Chapter 86

Alfred.

We silently returned to the enormous mansion together as night fell, the tension between us almost tangible in the cool evening air. Though we shared the same car, we might as well have been miles apart. Sebastian kept glancing at me, opening his mouth as if to speak, then thinking better of it and returning his gaze to the road ahead.

"Are you hungry?" he finally asked as we pulled through the gates. "I could have the chef prepare something."

"No," I replied softly, "I'm not hungry."

When we arrived, I simply shook my head at his attempted conversation and walked straight upstairs without another word, finding an empty guest room and locking myself inside it. I needed space to think, to process everything that had happened.

"Alfred, please," Sebastian called through the door, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain. "Can we talk about this?"

"Not tonight," I answered, leaning my forehead against the cool wood. "Just... give me some time."

I deliberately avoided any further discussion with Sebastian, not wanting to influence whatever decision he would make next. There was something oddly freeing about putting the ball entirely in his court.

"I'll be here when you're ready," he said quietly before I heard his footsteps retreating down the hallway.

If he truly wanted to pursue this sudden marriage we'd announced to escape the police, then he would need to take charge completely - calling my parents himself, arranging the ceremony, settling all the details without my input. But if, in the cold light of day, he realized he'd made a terrible mistake and wanted to back out, I wouldn't pressure him or make him feel guilty about his choice.

"This isn't how I imagined getting engaged," I whispered to myself, sitting on the edge of the bed and slipping off my shoes.

It was entirely his decision to make now. I had already laid my heart bare before him, admitting I still loved him despite everything. The next move was his, and I would accept whatever he chose, even if it broke my heart all over again.

I collapsed onto the luxurious bed after hours of mental turmoil, my body and mind completely drained from the emotional rollercoaster of the past twenty-four hours. The kidnapping, the confrontation, the fake engagement announcement - it was all too much to process in one day.

"Why does loving him have to be so complicated?" I muttered into the pillow, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me.

My poor brain felt like it had been put through a blender, utterly worn out from endless circles of thought about Sebastian, our future, and what tomorrow might bring. It reminded me of those times in school when I'd studied too hard for exams - that same foggy, overloaded sensation that made coherent thinking nearly impossible.

"What if he changes his mind by morning?" I whispered to the empty room. "What if this was all just another impulsive Sebastian moment?"

I felt almost like someone with a severe mental disability in that moment, my mind simultaneously racing yet unable to focus, refusing to shut down for sleep yet incapable of producing any useful thoughts or solutions. The contradictory swirl of emotions was maddening - hope and fear, love and anger, anticipation and dread all battling for dominance.

"This is ridiculous," I groaned, punching the pillow in frustration. "I'm a grown man, not a lovesick teenager!"

After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, I finally gave up on traditional sleeping positions. Instead, I curled into a tight ball, resting my weary head on my drawn-up knees like I used to do as a child during thunderstorms. I hugged my pillow tightly against my chest, finding some small comfort in having something to hold.

"Just sleep," I commanded myself, squeezing my eyes shut. "Tomorrow will come whether you're ready or not."

As a final act of desperation, I pulled the silky blanket completely over my head, creating a dark cocoon that shut out the world. In this self-made sanctuary, I finally managed to quiet my racing thoughts, mentally pushing away all the stressful ideas and negative scenarios that had been plaguing me.

"Whatever happens, happens," I mumbled, feeling sleep finally beginning to claim me.

As consciousness faded, my dreams became filled with only Sebastian - his smile, his voice, his touch. In my last coherent moment before succumbing to slumber, I found myself wondering dreamily: What if I really did marry him tomorrow? What would our life together be like? Would he finally be the man I always believed he could be?

The wedding day dawned bright and clear, sunlight streaming through the curtains I'd forgotten to close.

Or at least that's what I hoped was happening as I slowly regained consciousness, the remnants of dreams about Sebastian still clinging to my mind like cobwebs. As my eyelids fluttered open, however, I got the shock of my life.

"SURPRISE!" several voices called out at once.

I bolted upright in bed to find my room completely full of people - Sebastian standing closest to me, looking freshly showered and more handsome than any man had a right to be at this hour. Behind him stood my parents, looking tired but happy, clearly having traveled through the night to be here. Liam was there too, his arm casually draped around his boyfriend's shoulders, both grinning at me like they were in on some grand joke. And completing the crowd was Jack, my best friend, looking slightly awkward but smiling nonetheless.

"What's happening? Am I still dreaming?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes in disbelief. "How did everyone get here? Mom? Dad? When did you arrive?"

"Sebastian sent his private jet for us at midnight," my mother explained, coming forward to kiss my forehead. "We flew straight through the night to be here for your special day, honey."

"He called us right after you went to bed," my father added with a nod of approval toward Sebastian. "Said he wasn't going to wait another day to make you his husband."

I was absolutely flabbergasted by this turn of events, my mouth hanging open in shock as I tried to process what was happening. I genuinely thought I must still be dreaming - there was no way Sebastian had arranged all this overnight, no way my parents had accepted this sudden marriage so readily.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Jack teased, reaching over to muss my already chaotic bed-hair. "Close your mouth before you catch flies."

"How did you all...? When did...?" I stuttered, looking from face to face in complete bewilderment.

All of them congratulated me enthusiastically, hugging me and patting my back despite my rumpled pajamas and morning breath. I couldn't believe this was actually happening - that Sebastian had taken my ultimatum not as a challenge but as a deadline.

"You're really doing this?" I whispered to Sebastian when he managed to get close enough. "You're not just calling my bluff?"

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life," he replied, his eyes never leaving mine.

The absolutely ridiculous, genuinely joyful smile covering Sebastian's usually stern face at this moment was something so precious and rare that I wanted to photograph it and keep it forever. His happiness was so pure and unguarded that it made my heart physically ache with love for him. In that moment, I could have easily jumped on him and kissed him senseless right in front of my parents, Liam, and everyone else, propriety be damned.

"Now then," Sebastian announced, clapping his hands together with surprising glee, "I really must go and prepare myself properly for our wedding. I'm leaving Alfred in your capable hands, Mother."

He then did something that nearly caused me to fall out of bed in shock - he leaned down and affectionately kissed my mother's cheek with the casual ease of someone who had known her for years, not hours. Even more surprising was the term of endearment he used.

"Wait, what?" I gasped, completely thrown by this development. "Mother? You just called my mom 'Mother'? Since when?"

Sebastian merely winked at me, clearly enjoying my confusion.

"As of about three hours ago when she gave me her blessing to marry you," he explained with a smirk. "We've had quite the heart-to-heart while you were sleeping the morning away."

My mother laughed at my bewildered expression and reached up to gently cup Sebastian's face in a maternal gesture that seemed to please him immensely.

"Okay, son, don't worry about a thing," she assured him with the same tone she'd used with me throughout my childhood. "Just go get yourself ready now, and I promise your groom will be perfectly prepared on time."

Son? She'd called him son already? What alternate dimension had I woken up in?

"Mom, how can you be so casual about this?" I whispered when Sebastian stepped away. "You're acting like you've known him forever."

"A mother knows these things," she replied cryptically. "I can see how much he loves you."

I couldn't hide my bewilderment as I looked around at everyone's expectant faces, still trying to wrap my sleepy brain around what was happening.

"What's wrong with everyone? Ready on time? What are you talking about? It's barely 10 a.m. according to that clock; I don't understand what's happening here!" I exclaimed, my jaw practically hitting the floor as I twirled my head around in confusion, glancing frantically from one amused face to another.

My confusion only seemed to entertain them all further as they exchanged knowing looks and collectively chuckled at my expense, each person wearing that irritating smirk that indicated they were all privy to information that had somehow bypassed me entirely.

"Oh, Alfred," my father chuckled, patting my shoulder. "Always the last to know what's going on, even at your own wedding."

"Wedding? Today?" I squeaked, my voice embarrassingly high. "Right now?"

Liam couldn't contain his laughter any longer. "Your face is priceless! Sebastian said you'd be surprised, but this is even better than I imagined."

"Someone please explain what's happening!" I demanded, feeling increasingly like I was the only sane person in a room full of lunatics.

"Yes, that's exactly right! So what's the problem?" Sebastian replied with complete nonchalance, raising a single eyebrow at me as if I were the one being unreasonable. "I will be marrying you precisely one hour from now, so you'd better get up, stop gawking, and start getting yourself ready for our ceremony."

His tone was matter-of-fact, as if we were discussing something as mundane as grocery shopping rather than a life-changing event happening in sixty minutes.

"The minister is already downstairs setting up," Jack added helpfully. "And the flowers arrived about twenty minutes ago. Red roses everywhere - very romantic."

"But... but..." I stammered, looking desperately around the room for someone who seemed to understand my shock.

"The caterers are preparing brunch for after the ceremony," my father continued, checking his watch. "And the photographer wants to start with some pre-wedding shots in about thirty minutes."

"Has everyone gone completely mad?" I wondered aloud. "How is this happening?"

"When Sebastian Evans wants something, he doesn't waste time," Liam explained with a shrug. "You should know that better than anyone."

"Early, Sebastian? Are you kidding me right now?" I managed to sputter out, furrowing my eyebrows in disbelief as the reality of the situation began to sink in. This controlling, impossible monster actually wanted me to transform from my current sleep-rumpled state into a wedding-ready groom in under an hour!

"Have you seen me?" I gestured wildly at my disheveled appearance. "I need at least two hours to look presentable! My hair alone needs forty-five minutes of attention after how I slept on it!"

Sebastian merely shrugged, entirely unconcerned with my mounting panic. "You always look beautiful to me, bed head and all."

"That's not the point!" I protested. "This is our wedding day! There will be pictures! Memories! I can't look like I just rolled out of bed, which, by the way, I literally just did!"

"You're overthinking this," Sebastian replied calmly. "All you need is a quick shower and that suit I had delivered to your closet last night."

"Wait, you already bought me a wedding suit?" I asked, momentarily distracted. "When did you even have time to do that?"

"I have people who handle these things," he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The point is, everything is ready. Except you."

"Half an hour? Are you insane?" I continued my protest. "How am I supposed to take a proper shower, style my hair, and get dressed in my wedding suit in that amount of time? It's physically impossible!"

My mother chose this moment to intervene, gently pushing Sebastian toward the door. "Don't worry, dear. I'll help him get ready. We'll make it work."