The Hidden Agenda
1095 Words
Zoey sighed heavily, looking at Elijah, the man she was supposed to marry. She bit her lip, hoping for time to reverse.
"I must stop this wedding now! I will never allow Abigail to take over 'my kingdom,'" she said again, taking a step forward.
Her mother, Nora, quickly held her hands, stopping her from taking another step.
"What do you think you are doing? Zoey, can you please stop creating a scene here?" she asked, signaling Zoey to sit down.
At first, she didn't want to answer, but when she noticed that it was catching people's attention, she sat down, her head on the table.
"Cancel the wedding, Mom! I will never allow Abigail to marry the person I'm supposed to marry. You must find a way to stop the wedding," Zoey said, resting her left hand on her forehead.
"The wedding can't be canceled, Zoey. We already made a deal with Abigail," her mother responded.
"No, there must be a way to cancel the wedding. I'm supposed to be the bride, not Abigail. I must find a way to stop the wedding," Zoey said, attempting to stand up.
Her mother stopped her again.
"You agreed to the deal, Zoey. Don't try to create a scene here. Just forget about it and stay with your lover," Nora said.
"Even if you stop the wedding, are you going to marry Elijah? No way!!!" She added.
"All I know is that I must cancel the wedding today; I don't want to know whether I'm going to marry Elijah or not. Do you think that I would have accepted to let Abigail marry him if I knew that he's rich?" Zoey said.
"Just stop, Zoey. We are going to talk after the wedding," Nora said, calming her down.
Meanwhile, Abigail was still gazing at her husband-to-be.
She looked at him from head to toe again and she smiled. She sighed heavily, smiling gently. She shifted her eyes to Zoey, who was eager to stop the wedding.
As Abigail looked at her, she smiled again, making Zoey feel more hurt.
"This looks like Karma. Even after doing what seems like a good deed by adopting me, they started collecting seventy percent from my salary, and they are aware that I need money for Grace's treatment. Now, they want to force me to marry 'an illegitimate man,' but God is in my favor. It seems like I have killed two birds with one stone," Abigail mused to herself, smiling faintly.
She looked at Liam, who was sitting beside her mother.
"She promised to treat me like a sister when they adopted me. But everything is a lie. All she wants is my boyfriend. Now, she has reaped what she sowed. Shame on her!" Abigail mused again.
Zoey shifted her eyes from Abigail's face. She looked at Elijah again and bit her lips.
"Why? Why did I get pregnant with her boyfriend? I should have waited for my time to come. They do tell me that God's time is the best, but I didn't listen. I dashed the person I hate the most, my husband-to-be. Am I dreaming?" Zoey mused to herself, regretting her actions.
She looked at Abigail again, and their eyes made contact. Abigail smiled at her while Zoey sadly shifted her eyes.
Suddenly, Zoey stood up and moved closer to the priest, aiming to stop the wedding.
"I'm going to see if you are going to laugh after ruining your wedding," Zoey mused to herself, walking quickly.
As she was about to reach the front, Liam noticed her. He quickly stood up.
He held her hands tight, putting his hands around her neck, until they got outside.
"Liam, what did you just do? Let me stop the wedding," Zoey said, her voice breaking.
"Are you telling me to allow her to marry my rich husband-to-be?" She added.
"What else do you want? What's going to happen if you stop the wedding?" Liam asked.
"I... I don't know, but I will never allow her to marry the person I was supposed to marry," Zoey said.
Hearing this, Liam smiled a little.
"Will you abandon my child after stopping the wedding? Are you going to kill my child also, or have you forgotten that you are pregnant for me?" Liam said, his voice loud.
"That's not what I mean. I must stop her from marrying the man," Zoey said.
Liam placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Don't forget that you are pregnant with my child," Liam said.
Zoey calmed down a little.
"I understand," she said as she entered the church again.
Liam followed her.
The priest faced the people again, "We will now begin the ceremony."
He turned to Elijah, who was gazing at Abigail.
"Are you willing and ready to marry her as your wife and life partner?" The priest asked him.
"Yes... yes... I'm ready and willing to marry her," Elijah replied, regaining his thoughts.
Then, the priest faced Abigail.
"Are you willing and ready to marry him as your husband and life partner?" He asked.
Abigail nodded.
"I'm willing and ready to marry him," she announced.
Everyone clapped except Zoey, who was scratching her hands hard, hoping everything would not ruin.
"You can now put the ring on the bride's hand," the priest announced, addressing Elijah.
Elijah reached into his pocket. Then, he brought out a diamond ring.
Smiling, he placed it inside her hands. Abigail smiled, gazing at him.
"You can now kiss the bride," the priest announced.
Elijah moved Abigail closer to himself and kissed her. After the kiss, he hugged her, patting her on the back.
"I promise to ruin their marriage," Zoey mused to herself, vowing. "I will try my best to make Elijah hate her."
She bit her lips again.
"Is this really happening?" She asked herself, adjusting her seat.
The priest brought out a paper from the files he placed on the table.
"Please sign here," he requested, addressing Elijah.
Elijah took out his pen from his pocket. As he placed the pen on the paper, he stopped, looking at Abigail.
"Please don't sign," Zoey mused to herself, closing her eyes.
Elijah signed the paper, and then he gave Abigail the pen. She signed as well, and they hugged again. Everyone clapped as Elijah held Abigail's hand, and they descended.
When they got to where Zoey was, Abigail stopped. She moved closer to her, but Zoey faced another direction, biting her lips.
"Zoey, can you please snap me and my husband?" Abigail requested, placing her hands on her shoulder.
- Writer
