A Game of Desire

The wedding.

The day had finally arrived, and Fiona sat in her room, dressed in her stunning wedding gown. She would been crying for a week, and her eyes were puffy.

This was still a dream or nightmare for her, and she wanted to wake up. She initially despised the fact that she was to marry Derek, but now she was marrying a stranger rather than Derek, whom she knew well.

"I failed myself, him, and my family, but they did not care." She muttered, unable to cry, and felt guilt wash over her because she had promised Derek her virginity, only to have it taken away by a stranger in her drunken state.

Her parents refused to talk to her, and she had not heard from Brenda. She attempted to call Brenda, but her line was unreachable.

She refused to believe Brenda was involved in all of this, so she called her to confirm, but she did not answer.

She felt alone and heartbroken, but her tears dried and she refused to ruin her makeup. Her door opened, revealing her mother, dressed in an elegant royal blue gown and adorned with jewelry; she heard a smile on her face.

"I am supposed to be angry with you, my dear, but your marriage to Mr Quinn won us the lottery. Thank you so much!"

Fiona was speechless; she was not surprised her parents were obsessed with wealth, but hearing this broke her even more.

"I am marrying a stranger, mom." She made a correction.

"Aries Quinn is not a stranger, and it is clear you knew nothing about the financial world. Your future husband, Aries Quinn, is a billionaire, so wealthy that I believe he could buy this country. You should be happy; you are entering a world of wealth, so remove that expression from your face; a car is waiting for you." she chuckled and exited the room.

Fiona took a deep breath; no one sympathized with her, and he hurts so badly. She had not seen her father that day, and how would Derek react seeing her like this?

Two ladies, whom she mistook for bridesmaids, entered the room, assisted her with her wedding dress, and then left.

Her father was in the living room, keeping a straight face, but he was astounded by how beautiful his daughter had become.

When they got outside, she expected to see only a car, but what she saw was surprising. Six black cars of varying models were waiting.

The chaffeur in charge of the car she was about to enter opened the door for her.

She gave one last look at her house, where she spent her lonely childhood, and entered with a sad smile.

Aries looked dashing in his tux, and he could not believe he would marry a girl just to prove his dominance.

"I can’t believe you are finally married to a girl you knew nothing about." His friend Zeke said this as they drove to the mansion where the wedding was taking place.

“I still can't believe it too.” He replied with a bored expression on his face.

"You never cease to amaze me; why can not you leave Derek be?" He asked.

"Derek is a fully recognized bastard; he refuses to give up and has continued to play a game with me, so it is my turn to say game on."

The rest of the drive was silent until they arrived at their destination.

The press, paparazzi, and special guests with financial power arrived at the mansion. It was one large wedding.

As soon as he stepped down, the paparazzi rushed to him, flashing their cameras and asking him irrelevant questions.

"When did you and your wife to be meet, Mr Quinn?"

Soon, bodyguards arrived and blocked their way, securing him until he entered the mansion.

Fiona also arrived, and Aries instructed that she be guarded by bodyguards, which they did until she, her parents, and the bridesmaids entered the mansion.

The entrance was beautifully decorated, which surprised her.

…

The wedding had begun, and Aries stood magnificently, handsome in his outfit and new haircut, waiting for his bride to be presented to him.

His blue eyes scanned the crowd and were pleased to see Derek there. Soon, he saw his bride approaching with her father by her side, and the guests stood, gasping at her beauty.

The ladies present were envious that she was going to marry Aries Quinn. Fiona took advantage of the situation to get a good view of her husband. She noticed how handsome and deadly attractive he was.

As soon as his gaze shifted to her, her stomach danced strangely. She was supposed to be angry or sad, but she was experiencing strange butterflies in her stomach.

When Aries saw his bride and her father approaching him, he could not help but agree that she was stunning.

"No wonder Derek is obsessed with her, to the point where he waits for her to finish high school and college." He mumbled, smirking at Derek, who returned with a deadly look.

Following the exchange of vows and rings, the priest mentioned. "You may now kiss the bride." Fiona gasped at that; was he going to kiss her?

Aries turned to Derek, removed her veil, and smirked at him. In an instant, he pulled her closer and kissed her, his gaze still fixed on Derek.

Derek, unable to look, stood up and left, which increased Aries' satisfaction.

Fiona's body froze as she felt his lips on hers, and after pulling back, he quickly wiped his lips, but she did not care.

She left Aries, who is now her husband, with her mother, who was speaking with her father.

"Mom, Dad." She called, expecting a sad smile, but they looked at her with a straight face.

"What exactly are you doing here? You are meant to be with your husband." Her father said this while holding a glass of champagne.

“Can't you at least give your daughter a nice farewell? I don't even think you recognise me as your child anymore. You sold me off to a man easily, and you never came to sympathize or tell me everything was fine. All you have ever told me was that I should be prepared for my husband. Why am I treated this way?” Her eyes welled up with tears as she asked.

"Fiona, stop being overly dramatic; we care about you and know what is best for you. That is why your mother and I gave you to Aries as his wife, and now you are married to a wealthy man thanks to us." He replied, giving a selfish smile.

"How could you be so selfish? If Aries had not given you money for my sake, would you have given me to him? You were never concerned about your daughter's happiness. You and Mom never asked me what was bothering me or if I was okay. I have been wanting to tell you this for years, and now I can "finally tell you because I know I might not see you again."

"Fiona, please stop causing a scene; your father and I have been working hard to provide you with food, clothing, and shelter. And you know how hectic work has been for us; stop trying to make this all about you; you should be happy that you will have a luxurious life that other girls your age would die for."

Fiona shook her head so hard that the guests around her wondered what was making the bride sad rather than happy on her big day with the famous Aries Quinn.

I am in shock. All my life, I believed that I was following your instructions and acting in a way that would please you and acknowledge me as your daughter. Now, however, I realize that you destroyed me. I have been the obedient girl, doing things to please both of you; you never allowed me to enjoy my childhood and adolescence, and I thank you for ruining my life."

She wiped her tears and walked away from them before colliding with someone.

"I am very sorry." She apologized, looked at the person's face, and then yelled in shock.

"Brenda?!”