Chapter 4 More Ugly in Real
Isabel stood there wearing a bright yellow top and a flowing white skirt. Her skin disease was visible on her exposed hands, legs, and neck, yet she had no intention of hiding it. Her smile remained the prettiest in the world, even as her body showed signs of discoloration. Meanwhile, her dark brown eyes silently appreciated the handsome man standing before her, who would soon become her husband. If only she knew what he was truly thinking about her.
"Why on earth did my mom choose her for me? She looks even uglier in person. I can't even imagine her as my bride," Mason lamented in his mind, as his eyes traveled up and down Isabel's figure.
He wanted to say those hurtful words directly to her face, but he held back to spare his mom, Nina, from pain. Besides, after seeing Isabel's face, he had lost interest in engaging with her further. Her skin imperfections bothered him tremendously.
"Hey... You're Mason, right?" Isabel asked, breaking the silence between them.
Unbeknownst to Isabel, Mason let out a heavy sigh upon hearing her voice. He replied, "Yeah, you're definitely Isabel."
Isabel nodded with a genuine smile in response.
Although her smile was pleasant and heartwarming, Mason despised everything about her. Looking at Isabel was becoming unbearable for him; he felt like he had the worst luck in the world, ending up with her as his fiancée.
Mason managed to suppress his irritation and engaged in conversation with Isabel, hoping to get rid of her soon.
"Please, have a seat," he said, forcing a smile on his face.
He took his seat once again, and Isabel sat opposite him.
Before saying anything, Mason looked at her once more and grew furious with his mom all over again. He couldn't fathom why his mom had chosen a girl with a skin disease for a good-looking guy like him. He never thought his mom's taste would be so poor and disappointing.
Now more than ever, he was determined to stop this marriage by any means necessary. So he began, "Listen, Miss Isabel... I don't like beating around the bush. I want to make myself very clear. Honestly, this marriage..."
Mason was interrupted mid-sentence by an unexpected phone call. To his surprise, it was his mom calling.
He answered the call, and from the other end, his mom, Nina, asked, "Mason, where are you right now?"
"Are you with Isabel?" Nina asked without giving him a chance to respond.
Mason felt shocked and frightened by his mom's realization. Meanwhile, Isabel grew a bit curious about the change in his expression.
"Ummm... No... I mean, yeah..." Mason stumbled over his words, unprepared to answer his mom's inquiry.
"You don't have to lie. I already know you're with Isabel. I want both of you to spend time together, but don't even think about making her break this marriage. If you do, you'll have to face the consequences, my son," Nina declared in one breath, leaving Mason frozen in place.
"It would be better if you removed the negativity from your mind and had a positive outlook on your marriage with Isabel," Nina added calmly and seriously.
Hearing his mom's words, Mason felt like crying. He felt as if his mom was a detective in his life, aware of his every move. The realization left him feeling sad and furious.
"Okay," he responded in an emotionless tone.
Before ending the call, Nina added, "And when you're done spending time together, please drop Isabel off at the wedding dress shop. She needs to choose her gown and get her measurements. I'll be waiting there."
"Well... we're coming, Mom," Mason said, ending the call.
He looked at Isabel's curious face and said, "Mom is waiting for you at the wedding dress shop. I'll drop you off."
"But you haven't finished what you were saying. You were talking about the marriage," Isabel couldn't help but ask, which made Mason grin sadistically.
"Forget it. It was nothing. Let's go."
Burying his unspoken words in his heart, Mason set off to leave with Isabel.
\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After dropping Isabel off at the wedding dress shop, Mason returned home. He went to his room and locked himself inside.
Mentally stressed, Mason couldn't bring himself to talk about breaking off the marriage with Isabel. He had never felt this restless before, and it was driving him crazy. He wanted to destroy everything in his path, but he controlled his frustration because he didn't want to disappoint his mom.
Hopeless, Mason sat on his bed, lost in thoughts of Addison, the one he truly wanted to marry. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.
"Brother, it's me. Are you okay?" Anna's voice came from the other side, and he opened the door to let her in.
"What's the matter? Did it work? Did Isabel agree to cancel the marriage?" Anna asked hurriedly as she entered the room.
Mason remained silent for a moment, then sat back on his bed, motionless. Anna grew even more curious in response to his silence.
"Did you even meet with her? How does she look in person, Brother?" Anna asked again, filled with curiosity.
"Horrible," Mason breathed out angrily.
"So... Did she agree to cancel the marriage?" Anna asked softly, sensing Mason's anger.
"Did I even get the chance to talk to her?" Mason shouted, startling Anna, who had never seen him so furious before.
"Mom is messing up every single thing in my life. I went to talk to Isabel, but before I could say anything, Mom called me and threatened me," Mason continued, his voice filled with pain and anger.
He felt like his own mom was betraying him and deliberately causing him pain, which was too much for Mason to bear. Then he said, "Believe me, Anna, I can't stand this injustice. Why is Mom forcing me into this marriage?"
Anna felt sympathy for Mason, but she had no solution to offer. "I really don't know what you're supposed to do now. But you can talk to Dad about this. I believe he will listen to you, brother," Anna suggested, seeing their dad as the last hope to cancel the marriage.
"Do you think it will work?" Mason asked, his gaze fixed and full of doubt, as he didn't believe his dad would listen.
"Maybe... You should talk to Dad tomorrow at the office," Anna replied, knowing it was the final option left for Mason.
The next day, Mason went directly to his dad's office. His dad, John Williams, was the CEO of the Williams Company, and Mason worked alongside him as a company head.
Seeing Mason in the office so early in the morning, Mr. John was surprised and said, "Mason! Come in, my boy."
Mason entered the office and sat in the chair across from his dad's desk.
"Dad, I have something important to talk to you about," Mason said, his expression serious. Mr. John closed the file he was reviewing to give his full attention to his son.
"What is it?"
"It's... It's about the marriage, Dad."
Mr. John sensed Mason's hesitation and encouraged him, "Whatever it is, just tell me."
Mason took a deep breath and asked, "Did you see the bride?"
Mr. John chuckled unintentionally at the question and replied, "Of course, I did. Who do you think has been orchestrating everything for this marriage from the beginning?"