Marry me, Mr. Mayor

CHAPTER 8

Althea's POV

For one breath, the entire venue went silent—so silent I could hear a chair creak somewhere in the back and could hear the faint flutter of ribbons in the wind.

“Will you marry me, Mr. Mayor? ”

The words didn’t even sound like mine after they left my mouth. They sounded like something sharp and final—like scissors cutting a thread.

Daniel’s hand froze mid-air, still reaching for mine.

“What…? ” he whispered, laughing once like it had to be a joke. “Althea—what are you doing? ”

Across from me, the mayor didn’t react the way people in the crowd did. He didn’t gasp. He didn’t flinch. His face remained calm, unreadable, but his eyes narrowed slightly, studying me the way someone studies a fire before deciding whether to step closer.

Behind us, murmurs began to swell like a wave.

“Did she—? ”

“Is she serious? ”

“Anong nangyayari? ”

Daniel’s mother stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly. “Althea! ” she snapped. “What are you saying? ”

I didn’t look at her. I didn’t look at anyone.

I looked at Daniel.

And in his eyes I saw what I needed to see—panic, not confusion. Fear, not innocence.

“Answer me,” Daniel said through a smile that was starting to crack. “This is not funny.”

I took a slow breath. My hands were cold, but my voice came out steady.

“It’s not a joke,” I said.

Daniel laughed again, louder this time, like volume could force reality to bend. “Then what is it? You’re embarrassed? You’re nervous? Althea, stop this—”

“Stop? ” I echoed softly. “You want me to stop… after what you did last night? ”

The crowd froze again.

Gia—who had been sitting with the family—shifted in her seat. I saw it out of the corner of my eye, the smallest movement, like a snake sensing light.

Daniel’s face changed.

“What are you talking about? ” he asked quickly.

I turned my head slightly, letting my gaze land on Gia.

She lifted her chin as if she had nothing to hide. Her lips curved into a small smile—sweet and innocent for the audience, sharp for me.

I looked back at Daniel. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Daniel’s jaw clenched. “Althea, you’re making a scene.”

“A scene? ” My laugh came out breathless. “You were the one making a scene in your room, f*****g your childhood friend, Gia—while your bride was down the hall.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd like wind through dry leaves.

Daniel’s mother pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh my God…”

Daniel’s father stepped forward, face darkening. “Daniel. What is she saying? ”

Daniel’s eyes darted, searching for control. “She’s confused,” he said fast. “She’s stressed. She’s—”

“Don’t,” I cut in.

My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried.

“I saw you,” I said clearly. “I went to your room last night. I heard you. I saw you with Gia.”

Someone in the crowd sucked in a sharp breath. A few people turned their heads toward Gia immediately, like judgment could be thrown like stones.

Gia stood up, eyes wide, hands lifted. “What? No! That’s not—”

“Don’t lie,” I said, my gaze locked on her. “You looked at me, you saw me, and you just smiled.”

Gia’s lips parted, and then she forced a shaky laugh. “Althea, you’re crazy. You’re trying to ruin this because—because you’re jealous—”

“Jealous? ” I repeated, voice low. “Of what? Of the fact that my fiancé couldn’t even wait until tomorrow to betray me? ”

Daniel stepped toward me, reaching for my arm. “Enough,” he hissed, voice dropping into something dangerous. “You’re humiliating me.”

I pulled my arm away like his touch burned. “You humiliated yourself.”

The mayor finally moved. Not toward me—between us.

He lifted one hand slightly, calm but commanding. The simple motion quieted the crowd more effectively than shouting ever could.

“Daniel,” he said evenly. “Step back.”

Daniel blinked, stunned. “Mayor, this is none of your—”

“It became my concern when you brought this ceremony under my authority,” the mayor replied, voice still controlled. “And when the bride made a formal statement in front of witnesses.”

His eyes shifted to me. “Miss—Althea,” he corrected smoothly. “Are you saying you do not consent to this marriage? ”

The word grounded me.

“Yes,” I said. “I do not consent.”

Daniel’s face twisted. “Althea, please—”

“Don’t,” I said again, quieter, colder. “Don’t say ‘please’ now.”

Daniel’s mother strode forward, pointing at me like I was the problem. “So you will destroy everything because of a misunderstanding? ”

I met her gaze. “It’s not a misunderstanding, Tita. It’s a choice he made.”

The older woman turned to Gia, eyes blazing. “Gia… tell me this isn’t true.”

Gia’s throat bobbed. She glanced at Daniel—just for a second—but that second was enough. Enough to reveal where her loyalty lived.

Daniel’s father’s face hardened like stone. “Daniel.”

Daniel’s voice rose, frantic. “Fine! ” he snapped. “Fine, I made a mistake. But we’re getting married anyway. We’re already here. Papers are processed—”

I laughed softly, and it surprised even me.

“You really think a stamp on paper can force me? ” I asked.

Daniel took another step toward me, anger slipping through his cracks. “You’re mine.”

The words hit me like poison.

The mayor’s eyes cooled further. “Daniel,” he said, and the warning in his voice was unmistakable. “One more step and I will have you removed.”

The crowd erupted into louder murmurs now—some angry, some shocked, some thrilled by the scandal like it was a show.

I turned back to the mayor, the man who looked like he’d never raised his voice in his life and still got obedience.

“I’m leaving,” I said, flatly.

I was barely holding back my tears now.

The mayor nodded once. “You shouldn’t go back to their house,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Not with tempers like this.”

Daniel’s mother scoffed. “Where else will she go? She came here with Daniel! ”

I lifted my chin.

“I have somewhere to go,” I said, voice steady.

Daniel sneered through humiliation. “Where? Back to your tiny apartment? Back to that little mall job? ”

The insult was meant to shrink me.

Instead, it straightened my spine.

I looked at the crowd—at the faces that had judged me, welcomed me, questioned me, and were now watching me like entertainment.

Then I said the truth I had been swallowing for months.

“My name isn’t Althea Balmes,” I said calmly. “My name is Althea Bailey.”

The air changed.

You could feel it—like every breath in the venue paused at the same time.

Whispers exploded instantly.

“Bailey?”

“As in Bailey Mall? ”

“Port owners? ”

Daniel’s face drained of color. “What…? ” he whispered, like the word didn’t fit in his mouth.

I didn’t look away from him. “Yes,” I said. “That Bailey.”

Gia’s mouth went slightly open, shock flickering through her mask for the first time.

Daniel’s father stumbled back half a step. Daniel’s mother clutched her chest again, suddenly too aware of who she’d been shouting at.

I turned to the mayor. “We have a mansion here,” I added, voice steady. “I’ll go there.”

The mayor studied me for a long beat, then nodded. “I’ll have someone escort you,” he said. “For your safety.”

Daniel found his voice again—bitter now, desperate. “You think you can just—just ruin my wedding and walk away? ”

I met his gaze, cold and clear.

“Yes,” I said. “Watch me.”

And with the crowd still buzzing behind me, with my veil brushing my shoulders like a white flag, I refused to surrender. I stepped away from the altar—away from Daniel, away from the lie I almost married—walking straight into the chaos I had created.

But for the first time since I arrived in this province, my steps didn’t feel uncertain.

They felt like power.