Chapter 3

Louisa.

I kept looking at the men and my mother simultaneously, still not knowing what and how to respond to them. "I'm here to do just two things." The man started, without allowing me to speak. "One, tell you how the wedding is going to be, that is if you say yes and two, go straight to the station and give the police the go-ahead to process your father's sentence if you say no. Whichever one is totally up to you, Miss Jordan."

I scoffed at his remarks, completely bewildered by the way he spoke to me. My mother placed her hand lightly on my shoulders, but I immediately shrugged off her hold.

"Stop it, Mum, please." I said. After taking two deep breaths, I turned to look at the men in the room. "Yes. My answer is yes. I will marry Mr. Yeats."

I heard a relieved sigh from my mother and shook my head at the decision I just made. Turning to look at her, she acknowledged my sacrifice with a nod of her head before collapsing on the sofa.

"Tell me the rules." I said, turning back to look at the rude man. “What do I need to know?”

"The wedding will happen in two days, preparations are already ongoing." He began, "You'll be getting married at City Hall. The ceremony will not be big but still won't be small. Mr. Yeats doesn't want to startle you. You will have a little reception after the service and then move over to his house for your honeymoon. No fancy travels for you as he's a busy man."

I nodded my head, completely agreeing with the no-travel clause. I had no thoughts of traveling the world with him in the first place.

"Any questions?" the rude man asked when he was done. I considered the instructions for a while and finally shook my head.

"No questions."

"Good. You'll be getting a lot of visits from the dressers to fix you up for the wedding. Remember, nobody that is not a close relation should know about this arrangement."

"Of course."

"Great. Have a nice day." He said. Like a robot programmed to instructions, he and his colleague turned and walked out of the house.

***********

I couldn't stop staring at the mirror as my makeup was being done for the wedding. Although Jared wanted the wedding small, he had made sure everything was provided at my disposal. The past few days, I have been introduced to a lot of people ranging from makeup artists, dressers, and hair stylists. I had also tried on a lot of wedding gowns, shoes, necklaces, and very expensive things that I had never dreamed of wearing before.

My mother walked into the room seconds later, fussing over the wedding gown laid on the bed. "It's very beautiful." She said with a smile, and I closed my eyes to allow the makeup artist to apply the eyeliner, without speaking a word to her.

"You will have to talk to me one day, Louisa." She said, looking at me through the mirror. "You will have to forgive me."

"I have nothing against you, Mum," I spoke. "It is not your fault. I just don't want to talk to you right now."

She nodded her head at me and walked out to give me privacy. My best friend: Jessica, walked in, asking the artist to give us time to talk. Immediately we were left alone, she bent and touched her forehead with mine.

"You are beautiful."

I nodded at the compliment, trying not to cry. The whole thing was like a dream to me, and it was very infuriating. I didn't want to get married now, I wanted to work and be happy with my family and friends, not to get married to a total stranger who was handsome as sin, but also very mysterious.

"Jared and his cousins have arrived.” Jessica said to me. “I think good looks run in the family."

I smiled awkwardly at her, shaking my head afterward. "I'm scared, Jessica. I'm scared of a lot of things. Aside from being sweet and breathtakingly handsome, I know nothing about him."

"I know." Jessica replied, squatting on her knees. "But you still need to be prepared. This is the only way you can save your family from ruin. If you don't do this, your father will live the rest of his life in jail and your mom will hate you.”

I nodded my head, standing up from the dresser to look out of the window. "You don't have to tell me that, I know it already." I murmured and she turned me to face her, wiping away any tear that threatened to slip down my face.

"It's a good day. Don't ruin it. You don't want to remember your wedding day as the worst day of your life." She said to reassure me, and I nodded, taking a deep breath. "It's almost time, let's get you into your dress now, shall we?"

My makeup was retouched, and Jessica made sure I chose the most comfortable shoes, before leading me out of the door. The hall was filled with rich businessmen and women, billionaires that I never imagined to ever share the same space with. And they were here to watch me tie the knot with a man I didn't know much about. My father took my arm at the entrance of the hall, while I looked at him with surprise.

"You are here."

"Yes." He replied. "Jared was kind enough to allow me to attend."

I looked at the man in question as he stood on the altar. His face was very pleasant while he watched me with a smile. Anyone who saw the way he looked at me would think he was hopelessly in love with me and that sent exciting shivers running down my spine.

"Remember to be good." My father started as we began the walk down to the altar. "Your family's future depends on you, Louisa, it's a big responsibility."

I shook my head at his words, not the least surprised at his insolence. "You shouldn't be threatening me, Dad. I'm not yet at the altar." I reminded him.

We got to the altar and Jared stretched his hands to receive me.

"Thank you, Mr. Jared for this kindness." My father whispered to him and at his nod, shifted to place a kiss on my cheeks. After the quick kiss, Jared held my hands steadily in his, offering me an understanding look.

"You look stunning." He whispered, before turning us to face the minister of the wedding. The minister began the rites, and I could hear nothing else but the beating of my own heart.

I stared at the crowd in the large hall. Some of them were smiling, some confused and some, just enjoying the process.

The door was still open. I said silently in my heart. I could still leave and apologize later on to my father and Jared. Surely, they would understand and forgive me.

"Miss Jordan," a voice called through my thoughts, making me to focus my attention on the wedding at hand. Jared and the minister were staring at me, waiting for a reply to a question that I hadn’t heard. I watched them in confusion, and with the movement of my eyes, asked the minister to repeat his statement.

"Miss Louisa Jordan." The minister called. "Will you take Mr. Jared Yeats to be your husband?” He asked again. My mind went totally blank after the question, while alarms rang in my ears.