Be careful with my heart

Chapter 5

Ariana's Pov

"Do you Ariana Bond take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold? In sickness and in health? Till death do you part?" The priest popped the question I dreaded. I am signing my life out to this emotionless man. I looked at Dustin's face through my veil and all I saw was him looking at me with disgust.

With an unsure voice I answered the priest "I do"

"Do you Dustin Black-"

"Can we just exchange the rings and get this over with?" Dustin said in an irritated voice.

The congregation started mumbling words and the priest looked dumbfounded. To say I was embarrassed is just an understatement.

"He can't wait to have his bride all to himself." Ben laughed out and the whole congregation laughed with him but I knew he said that to save us some face.

The priest continued with the vows, seconds later we exchanged rings and was announced husband and wife.

The wedding reception was a grand one. Dustin's grandmother did a lot with the guest list, I could barely recognize my own people.

Grandma introduced some investor's wives to me and I was greeted warmly and also to some of her old but beautiful friends.

"Be sure to work on the children sooner." One of her friends joked and they laughed.

'If only they knew' I sighed.

"Where is the groom by the way? I haven't seen him around after the first speech." Another friend asked and they all looked at me.

"Erm....." I was confused, I need lies.

"He went to the bathroom." I lied.

"Better keep an eye on him, that boy is quite a charmer." She chuckled.

"I have gat my claws on him." I faked a smile.

I left them and looked around for Dustin but he was nowhere in the hall. Does he even know people would start asking questions?! I was so angry but do I even have the right to be? I sighed.

"He is like his father after all." I heard a woman say beside me and I turned to look at her but it felt like I was looking Into Dustin's eyes.

"Excuse me?" I asked confused but still mesmerized by the eyes.

"Pardon me, I am Kathrina Boston, Dustin's mother." She smiled.

That explains the eyes but nobody mentioned her not even Grandma and why does she have a different Surname? .

'Are you dumb? She is probably one of those mothers that left their children to marry a richer man.' My judging spirit said

"I know what you are thinking. I bet nobody said anything about me."

"Erm...." I was confused.

"It's okay. But...." She looked around

"He seems to not be in this hall, may I ask why?" She queried.

"He went to the bathroom." I lied again.

She chuckled "You don't have to cover for him. He doesn't want this marriage and he was forced, right?" She smirked.

'How come she knows so much? I asked Inwardly.

"It's - it's -"

"What are you doing here Katherina?" I heard a familiar voice ask her but with fury and hate visible in the voice.

Wait! Katherine? He calls his mom by her name?!

"Do I not have the right to attend my son's wedding?" She scoffed.

"You lost that right the day you left Blackstone's mansion!" He snarled.

"Your perception about women changed because of me, so why are you getting married now?"

"I believe that is none of your business." He growled.

"Come on, it is time to leave." He pulled me by my waist and we left his mother standing on the same spot taking a sip from her glass of wine.

After saying goodbye to my single life, we said our goodbye to everyone and we drove off from there. I had a lot of questions in my mind but I knew asking Dustin would be a big mistake so i decided to ask Grandma later.

"Stop the car here." I heard him tell the driver.

The driver stopped and he alighted from the car but before the driver continued driving, I saw him enter into another car.

'Does he hate me that much, that he doesn't want to spend a second around me?' I sighed

*********

The car stopped in front of a gigantic gate, painted in white and the designs on it were painted gold.

The gate opened for the car to enter and it was like another journey entirely. Seconds later, the car parked in front of a 10 feet black wooden but expensive door. The car door was opened for me and I alighted to see a number of uniformed maids aligned with their heads bowed before me. A red haired maid in a different uniform came out from the line and stood in front of me.

"Welcome to the mansion madam, your room has been prepared. Please follow me." She said politely and I followed her.

We entered inside a magnificent room, bigger than my Aunt Mary's apartment. The room looked expensively furnished and neatly arranged.

"Your luggages have been brought in. You can always call me or any of the maids if you need anything, ma'am." She said politely and left with the other maids.

I took in the surrounding in awe. Went to the vanity and brushed my fingers on it and I sat on the bed to feel it's softness.

"Sleep on this bed will surely be a dreamy one." I said to myself.

I laid on the bed still in my wedding dress, looking into the ceiling. I tried imagining what life would be like as Mrs Ariana Blackstone, what would it be like to be the wife of the richest man in the country, probably in the whole world. He doesn't like me, so I bet he would never want to share a room with me, right?

Then it clicked, his Grandmother may force him to. So, does that mean, we might sleep in this same room and share this fluffy bed?!

A knock from the door shook me out of my thoughts.

"Yes?" I asked.

"It is me." I heard Grandma's voice from the door.

"Please come in, the door is not locked." I announced.

The door creaked open and she entered.

"Did I disturb you?" She asked gently.

"Oh no, you didn't. I was just about to change out of my dress." I said politely to her.

"The maids told me Dustin didn't return home with you?" She questioned.

All I did was nod at her question.

She sighed heavily. "Ari, i'd like to apologize for forcing this marriage on you...... I could have helped without you having to do this but Dustin needs to see that not all women would turn out like his mother." She said gently.

"What happened? I met her at the wedding reception and their relationship doesn't seem to be a good one." I asked.

"You met her?" She asked surprised

"Honestly, I thought she was dead since nobody said anything about her."

"Well, she is very much alive....... She left Dustin when he was still a child to be with his father's friend."

"Dustin father's friend?!" I asked amused.

"Yes. She betrayed my son with his best friend and now, they are business competitors." She explained.

"Whoa! That must have been heartbreaking for Mr Blackstone."

"It was. He was his most trusted friend and he loved his wife with all of his heart." She said

"So, you raised Dustin all by yourself then?"

"His father did before he left him to me many years ago." She said in a sorrowful tone.

"I assume Mr Blackstone died many years ago then?" I asked gently and she nodded.

"I am so sorry." I said gently.

"You have no reasons to be."

She moved closer to me and held my hands in hers

"Ariana..... I want you to prove to Dustin that there other women aside from his mother. A woman that is not greedy and has love inside of her. Can you do that for me?"

"Dustin is a tough one." I pointed.

"There is a soft side in everybody.... I believe your warmth can melt down his cold walls......" She smiled and rubbed my hand.

"Now, I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your night" She said and left the room.

"How am I supposed to melt a cold man's heart?" I thought to myself.

Dustin is not just an average cold man, he is a cold metal man.

I opened my suitcase and brought out a short and a tank top to change into.

Dustin's Pov

"I thought newly wedded couples go for honeymoon after the wedding." Ben said as he gave me a beer.

"So, how come you are here and not with your wife?" He asked as he took a sip from his beer.

I opened beer and gulped down a sip.

"She was at the wedding." I blurted.

"Of course she would be at the wedding, it's her wedding remember?" He said.

"I wasn't talking about her, fool." I replied with irritation

"Who was at the wedding then?" He asked confused

"Mrs Boston."

"Your mother?" He asked surprised.

"She is not my mother! Maybe before but not anymore!" I spat.

"Fine. But why was she there anyways?" He asked.

"I have no idea."

*Flashback to 10 years ago*

"I saw you come out from that room with him!" I heard my father's frustrated voice yell at my mother.

"And?" My mother's nonchalant voice asked.

"And?! Are you seriously asking me that? You came out from a hotel room hand in hand with my best friend and you aren't remorseful about it? How shameless are you?!" He yelled at her again.

"Just shush that stinky hole of yours. Why did you think I married you in the first place?....... It was for your wealth fool!. I never really loved you and what's worse? You are horrible when it comes to sex..... So isn't it better to go to someone that is good at it?"

"So, you kept this from me for 10 years?" I heard my father's voice break.

"Oh, please save me all of that."

Then I heard heavy movements in the room. Few minutes later, my mother walked out of the room with her bags right in both hands. She stopped when she saw me and bent to my level.

"Just stay with your father, I will come back for you when I feel like it." Those were her last words and she left the building.

I looked into the room and saw my father sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. That was the end for my father, that lovable, responsible man I used to know turned into drunkard.

My father was the richest in the country, he was a strong man, no one dared look him in the eyes, but that strong man, that iron man was gone, he left the day my mother left.

I witnessed all of that as a child. I hated my mother and every woman to me were nothing but gold diggers except one person, my grandmother. She took me in when my father gave himself away to drinking and looked after me herself, she gave me anything and everything I ever wanted.

Few years later, my mother came back to my father, begged him to take her back because her husband which was my father's best friend had changed towards her. He became a monster and my father foolishly took her back because he was still very much in love with her but little does he know that my mother went back to him with an evil agenda to take everything from him.

My mother played every tricks in her book but none worked, why? Because my father had already transferred everything to me and it was official, signed and stamped by the family's attorney. He made that decision when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and of course, my dear mother was disappointed because the attorney refused to hand anything over to me until I was the appropriate age and she left without ever looking back.

Present

"What are you going to tell Ariana about her?" Ben asked.

"I don't care what she thinks...." I stood up from the seat.

"You should. You like it or not, she is your wife now, your responsibility. Whatever she does from today's on, would either soil your reputation or make it better. So pay more attention to her." He advised.

"That should be my grandmother's job. I did what she wanted, so she should look after the wife she arranged for me...... I have got to go."

"Where will you go now?" He asked.

"Home."

Then I remembered the new development. Ugh!

"Later then?" Ben asked

"Yeah." I left the building to my car and the driver drove home.

Throughout the drive home, I kept thinking about everything that has happened within those few hours. I got married to a woman I do not love and I got to meet the woman I stopped loving. How messed up can my life be?

"Drive me to the hotel." I said to the driver.

"Okay sir." He responded.

Sleeping in the hotel was an alternative I came up with, I was not ready to face that other gold digger.

Women are all crap. They have nothing to offer, yet they are dubious.

********

Author's note

This book was on hold because I had to focus all my strength and attention on my life and education. A lot happened but thank God for life.

I will try my best to keep updating this book as fast as I can.

Thank you for still being here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter

Till later, lovelies❤❤