Chapter 19: Husband and Wife

Cattleya’s POV

"Yes, don't you want to marry me?" he chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

I gasped as he took my hand and pulled me along, running together down the pathway.

As soon as we reached the entrance, he called his secretary and whispered something to her.

Moments later, everyone gathered in the center of the courtyard. And in that moment, I realized, with a mixture of shock and delight, that this was my surprise wedding to Jaxon, the devil himself!

The priest stood at the altar, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Jaxon held my hand as we walked down the aisle, his smile starkly contrasting my uneasiness.

He had been so unpredictable, and I hadn't seen this coming.

How much more did he have planned?

Panic began to set in.

I needed to get ready for everything.

Damn it. Why had I put myself in this situation where I felt trapped and powerless?

Jaxon’s eyes glowed as he whispered, “You’re going to be mine. There’s no more turning back, princess.”

He held my hand tightly as the priest began to read the vows. The ceremony felt like a blur, and before I knew it, I was married to Jaxon Moretti, the man I had once never thought I would be with, let alone marry.

I just signed the marriage contract! Oh no, this is really happening!

Jaxon slowly slid the wedding ring onto my finger, his touch gentle and almost tender. In return, I picked up the wedding ring and placed it on his finger, a forced smile playing on my lips.

The priest declared with a smile, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Husband, you may now kiss your wife..."

Jaxon leaned forward, his eyes filled with lust of desire.

I tiptoed up to meet his kiss, returning it with equal intensity.

The whole place erupted in applause, and the surprise wedding was a complete shock to everyone.

I lowered my gaze, a nervous sigh escaping my lips.

How would I explain this to my parents and everyone else?

Damn. I was so stupid.

Jaxon smiled at me, his eyes flashing with playfulness. "And now that you're my wife... let me take you tonight."

I gasped nervously, whispering, "Isn't it too early to do that?"

"Well, I can't stop thinking about you, princess," he replied curtly.

Everyone congratulated us, and as the evening wore on, Jaxon took my hand and led me outside the party.

He escorted me to his car, explaining that their driver was unavailable for the night.

I noticed two cars following us, assuming it could be his men who were guarding him.

I took a deep breath and asked, "So, where are we going now?"

"Where do you think we're going, my sweet pie?" he asked playfully.

"I'm serious," I said, my voice growing annoyed. "Don't tease me."

"I don't know what just happened between us," he said, his voice filled with uncertainty. "But I think you led yourself to me... I know you're attracted to me, because if I weren't this handsome and charming, you wouldn't have agreed to marry me."

I scoffed, "Ha! The audacity!"

And he smiled, "I just realized that the man whose name was Patrick was rejected this morning."

"Are you spying on me?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

"I told you, I have so many eyes watching you," he chuckled dangerously, accelerating the car to its limit.

We soon arrived at one of his private parties in the forest.

The darkness was so profound it triggered my deep-seated fear of the unknown.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. "You're here to kill me, aren't you?"

"Are you really thinking that I could do that to you? Do you think I'm such an evil person that I would kill you after marrying you?" he chuckled softly. "That's nonsense."

"And so, what are we doing here?" I asked calmly, trying to mask my fear.

"You'll find out soon," he sneered, stepping out of the car.

He switched on the lamp outside the terrace, and I followed him out, relieved to see that the darkness had lifted.

"So, you want me to sleep over here?" I asked again, my voice a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

"Yeah, you're going to sleep with me tonight," he winked at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What? But I'm not ready yet!" I protested.

"You're not ready to sleep? Do you have insomnia?" he asked innocently, opening the door for me.

"Huh?" I bit my lip, realizing that he wasn't referring to sex after all. "Oh..." I faked a yawn and added, "I don't have insomnia...."

I stepped inside the rustic wooden house located deep within the forest.

The isolation was unsettling, and I wondered why he had chosen this place instead of a hotel or his villa.

My mind raced with questions, but I kept my mouth shut and glanced at him, only to find him already staring at me.

"What? What were you thinking?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.

I took a deep breath. "Well, why did you bring me here instead of your place or a hotel or your penthouse? Why here?"

"Here?" he asked, pointing to the house. "Well, it's quite peaceful here, and as soon as my enemies know that I just got married, they'll try to locate me, trying to find out where I am and who I married."

I nodded my head and licked my lower lip, then stepped back a few paces. "Am I in danger?"

"Yes, you always are," he replied.

I cleared my throat to avoid his intense gaze, "So, you own this place? I see that it's clean and well-maintained." I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. "It has its own groceries, too."

"I have my housekeeper to keep this house clean and maintained," he replied. Then he asked, "Do you want to see our bedroom?"

"Our... Our bedroom?" I stammered.

As he made his way upstairs, I trailed behind. After that, he whirled around to look directly at me. "The place where we could sleep together..."

I let out a soft gasp.

"Strip," he said, wildly opening the door to the bedroom.

I stepped inside and frowned at him, "What did you just say?"

He closed the door behind him, "You heard me, right? I said... Strip."