Love-Hate Relationship

Chapter Three

“Sasha, love, can you come over to the house, please?” Vanessa said sweetly over the phone. Sasha sighed; it had been almost two weeks since she left her house, and her wedding date had been set. She would be getting married on Saturday. Well, it wasn’t a problem for her, except that her future husband had never called her, nor even asked to meet up with her.

“Sure, mom,” she replied, and she could swear she felt her smile. Calling the woman ‘mom’ really made her happy; maybe it was because she had never had a daughter, Sasha thought.

“I’m waiting for you, dear,” Vanessa responded and hung up.

Sasha sighed and stared intently at the document in her hand. She was getting married, but not once had she gone shopping for the wedding with her future husband. She had never been asked to select anything on her own. They had two big wedding planners taking care of everything; talk about marrying into a rich family. They had an estimated four hundred guests, and she wondered what she was going to do with so many people.

She dropped the document and got up from her desk, picked up her car keys, and sighed again. It had been almost two years since she started this branch of the company, and she really wanted to make her father proud. Nothing would elevate their company more than securing the Jack and Jones contract. Although the business plan wouldn’t be executed for another year, they were already looking for the right company to handle it, and almost every growing company was after it, including some companies that never saw the light of day even after being established years ago.

Was she marrying him for this contract? Of course, that had to be part of it, but deep down, she knew it was more than that. In fact, the contract was barely remembered when she thought about marrying him. How many years had she fantasized about him? Ever since she first saw him in high school, when she was only thirteen, it had been like this. He was in her high school, and the feelings only faded because they had to go to different universities.

She said goodbye to her secretary and some staff members and walked out of the building. She got into her car, reversed, and then drove with one destination in mind: the Browns’ estate. She still couldn’t believe she was marrying into that family.

She passed through the gates and drove toward the country house, stopping in front of the mansion where some servants greeted her. Everyone knew she was the new bride-to-be, the fiancée of the young master. Some of them often wondered why she agreed to marry such a cold man, but they shook their heads. They already knew the answer: if given the chance, they would marry him too, wholeheartedly. After all, who wouldn’t want to marry into such a family? Not to mention, he was incredibly handsome.

She walked into the house to see Vanessa talking to her son, and her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected to run into him here. She swallowed hard and approached them. Vanessa smiled when she saw her. “Darling, it’s you,” she said with a smile.

Her fiancé looked at her then, their eyes met, and his crystal-blue gaze burned into hers, sending a shiver down her spine. She cleared her throat, deciding she needed to talk to him today, whether he wanted to or not.

“Come, darling, I wanted both of you to do something. A new wedding dress just arrived at one of Michael’s boutiques; I need you to try it on,” Vanessa said with a smile.

Sasha looked at her, surprised. She hadn’t seen this coming and didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded. The woman turned to her son. “Hurry now, so you can get back to your meeting, like you said.”

He nodded and left the house. Sasha wasn’t sure if she should follow him or not, but she decided to. She smiled and bid farewell to her future mother-in-law, who waved her off. She rushed outside just as he was getting into his limousine, and she quickened her pace. She reached the car, breathless. When was the last time she ran? She couldn’t even remember.

She climbed into the car beside him, and the chauffeur closed the door behind her. The backseat of the limousine was filled with the strong scent of a masculine, sexy cologne. She sat on her side, trying her best to keep to herself, but she couldn’t help stealing glances at him.

He was sitting there, eyes closed, head resting against the seat, his hands on his thigh. He looked calm, and she wondered if he wanted to stay like that until they reached the boutique. No small talk? They were getting married in eight days, for goodness’ sake!

Well, there was no need to wait for him to start. She could always initiate the conversation. She licked her lips and turned to face him with a determined expression. “Hello, Michael,” she said. His name felt so bitter on her tongue. She had avoided saying his name for so long, even rejecting the advances of two boys just because their names were Michael.

The man sitting beside her didn’t respond. Even if he had heard her, he pretended not to. His eyes remained closed, and she swallowed. Could he have fallen asleep? They had only been in the car for three minutes! “How have you been?” she tried again.

Still nothing. She sighed and looked out the window. What could his problem be now? She turned to look at him again, frowning, unwilling to accept being ignored like that. She reached out to touch him, and for the first time, she saw a visible reaction. He flinched.

Maybe he hadn’t expected her to touch him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and his crystal-blue gaze pierced into hers, making her heart race. She swallowed hard. “Is there a problem?” he asked, his deep, seductive voice barely above a whisper. She had nearly forgotten he had asked a question.

When she finally recovered, he was still watching her through half-closed eyes, making him look even sexier. She licked her lips again, her teeth grazing her bottom lip slowly. She heard him take a deep breath, and when she looked at him again, his eyes were closed once more. She wanted to talk to him again but decided against it. It was better to leave him alone for now.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at a shopping mall. The chauffeur stepped out and opened the door for them. He got out first, and she followed. They walked into the store, greeted by many of the staff.

“Good evening, Mr. Brown,” echoed all around, and he headed straight for a room. Sasha could do nothing but follow. They sat down, and there was a table with teacups and a jug waiting for them. He poured himself some tea and took a sip. She sat, glancing around the spacious room like a nervous teenager.

A woman in her thirties entered with quick steps, followed by a younger girl carrying a large bag. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Brown. I was just adding the finishing touches,” she smiled.

Michael nodded, and the woman turned to Sasha. “Would you like to try it on now, miss?” she asked with a smile. Sasha nodded and followed her to the dressing room. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror, her mouth falling open in awe. She looked like an angelic bride. The dress was pure white, off the shoulder, with lace sleeves that extended from the armpit. It showed off all her curves, and from the knees down, it flared out like a newly bloomed flower, with a train trailing behind.

She had never expected to wear a dress like this for her wedding. She immediately turned to leave the room, eager to see Michael’s expression. The woman grabbed her hand just as she reached the door. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Sasha looked at her as if she had lost her mind, and the woman chuckled. “Haven’t you heard the saying that the groom shouldn’t see the wedding dress until the day itself? If you show him everything now, how can he be surprised on the day?”

Sasha bit her lip. She was right, but that only worked if the groom loved the bride. The man out there wouldn’t care whether he saw it now or on the day, she wanted to say, but decided against it. There was no need to confuse the woman with her internal conflicts. She removed the gown and put her original clothes back on.

She walked out of the room, seeing the flicker of surprise in his eyes when he saw her, though he quickly masked it. Had he expected to see her in the dress? She wondered, but before she could say anything, he stood and left the room. She followed him back to the limousine and got in after him. The ride back was just as silent as the one before. She stared out the window, and when she noticed they weren’t taking the route back to the Browns’ villa, she gave him a questioning look, which he either didn’t notice or pretended not to.

She wanted to ask but told herself to let it go. Wherever he was taking her, it wasn’t like he was going to kill her, she thought. Minutes later, the limousine stopped, and she looked out the window, surprised to see her house. Was he dropping her off? What about her car? She was about to ask when she noticed her car pulling into the driveway. She looked at Michael, but he said nothing, expecting her to know what to do. She sighed and nodded. “Thank you,” she murmured as the chauffeur opened the door for her.

She got out of the car, and the driver of her car also got out and approached her, handed her the key, and then got into the limousine with the other chauffeur.

She looked at the man in the back seat through the window but couldn’t make out his expression since the glass was tinted, preventing anyone from seeing inside. She raised her hand to say goodbye, but the limousine had already started moving away before she could finish the gesture.

She stood there, watching the car drive off, and the little voice in her head echoed again, Can you live like this, Sasha? It’s still not too late to turn back, you know.

But she shook her head and silenced the voice. It’s only a matter of time, and I’ll break through, she thought, and went into her apartment.