Chapter 22 THE BEST WEDDING.
\~~~SERENA.
The moment Maya and I stepped into the cafeteria, I hissed under my breath.
“Will this ever end?” I breathed out, already feeling the weight of eyes on me.
It felt like the entire room paused for half a second, like a silent agreement had been made to look first… then whisper later.
“I doubt it,” Maya groaned casually, like she hadn’t just noticed at least ten heads turn in our direction. She pointed toward an empty space near the corner. “Let’s sit there before someone comes to ask for autographs.”
I shot her a look as we walked over, keeping my head down while my shoulders stiffened. I could feel it. The stares, the judgment and the curiosity. It clung to my skin like heat.
Ever since the news of my engagement broke out, people had not stopped talking. It was exhausting. Everywhere I went, there were whispers. Some people looked at me with wide-eyed admiration, like I had somehow bagged a god descended from the heavens. Others stared with thinly veiled disdain, their lips curled like they were swallowing something bitter.
Some whispered my name.
Some whispered his.
Of course they would talk.
I was getting married to Damien Hale.
The man with power, money and a name that carried weight.
A name that didn’t just belong to a person, but to influence, authority and fear.
The age difference, the social gap and the suddenness of it all was surely enough to keep mouths busy for years. It didn’t help that everything had happened so fast, so publicly, with no room for explanation.
I dropped my tray on the table and slumped into the chair. “I can’t breathe in this school again,” I muttered, dragging my fingers through my hair.
Maya snorted. “Well, even if they wanted to ignore you, they wouldn’t after the way you showed up this morning.”
I palmed my face and groaned. “Please don’t remind me.”
As if replaying it wouldn’t make my chest tighten all over again.
She leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mischief. “You arrived in a Rolls Royce, Serena. A freaking Rolls Royce. And you thought people wouldn’t talk?”
“God,” I groaned again, pulling lightly at my hair. “I should have turned him down till the end.”
I still remembered stepping out of that car, the stares, the phones, the disbelief. Like I didn’t belong inside something so expensive, something so… him.
“Why?” Maya asked, picking up a piece of beef with her fork. “I think it was perfect. But wait…” her eyes widened suddenly, and she covered her mouth dramatically. “Did he buy you that car?!”
I stared at her. “You assume way too much.”
“Then tell me,” she demanded. “We couldn’t gist when you arrived. You literally walked in like royalty.”
I sighed deeply, then leaned closer to her and lowered my voice, my shoulders hunching instinctively. I told her everything. About my apartment, the break-in. How shaken I had been and how Damien insisted I stayed with him for now.
I told her how the silence afterward had scared me more than the actual incident.
The next thing I expected was maybe shock.
What I didn’t expect was a loud slap on my back.
“Why didn’t you call me?!” Maya yelled, loud enough to earn us a few looks.
“Ouch!” I hissed. “I didn’t want to worry you!”
“But you had no problem worrying him?” she shot back.
I pressed my lips together, my fingers tightening around my fork.
That… was true.
Of all the people in the world, Damien was the first person that came to my mind. Not Maya, not my mother. Him.
It had been instinct and immediate like my body had already decided before my mind caught up.
I didn’t know what that said about me.
“Okay, okay,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry. I was scared, Maya. I was really shaken.”
Her expression softened instantly. “It is okay,” she said gently. “Did they catch whoever did it?”
“No. But Damien is still investigating.”
She blinked. “Wow. You two are really taking this fiancé and fiancée thing seriously.”
“It is not what you think,” I said quickly. “He is just… looking out for me. And honestly, his reputation would suffer if it got out that his fiancée was robbed.”
“Well,” she shrugged, “you are not wrong.”
We ate quietly for a bit, the noise of the cafeteria fading into the background. My appetite came and went, anxiety sitting heavy in my chest.
Then Maya suddenly dropped her fork and leaned forward again, her eyes lighting up with purpose.
“So,” she said, lowering her voice dramatically, “let us talk about the wedding.”
I froze. “What about it?”
“I already created a group chat,” she said proudly. “For your bridesmaids.”
I nearly choked. “Group chat? Bridesmaids? That is not necessary.”
She stared at me like I had just confessed to a crime. “Excuse me? You are getting married. How is that not necessary?”
“I feel bad enough for lying to people,” I said quietly. “Won’t it be a waste to make them come all out for me?”
The weight of guilt settled deep in my chest. The thought of people celebrating something that wasn’t entirely real made my stomach twist.
She slammed her palm on the table, making me jump. “Look at me.”
I did.
“This is your wedding,” she said firmly. “Whether it’s a sham or not. Your first wedding, Serena.”
My chest tightened.
“You will have that dream wedding you have always wanted,” she continued, her voice softer now. “And I will be by your side as your best lady. This might be your only chance to do this properly. Do you want regrets later on?”
I swallowed hard and shook my head. “No.”
And just like that, a memory hit me.
Ryan.
How he had said it was okay to have only our parents present. Maybe with one friend each. How I had nodded eagerly, and convinced myself it was romantic, simple and perfect.
I had been ready to give up everything, I just wanted to marry him.
Only my mother and Maya.
Only his mother and one friend.
It sounded perfect then.
God, I had been such a fool.
I had mistaken secrecy for love.
And then Damien came.
“I will throw you the best wedding the world has ever witnessed.”
Those words had done something to me. Something no one else’s words ever had. They had shaken something loose inside me. Something that wanted more. Something that refused to shrink.
At that moment, my phone buzzed on the table and I picked it up.
“Come out.”
My heart skipped, hard enough to hurt.
“What’s up?” Maya asked as I stood.
“Damien,” I said slowly. “He said I should come out.”
Her eyes lit up like fireworks. “Oh my God. Hurry.”
She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me outside.
I stopped in my tracks the moment I saw him.
Damien stood by his car… With a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
My breath hitched.
“What is… he doing?” I whispered, my voice barely audible even to myself.
Students were already gathering around, whispering, blushing, pulling out their phones, excitement buzzing through the air like electricity.
Maya squeezed my hand so hard that it hurt. “What the hell?”
I laughed nervously as Damien’s eyes found mine.
He lifted one hand and waved at me casually, like he wasn’t causing an entire scene. Like this wasn’t about to be the most talked-about moment on campus.
“Oh my God,” Maya screamed. “Is that man truly in his fortiesss?!”