Already Married

005

[Max Square]

"How do you want me to react when I see Dylan?" Venessa asked, holding her cup of coffee as she made her way into Max Square with Tehila beside her.

"Don't do s**t, I told you already, I am over him," Tehila replied.

"Really? You and I both know that's not true," Venessa said.

"Seriously. I am over him, and that's it, end of conversation," Tehila declared.

"Hmm," Venessa shrugged, and took a sip from her coffee.

"Wait, you seriously asked me that?" Tehila questioned, staring at Venessa like she had two heads.

"Was I supposed to ask if I can wipe his butthole?" Venessa replied.

"You are insane," Tehila answered, with a chuckle.

They made their way past the gate, after confirming their identities with their IDs.

"I have somewhere to go after work today," Venessa said, after they entered the elevator.

"With who? Your anonymous boyfriend?" Tehila asked.

Venessa rolled her eyes.

"Please hold the elevator!"

Venessa placed her hand, stopping the elevator from closing.

"Got you," she winked at the boy who entered.

"Thank you," the boy replied.

"Seriously? You're going to go out with someone you don't know?" Tehila asked out loud.

"b***h, keep your voice down," Venessa frowned, pulling her to the end of the elevator.

"I know him. We've met like two or three times already," Venessa said in a whisper.

"Hmm, that's your business. Just be careful and don't get drunk, you know how comfortable you get when you're drunk," Tehila warned.

"I won't, it's just a normal date," Venessa argued.

"Hmm," Tehila hummed in reply, and took a sip from her coffee.

Venessa opened her mouth to protest, but was cut short when the elevator door opened.

"We're here!" Tehila announced, and walked out of the elevator.

"Bye!" Venessa waved at the boy with a smile, and rushed after Tehila.

"b***h, wait for me," Venessa called after her. Tehila slowed her pace so Venessa could catch up.

"I don't trust myself with Dylan," Venessa confessed, walking down the hall to their department.

"I already told you, there's no need to get violent or expose him. It's useless," Tehila cautioned.

"I know, but still," Venessa argued.

"Venessa." Tehila called, with gritted teeth.

"Fine," Venessa accepted, with an eye roll.

Tehila pushed open the glass door of their department and they both walked in.

Venessa's eyes darted to Dylan's table, only to find it empty.

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tehila, who was already settling at her table without even saying a word.

Venessa twitched her tongue in her mouth and walked to her desk, just beside Tehila's.

"He isn't here," Venessa whispered to Tehila, voice barely audible.

Tehila shot her a glare and she just shrugged.

Venessa turned to a female employee and nudged her arm with her elbow.

"Hey! Why is Mr. Punctual not here?" Venessa asked.

The colleague turned to Venessa with raised eyebrows.

"You don't know?" the colleague questioned.

Venessa shook her head.

"Gist me," Venessa demanded.

The colleague drew her chair closer to Venessa and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"HR came in this morning to announce that Dylan wouldn't be at work for the next couple of days," the colleague said.

"But why?" Venessa asked.

"HR said his wife ran away with her secret lover on their wedding morning. He fell ill from emotional stress and is admitted to the hospital," the colleague replied.

Venessa gasped, eyes wide.

"That's cruel," Venessa said.

The lady nodded.

"That was my reaction too — women these days are cruel," the colleague added.

Venessa turned to Tehila.

"Are you hearing what I'm hearing?" Venessa questioned.

"I don't care," Tehila replied, after a beat.

"He's changing the narrative in his favor," Venessa said.

"Venessa," Tehila called, more like a warning, glaring at her.

"Fine," Venessa surrendered with an eyeroll.

[Afternoon ~ 3pm]

Tehila walked out of the building alone. Venessa had gone off to God knows where.

She spotted a black car parked at the front of the company.

A frown appeared on her face, and she walked over and knocked on the window. It rolled down a bit, just enough for her voice to be heard.

"Excuse me, you're not supposed to park here," Tehila said.

"Is that your job?" The window rolled down fully, revealing Vael.

"You," Tehila called, a little frown on her face.

"How did you know where I work?" she asked.

"Get in," Vael ordered.

Tehila didn't hesitate, she opened the door and climbed into the car, shutting the door behind her.

"Drive," she ordered.

Vael glanced at her before turning the key; the engine roared to life and he drove out onto the main road.

"I was gonna call you, but then I remembered — I don't have your number," Tehila said.

"I know," Vael said.

"That's why I came to pick you up," he added.

"Hmm," Tehila nodded.

"I was gonna wait at the rooftop," Tehila said.

The car ride fell silent.

"You didn't answer my question earlier," Tehila said, after a beat.

"Fasten your seatbelt," Vael said, sparing her a glance before focusing on the road.

"That wasn't the question," Tehila said, wearing her seatbelt.

"I have my ways," Vael answered.

"What ways?" Tehila asked.

Vael sighed.

"You ask too many questions," Vael said.

"And you barely answer," Tehila replied.

"Let me just assume you ran a background check on me," Tehila said.

"You know, so why ask?" Vael questioned.

"What did you find?" Tehila asked.

Vael glanced at her, before turning back to the road.

"Read this," Vael said.

He pulled a file from the dashboard and threw it to Tehila. It landed on her lap.

"What's this?" Tehila asked.

"Rules, and everything you need to know about me," Vael answered.

Tehila let out a chuckle.

Vael glanced at her, then turned to the road, driving onto the highway.

"What's funny," Vael asked.

"If you have your own rules, don't you think I should have mine?" Tehila said, staring at him.

"You can," Vael answered.

"Good," Tehila replied.

"My first rule is, don't come to my workplace again," Tehila said.

"That will do — after all, you won't be needing to work," Vael said.

"What?" Tehila asked.

"Check the fifth rule," Vael said.

Tehila flipped the file open, rushing to page five, where it was listed: as the new Mrs. Aziel, she wouldn't be needing to work.

"That's insane," Tehila said.

"Why," Vael asked.

"Stopping me from working is a total no," Tehila said.

"And we aren't even married yet, and you're setting all these rules. Don't be delusional already," Tehila scoffed.

Vael sighed.

"I don't like my woman working," Vael answered.

"Thank God I'm not your woman — but I will soon be your contracted wife, by law," Tehila said, emphasizing the word "law."

"It's the same thing," Vael said.

"No, it's not," Tehila replied.

Vael's jaw clenched, but he didn't say a word. Tehila noticed the sudden silence but didn't push it either.

They stayed silent like that until they reached the bureau.

Twenty minutes later, they walked out of the bureau in disbelief, marriage certificate in Tehila's hand.

She kept staring at it, mouth open, but no words coming out.

On the marriage certificate, it showed that the marriage had been registered and witnessed by law on September second, twenty twenty-four — almost two years ago.

"I still don't understand, how come we're both married and don't have a clue about it?" Tehila asked.

Vael didn't answer. He, too, was lost in thought, trying to recall any memory of going to a marriage bureau with Tehila, or anyone.

"This is crazy," Tehila muttered.

She stared at Vael's face, trying to remember if she'd seen him anywhere before.

"I don't have any memory of you, so there must have been a mix-up," Tehila said, remembering how surprised they'd both been when the bureau's employee showed them the certificate.

"Me neither," Vael said.

"But — this can't be real, but how come it has both our signatures on it?" Tehila asked.

Vael stared ahead. He turned to Tehila.

"Are you keeping it, or should I?" Vael asked.

"Keeping what?" Tehila answered.

"The marriage certificate," Vael said.

Tehila's face dropped, and she frowned at him.

"Seriously. We just found out we've been married for two years, and who gets to keep the certificate is all you're worried about?" Tehila said.

"Are you keeping it?" Vael asked instead.

Tehila stared at him, frowning. Like — what is wrong with this dude?

She released a breath and held the certificate out to him.

"I don't even want to look at it, it'll drive me nuts," Tehila said.

Vael took it.

"Let's go," he said.

"No. I'll take a taxi," Tehila answered.

Vael didn't argue, got into his car, and drove off.

"What a jerk," Tehila scoffed.

She immediately brought her phone out of her bag and dialed a number.

The call rang for a few seconds before it was answered.

"Long time," a voice came from the other side.

"I need you to investigate something for me," Tehila said.

She started walking out of the bureau compound, narrating the incident to her PI.

~~

Vael picked up his phone with one hand, while driving with the other.

He took a photo of the marriage certificate and sent it to his PI, with a message that read: investigate.

He was about to drop his phone when a call came in. He glanced at the screen to see it was a call from his PA, Noel.

"Good afternoon, Vael, where are you? The meeting with Celine — should I cancel it?" came Noel's voice from the phone.

"No," Vael replied, voice cold and calm.

"Okay, Vael. I just sent you her location, she's at Royal's restaurant," Noel said.

A notification pinged on Vael's phone.

"Clear my schedule after this," Vael said.

"Okay, Vael," Noel replied.

Vael ended the call, threw his phone onto the passenger seat, and hit the gas pedal.

Sitting under the phone was the file he'd given Tehila.

She'd forgotten it.

[Royal Restaurant ~ 4:12pm]

Vael made an abrupt stop at the restaurant, climbed down, and tossed the keys to the valet.

The restaurant was grand, with beautiful lighting and expensive interior, fine furniture and architecture, with a beautiful fountain.

Royal Restaurant was a place for the elite — you'd see top celebrities and high-end businessmen dining there from morning till night.

Vael walked into the restaurant like he owned the place. His gaze scanned the calm atmosphere until an employee walked up to him.

"Mr. Aziel," the employee called, dressed in a fine golden suit. Vael glanced at her.

"This way, please." She led him into an elevator.

The elevator stopped at the third floor, and they both walked out together.

"This way, sir," the employee said.

They reached a huge black door, with a golden clasp shaped like an eagle and a snake.

The employee brought out a keycard and swiped it over the eagle's eye.

The door parted open with a soft click. Vael stepped inside.

They called this the VIP lounge.

Vael stepped into the lounge, beautifully decorated. Roses hung from the ceiling, candlelight lined the ends of the room, the floor was wet with water. A table and chairs for two, and a band played soft music at the end of the lounge.

A beautiful floor-to-ceiling glass window showcased an overview of the beach.

Sitting at the center of it all was Celine — a graceful and elegant woman.

She wore a sleeveless gown that swayed on the floor, soaking wet from the small pool of water.

Her cleavage was on display, her shoulder blades slender, her figure to die for.

She had straight, long hair that reached her lower back, little to no makeup, and soft lips painted red.

She was the definition of gracefully alluring.

"Vael," she called. Even her tone was like music.

"Celine," Vael replied.

"Nice to meet you again," Celine smiled.

"Hmm," Vael replied abruptly.

~~

At the far top floor was Cole, out with his friends. Sitting beside him was Venessa, all smiles as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"You're gonna get drunk," Venessa said softly.

"I'm good," Cole replied, taking his seventh shot.

"Man, why are you so worked up tonight?" one of his friends asked.

"You finally meet your online sweetheart and this is how you act," his friend teased, eyes fixed on Venessa. He was Jeremy.

"You won't understand," Cole said.

"It's okay," Venessa chimed in.

Jeremy let out a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, this wasn't how I planned our date to be," Cole apologized.

He held Venessa's chin and pulled her in for a kiss. Jeremy's eyes stayed glued to them until they pulled away.

"I heard Celine is in the city," another of Cole's friends said.

"Wait, like Celine the businesswoman and model?" Venessa gushed.

"Yeah. She's currently in this restaurant," Jeremy smirked.

Venessa glanced around.

"Relax, she's on the third floor, in a meeting with somebody's cousin," Jeremy said, locking eyes with Cole's heavy glare.

Noticing the shift in the room, one of Cole's friends chimed in.

"Yo, let's not butt heads tonight, okay? We came here to have fun," the friend announced, raising his glass for a toast.

Everyone did the toast, except Cole, who took another shot.

[Venessa's House ~ 5:20pm]

Tehila got down from the taxi, brought out her bag of groceries, and paid the driver, leaving a five-dollar tip before he drove off.

She'd swung by the grocery shop and a supermarket on her way back to get some things.

As she reached the house, she noticed a figure standing at the door.

Her pace slowed as she tilted her head to get a better view of the person.

A frown appeared on her face when she saw who it was. Dylan, standing at the front porch with a bouquet of flowers and a pack of cookies.

"That bastard, what is he doing here?" Tehila thought.

She reached the house, wanting to walk in without acknowledging his presence, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Tehila, please, let's talk," Dylan pleaded.

Without turning back, she stared over her shoulder, jaw clenched. With gritted teeth, she muttered,

"Get your hands off me." She said.