Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

CLARISSA POV —

We both agreed not to talk about Damien's ex... Or rather, Damien acted like the quarrel never happened after texting me and went on with being his usual charming self. I had a feeling that I could take his word for it though.

I wouldn't have to bother about Morgana anymore. So I let the matter lie and didn't bring her up either, chosing to respect his privacy.

Although, I had her name burned into memory and I gathered every last bit of information on her I could get on the net and wrote them down in a black book at the back of my mind.

It's the wedding day now. I was dressed in a long gold satin bridal robe laced with fur and white glass heels.

It was off shoulder and began a little above my cleavage, honing My shape into perfection. My straight black hair fell to my butt, adding some air of royal elegance to me. There was a rose flower that Damien had left at the side of my hair before he left the room.

The make up artist was done and I stared at the lady in the mirror, smiling with purpose. It was time for my plan to kick into action.

The audience would see the most tear-jerking couple of the century. I would put up a little love skit for them and smirk at Karl in the shadows, as he watched me get married to someone better than him. If he thought I would make the same mistake and waste four years of my life on him, then he was in for a shocker.

This was going to be the final blow to his pride. Because the reality was that I didn't need him. And soon enough, everyone else would see how dispensable he was too.

A lot of the investors were already pulling away from his company and joining mine after I exposed his shenanigans with Lilly in the shadows.

Damien was a business tycoon too. After I formed the alliance with him, there would be nothing left for Karl to pick up from the shambles.

As for Lilly my bitch sister that I was fool enough to look up to, I was planning the icing on the cake, just for her.

The bride maids walked up to me and heldh bridal train as we entered the event center from the side door.

From the sidelines, it appeared to be a blissful marriage between two madly in love couples. Little did they know that it was only a contract that mutually benefited us.

As I walked into the room, a lot of heads turned in my direction and I smiled lightly, glad that there was enough blush on my cheeks to actually fake it as the cameras flashed in all directions.

I felt his presence before he slipped in beside me, rescuing me from their watchful eyes.

“You look stunning,” he whispered against my ear lobes with a grin, sliding his fingers in mine.

I closed my eyes and breathed in his refreshing mint scent and and masculine charm.

“Shocker, I was going for the bridezilla chic.” I muttered with a flick of my wirst.

“I see the sarcasm is up a notch,” he noted with a light chuckle, his voice melodic.

His bright gold tuxedo was a little tight, leaving the outline of his muscled chest in display.

We were about to walk hand in hand into the podium when a spiteful voice sounded in the background.

“Well well well, if it isn't the happy couple of the century,” there was a shuffle in the background and Karl sneered, appearing into view with Lilly hanging off his sleeve like a clinging toy. No surprise there seeing that she was both.

“What do you want?” Damien glared at him, stepping in front of me and shielding me. “I thought I told you not to show yourself in the same space as my wife again?”

“You're a bit ahead of yourself already calling her that aren't you?” Karl returned the glare twice as intense.

Sometimes I wondered what the catch was. Why was he so interested in me and against me getting married to someone else when he didn't even like me in the first place.

Oh well, I learned never to question assholes and their motives. It could simply be his toxic personality and his bruised pride when he saw that he could not get everything he wanted, or of course, it was all about what this meant for him, and of course how this left him.

As the antagonist, the bad guy.

Funny, considering that it was actually true.

“Oh it's a party, I'm sure everyone is invited. Besides, Lilly simply wanted to say hi,” Karl drawled with a smile that didn't teach his eyes.

Lilly smiled really sweet at him and reached for his chest.

Damien tilted to his side avoiding her.

“Animals aren't invited,” he said without a change in his expression.

“Oh you mother fucker,” there was a deathly spark in Karl's eyes as he galred at him.

He turned to prey on me instead.

“You think you can get away with this Clarissa? Marrying someone's else just to spite me?” Karl demanded, his voice dripping with menace.

My eyes flashed with anger, and I was about to give him a witty comeback, getting it through his shallow brain that an actual human could not possibly me interested in a fake like him when Damien stepped forward.

“I think you would find that Clarissa is making brilliant decision fucker. Getting married to me is the best thing that ever happened to her. And she brings out the best version of me. I really wouldn't have it any other way,”

“Yeah right,” Karl snorted, refusing to be defeated. “You're just using her for your money and status,”

Damien's eyes locked on Karl's, his expression cold. “And you're just jealous that you didn't get to keep her for yourself.” He breathed.

“I doubt the half witted bimbo is any bit of compensation. But hey, you make a good couple,” and without another word, he grabbed me to his side and pulled me in by my nape, his lips crashing into mine in a fierce possessiveness.

I melted into the kiss as cheers erupted from the guests all around us.

“The bride and the groom,” the bishop called out from the podium with a smile.

“Oops, that's us,” Damien pulled back and wrapped a hand around my waist.

He cast one last distasteful look at Karl and turned up his nose is disgust like he was some gum that got stuck under his boot before walking me to meet the bishop.

I relaxed in his embrace an for the flicker of a moment, time stopped and it felt so... Real.

“Do you take Clarissa Devor to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love her with everything you have and to cherish and adore her for as long as you live?” the bishop's voice resounded in the hall beside us, snapping me into reality.

“I do,” Damien said beside me in a confident voice, like he had wanted this all along, like he had never been more certain about anything else.

I felt a flutter in my heart that shouldn't have been there as my eyes scanned through the guests. Karl and Lilly were no where to be found. Well good riddance.

My heart stopped however as my eyes loocked with a pair of stormy grey eyes... Unmistakable wavy brown hair... There was no way.

“And Clarissa Devor, do you take Damien Martinez to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love her with everything you have and to cherish and adore her for as long as you live,”

Morgana stared back at me without any expression, her gaze set and her eyes staring daggers into my soul in a silent threat.

“I-I do,” I tore my eyes away from her feeling a shudder go through my spine.

Who did she think she was? What did she intend to do...

No, I stopped myself from feeling scared. The question was, what could she do.

Damien held my hands and smiled at me reassuring, playing his loving husband role impeccably.

“Damien Devor, you may kiss your....”

The room melted around us as Damien pulled me in, kissing me passionately for the second time, before the bishop even got to finish his words, the rest of it getting cut up with the background.

A ballad played in the distance as cameras flashed all around us, immortalizing the moment.

“I hope you have it all thoroughly thought out Clarissa,” Damien whispered, his mouth grazing my earlobes.

“Because you are fully mine now.”

His last words shent shivers down my thighs. I drew back from him and scanned through the guests, no longer sure who I was looking for.

Morgana was given, no where else to be found.

I should have felt at peace now, but all I could think of was her unspoken threat still hanging in the air.

Damien was mine. She might as well get used to it because of it boiled down to it, we were going to fake it till we made it.

“Come at me bitch, come at me with all you've got. ”