Chapter 37: Chapter 37
“I am coming in ten. Be ready by then.” She stared at the screen of her phone. She wished she did not get the text at that moment.
The whole morning she was dreading for that moment. Basically, the grandfather had decided that they should hold a reception where he was going to invite the remaining guests. Apparently, he still had a lot of friends and acquaintances he had not invited to the wedding.
Thomas informed her just the previous night that they had to attend the reception as his grandpa had ordered. He could not deny him the privilege and she could not deny Thomas.
She was in a contract with him. She had to do it at any cost. She did not have any problem except wanting to keep a low-key profile. She did not want a lot of exposure because the marriage was not a real one. Besides, she was afraid her past might be exposed as the grandpa would not let that go and her mom would be hurt in the process.
She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked exquisite. She was wearing an emerald cocktail that reached her knees from the front and fell to her heels at the back. It was a simple silk dress but was so elegantly designed. The buttons in the chest area matched the color of the dress and were of real emerald stones. It was so soft and smooth. She felt wonderful in it.
The makeup artist had done a great job with the smoky look of her eyes and light shade of lipstick. Her hair was styled in a messy bun while few of her strands were let loose purposefully. She liked her look a lot. She was wearing black stilettos and black earrings. Her clutch was also black. She looked drop-dead gorgeous. But the frown on her face told another story. She could not brush off the anxious feelings.
She called Sana in hopes that would calm her down. She did not pick up. Just then, she felt him enter the apartment.
He had gotten the lock fixed just the other day. It was her fifth day in that condo living with him. It was not as bad as she had thought. He gave her, her much-needed space. Also, he usually went to the office early in the morning and returned late. He seldom came for lunch, so it was not so uncomfortable living with him.
She grabbed her clutch and exited her room to come face to face with him—the right thing to say would be—she came face-to-chest with him.
He was already ready. She did not know when he got ready as he had not returned to the condo since he left for work. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and had a small emerald colored handkerchief placed in his front pocket. He was always prepared. The way he matched her dress and all told a lot about how meticulous he was about things. He took care of small details.
His hair was styled differently this time. Although it was still slicked back, a few strands were falling in his forehead making him look younger than he was. Wait! She did not even know exactly how old he was. She just guessed that he must be in his mid-twenties.
He looked so good and the way he smelled so good was having a calming effect on her senses.
On the other hand, Thomas felt like his heart would come out of his throat anytime soon. Why he was having such a strong reaction was beyond him.
She looked so tempting at that moment. He noticed her checking him out discreetly which was making him even more eager to do the thing he also controlled himself from.
Her eyes were doing things to him. He had always found them the most gorgeous pair of eyes ever. The darker look added to her dark eyes looked magical on her. He thought royal blue was the color that most suited her after the night he proposed to her. But while looking at her in that emerald green dress, he came to a conclusion that he was wrong. She looked breathtaking in every color, every style of dressing.
“Shall we leave?” She asked when she noticed him staring at her. She was feeling uneasy with his eyes on her. He was just silently standing there and staring at her. Her heart was beating fast seeing him like that for some reasons.
“Oh-uh yes. Let’s go.” He cleared his throat seemingly looking like he was caught off-guard. He gestured for her to walk ahead of him. She looked at the ground as she walked passed by him and opened the door to leave. He followed suit unable to remove his eyes from her very being.
She was doing things to him which he had never experienced before. Sure he was a playboy and slept with different girls every week, but he had never been that much attracted to someone, especially when the other person did not want anything to do with him. Although there was no one who resisted him ever, he still did not have such a desire to keep having such weird thoughts and feelings for someone who did not want him.
Did it mean that he wanted her? Why else would he have had to control those desires that much if he didn’t?
He shook his head at the realization. He could not have such thoughts about her. It made him feel like a creep. She clearly did not want him. She reacted so strongly when they were in close proximity. He did not know and did not want to know how she would react if she got a glimpse of the thoughts in his head.
When they got inside the elevator and the doors closed with only them inside, the feels got stronger. He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms to calm himself down, but her scent was driving him crazy. Although she stood at a decent distance from him and was looking ahead, he still had the thoughts to pin her against the wall or plant his lips on hers or do something—anything that would relieve him of the constant pressure from inside. It was screaming at him to do something and not be a coward.
Could he afford it though? She would call off the wedding right there and then. To think that he had made a promise to her that he would not act out of impulse again, did not help either. He was so torn between wanting a relief and fighting his feelings that he did not know that the elevator had stopped and Olivia was waiting for him.
“Thomas?” She said is so softly. She was confused why he was not moving. The doors had closed once, and she pressed the button again.
He raised his head and wished she had not called his name at that moment. His name rolling out of her tongue was so sweet yet so sexy. The way she was looking at him questioningly with wide, round, sexy eyes did not help either.
“Are you okay?” She asked with concern. He visibly took a deep breath and gave an assuring smile.
“I am okay. Let’s go.” He punched the button as the doors had closed again. They left the elevator and the building. The driver was already waiting for them. He got inside with her at the back seat. She was wondering why he had not sat in the front as he had done it once when they visited an orphanage a day ago. It was an orphanage by his name which his father had built. When he offered her to go there, she could not say no. She had a great time there.
She put her clutch on the seat and looked out the window. Her mom, Mary and Sana were invited. She hoped they would have a great time there unlike her. She was sure she would require a lot of patience to meet and deal with so many people and show them how great and happy couple they were. Thomas had told her that there would be a lot of media persons and reporters again.
Why did rich people want to flaunt everything? Wasn’t privacy what everyone wanted?
Apparently not Thomas’s grandpa. She could not blame him though. She thought maybe, she did not understand their life and values because she did not belong with them. One would not understand something if they are not part of that thing.
She was wondering if her mom had reached there already. Her eyes were busy looking out the window and she moved her hand to grab her clutch when it touched something else.
She snapped her eyes and turned her head to see that she had her hand placed on his. He was resting his hand on the seat beside him, and she had unknowingly touched it.
She quickly retreated her hand back—or tried to do that.
He held her hand tightly and clutched their fingers together making her eyes go wide and her heart in a frenzy.