The Day I Met Mr. Wright (A Werewolf Tale)

Chapter 1 – Wedding Day "Antoine Wright, do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" The man remained expressionless but still answered, "I do." The officiator turned towards the lady's direction and asked, "Samantha Corpuz, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" There was a pause. A rather long pause. Sam could feel a cold sweat on her back. Is she really going to continue this nonsense? This was not part of the plan at all. Didn't she run away to escape marriage? Then, why is she here? She sneaked a glance at the man who caused all of this; her best friend, Michael Hughes, who kept looking everywhere other than her direction. This jerk! “Ahem!” Antione’s assistant made a noise that interrupted Sam’s train of thoughts. She glanced at the expressionless man in front of her. Was she ready to be legally tied to this man whom she didn’t even know a thing about? Her glance swept over the man’s assistant, who looked impatiently at her. She closed her eyes and surrendered to fate. With a mosquito-like voice, she answered, "I do." The officiator remained smiling, as if not noticing the inner turmoil of the bride in front of him. Instead, a very proud and vibrant smile appeared on his face the moment Sam uttered the words of agreement. Sam zoned out on the rest of the ceremony and just robotically completed the vows. She came back to her senses when she heard loud claps from the guards brought by the groom. "By the authority vested in me under the laws of the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiator said, then turned his attention to Antione. "You may kiss the bride," he continued to say. Sam stiffened upon hearing those words. Kiss? She hadn’t had her first kiss yet. How can a stranger kiss her just like that? As if reading her thoughts, she saw the man smirk. The first expression she saw him do. Then it dawned on her. This stranger is technically her husband already. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the kiss. Antione looked at the funny girl in front. He really had no plans of marrying anyone. He has power, authority, strength, and money. Why marry? Women were all the same. Greedy, vain, and selfish. This was his impression and at least none of the women he knew managed to change his opinion. If it was not for the problem he encountered with his old man’s will, and the stupid mate thing, he would not bother to be tied to a woman. Even on paper. Not even to his so-called mate. But seeing the girl in front of him act like marrying him was such a dreadful thing, his ego was tickled. He encountered many women. Some women acted like they were shy or afraid of him at first, but in the end, they were all the same. Superficial. So, the woman in front of him acting like he was a disgusting creature made him want to tease her. When his godfather, the officiator, asked for him to kiss the bride, the woman looked defeated. He smirked. Then the woman closed her eyes. Was this woman really expecting him to kiss her? The people around clapped. He ignored the people around and leaned closer. She smelled nice. So, this was the legendary mate’s smell. It was indeed entrancing. But he won’t fall for it. “Too bad. Your lips aren’t that kissable,” he said. After dropping that bomb, he left. Leaving a dumbfounded Samantha standing in front. --- Samantha lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Today was her first day as Mrs. Wright. How was the couple’s first night? It was nonexistent. Not that she wanted something to happen. But she felt insulted. Just after saying the wedding vows, he literally said that she was unattractive. The nerve of that guy. In her home country, she was chased by a lot of suitors. Sure, they were not as handsome as him— wait. Did she just think that he was handsome? She sighed. Her mind was still a mess at the moment. Everything happened too fast. Things must be said from the time her father announced her marriage to the son of his business partner on the night of his wedding anniversary with his second wife. Sure, she was not the most beloved daughter of the business legend, Manuel Corpuz. But it was not the middle-ages. Arranged marriages were no longer a thing. Why force her to marry someone she didn’t even know? He did not even ask her if she wanted to marry someone in the first place. So, she did the most logical thing she thought of at the moment. She sneaked out of the country and found a way to contact her former classmate and best friend, Michael Hughes. Everything was fine and she was able to live for a few weeks in peace of mind. Who knows, some men in black suddenly came to the door of Michael’s villa and announced that if she didn’t cooperate with them, Michael, his family, and their business would be gone overnight. She was worried about them. Michael was the nicest person she had ever known. When they were young, he was the only person who did not mock her for being motherless. He was the brother she never had, her best friend, and, even though he was a man and technically in the same age range as her, he was her mother figure as well. Hearing that she might lose him, she did not hesitate to cooperate. She was blindfolded and brought to a dark place where she saw Michael tied up with a bruise on his face. There was an apologetic and guilty look on his face when he caught sight of her. But at that moment, she did not think of anything else other than his safety. The man who talked with her was Antione’s assistant. Kent Reeves. She was shocked. Who in the business community didn’t know this powerful assistant who stands beside the most sought-after bachelor in the business world? But it was rumored that he was gay and that he was a woman-hater. So, one can just imagine the scare of her life she experienced when Kent revealed that the condition for them to release Michael was for her to marry Antione. That’s ‘The Antione Wright’, alright? Even her father would have to step aside if Antione wanted him to. She laughed at them and brushed it off as a joke. But when the black-clothed men around them raised their guns and pointed them at Michael’s head, she immediately came back to her senses. It was not a joke at all. She thought of all the pros and cons of the marriage. In any case, her father would sooner or later find her whereabouts and she would still have to marry a stranger whom she felt nothing about. If, in the end, she had to marry someone, then this Wright guy would be the best choice. A gay and a woman-hater. Perfect for her who didn’t want to get married in the first place. When she finally agreed, she didn’t know if it was just her illusion, but Kent looked relieved. Shouldn’t she be the one to be relieved because her best friend’s life was already safe? Kent must have noticed her expression and he glared at her. She just shrugged and followed the instructions given to her. Then, she was brought to the hotel, fitted for the wedding dress, groomed, and finally, brought to the set of the wedding. She sighed. She looked around the room where she stayed for the night. It was nothing special. Just a normal room in a rich man’s house. It was spacious and screams elegance, but it was simple enough to not disgust her. She guessed they might have asked Michael for her taste. Michael Hughes. She swears, the first moment she can get a hand of his whereabouts, she will smack him in the face. Her thoughts were interrupted when a knock sounded from the door. “Lady?” Sam immediately got up from bed and tidied up. She went to the sofa in the corner and sat down properly. Then she said, “The door is unlocked. Come in.” When the housekeeper came in, she found the new lady of the house sitting prim and properly on the sofa by the window. It seems like this lady had some background. She heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, there would be a female master in the house. She put on the kindest smile she could and went to the lady’s side. “My name is Margarette. I used to be Sir Antione’s nanny and now the housekeeper. If there is anything you want, you can call on me anytime.” “I’m Samantha Corpuz—” she paused before continuing, “Wright.” She finished off with a blush on her face. She still did not know how to adjust to her new identity. Margarette made a small giggle. “Sorry, lady,” she apologized for laughing, which Sam just brushed off. “It’s acceptable that you’re not used to your new last name yet,” Margarette continued. Then all of a sudden, she knelt on the floor. Sam was quick to her feet and helped the elderly woman up. “What’s wrong with you?” she said. She then helped the old housekeeper to sit on the sofa beside her. “I apologize for what Sir did last night. That was so impolite of him. But he is not a bad person. Lady, forgive him, okay? Maybe he was just shy. She didn’t have any girlfriend ever. You are the first woman he brought home. Please be more lenient on him, okay?” the elderly woman said. If it were possible, there must be a huge question mark on her face right now. Did this housekeeper misunderstand something? She stared at the elderly woman and she looked like that kind grandma in the neighborhood. Maybe Mr. Wright didn’t tell her the truth, so she assumed that they were in a love relationship? She could see the shadow of her kind grandmother in the old housekeeper. So she did not want to break her heart. So, she nodded in response and patted the elderly woman’s hand. She did not see the cunning smile that appeared on the corner of the housekeeper’s lips when she wiped her face with a tissue.