Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Dylan went to Hewson Weddings & Events Co. a couple of minutes earlier than scheduled. After mustering his courage to talk to Hades yesterday, Dylan went straight back to his apartment to take his doubts and fears away. His day began with restored faith, thanks to his source of strength.

When he arrived at Barbarra's office, he had to wait a little longer until he stood up upon seeing Suzette.

"Finally," Dylan exclaimed under his breath with a bright smile, sounding excited to see Hades' daughter. "I'm glad to see you today," he added.

Suzette's serious eyes stared at Dylan before she cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you suddenly smiling at me?" she asked curiously and took a seat.

Dylan took a deep breath and sat back opposite Suzette. "You don't know how much courage it took me to talk to your dad, Suzette," he explained, making Suzette glare at him.

"You talked to Dad?" Suzette repeated in disbelief.

"Uh-huh," Dylan confirmed with a nod. "I asked him to allow me to talk to you alone about the wedding..."

He trailed off when Suzette gestured for him to stop talking. With a frown, he wondered, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I was just surprised," Suzette replied as she pulled out a pocket notebook and a pen from her bag.

Suzette wrote something and slid the notebook toward Dylan. Confusion now replaced the excitement on the young man's face earlier. He glanced at the unruled page and shifted his gaze to her. "What?" he asked.

Rolling her eyes, Suzette moved the notebook even closer to Dylan. "Dad doesn't want anything to delay the wedding. I'm sure he'll be happy if we make the wedding perfect next week," she said. But the serious expression on her face contradicted what she said.

Dylan read Suzette's messy handwritten words in black ink: [Just act normal. Don't talk about canceling the wedding. I tell you, you'll regret it otherwise.]

With a furrow between his brows, Dylan was about to speak when Suzette glared at him and the notebook. Having no idea what she was up to, he took the pen and wrote: [Why the hell are we writing in this notebook? We can talk.]

He returned the notebook, and Suzette read what he wrote. She grinned at his confidence and replied: [Don't dare talk to me about canceling the wedding. Dad put an audio recording device on my attire. I'm pretty sure he's listening to us right now. Act normal and write what you want to say, okay?]

Dylan nodded in agreement despite finding it absurd for Hades to do such things to his daughter.

"Miss Barbarra has something unexpected to attend to, so she'll be late. You came here early. Do you mind waiting further?" Suzette asked when she passed the notebook quietly.

"Don't worry. I can wait," Dylan replied, smiling as he wrote again. It was taking him a long time to adjust. He wrote: [Is this the way we can communicate?]

Suzette took the notebook and asked, "How did you convince Dad to talk to me?"

Dylan shrugged, recalling how willing he was to do everything for Madison. "I only showed him how serious I was about our wedding. I assured him the wedding would be perfect, and nothing would interfere with it," he recounted as he waited for the notebook.

The words on another page read: [Yeah. If you want to tell me something about the wedding, write here. Don't speak, or Dad will have us wed sooner than it already is. I don't like that happening.]

"I see," Suzette said. "I need some rest, and I don't want to talk. Wake me up when Miss Barbarra arrives," she added meaningfully without leaving her seat.

Dylan nodded to do what Suzette wanted. He replied, "Sure. Let's talk about the wedding later."

He wrote again and handed the notebook to Suzette. [How can we stop this ridiculous wedding?]

Suzette rolled her eyes and wrote back. [Duh! You can call it off!]

It was the first time Suzette acted that way toward him, making Dylan chuckle in astonishment. Sighing, he wrote: [I can't. Dad would be in jail if I did that.]

Without realizing Dylan's situation earlier, Suzette apologized: [I'm so sorry. Dad is one hell of a bastard.] Dylan's astonishment grew upon reading what Suzette wrote. He looked at her with a question in his eyes. She snatched the notebook from him and added: [I'm taking some rest, remember? Don't let me speak, Dylan.]

Dylan took the pen. [Right. I was just surprised. How could you call your dad a bastard?]

Suzette took a while at this moment before passing the notebook. [He's not my biological father. He adopted me only to control me. Mom knows about it, but she won't help me. She says the wedding is for my good. But damn it! I don't need to live in luxury with a monster like him!] She stared blankly at the wall after.

Dylan began feeling sorry for her. A gleam of anger filled her eyes when he looked at her to hand her the notebook. [Just tell me you're against the wedding.]

[Isn't it obvious, Dylan? I hate Dad's idea. I have my life with the one I love, but now I can't see him. Dad won't let him go near me.]

Dylan felt relieved. But seeing Suzette's eyes well up in tears, he thought of another plan. He took the pen again and passed the notebook shortly after writing: [I can help.]

A hopeful smile formed on Suzette's face. She immediately wrote back with glitter of hope shining in her eyes. [Are you sure you can help me?]

[I love my girlfriend, and she's the only one I want to marry. I don't want to hurt her, and I'm willing to do anything to cancel the wedding our fathers agreed to.]

Rejoice and worries debated in Suzette's eyes as she wrote: [I can see you love your girlfriend so much. She's lucky to have you. You're a Godsend, Dylan. But how can we communicate? Dad confiscated my phone.]

When Dylan read the writings on another page, he nodded and smiled. 'I love Madison so much that I'm willing to do everything for her,' he repeated in his head. Dylan also did not expect his ease in talking with Suzette, who always looked serious. But now, he understood why. 'Hades... That bastard suits his name,' he scoffed inwardly.

A wide, excited smile plastered on Suzette's face. Dylan took out his phone and turned the silent mode on. The look on her face when he put the phone in her hand told Dylan he needed to explain. [Use my phone to communicate with me. Don't let your dad see it, Suzette. Just trust me. For now, let me help you see your boyfriend.]

Suzette did not write back. She only stared at Dylan with gratitude in her eyes. He smiled at her and pushed her hand away so she could hide the phone before anyone could see it.

The two of them were quiet until Barbarra arrived. They talked about the wedding and pretended they were both interested, pleasing Hades' spying ears.

"If you want to change the color of the peonies, just let Miss Barbarra know," Dylan said with a smile.

"Will that be okay?" Suzette asked with a smile as she turned to Barbarra.

"Of course, dear," the wedding planner confirmed with a reassuring smile. "One's wedding usually happens once in their lives. Your groom makes sure I'm here to help organize your wedding according to your liking."

Suzette turned to Dylan and went closer to him. "I appreciate that you're keeping your promise to my father. Thank you for making sure our wedding will be perfect."

"Don't be that close," Dylan whispered to Suzette's ears. "My girlfriend would get mad at me if somebody saw us this close," he explained with a sheepish smile, making Suzette chuckle.

"You are so sweet, honey!" Suzette remarked, teasing Dylan.

The bright expression on her face made him realize it was comfortable to be with her. Dylan could breathe in relief somehow now that he had learned that Suzette felt the same toward the wedding. All he needed to focus on now was how to end the ridiculous agreement between their fathers.

"Go tell Miss Barbarra your preferred color, honey. I haven't eaten breakfast," Dylan lied.

Suzette smiled and talked to the wedding planner to finalize everything. Hades was a wealthy man, so Dylan and Suzette did not care about the expenses. The entire wedding was Hades' idea, after all.

When the wedding planner left her clients, Dylan took a piece of paper and wrote on it, asking Suzette to put her boyfriend's number on the phone. She obliged quickly and handed back the phone. Dylan took a distance from her to discuss their situation with Ed Young. Dylan returned with a comforting smile as he put the phone in Suzette's bag.

"Shall we?" Dylan asked and gestured his arm to Suzette.

They left Hewson Weddings & Events Co. with triumphant smiles and went straight to the parking lot. Suzette's driver and bodyguards followed them to a private restaurant, where diners were the only ones allowed inside. The restaurant was so private that each table almost looked like a room, so others would not see whoever was inside.

Dylan looked at Suzette with an excited smile and gestured for her to sit before him. He deliberately chose a table near the edge of the restaurant to hide from anyone who knew them. When the man Suzette wanted to marry arrived, Dylan moved to the other table to give them privacy.