want this. Why don’t you get it? Just until this whole wedding passes, I promise I will come back, Papa. Can’t you tell him I am missing or something? Just help me out. I really don’t want to do this,” Ornelia begged.
Everyone remained silent. Her father hung his head low, feeling ashamed. Her mother looked at her with tears in her eyes. Emily seemed confused, and Jake was biting his lip to avoid saying anything inappropriate again.
Her heart broke as she looked at them. She realized that no one was having a good time in such a situation, but they were accepting it.
And I have to go through it, while everyone has to just watch. I don’t want this.
“Can I be alone, please?” she politely asked everyone.
“Nella, honey—” her mother began to speak, but she cut her short.
“I won’t run away I promise. I just want to be alone.” Ornelia managed a weak smile to reassure her mother.
They all left the room one by one. Jake and Emily hugged her before leaving.
“Call me, when you feel better,” Emily whispered in her ear.
Ornelia nodded.
“I am really sorry, Nella,” her father said, then he left.
How is it going to make things any better, Papa?
She shut the door behind them and started unpacking everything.
All of this mess is for nothing!
She broke down in tears, cursing life, cursing fate. She felt powerless, so defeated in a battle she couldn’t win. She was disappointed that one by one all her hopes of escaping were slipping farther away. She stared blankly at the bedroom wall, wishing she could have just disappeared. But she didn’t. There she was in the same room, with the same problem to face.
How could life be so cruel?
She then wiped her tears away, in surrender.
She decided to take a long, warm shower to rinse out all the tension of her mind and body. She just had to take everything head first now. There was no other choice.
Her phone was blowing up with texts from her friends, Emily asking if she was okay and Jake apologizing for what he’d done.
She really appreciated them—Jake for being crazy as he was, and Emily for supporting her through things even if she personally thought it was stupid.
Ornelia lay down on her bed.
She kept tossing and turning. With her thoughts all over the place, sleep seemed like a long shot for her.
She finally settled into reading a book.
In different circumstances, maybe I would actually find this funny.
She spent the rest of the night with this thought and her book.
Chapter Seven
D-day
Nella sat quietly, staring at nothing in particular—just to avoid the uncomfortble feeling she had—as her hair was being pulled at all directions by the makeup artists that her mother had hired for the wedding. She was not allowed to see herself in the mirror unless the whole look was done.
Should she be dying of anticipation?
It was her wedding, which was decided weeks before. Well technically, it had been decided many years earlier, but she was told about it just the previous month.
Where has all the time gone? I’m only twenty-one, for f*ck’s sake!
She really felt blue and out of her element.
“Ornelia.” Her father’s voice brought her out of her trance.
“You are a sight to behold, my sweet girl. When did you grow up? I still remember clearly it was as if only yesterday you were throwing a tantrum for an ice cream, and now you are getting married. But I just wish the circumstances were different. I just wish this was an occasion of joy. I can’t bring myself to look at you without thinking I have failed you as a father.”
He was proud of her but not of himself. Tears were glistening in his eyes, but he held himself together. He needed to be strong for his daughter and his wife.
“I love you. And if you truly care about me, please stop this wedding or help me run away. I don’t want this, Papa,” she whispered in a desperate plea while hugging her father tightly.
But she knew it wouldn’t change anything.
With a heavy heart, she took his father’s hand before they stepped out of the room, making their way toward the aisle where her soon-to-be husband was waiting for her.
***
“Why am I doing this?” Max asked his best friend, Ethan, who was busy looking at women, selecting his next target.
“So that you could settle down as what your grandfather wished and get that inheritance. Not that you need more money, but come on, more money has never hurt anyone, right?”
It came out more like a question than an answer.
Max shot Ethan a glare and turned his face toward the doors as the priest announced that the bride had arrived. He loved Ethan to death. They’d been joined at the hip since at a very young age, when his father had decided he was not worth his attention, at least not as important as his job. His mother’s presence was also minimal.
Maximus had always been much closer to his grandparents than his own parents. He’d spent most of his childhood with them, playing in their backyard. Ethan was their neighbor living with his aunt and uncle. His parents had died in an accident.
Maximus had first met him at a playdate when he was four years old, when the boy had thrown a ball his way, while everyone else
had avoided him for being from the King family. His father’s reputation wasn’t that great, and his grandfather was quite a grouchy old man.
It was safe to say Ethan Mars was now the only family he had and trusted.
“Let’s go, old man. Time to go get married.” Ethan patted Maximus’s back to rush him.
Maximus had to roll his eyes. “I am literally the same age as you, only two months older.”
Well, all be damned, but he sure felt old at twenty-nine.
As the doors opened, for a moment it was as if he had forgotten how to breathe. His soon-to-be wife—that was her—looked beautiful in her strapless white gown that showed off the gentle curves and contours of her body perfectly.
Gone was the little girl. She looked like an angel on Earth that God had sent just for him. Her soft brown hair was tied atop her head in an elegant updo. She wore no heavy jewelry, just a small pearl necklace and a pair of pearl studs.
Maximus’s friends and business associates gazed at her in awe; even women seemed to fall into a trance by her presence as she walked, no, glided down the aisle toward him.
Such a beauty—and she’s going to be my wife, mine to cherish, mine to spoil. She will be all mine, alone.
He snapped back to reality and chastised himself for having such thoughts about her.
Mr. Dawson placed Ornelia’s hand in his. She turned to her father and gave him a quick kiss on his right cheek before turning to Maximus.
He was handsome. There was no doubt in that. There he stood in his coal-black dress suit, his demeanor—cool and calm—while she was a nervous wreck.
The priest started the wedding ceremony, “Dearly beloved, today we have gathered in this holy matrimony . . .”
That was all she heard before she got lost in her train of thoughts. She snapped out of her daze when the priest asked, “Do you, Ornelia Marie Dawson, hereby take Maximus Anthony King as your lawfully wedded husband?”
Somehow the two words didn’t seem to find their way on her tongue. She looked around. Her breath quickened; her palms sweat. There was complete silence. The spectators seemed anxious, waiting for her reply.
She took a few calming moments to herself, then finally . . . she said, “I do.”
“By the power vested in me by the Lord, I now announce you as husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
The last sentence had Ornelia’s mind in a frenzy of negative thoughts.
How can he possibly kiss me? We don’t know each other. What if his breath smells? What if my breath smells?
Before her thoughts went any further, she felt a pair of soft lips crash on hers. Ornelia was too shocked to respond.
As their lips touched, her eyes widened in surprise. He must have seen it, and she didn’t know what to feel. After a few moments, her small hands wrapped themselves around his broad, muscular shoulders. And soon enough, the simple kiss turned into a full-fledged, passionate one, but the loud cheers and hoots of joy brought both of them out of that world of bliss.
Instinctively she stepped back, and so did he. Then he moved closer again and took her hand and waved to all the people once more.
From the corner of his eye, Maximus saw his wife blushing profusely. A smile threatened to form on his lips, but he had to control himself. He could not let a woman rule his life and ruin it. Whoever was going to try would be put in their right place, even if it was his wife.
He would make no exceptions. He would make sure of that.
Chapter Eight
The crowd cheered in joy as the newlyweds made their way out of the church into the shining black limousine. Most of the guests were Ornelia’s family and Maximus’s business associates.
Doesn’t he have any family other than his late grandfather? she wondered.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Maximus’s hand tugging her toward the limousine. She was going to live with her husband. He just married her.
My husband . . . Are we going to fall in love? Have lots of babies? Maybe we’ll have sex tonight? That should something to look forward to.
What an absurd thought!
A few kisses here and there through high school and college were all she’d experienced in the sex department, and who was better than her own husband to start with?
Maybe he will pick me up and carry me to the bed, and make . . .
She was brought out of her reverie when she felt another tug on her hand. Ornelia had to painstakingly stop herself from dreaming. She knew Maximus King was not a man to be branded or tied down.
When she looked up, she was caught off guard under the intense glare of his husband’s mesmerizing gray eyes.
Doesn’t he have a voice to call me? All this tugging seems childish, but Lord oh Lord . . . his eyes, his cloudy-gray eyes.
The beauty of the sky was at its most destructive stage.
She let out a tired sigh and followed him toward the very large car. He opened the door for her to get in first.
Such a gentleman, she thought.
It was really rare for any guy to behave like this with her, but then again, it wasn’t like she really knew any guys to begin with. That was how she was.
***
“It was by choice of course, not something to be complaining about,” an annoying voice inside her head said.
Her subconscious mind always found the wrong time to appear.
A sound of clearing of throat brought her out of her thoughts. She really needed to stop doing this. She turned only to find him glaring at her, at her. Again.
Maximus King seems to have an issue with his eyes.
Before she could say anything, he beat her to it. “I’ll be leaving for an important business meeting right after you are settled in the new house,” he stated coldly.
“Will you not be staying for the night?” she asked quietly. She doubted if he heard her or not. Maybe he had an issue with his ears too.
“I find absolutely no reason for me to stay the night. Besides there are important matters that need to be handled right now. I have no time to sit and chat with anyone. I hope you understand the situation, Ms. Dawson.”
“Mrs. King,” she whispered.
“I beg your pardon?” He heard her alright, but just to make sure, he asked her again.
“It’s Mrs. King, Mr. King,” she replied. “I am married to you, legally, in front of God. Even if you do not wish to fulfill your duty as a husband, I shall not do the same. As your wife, I will perform all my duties.”
“All your duties you say, Mrs. King? Does your description of duty as my wife include satisfying my sexual pleasures and providing me with an heir to my empire?” Maximus said through gritted teeth. He saw her eyes dilate with fear, and he smirked internally.
Definitely she never thought about that now, did she?
But she did.
He chuckled deeply at her reaction. “Don’t worry. I don’t expect that from you. Remember I am the one who married down and not you, but you should know your place. I do not bed virgins. They get emotionally attached, and I don’t deal with emotions, Ornelia”.
Tell me about it, horse face.
He talked to her as if she was some slave he had bought at an auction, or maybe she’d just read too many Mills and Boon novels.
“Will I be capable of gracing you in your bed, after giving my virginity to another man, sir?” Ornelia found herself retorting to his taunt.
When she realized what she’d said, a rosy blush started to make its way from her neck to her cheeks.
“Another man?” Maximus asked. He gave her a stern look.
She saw an unrecognizable emotion flash through his eyes, and before she could put a finger on it, it had disappeared and was replaced by a scowl on his godlike face.
“Uh, t-t-the . . . I-I-I, uh . . . mean—” she stuttered.
Maximus cut her off before she could say anything further.
“Very well then. It is settled. You can have your own man, and I will have my mistress.
And yes, this marriage will not be forever. After a year we will file for divorce. Am I clear, lady wife?” he said coldly.
No doubt about it. If he didn’t, I sure will.
She just hoped she would have enough strength to bear it all when it came down to it.
Chapter Nine
The sun was shining brightly, and everything seemed calm and serene.
Accompanied by chirping birds, Ornelia sat in the huge garden of the mansion, feeling lonely.
Four months—that’s how long I’ve been alone. What sort of marriage is this?
It is quite long for a newly married couple.
Only God knew how Maximus managed to stay alone for such a period of time, without his wife.
Ornelia was sort of slipping into depression.
“Mrs. King,” the housekeeper’s soft, motherly voice brought her out of her thoughts, “it’s getting pretty late. You should come inside now. Dinner will be served in a few moments.”
Ornelia nodded and gave Mrs. Bernard a weak smile.
Oh, how she wished! If only she could go back to school again with Emily.
Even though they were at the top of their class, they had their share of craziness—the Harry Potter movie marathons, food fights. She missed her a lot.
***
After dinner Ornelia made her way toward the huge plasma TV in the living room that had an L-shaped sofa settee and two love seats. She sat on the comfortable sofa and switched on the TV to watch some news. There was some sort of celeb gossip going on, which she hadn’t paid much attention to until . . .
“Maximus King, the famous investment firm CEO was seen out getting cozy with a beautiful blond model. He has been rumored to have gotten married in a hush-hush wedding ceremony a few months ago. I am sensing some trouble in paradise—”
Ornelia switched off the TV. She couldn’t take it anymore. She went straight to her room with a bottle of wine in her hand—yes, her room, because her dear husband thought it would be better if they stayed in separate bedrooms.