The Forgotten Love of the Cruel CEO

Bárbara Collins’ POV My hands are trembling, my whole body is shaking, but I can’t hide my smile as I quickly put on my earrings. They’re diamond earrings, and he gave them to me on the day he asked me to be his official girlfriend after two months of flirting. They’re tiny rose-shaped diamonds, and he made me promise that on the day we got married, I would wear them. And here I am, putting on the second earring, unable to control the nerves in my system. The day has come, we will finally get married, and I can’t contain the excitement that fills my chest and stomach. After four years of dating, and two years of being engaged, we will finally get married as we planned. The time has come. He finished his university degree a year ago and has since taken control of his father’s company under his own management, and I have a few months left to finish mine. That’s how we planned it when we got engaged. We studied different careers and went to different universities, but since we met at a bar in the city, Cedric and I have been inseparable. Despite the social differences, we have managed our relationship, and even though I don’t have the same economic status as him, or an important surname, or a great inheritance, he has given me my place, made me the most important woman in his life, and today he will make that clear once again at the altar. “Babi, could you stop hyperventilating, please? You’re making me nervous!” my best friend begs. “I’m sorry!” I scream, bursting into laughter, and decide to sit down without caring if I wrinkle my dress. “I’m really nervous, Caroline. I feel a knot in my stomach and I swear to God I feel like throwing up.” “My girl, you’re getting married...” my mother comments, asking me to lift my feet to help me with my heels. “I was as excited as you are, and also very nervous, and I also threw up, so if you want to do it, just try not to mess up your makeup, please...” “No, Mrs. Collins! Don’t throw up because you’ll ruin my artwork,” Caro retorts. “Just breathe, okay? You’re marrying the love of your life, the young man who won your heart in that bar when you were drunk. The prince charming who didn’t care about going against his upper-class family, defying his parents, and even giving up his millions for you,” she melodramatically sings, making me laugh. “You have no reason to be nervous, friend. You should be happy because you have overcome every obstacle and in an hour you will be Mrs. Reed, the wife of the youngest millionaire CEO in New York City. You will be the most envied woman in all of the society, the headlines will be filled with photos of your wedding, and everyone will talk about the ‘most romantic fairy tale of the year,’ where a young peasant girl managed to captivate the city prince.” I put my feet down after adjusting my heels and stand up. “You’re an idiot.” I throw the cushion from my bed at her. “Coming from Tennessee doesn’t make me a peasant, Caroline.” She bursts into laughter and approaches me, giving me a hug. She has always played with that premise when talking about my relationship with her cousin. And I always tell her she’s an i***t, but we love each other. We have been best friends since we first met and have been as inseparable as I have been with Cedric. She was the only Reed family member who welcomed me with kindness, who defended me on more than one occasion, and who even became enemies with my mother-in-law because of me. Of course, that was years ago when we were younger, but over the years they had no choice but to accept me into the family, and after smoothing out those rough edges, they ended up loving me. Because of everything we went through at the beginning of our relationship, Caroline never misses an opportunity to joke about it, even today, on the wedding day. “An i***t who loves you like the sister I never had...” She pouts, stealing a small smile from me. “Everything will be fine, Babi, you’ll see. My cousin and you will get married, you’ll go to your dream home, and you’ll leave this apartment to me, so I can have my s****l encounters without my parents knowing.” “Caroline! Jesus!” my mother exclaims indignantly, giving her a slap. “Sometimes I wonder how, despite being so refined, you can be so mischievous, girl.” “Mrs. Collins, that happens when you’re sent to a boarding school as a child and then let loose in the big city in the midst of university puberty. It’s impossible not to be a mischievous free spirit in search of new life experiences that make me mature.” “If the failed engagement you had didn’t do that, I don’t think anything else will.” “Mom!” I widened my eyes at her imprudence. “That man was an i***t who only wanted Caroline to be the pretty woman by his side, someone who wouldn’t say a word, and my beautiful businesswoman is more than that.” I winked at my best friend. “Besides, he was terrible in bed, Mrs. Collins, so next...” She makes a disgusted face that makes me burst into laughter. My mother once again yells “Jesus” and shakes her head, pushing her aside to fix my hair for the fifth time. Caroline goes in front of the mirror and continues fixing herself up to leave my apartment and go to the church. I look at my living room while my mother keeps touching up my appearance and I think about all the beautiful memories Cedric and I have made here since we decided to live together. We were in the second year of our degrees; he invited me for a walk as he did every evening. I gladly agreed, we met at the park around the corner, and I was happy to be greeted with a bouquet of red roses. When we met at that bar, I was very drunk and had just broken up with my first boyfriend. I couldn’t stop crying because it was our one-month anniversary, and I had dressed up nicely and beautifully for our date, but the i***t took me to a McDonald’s and didn’t even bring me roses. Cedric and I still laugh about my crying. But that night, with his intensity, he promised me that when I became his girlfriend, there would never be a shortage of roses on each date, and that promise has held true until today. Of course, I laughed a lot when I heard it because we had just met, and he was already making promises, but as the months passed, we coincided again at the same bar, and since that night, we never separated again, and just as he promised, he would come to each date with a bouquet of red roses, and that day was no exception. We met in that park, he gave me my roses, and invited me to walk a little because he had a surprise for me. We walked until we reached this immense apartment with a view of Central Park. That day, he asked me to live together, and as a young girl in love, I agreed. Every corner of this place has been baptized by both of us, just as every space is decorated with photographs of the two of us. All our adventures are captured in each photo hanging on the wall, where on every outing, Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer, winter, and birthday, we have taken pictures that we both sign and date on the back, along with a word that defines that adventure. In this apartment, our story is told through photos, and I can’t help feeling a little nostalgic because we will have to leave it when we return from our honeymoon. Cedric bought an immense mansion - which I wasn’t very convinced about at first, but when he let me decorate it, I loved it - where we would live and start creating new memories with new photos. These ones will stay here because we decided to leave everything as it is for a reason: the day one of us is angry enough with the other to want to take a step back, we promised to come to this apartment full of our history to think things through and make a sensible decision, not based on emotions. That’s why leaving everything behind makes me feel nostalgic, but then I remember that our new home will be filled with new photos, with memories of a new life together. “You look beautiful, my Babi,” my mother says, taking my hands. “Your father would be very happy for you...” I held back the urge to cry and immediately hugged her. My father, Ricardo Ortega, lost his life in an accident during his trip to Mexico. That afternoon at the airport, when we said goodbye, was the last time we saw him alive. Because of his job as a supplier, he had to make many trips to Mexico every year. He was very excited about this trip because he would see my grandparents, my uncles, and his friends. That day, a heavy cargo truck lost control, taking the lives of many innocent people, including my father’s. My mother suffered greatly from his loss, and it’s only been a year since she’s started to come out of her shell after being confined by her grief for over three years. That’s why Caroline calls her by her maiden name because she feels that if she used my father’s last name, it would bring back old memories which we both know hurt. I let go of the hug and looked her in the eyes. Those beautiful green eyes with which I was blessed. Even with the blonde hair and fair skin. She once told me that my grandparents thought I was going to be born with my father’s features, but apparently, my mother’s blood was stronger. Apparently, the only thing I inherited from my father is my love for tacos. I don’t even look half-Mexican, and the only way to prove it is by showing my ID. That’s how Cedric believed me. “He’s happy for both of us from heaven,” I told her. She nods, tears ready to escape. “Happy that his only daughter is getting married in a white dress, just as he always dreamed, and happy to see that the love of his life is smiling at life again.” “I’m trying.” “You’ll succeed. Ricardo Ortega and I, Bárbara Collins Ortega, believe in you.” We hugged each other again without saying anything else. “I don’t like always being the one interrupting the most sensitive moments, but we should leave now,” Caroline informs us. “The limousine is waiting for us downstairs, Babi.” “Yes, yes, let’s go,” my mother hastily says. “Let’s go, my girl. We have a bridal walk to do.” She hands me my bouquet of roses. Caroline sprays perfume on me for the fifteenth time, and like three flustered women, we walk out the door of my apartment. I take the keys, lock the door, and hand them to my mother, who puts them in her small handbag. With nerves and excitement at their peak, we headed to the elevator to go to the church. *** “Oh God, I feel like throwing up!” I complained, moving my hands. We’re inside the limousine, right in front of the church, and the nerves are at their highest. My body is trembling, and anxiety is overwhelming. “Come on, Babi, let me call Cedric, okay? I feel like you’re going to have a heart attack, friend!” “I promised him I wouldn’t have a crisis,” I said nervously. “He’ll worry about me and he’s capable of coming to rescue me himself, Caroline...” “You won’t have a crisis, and it’s normal to be nervous. Just breathe, okay? Inside that chapel is every member of the family, and you’re only with your mother, so it’s normal that you feel this way, but don’t worry, everyone already knows you, do you forget?” “But not everyone likes me.” “But my uncles do, and my parents do too, so relax, please... We’ve been in here for more than fifteen minutes! They’ll think the bride has had second thoughts, and most of them would celebrate it, but what about Cedric?” I gave her a sharp look. “Sometimes your honesty is really heavy, Caroline.” She shrugs and dials the number on her screen and then puts it on speaker mode. “I may be heavy, but I’m loyal and you know it,” she winks at me and I shake my head. One, two, and three rings are heard, and then I hear his beautiful and sexy voice. “What’s wrong with you, Babi, Carol?” he asks without beating around the bush. I snatched the phone from my friend. “I feel like throwing up. I’m nervous about coming out, and I want to cry, but at the same time laugh, Cedric...” I spill everything without stopping. I hear his manly laughter and the sigh that he lets out. “Babi, you’re not thinking about leaving me standing here, are you?” he asks, laughing softly. “Everyone is looking at me, I’m wearing an overly elegant suit, even though you know I don’t like wearing them, and to top it off, the priest is looking at me with pity...” he laughs again. “Tell me you’ll come to the altar for me, please.” “I would never leave you standing,” I replied. “Then move your ass over here, babe, please,” he orders, but he’s far from being upset. “Besides, those feelings of nausea are because you’re disobedient. I told you not to eat those pork tacos that you like so much for breakfast, but you didn’t listen to me.” I rolled my eyes. “Tacos, Cedric, they were tacos.” “Caroline, if you’re listening to me, go get some adult diapers,” he whispers. “Maybe Babi is going to need them because she ate at least six of those tortillas.” “Cedric! You’re making me feel worse...” Again, laughter is present. “Babi, my skinny, my love... come and marry me, please. If you don’t get out of that limousine, I’ll come and get you myself. Look at me, I’ve been standing here for several minutes looking at it while waiting for you to come out, and I’m starting to get impatient.” I opened my mouth, gasped, and turned towards the chapel and, indeed, my beloved Cedric was standing on the stairs with his phone to his ear, showing me a big smile. He looks so beautiful, so handsome in that black tailor-made suit, even though he hates wearing suits. Something his mother cannot tolerate. He waves at me, and threatens that he’ll come get me, but Caroline shouts at him not to, that it would be bad luck. After their fight, I decided to interfere because Cedric is the least traditional man on earth, so much so that when he proposed to me, it was with a tattoo, and after my reaction, he gave me the ring. I think his free spirit makes him who he is, and me being the complete opposite is something that complements us very well. “Cedric, go and wait for me at the altar,” I ordered him, looking at him through the mirrored window. “And you better have a big smile.” “Not just a big smile, Babi. I’ll be waiting for you with tears in my eyes and a red rose.” I nod even though he can’t see me, feeling my eyes welling up from the desire to cry. “I’ll be waiting for you, Babi. You better not leave me standing because I’ll chase after you and force you to say yes.” I burst into laughter, promising him that I’ll be in front of him in ten minutes. I hang up the call, watching as he does the same, and then he enters the chapel again with a big smile on his lips. I take a deep breath, a lot of air, and let it out slowly. Caroline and my mother look at me expectantly, waiting for me to take my five seconds of yoga, and when I showed them a big smile on my lips, they both clap excitedly. “Let’s go out. I have an ‘I do’ to say in front of the altar.” *** Everything happens so fast that I don’t realize the magnitude of it all until I find myself halfway down the aisle, walking with my mother holding my arm. The chapel is crowded with people that during my years of dating Cedric I haven’t managed to know even half of them. I’ve only known the internal core of the family and some people from his circle, but I have no idea who the rest of the family and invited friends are, but they know who I am. I keep smiling, deciding to ignore all the eyes on me, and I focused on looking towards the altar. Right at the end of the red carpet, where he’s waiting for me with a big smile on his lips. He discreetly wipes away the tears that are streaming from his eyes, trying to keep composed. His best man, Caroline’s brother, pats his back, making him smile even more. I take a deep breath, trying not to cry, but when we reach him and my mother hands me over to my future husband, tears roll down my cheeks. Cedric takes my hand, kisses the back of it, and proceeds to lift the veil from my face. “You look even more beautiful than I imagined,” he tells me. “Much more beautiful.” “The suit looks sexy on you,” I whispered, making him chuckle a little. “And I didn’t leave you standing.” “Thanks for saving me the embarrassment, Babi.” He winks at me, melting me completely, and when the priest calls our attention to begin the ceremony, my heart starts beating forcefully because of everything I’m feeling in this moment. *** “I, Cedric Reed, take you, Bárbara Collins, my Babi... as my wife, to love and respect you until old age doesn’t allow me anymore. I promise to be with you in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, in good times and in bad times. I promise to continue giving you red roses on our dates, I promise to continue taking pictures with you on each of our adventures, and I promise to continue buying you those pork tacos that you like so much...” I laugh as tears roll down my cheeks. “I promise to never leave you alone, and I promise that, when we reach fifty years of marriage, I will bring you to this same chapel, if it still exists and if the priest is not dead, of course, to renew our vows of love.” Everyone laughs at his broken sense of humor, and although I’m laughing too, I can’t stop crying because the man I have always loved is placing the golden ring on my trembling finger. He leans in and kisses it again, making me sigh like a bride intoxicated with love. “By the power vested in me by the church, I now pronounce you husband and wife, in front of God and all those present. You may now kiss the bride, once again, Mr. Reed.” I burst into laughter, which is silenced by him through an intense kiss that lifts me up to the sky. I forgot about everyone around me and clung to Cedric’s lips as if it were the last kiss of our lives. He holds me by the waist, and as the kiss intensifies, he pushes me back like in typical romantic movies. Officially, I am Mrs. Reed, officially we are husband and wife, and officially we will begin our new life together from today. “Ready to see the world with me?” he asks me close to my lips. I nodded frantically. We both decided by mutual agreement to go on a trip instead of having a huge party after leaving here. This time, I agreed with his non-traditional idea because all I have known in my entire existence is Mexico and my mother’s city, where I was born and lived until middle school, Tennessee. As for the rest, I’m a free soul who wants to see the world with him and see with my own eyes those wonderful places he has told me about. “More than ready,” I told him, letting go of his kiss. “Let’s get out of here, Mr. Reed.” “With pleasure, Mrs. Reed.” *** The impact is direct, the car spins, and I scream in terror, feeling Cedric’s arms trying to hold me, but it’s impossible. My body hits hard, I hear the shattering of the glass, the sound of the metals being crushed, and when everything finally stops, the blow to my head is so strong that I can’t see clearly. “Cedric,” I muttered amidst my groans. “Cedric!” I close my eyes, open them, and even with the seatbelt holding me, I turn as much as I can to see him, and I scream. His head is against the steering wheel, covered in blood. With my trembling, cut hands, I release the seatbelt and approach him. I cry, I scream for him to wake up, but he doesn’t. “Cedric, my love, please wake up, wake up, please!” I wiped his head with the skirt of my wedding dress, trying to stop the bleeding, but it’s impossible. “Cedric, please! Don’t leave me, don’t leave me, my love! Wake up!” I shouted. The air escapes from me, I feel like I can’t breathe, and when I try to get out of the car to go around and help him get out, dizziness hits me so hard that I collapse onto the ground, without my sight, without strength, unable to continue.