Married To My Rival

Chapter Five: The wedding

Alvara's pov

One week passed faster than I expected.

I stood in front of the mirror, unable to recognize the woman standing in front of me. For some reason, my chest feels heavy.

Everything seems perfect, my hair, my makeup and most especially my wedding dress. Everything except me.

At this point, I'm not even mad anymore, but I'm certainly not happy. I don't even know what I feel. I can't believe I'm actually marrying Dorian. He had been the most annoying person I know, but spending the past few weeks with him made me notice something different about him.

He no longer argues like he used to, he notices little things about me, the way he remembers little things about me makes me confused.

I can't explain how I feel, but I'm sure I'll get over it. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I heard a soft knock at the door.

“Alvara”. My mom called.

She opened the door slowly and stepped in. She stopped the moment she saw me. For a few seconds, she simply stared.

“Oh my princess, you look so gorgeous”.

For the first time that morning, I smiled.

She walks towards me and places her hands on my shoulders. “My daughter is beautiful. I've been waiting for this day all my life”.

“Mom please, you know I'm not happy about this”.

“I know you don't want this marriage, I know you're only doing this to protect what's yours”. she held my hands. “Don't spend every day fighting against this marriage. Give him a chance to show you who he is. Dorian is a good guy. Sometimes love doesn't appear immediately, you just have to give it time and let it flow”.

I almost laughed. “Okay mom”.

“Shall we? Your dad is waiting for you”.

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs.The moment I stepped outside, my dad smiled.

He stood beside the open door of a black Rolls Royce. He took my hand and led me inside the car.

We arrived at the sea garden outside of Manhattan. The venue was more beautiful than I had imagined. It looked so much like a scene from a fairy tale.

Tall iron gates opened onto a long driveway lined with lilies and lush greenery. The view ahead left me stunned.The sea, clean blue water with really calm waves, the sky was amazingly perfect, like it was specifically crafted for this day.

White flowers covered the arch, and rows of elegant white chairs were neatly arranged across the lawn.

The car came to a gentle stop, and a member of the wedding staff appeared and immediately opened the door. “Welcome, the bridal suite where you can wait until the ceremony starts is ready”.

Sophie appeared out of nowhere. “Hey my beautiful bride”.

“Thank goodness you're here, come with me to the bridal suite”.

I stepped down from the car and walked to the suite with Sophie.

Immediately, we arrived at the bridal suite. I sat down without saying a word.

“You give the appearance of a statue”. Sophie broke the silence.

“Statues are works of art, Art is beautiful”.

“Art is beautiful to look at. You look ridiculous to the eyes”.

I looked at her. “Is there a point?”

“You've not moved an inch since we got here”.

“What do you expect me to do? Start jumping?” I let out an exaggerated sigh. “I'm nervous Sophie”.

“There's nothing to be nervous about”.

Before I could respond, the door opened. I turned and saw Verena standing in the doorway.

“Oh Alvara”. She walked towards me with open arms. I let her hug me, but I didn't return it.

“You look gorgeous”.

“Thank you”. I gave an awkward smile.

“You must be excited”.

I look directly into her eyes. “I'm very excited”. I replied. Drawing out each word with deliberate emphasis.

She stepped back a bit. “You've changed”.

“I guess I stopped trusting people easily”.

The smile on her face disappeared but returned almost immediately. “I hope you're happy”. She said, leaning closer to me.

“I am very happy verena, I'm very thrilled about this. Don't you know what it means to marry into a family that owns one of the most powerful business conglomerates in New York? It's every woman's dream”.

Her smile faded for a brief moment, and then she laughed softly. “You're right. Enjoy your day”.

“I intend to”.

She smiled at me before leaving. The moment verena disappeared through the door, Sophie started clapping. “Wow, that was incredible”.

We both laughed.

“There she is”.

I turned and found my mom smiling at me.

“Are you ready?”

“No".

“I knew you'd say that”. She said, laughing.

The coordinator walks in. “Miss Hayes, it's time.

My heart suddenly feels heavy.

My mum led me to the garden. Guests were already seated, and the music had begun. I reached the entrance of the aisle and started walking towards Dorian.

He is standing beneath the floral arch. The moment our eyes met, his expression changed, and his composure disappeared.

My dad joined me halfway down the aisle and escorted me to Dorian. He placed my hand on his and whispered “Take care of her”.

He smiled and looked at me. “Hi”.

“Hi?” A soft laugh escaped me.

“I forgot what I was supposed to say”. We both laughed quietly.

We exchanged vows, slipped rings into each other's hands, and the officiant pronounced us husband and wife.

Now it's time for the kiss.

“You may kiss your bride”.

Dorian leaned closer. I hesitated and leaned backward, but he pulled me closer to his chest and whispered. “Everyone is watching Alvy”.