Scandalous Wedding

Chapter 11

Eli couldn't believe his own fate as he walked down the aisle, with his wife on his arm, through the whistling and howling crowd of well-wishers. Their wedding had to be conducted at the Princeton Manor, located at the outskirts of the city to ensure their privacy. After all, a wedding between the de Silva's and McCoy's need all the protection available from the media and the press.

As the bouquet throwing ceremony was over, they stepped out into the balcony of the great hall, where his parents and in-law's greeted them. They all wore the same smiles which they wore during the entire day, none pleasant. He sighed inwardly, wondering if this was how his future will be.

"Mom, Dad" he greeted them both with a nod. His mom stepped forward and caressed his cheeks lovingly, while his dad gave him a tough hand shake. He glanced at his Ace, who was being hugged by her father lovingly followed by her mother. A sense of envy crept in his heart, longing for similar affection. But he immediately shook himself off, of such ridiculous feeling. He reminded himself that he is Elijah McCoy, the future king to their business empire. He couldn't possibly be jealous because of those petty hugs. Wouldn't it be wonderful, if your parents hugged you just for once? A small voice whispered into his mind, which immediately made his head turn to Sang.

She had tears in her eyes and so did her parents. They weren't crying openly but their heart's pain could be seen even by an enemy eye such as the McCoy's. They were mourning over their only daughter's loveless marriage and possibly a terrible fate. It irked him a little at their behavior. Was it that terrible to be married to him? Yes, he was a player, but what did they want? -- A virgin for their son in law? He thought with disgust and soon whatever envy he felt transformed into anger.

"Shall we make a move, my dear?" he offered his arm to Ace, in a loving tone which he mastered from one of those romantic movies he watched,

Sangavi chuckled lightly and his gaze was immediately drawn to her eyes, which shined in mirth, "Why of course, my dear", she said and hooked her hand through his. A smile crept onto his lips, despite his momentary anger, at the way she replied.

"You both must go back to your room and take rest. The reception will only begin in an hour", Sharon McCoy said clapping her hands to hurry up, "Sang, you need to get ready. Your hairdresser and beautician will be there in half an hour to assist you", Alina de Silva added to what Eli's mother just said.

For a moment he wondered, if they both weren't from rival families, they would have at least been best friends. But he shook that weird thought away.

"Well here we go", Sangavi muttered beside him and looked up at him like she was drunk in happiness. He frowned a little, wondering why she was being so merry but did not question it for long, because he wasn't bothered by it.

"Let's go wifey", he said and guided her through the deserted corridors, where none but a few wedding planners company walked.

They reached the elevator and pushed the button to the fifth floor which opened into a single royal suite. The door opened and a huge "Wow", escaped from the both of them. As they both walked towards the huge floor to the ceiling glass window, they saw the most breath taking view of the country side.

"I've never been to a country side before", he heard Sangavi mutter. He glanced at her face which was a mirror of awe and wonder. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes huge in wonder, with her mouth gaping open.

"Neither have I", he shrugged.

"I can't believe we've been missing all this beauty while living amongst those skyscrapers", she shook her head as she touched the glass pane and peered into the view.

Eli couldn't understand her. He tried to, a lot of times, but failed each and every time. He didn't know why she didn't want to marry him, he never understood why she hated him all that time while back in the academy. He still couldn't figure how she could not follow her family's footsteps and start an own fashion line. He never caught her ideology of still living with her parents even at the age of twenty four. She was just as old as him, only a couple of months younger. If he wanted to get out of his parent's house at the age of seventeen then how could she still live with them?

"You don't sound like the daughter of a billionaire couple you know", he said walking towards the couch, removing his clothing all the while. He glimpsed at her for a moment to find her frowning at his actions, but he ignored it.

He threw his coat aside and sat on the couch to take off his shoes and socks. "What does that supposed to mean?" she asked walking to the dresser and removing the clips from her hair. He wondered how many clips could actually fit into so much hair.

"The way you talk or the way you live for instance. You are more excited about your stupid beetle, when you could actually drive a Mercedes Benz", he shrugged like his example would explain her irrational behavior.

"You mean I don't utilize my wealth like I should", she said looking at him though the mirror. Her hair was free from all the pins and clips and was cascading off her back in loose curls like a waterfall. He gulped at the sight of her. May god help him. If she looked beautiful a while ago, she looked ravishing now. Since when did he become so cheesy and romantic. He felt something weird stir inside of him and he did not like it one bit. It scared him how strong the unknown feeling was, but he managed to brush it away for the time. And he immediately decided, he preferred her with her hair loose rather than bound or tied up.

"Yes", his voice a hoarse whisper,

"Well", she drawled which meant she hasn't realized the change in his tone. Eli sighed and quickly composed himself, "No matter how rich you are, at the end of the day you can only eat so much food", she said.

"Huh?" he said not understanding what she meant. She sighed and got up from the dresser and walked towards the couch where he sat.

"I drive my beetle cause I bought it with my own earned money. And I am not saying that we should only use things for which we earned. No. All I am saying is, we should only do things which we want to, not which we have to", she sat beside him, only a few inches away.

"I am afraid I still don't understand", he said gulping at her close proximity. Please don't look at me like that. She is so close, a simple tug and a simple lift would place her right on my lap, exactly the way I want her – straddling me.

"Did you listen to what I said?" her eyes narrowed at him as he stared at her,

"What?" he asked, with a sheepish smile.

"I asked you to take the bedroom on the right to get ready, while I take the one on left. Our wedding gifts are all placed on the two doors down the left", she said getting up from the couch and walking towards the said bedroom. Eli sighed and fell back on the couch. If a moment with her in a room was so frustrating then how the hell was he supposed to live with her under the same roof?

***

After a good hour of pampering and preparing, she was ready for the reception. She was dressed in a white colored knee length dress, which could easily pass off as a wedding dress, yet was elegant enough to be called as a 'reception' dress. It was another designer made dress by her best friend and maid of honor, Kaya. The dress was a full neck, sleeveless dress with the back opening up to her waist. Practically her entire back was on display, though she knew that her curled hair would cover it off. The dress reached her knees and was paired by white peep toes. A diamond tiara was woven into her hair at the top into a Victorian style hairdo, which she definitely approved.

"You look beautiful Mrs. McCoy", the hairdresser gushed with a huge smile on her face. Sangavi didn't realize that the Chinese hairdresser was addressing her, until it dawned on her that she was indeed, Mrs. McCoy now. The realization hit her like a freight train and suddenly she felt dizzy.

"Ms? Are you okay?" the two women who were assisting her in getting ready asked and she weakly nodded. She is married. To Elijah McCoy. Married! She tried to process the words and picture a future, but none flashed. What now? What will happen to her? Was she supposed to live with him? Of course you will live with him, that's what married people do. Her subconscious answered. When can she go back to work and are they going on a honeymoon? Cause she was definitely not asked for an opinion!

Amongst all these thoughts and revelations she didn't realize when Eli had come into her room and scooped her up into his arms. "Leave us", she heard someone say, after placing her on the soft mattress.

"Ace?" Eli's gentle voice bought her back into conscious.

"What happened?" she asked as she tried to sit up.

"No. lay back down. You fainted", he said as he made her drink some water. She greedily gulped the cool water and relaxed her eyes closed. "All these things that happened this past week must be coming back to you", she felt him stroke her hair.

"Yeah. May be", she whispered and closed her eyes. Just a couple of minutes. She promised herself as sleep engulfed her.

"Ace", soon she was being shaken to wake up.

"What happened?" she asked,

Eli sighed softly as he made her sit up, "You fell asleep and it's time for us to show up", he said. Was it concern she heard in his voice? She immediately shook her head. This is Elijah McCoy, he wouldn't show any concern for her. Why would he?

"Sure", she said and got up from the bed as Eli held her hand steadying her by her elbow. "I am fine. Seriously", she added with a reassuring smile.

"Why don't you drink this first then we'll leave", he gave her a glass of brown colored liquid. She inhaled the scent and moaned,

"Hmm... chocolate", she said taking the glass from him and gulping down the hot chocolate greedily. "I love hot chocolate", she said to no one in particular. But Elijah heard cause his next reply made her freeze her moments,

"I know", Sangavi looked at him over the rim of the glass, "You do?" she asked and he nodded.

"Back at school you used to demand for it all the time. Especially during the fall", he added with a small awkward smile,

"I like drinking hot chocolate while it rains", she said shyly and finished her drink. She turned around and placed the glass on the coaster, on the table. An awkward silence etched in the room, to which no one knew how to break it.

Elijah cleared his throat after a couple of minutes, "Shall we go, wife?" he asked with a smirk. Sangavi shook her head and hooked her arm through his,

"Sure husband", she said and they made their way into the reception.

****

The hall erupted into cheers and claps as soon as they entered. A lot of fake wishes, very few genuine wishes later, they proceeded to traditions like speeches and cake cutting. Like everyone expected, they behaved just like a newlywed couple should behave. They were both smiling at each other and not at cameras. They were both touching each other without any particular reason. Most of them knew that it was all an act, but few still thought that they genuinely were in love.

But something that no one knew was that they weren't acting and they weren't in love either. It just came naturally to them. They both enjoyed parties and being the center of attention. For them it was just another party where they had to share the center of attention. But neither was complaining. It wasn't hard to be together after all, they thought secretly and smiled at each other.

As the time progressed and the time for first dance rolled in, the actual awkwardness settled in and they realized that they weren't just merely sharing the centre of attention place, but were actually bound to each other for eternity.

"May I", Eli asked formally asking for her hand in dance. Sang gave him a shy smile and placed her hand in his. He slowly led her to the centre of the dance floor, cautious of her high heeled shoes.

He placed her hand on his shoulder and placed his on her waist. As the slow song, which neither recognized played in the background they both swayed in a composed rhythm.

"You dance good", Sang said slowly after a couple of steps. Damn! Eli cursed. He was just about to compliment her, but she had to go ahead, be the bigger person and ruin it for him. He thought. Well, if you could be man enough to compliment first, replied a cocky voice in his mind.

He tugged her closer by her waist and immediately his hand touched her bare skin. His eyes flashed in heat and met hers. She didn't understand what happened suddenly that his eyes turned so stormy. She couldn't say why he was angry all of a sudden.

Eli moved his hand naturally over her back and soon realized that her dress was backless. He cursed himself. How come he hadn't noticed it earlier? He knew, first he was too concerned for her health and later he was enjoying himself too much in her company to look beneath her eyes.

"Are you crazy?" he hissed into her ears,

"Why? What happened?" she asked,

"What are you wearing?" he asked with a scowl,

"Huh? Are you just noticing my dress?" she raised her eyebrows,

"It's backless", he hissed at her angrily

"huh, as if you haven't had your share of naked backs", she snorted and rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, but I haven't had my share of this particular back", he retorted back and Sangavi laughed. She literally threw her head back and laughed at his retort.

"Why husband? Are you getting uncomfortable?" she asked moving closer to him seductively,

"Not at all", he growled back narrowing his eyes at her and she laughed again.

After the little argument, they twirled and twisted and danced all along the five minute song. However Elijah made sure that he didn't twirl her too much to make sure that her naked back wasn't flashed to the audience. She was his. Hers to look at and hers to feast on, regardless of the reason for this marriage. He knew he was being overly possessive but he couldn't help it. He couldn't dare think about any men with his ace apart from him and when he does all he sees is red.

As they danced with each for their family members, the bridal party and the grooms men, they finally got time to rest their legs. Elijah made an excuse to steal his bride away and took her to the corner tables to sit. They were both tired and ready to hit the sack. "How long do we have to stay?" he asked yawning heavily. When he got no reply from his bride he looked at her,

"Ace?" he called her rubbing his eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Hmm... I don't know" she shrugged and added, "I am married", with a nervous chuckle and glanced at her wedding band. "This was not how I imagined it", she said looking at him.

"What did you imagine?" he asked her, not really wanting to know her fairy tale story,

"I thought I will marry for love, but", she trailed off looking at the wedding party,

"But?"

"I don't believe in it anymore. Do you believe in it?" he was taken back with that question. He thought she already had an opinion on him and would never bother to know if he ever believed in love or not. It was an unexpected question for which he didn't have a concrete answer.

"Some people just can't afford it", he said staring at the same wedding party where everyone were dancing on the dance floor, "I mean, when we know we can't have it then why bother believing in it?" he looked at her and she met his gaze.

"true", she whispered nodding her head. After a couple minutes of silence he couldn't see her fallen face at all. It tugged at his heart, that she looked so upset, and it hurt too. I wouldn't let your life become miserable. He suddenly remembered his promise he made to himself.

Whatever made me make a promise like that? He thought with a frown and glanced back at her. She was staring at the wedding party like those unfortunate kids on street staring at food in expensive bakeries. "There are many other couples like us", he found himself saying, "in a loveless marriage. It's not a wonder actually", he shrugged looking at the wedding crowd,

"Really?" she raised her brows, in surprise and.... excitement? "Like?" she leaned on the table, resting her chin on it and facing him directly, with wide eyes

"Like...." He trailed off staring at the group of people who were dancing at the floor. He accessed their faces to find the right couple, "Uh-huh", he said snapping Sang's attention to him,

"Who?" she asked looking eagerly at the crowd, like a kid on Christmas looking out the window to see Santa riding out on reindeer over the clouds,

"Do you see that man dancing with your mother?" he asked pointing with the jerk of his chin,

"Yeah. Isn't that Mr. Kristoff Bedeau?" she asked, "The dark, mysterious and handsome", she added looking at the fine specimen of the opposite s*x.

"Mrs. Elijah McCoy, you are married", he growled narrowing his eyes, as an unknown possessiveness gripped his heart in a tight fist.

"I know baby. I was just saying, you know I have eyes only for you, right?" she fluttered her eyebrows at him innocently, while she barely contained her chuckle. Her dismissal of the issue didn't feel right to him. He wanted to grab her and shake her hard to remind her that she belonged to him and it was no joke.

"Do you want to know or not?" he asked crossing his arms against his chest, controlling his arms which were itching to grab her,

"Okay. I am sorry. Tell me", she said leaning over the table,

"Well", Eli started and Sang held onto each word he spoke, "As wealthy and as handsome he is, he is a very big miser. The tux he's wearing is the same one he wears to every black tie event, ever wedding and even every party. Rumor has it that he doesn't even own another pair of tux", he said as a matter of factly.

"Really?" Sangavi asked staring at the man who was now dancing with his wife, Darya Bedeau, "But his wife...", she trailed off

"Exactly my point. What a mismatch right! She won't repeat the same dress she wore the previous event, while he..", Eli shook his head at the unbelievable couple, "I mean, he doesn't even spend a penny on his own tux, where as his wife, spends her entire salary on charity. I do a lot of business deals with him and I never saw him smile, not even a smirk which we business men wear all the time on our faces. He is like a stone, a statue where as his wife; whenever I meet her she greets me with a warm smile. No matter how bad my reputation is, she always has a smile plastered on her face to welcome her guests", he said shaking his head at the odd couple.

"Their marriage is just for convenience, just like ours is a business deal. Loveless", he shrugged.

"Hm.. that's sad", Sangavi added looking at the couple who danced on the dance floor like every other couple. Who knew what was actually happening in their houses.

"And any other unfortunate blokes like us?" Sangavi asked sipping on her Champaign,

"Hm.. well there's William Dumont and his wife Ivy Dumont. Another loveless marriage. They got married just like us, to merge their shipbuilding companies", he said taking a swig of champagne from the bottle.

"But I heard that the Dumonts were kicked out of that merger because of some reason", Sangavi added from her knowledge,

"True, apparently Ivy Dumont's father Jonathan Graves was not a fool. He pulled back from the merger immediately when he knew the company was falling apart. Smart choice I'd say. The Dumont's Inc is going down", he shook his head.

"Oh, poor them", Sangavi sighed looking at the wedding trying to look for the tall lean muscular Mr. Dumont or his tall, slender model like wife among the crowd.

"As perfect and wise William is, his step brothers are complete assholes. William is the one who is still holding the company together. If it were up to his step brothers or his useless father, they would have bought it to ashes. That's the reason we still respect him, though he isn't as rich and successful as us. Once the Dumont Inc falls to ground, I am planning to bring William aboard. Everyone calls him Mr. Perfect, cause he is wise, mature, and really smart with enough potential to make millions on his own", his voice growing excited with every word he spoke. He had grand plans for his business which he never discussed with anyone. But with Sang, he wanted to share everything.

"I don't see a loveless marriage here, husband. Remember the topic we were discussing?" Sang asked raising her eyebrows,

"of course I remember the topic. Well, he is not happy in the marriage and neither is she. You just have to look at the couple to know it. They look miserable together. Quiet and distant. There's no chemistry, and there's definitely no love, so..." he shrugged.

"Any more?" Sangavi asked wanting to skip to another couple. The story of that couple felt as boring as they looked and it felt pathetic for her to even feel better at someone else's misery.

"Well... there's this Karl Rutherford who is old, has a potbelly and looks ugly. But the rumor says that he maintains five mistresses, and all of them below the age of twenty five. His wife owns an escort company, looks hot as hell even though she's fifty herself. But they say that she gets beaten up by her husband very often. Obviously loveless marriage but a very interesting one",

Sangavi gasped at the way he said it, she slapped his arm, "OW! What was that for", he rubbed his shoulder as it really hurt,

"How can you talk like that?" she asked frowning at him,

"Like what?" he asked not believing that his wife could actually slap him like it could hurt,

"About them. Like you don't care. That poor woman gets beaten by her husband and you aren't doing anything?" she asked outraged,

"Why would I care?" he asked exasperated at his wife's glaring eyes, not understanding where he lay at fault.

"What do you mean why you would care? Aren't you a human? Don't you have humanity in you? How can you do business with such a man who beats up his wife? Cancel all your dealings with Karl Rutherford right now", she said with a stern look, folding her hands against her chest

He stared at her for a full minute and snorted, "Are you kidding me", he shook his head. Karl Rutherford was a huge investor who didn't care a damn about money. And that's the kind of people he wanted to nvest in his business. Stupid and filthy rich. He wouldn't dream of ditching business with someone like that for his wife's a moment of insanity. He stared back at Sang determinedly which earned him another tight slap on his shoulder from Sang.

"What the... are you drunk?" he hissed at her, as anger surged into her veins.

"I know what you're thinking. You think it is okay to hit women don't you? You all men are the same. Pigs!", she yelled the last word loudly. Eli's eyes snapped to the crowd wondering if anyone heard them, luckily no one did.

"Keep your voice down", he pointed a finger at her in warning. She gasped loudly widening her eyes at the finger he just pointed out at her,

"How dare you point your finger at me?" Sangavi growled, grabbing hold of the finger and twisting it painfully,

"Ah Ah o wow ow....", he hissed as his finger throbbed in pain, "It hurts you b***h", he hissed, trying to get his finger out of her claw like grip, but sang didn't budge.

"Will you point at me again?" she asked with a twist to his finger, ignoring his cries,

"Uh.... No no no no no", he chanted as his finger throbbed under her iron grip and she finally let his finger go. He clutched his right hand with his left and of course his forefinger turned a deep purple.

"You b***h", he hissed

"You dog", she spat at him.