"I don't care what people say about me," Declan snapped back. "What matters to me is that you coerced me into this marriage, and the bride fled. It will be on the front page of every local newspaper in the city tomorrow... 'Declan Wilson's bride eloped with her boyfriend on the wedding day.'..." He emphasized the last sentence. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone."
"To silence everyone, I asked you to marry that girl, Yasmin," Gerald muttered. "Since the wedding is done, no one will talk rubbish about our family. I will make sure of it."
"Seriously?" Declan yelled, his eyebrows knitting tighter. "You forced me into a marriage with a girl eight years younger than me. And what's more, she was crying her eyes out. I am sure she is not happy with this marriage either."
"You are such a fool," Gerald growled. "Instead of comforting her, you came here. Do I have to teach you how to treat your wife?"
"Phew…" Derrek couldn't suppress his laughter.
Declan shot him a murderous glare. He wished he could strangle him to death.
Derrek's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, and his smile disappeared instantly.
Declan returned his focus to Gerald and snapped, "I don't know how to console a woman. I never did it. And no… I don't need your preaching."
"You…" Gerald approached him with dangerous momentum, pointing his finger at him.
"Could you both shut up for a while?" Amber eventually shouted, unable to stay silent any longer and keep watching them argue. "Dad, you shouldn't have forced Declan to marry such a young girl who is only nineteen. You should have thought about Tina. She likes Declan." She pouted.
"No…"
"No…"
Gerald and Declan yelled in unison, startling Amber. Her gaze wandered from Gerald to Declan, dumbfounded.
"Fine. Do whatever you want to do. Don't ask me anything." She leaped to her feet and stormed out.
"Listen, Declan." Gerald looked back at him. "Don't think of divorcing her. Otherwise, I will hand over the CEO position to Sean."
"What the hell?" Declan's loud voice echoed inside the room. "By saying the same thing over and over, you forced me into this marriage. Now you are threatening me as well."
"Think whatever you want. Treat her well. Or else, you will see the worst of me." Gerald left after saying those words fiercely.
Derrek felt oppressed under his murderous aura. He also stood up and left quietly.
"Ugh…" Declan groaned and sagged on the sofa, pulling his hair.
His PA, Francis, had been sitting quietly for so long. He wished he could leave just like the others. But he remained seated, watching him in trepidation.
After some hesitation, he cleared his throat and said, "Marrying her was the wise decision."
Declan scowled at him, cocking his head. His murderous look withered Francis' throat.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and summoned his courage to say, "She is most likely your fated wife. Destiny has brought you together. She won't be as bad as you think she will be. You have worked so hard for the company. You can't possibly give up the CEO's position."
"Do you think this girl is right for me?" Declan asked, skeptical.
"No one is perfect," Francis said bluntly. "But I think she is better than Tina."
Declan averted his gaze as he considered what Francis had said. Marrying Tina was a big no. But he was not sure whether Yasmin was the right choice. He said yes to this marriage because he liked the beautiful Natasha. But Yasmin... She was not as attractive as Natasha. Besides, she wore big round specs.
"Huh…" Declan let out a deep sigh. "She is not my type."
"Your type?" Francis exclaimed, bewildered. "What is your type? I have never seen you with a woman."
"What do you mean?" Declan snapped back. "I don't indulge myself with any woman, but that doesn't mean I don't have thoughts about how my wife should be."
Francis parted his lips to say something but nothing came out of his mouth.
"Ugh…" Declan groaned and got to his feet. "I need some strong drinks. Let's go to the bar." He walked out.
Francis also stood up and followed him docilely.
************************************************************************
The seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes turned into hours. As soon as the sun went down, darkness descended on the city.
Yasmin had been sitting on the bed since Declan left early this afternoon. She still hadn't gotten out of her wedding dress, her eyes transfixed on somewhere ahead. Everything that had happened since the morning continued to rewind itself in her mind.
She had been joyous when she awoke this morning and started preparing for her sister's wedding. But her life took a sharp turn when Natasha fled from the wedding venue. Marriage was not part of her plans, at least not for the next few years. Unexpectedly, she had to marry as a replacement for her sister.
She took the vows at the altar where her sister was supposed to take marriage vows. She wore the bridal gown that belonged to her sister. Even the groom was supposed to be her sister's.
Yasmin had no idea whether this relationship would work. She always wished to be loved by her husband. She was not sure if she could ever get Declan's love. She didn't even know what he thought about her. She was in such a state of depression that her brain stopped working. Her ears kept ringing.
Buzz-Buzz-Buzz…
The phone vibrated on the bedside table, drawing her attention. She wiped her tears away and picked up the phone, only to see her mother's number. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
She wiped her tears away as she answered the phone, "Hello."
"Yasmin, sweetheart. Are you okay?" Her mother's hoarse voice came out of the phone. "I am sorry, darling. I couldn't help you."
When she heard her mother sob, her heart twisted. She fought the urge to cry.
"Have you heard from Natasha?" she asked after a while, her voice faltering.
"No… Don't talk about her," Maya snapped all of a sudden. "She ruined the reputation of the family. She is no longer Wiley."
"Don't say that, Mommy. What Natasha did was awful. But she is still your daughter. You can't abandon her."
"Listen, Yasmin. Your father is very angry with Natasha. Don't ever mention her in front of him."
Yasmin shuddered at her warning tone. She realized how upset her parents were. It would take a long time for them to forgive Natasha.
'Natasha, why did you do that,' she murmured in her mind. 'You could have refused to marry if you liked someone.'
"Anyway, I called you not to talk about her," Maya continued. "I am more concerned about you. How is Declan? Is he good to you?"
Yasmin fell silent. She didn't know anything about Declan.
"Yasmin… Are you there?"
"Oh, yeah… um…" Yasmin stuttered. She scratched her head, contemplating what to say.
'He is intimidating.' She wanted to say this. In the end, she preferred not to continue the conversation. "I got to go now. I will call you later."
She immediately hung up the phone and blew some air.
"I would better go freshen up," she murmured and walked into the bathroom.