Chapter 22

Book:Wanting Her Back Published:2024-6-8

“Ms. Amana? Did you hear what I said, Ms. Amana?” I was taken aback when Mrs. Cruz delicately patted me on the shoulder. She is the librarian at our university. She is one of the most despised instructors on school due to her severe personality.
“Please accept my apologies, Mrs. Cruz. What exactly are you saying this time?” I hesitated to question Mrs. Cruz, who had raised her eyebrows before because I had spaced out while she was speaking to me.
“As I was saying, Ms Amana, just put those documents on my table,” she added as she scrutinized my entire appearance.
I gave her a small smile before doing what she told me to do. When I turn away from her, I close my eyes tightly.
I became infected with the students” nervousness as a result of rumors that Mrs. Cruz is too strict. I followed her instructions and placed the papers I was carrying on her table. One of our teachers told me to bring these materials to our librarian.
I had intended to stay at the library to do further research on our topic, but I abandoned my plan when I noticed a large number of people in the library. I will simply return later. When I go to the library, I enjoy a peaceful environment with few people. Though the library is not as noisy now, I can focus more on what I am reading then.
Mrs. Cruz was the last person I bid farewell to. I was about to walk away when Mrs. Cruz caught my attention once more.
“Yes, ma”am? Do you have anything to say?” I respectfully inquire, nervously smiling at her. With her heavy eyeglasses and tidy traditional hair bun, she is a little scary.
“You do not appear to be in great shape. Are you feeling under the weather?” She inquires, her voice firm as usual. I give her a friendly grin and a shake of my head.
“No, Ma”am,” I say. “I am OK,” I said courteously.
She nodded at me briefly before turning away to chastise a group of men who, instead of reading a book in the library, appeared to have turned it into a hotel because they were huddled at the table and sleeping.
I merely shake my head at them. They have got the guts, huh?
I was alone on campus, watching the high school basketball team play on the open court. I”m not sure why they ever considered playing basketball here, especially when the University has a school gym where they could do it. They are most likely attempting to impress the females that are watching them. A swarm of females has gathered around them, squirming. Tsk.
“Hey!” Aiden suddenly appeared next to me, and I almost jumped in surprise.
“What the hell, A! Are you trying to make me have a heart attack?” I squint at him while clutching my chest.
Because of what he did, I feel as if my soul left my body for a brief moment. The insane man simply laughed at me.
“Anna, I am hungry,” he grumbled as he rubbed his tummy. I give him an irritated expression.
“Does it matter to me if you are hungry? Mind me to tell you that I do not care. Why, do you see me carrying a plate with me, huh? If you are hungry, eat,” I tell him. I even give him a sidelong glance.
He grinned broadly and arched his lower eyebrow as he replied, “The plate is not in you, but you have the money I need.” I reached for his head and jokingly pulled his hair out.
I smirked and added, “I am not an ATM machine, A.” I yanked his hair, and he grumbled. This man has a tendency to overreact.
I did not even pull his hair hard, but the way he complains, he appears to be in a lot of agony.
“These days, you are always irritated. Do you currently have a menstrual period?” I struck him due of his gibberish, and he slowed down a little to look at my butt.
“Get out of my sight; my eyes are getting darker on you, and I may not be able to control myself and kick you.” I told him I was surprised.
He simply burst out laughing at me. I simply ignored him and continued walking. Today, my class ended early. It is only three o”clock in the afternoon at this point.
If it had happened before, I would most likely have returned home by now. But now I am in a new circumstance. I am trying to stay away from home as much as possible right now. Not that I was defiant in any way. It is simply that I need to get my thoughts straight first.
It is barely been a week since I had my birthday celebrations. I have also avoided interacting with folks at home for the past week.
My older brother looked after me the night I had a fever. I guess he did not have a choice at the moment, so he looked after me. Thankfully, my temperature subsided by morning. That same morning, he drove me home.
Actually, I recommended that we go home since I did not want to disturb him any longer and I also did not want to be around him. When he is around, my heartbeat becomes irregular.
Uncle Sandro summoned us to his home office as soon as we arrived home. Uncle and Auntie arrive with solemn emotions on their faces. They gave us a serious look.
When I explained to them what Uncle meant at the party (I am referring to Uncle”s engagement announcement at my party), they agreed. They said that my stepbrother and I were actually planning to marry and that it was not a joke. Of course, I was taken aback at first.
Who would not be surprised if the sibling you have been considering for eight years turns out to be your husband?
They explained that the wedding will be between me and my older brother, Alessandre, and they also stated that I should stop referring to their son as brother because he will soon be my spouse as well, so it would be best if I trained myself to refer to him by his given name.
To put it succinctly, it will be a business marriage. It is stated that if my older brother, Alessandre, marries me, Uncle”s business will grow much more, as will the business that Daddy left behind.
Some shareholders have stated that they will sell their interests in our company if they cannot guarantee that it will not go bankrupt. We all know we cannot just abandon stockholders because the company will undoubtedly face a catastrophe.
That is why Uncle”s answer to the problem was my marriage to Alessandre. They said it was the stockholders” suggestion to prevent the company from going bankrupt. They indicated they had faith in Alessandre”s abilities but questioned my capacity to run the organization.
My marriage is simply their assurance that if our company experiences a difficulty, Alessandre”s firm will be there to assist us. My brows furrowed in surprise as I heard that.
What right do they have to tell me who I should marry? Is it true that they gave birth to me? Even my mother, if she were still living, would not dare to arrange for my marriage.
I stated that I did not want to marry my older brother and that I would instead come up with a different solution, but the stockholders were adamant. Uncle claimed that he tried everything he could to persuade the stockholders that I am capable of running our family”s business, but that he was unsuccessful. He claimed that marrying their son was the only option for me to keep my late father”s companionship.
I felt hopeless as I walked out of that library.
I tried to talk to my older brother about it, but he would not even let me speak with him about it. He simply grins at me. He advised me to simply do what he said. There was nothing else I could do, he said.
Aiden yanked me out of my trance with a strong pull. He tapped me on the back of the head. I was caught off guard and fixed my gaze on him.
“Tsk, you have the appearance of a walking zombie. You definitely would have run into a pole if I had not pulled you,” he added, shaking his head at me. When I understood that what he was saying was true, I closed my eyes tightly and sighed. I just let out a gasp.
“What are you thinking, Tsk?” he inquires.
I raised my eyes to him and locked my gaze on him. Then I gave a shake of my head. He drew me into a quiet corner of the school grounds and locked his gaze on me. I took a step back and averted my gaze from him.
“Does this have anything to do with your Uncle”s announcement on your birthday?” with his brows wrinkled, he inquires. Nothing came out of my mouth.
“Come on, you know what I am talking about. I am not going to spread it. I am not nearly as chatty as Lyka,” he said something that made me smile a little.
“I have been meaning to ask you about what occurred at your party for a long time, and I am simply waiting for you to open up to me; even Lyka wants the truth,” he stated his case. His expression shifted back to solemnity.
“I know Alessandre Villareal is not your real brother since he is the Villareal clan”s lone heir in the business sector. So I was taken aback when you named him brother, but I did not question why. So, what is your connection with him like? Are you serious about marrying him?”he asked, his usually fun expression solemn, and I nodded slowly in response to his question. He groaned.
“It is basically a convenience marriage; I am doing it for our business,” I explained, sighing deeply.
“And Alessandre consented to it?” he said, his brow wrinkled, and I nodded once again.
“Doesn”t Villareal have a girlfriend? I am wondering,” he inquires. He spoke it loudly so that I could hear it. As he glanced at me, his eyes expanded. He has probably aware that he actually spoke it instead of just thinking it. He swallowed his saliva and cleared his throat.
“I mean, I once saw him with a girl, which is a very rare occurrence for him because he is regarded as a cold millionaire who avoids women,” he stated carefully, finding the correct words to say because he felt I would be offended if he told me my fiance had been spotted with a girl. I gave him a sidelong glance.
I gave him a sidelong glance.
“What I mean is that it is incredible that he agreed so quickly to his parents” wishes. Don”t his behaviors appear to be a little suspicious?” he stated this while staring me down in the eyes.
I pondered what he had said. It is somewhat suspicious, now that I think about it. Since then, we have not had a healthy sibling connection. He despises me as well. He has also told me multiple times that he doesn”t want me to be a part of his family.
“Perhaps it is because he does not want to offend his parents?” I inquire to say.
“I am not sure about that, Anna, but if you are going to ask me, you would better be careful. Alessandre Atlas Villareal is not one to easily follow the advice of others. If he were nothing, he would not be renowned as a multibillionaire. He could be concealing something under his sleeve. No offense, but your fiance is a shrewd man, Anna,” Aiden cautioned me sternly.
He is correct; Alessandre is not a fool to just do what the stockholders want him to do; after all, he stands to gain little from this marriage; in fact, most of the benefits of this phony marriage favor me and my father”s business.
When we heard Lyka calling to us, our talk was cut short. We noticed her sprinting towards us. Aiden offered her water because she was out of breath. Lyka grabbed it and drank it down swiftly.
She began by taking a deep breath. Prior to speaking. “I have been looking for you two for a while now,” she exclaimed, her voice boiling.
“Didn”t you say you were leaving?” I inquired. She had previously stated that she would arrive home first since she was tired and wanted to sleep. I truly believed she had returned home.
“I was on my way home when Aunt Lila noticed me,” she murmured, her gaze fixed on mine. What she said made me frown. Is Auntie here?
“Do you know where she is?” I inquire, my brows wrinkled.
“She is parked in the lot. She asked if I could look for you, and I said yes,” I gave a nod.
“I guess I will eat a snack by myself today. Tsk, I was even planned on inviting you over for a snack,” Aiden pouted. Both Lyka and I locked our gazes on him.
Because when he pouts, his face is irritating. We are not like other ladies who find him beautiful when he pouts. When he does that, we become even more enraged with him.
“Aiden, stop pouting. Your face irritates me,” Lyka grumbled, Aiden smiling to annpy Lyka even more. Aiden was even thrown the plastic bottle by Lyka. Aiden had noticed this, which irritated Lyka even more.
“Wait, I will leave first before you fight. Perhaps Auntie is already waiting for me,” I answered, lifting both of my palms in front of their faces to prevent them from fighting.
“How did you and this one become friends, Anna?” He said, “You are not as obnoxious as this Lyka.”
I can just shake my head in response to what he is saying. He appears to be looking for a fight.
It appears that they have made it a hobby to annoy each other. If they do not fight, their day will be incomplete. These two, in particular.
So when the three of us get together, I become the arbitrator of their never-ending squabbles. It seemed like I was trapped between two boulders.
I fled before they even got into a fight. I left them with frowns on their faces. Auntie greeted me as soon as I entered the parking lot. She smiles heartily as she gestures at me. I, too, smiled at her.
I kissed her on the cheek as soon as I got near enough. We walked to the car together, her hand fastened on my arm. We are being scrutinized by the male students. I simply disregarded them and continued walking cheerfully with Aunt Lila.
“Where are we going, Auntie?” I inquired as I observed we were headed in a different direction than home. Aunt Lila gave a kind smile.
She exclaimed, “We are going to meet your wedding coordinator.”
My brows drew together. Is that what I heard? A wedding planner? Is she referring to the folks who look after and plan the wedding?
“A wedding planner?” I inquire one more. Perhaps I misheard her and she is not speaking to the wedding coordinator at all.
“Yes, sweetie,” she says. “Your wedding with Alessandre is scheduled for December,” she said it with a big smile on her face.
I was taken aback by what she said. December? That is like three months away.
I turned at Auntie, who still had her broad smile on her lips, perplexed, and my mouth was about to open when she spoke again, interrupting what I was about to say.
“Do not worry about the preparations; I will assist you and Alessandre in planning your wedding, and your Uncle will also assist,” she was beaming.
We arrived at the mall, and I was surprised by Aunt Lila”s statement about my wedding being three months away. It appears that events are moving too quickly.
My eighteenth birthday was just a week ago, and now they are already organizing my wedding. Oh, my goodness.
When we walked into a well-known boutique, Aunt Lila gave us a bright smile. My brow furrowed in concentration. I thought we were going to meet with the wedding planner?
Auntie informed me that the wedding planner we were meant to meet had an emergency, so we had to reschedule our meeting. Auntie said it would be a waste if we simply went home, so while we are already at the mall, we will pick out a wedding gown that I want.
This mall houses a store owned by one of the country”s most well-known fashion designers. Auntie and I will pay him a visit. I told her we would simply do it next time if possible because I had not considered the design yet, but she replied we would just take a look.
I would have used that as an excuse because I am very apprehensive about the marriage that will take place between me and Alessandre. Instead of being delighted about it, as they are, I am terrified, and my conscience is devouring me. I am aware that Alessandre already has someone he cares for, and that I am the one who jeopardizes their relationship, despite the fact that I have no knowledge of this.
Alessandre, to speak of him, was a frequent visitor to the house. I am not sure if Uncle told him to go home, but he does so immediately after work.
One of the reasons I didnot want to go home was because of this. At home, the atmosphere is really tense. The servants” expression on our faces is telling.
Also, I am not sure but I feel like, Alessandre is treating me differently now that we are engaged already, which gave me creeps because he is not that flirty to me before.