Chapter Eleven: Child of Woe.
A gentleman. Damien must be nothing but a gentleman. He swiftly agreed to the marriage being done in his absence and sent a car over to pick her up.
Arya couldn’t help but feel these acts could swerve her earlier decisions of acting formal with Damien and only lovey-dovey in front of his mother.
“I should also help him get a lady he’d fall in love with, it can’t be me.” she whispered to herself as Damien’s driver drove her to the venue.
The car stopped in front of a huge building that didn’t look like a court house. Did he rent a place for the wedding? It wasn’t supposed to be that big.
The driver opened the car door for her and she got out, wearing a smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He replied and pointed inside.
She picked up her flowing gown and walked into the building. Her eyes were down so she wouldn’t step on her dress and trip but when they went up, her jaw dropped.
Only three people were in the building and they were all staring at her with a quizzical expression. She halted and looked down, feeling weird.
“Is there a need to wear the wedding gown when you chased away your groom?” the youngest lady in the room asked.
She looked up, the girl’s beauty made her feel inferior. Her long and silky hair, none was out of place, and her dark gaze on her. It made Arya uncomfortable.
“The dress was sent to me.” Was all she could say. She never thought anyone would see her demand to have the wedding earlier as ‘chasing her groom away’.
Did they forget it was a contract marriage? Oh right, they aren’t supposed to know. Her eyes widened. How did Damien pull it off?
“Well, he’d be back for the church wedding so you better not ruin the dress. You’re not getting another.” The young lady scolded again and looked away.
Her tone made Arya feel smaller. She knew the lady would be older than her but as they just met, couldn’t she be nicer? She hoped the lady wasn’t a close family but it seemed she was.
“Let’s go on with the court marriage, my dear.” The elderly woman beckoned to her, with a smile. Arya smiled back then bowed and strolled towards her. They walked into another room.
A young man in his early twenties was seated but he jumped from his seat when he saw her. “My beautiful bride!”
The young lady slapped his arm. “You are standing in for my brother. Don’t get over yourself.”
Arya chuckled. The court wedding was finalized and Arya nearly signed the exclusive contract before reading. She went through it again. Everything Damien promised was stated.
Then her eyes landed on one. “If both parties are unable to find spouses before the first year, the agreement stated above loses it’s value.”
First year? That was a short while. But she understood that Damien needed to remain married. Or his mother, who she had realized was the older woman, and his sister, the young lady, would kill him.
The young man who stood for him seemed to be a cousin of theirs.
Arya signed the contract after much contemplating. More of the things she’d be doing while married to him, will be getting Seth to like her before the first year ran out or getting Damien a girl to like.
“Ha! Finally. A daughter-in-law!” Damien’s mother sighed in pleasure.
Selena rolled her eyes. “You can’t like you don’t have a daughter.”
“Never harmed to have two, does it?” her mother rubbed her back then left her to meet Arya.
“Hello, pretty lady.” She wriggled her fingers. “I bet no one told you, but you look glamorous in this wedding dress.”
Arya’s cheeks blushed. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Mother. Call me mother. Hmm?” she corrected.
Arya nodded vehemently. “Yes, mother.”
The woman stretched forth her hand for her to take and Arya held it. “I never got to know much about you. My son just announced that he’d be marrying his girlfriend since I pestered him much about it.”
Arya’s lips pursed. Girlfriend? Well, Damien wouldn’t let them know he arranged a girl to deceive them. “Oh, I heard a lot about you too. And I really respect you. You’re indeed a fighter and it’s admirable.”
The woman smiled. “Thank you.”
Arya nodded. Anna had told her before how Mrs. Wade had been the CEO of the group of companies after her husband died.
Her late husband’s brothers tried to take it from her but she won them in court and proved she could handle it. Became the most feared business woman and most respected.
Arya could hardly believe such a woman became her mother-in-law. She was really lucky. She saw Selena walk up to she and her mother.
“Mom, you know she can’t come home with us. She hasn’t had a church wedding yet.” The young lady creased her forehead.
Arya frowned. It wasn’t like she wanted to go home but she wondered why the girl didn’t like her.
Anna had mentioned that Damien was the most religious of all his family so why was his sister bent on a Church wedding? Just to keep her out of the house?
“Nonsense. She’d be staying with us till your brother returns. He’d take his wife to church from there. Let’s go.” Mrs. Wade clasped Arya’s hands to hers and pulled her along.
Purposely, Selena stretched a foot in front of Arya and even if she tried to skip it, she couldn’t help but fall after stepping on her dress. Arya landed with a butt and there was a rip in the dress.
“Oh my goodness, Selena. Watch your foot!” Mrs. Wade scolded.
Arya exhaled on relief, glad that the mother had seen her daughter’s ridiculous foot. The worst part was Selena still left her foot not endeavoring to hide it.
“She should watch her steps. Now she had ripped the dress, of course, she wants her billionaire husband to buy a new one for her.” Selena said in a mocking tome.
“Selena!” a middle aged man called. And Selena stopped her act, she looked at him then away and huffed. “I’d be in the car.”
Mrs. Wade helped Arya up and dusted her gown. “Don’t mind that devil spawn of a child I got. Full of woe, born on a Wednesday and then I named her Selena after a goddess. She’s a bitch sometimes.”
Arya couldn’t believe the words the mother said about her own child. Wasn’t it a bit too much?
She saw the humorous face the older man had and assumed it was a normal joke played around the house, she’d have to get used to it.
“Thank you, mother.” She bowed again.
Mrs. Wade smiled heartily and walked her outside to one of the cars. “You can’t drive, right? I’d let someone teach you so you can drive yourself to your university.” The woman commented.
Arya’s eyes widened as her life flashed before her eyes. She couldn’t drive because she got traumatized by it. Owning a car wasn’t something she wanted but she’d have to now.
Just as they got close to the car, it started off and began speeding away. Mrs. Wade tried chasing after it but stopped herself. “What’s wrong with that car!”
The middle aged man came forward and frowned, narrowing at the speeding car. “I guess that should be ‘What’s wrong with that child!'”
Mrs. Wade held her chest. “What? Selena! Oh goodness, does she want me to walk home?”
Arya shook her head, mumbling to herself. “No, she wants me to walk home, in a torn wedding dress.” Had she offended that girl in her past life?