Bargain Wedding

Cherry Is Your Color

"You hold company shares, Axel. I am sorry I should have told you before," Jona waited for backlash, but Axel only nodded in understanding, rendering her husband astonished.

"So, are you going to explain to me or what?" Axel asked.

"Let's eat first. You must be hungry."

"Or we can eat in the room while you explain to me?" Axel counter-proposed, wanting to know quickly what the meeting would be going to be about.

Jona asked Obasaan to get the food sent to their room before he sat on the bed. "I decided to put this project completely aside because, in all my projects, other shareholders also get involved."

"Why is that?" Axel curiously asked.

"To bear the profit and the shares are also allocated like that. But I have had your shares entirely for you. So, if you want to do anything with your shares, you can do it without getting any board of directors' approval. Hence, this project will be under your name for now."

"I can do anything with my shares?" Axel repeated and Jona nodded. "Can I sell them without the board's approval?"

"Technically, you can, yes. You don't even need my approval, but I sincerely hope you don't. We will lose 35%." Jona chuckled and so did Axel.

"How many shares does the board have?"

Jona was impressed. Although the girl wasn't involved in business, she was able to understand. "They have 18 %. I hold 36% and you do 35%."

"If you hold the biggest percentage, then why do you need the board's agreement to do anything?" Axel asked, a little annoyed now.

"Their shares are not free like yours," Jona stated earnestly, and Axel tilted her head. "If I may in layman's language. Consider that this house is a company, and the rooms inside are the shares. I gave a few rooms to the board, but ultimately they are inside this house which I own, which means the board cannot move the room without my permission, even though the rooms are theirs. I still hold a few rights. It is my property. Contrarily, I can move the rooms, but I will have to inform the room owners first as a goodwill gesture and give them a replacement room, maybe inside the house or outside of it." Jona tried to break it in the simplest terms.

"And what is my share in this house?" Axel asked, smiling.

Jona's heart swelled as she used the word 'my share.' "Your share is your own house. All rooms are yours. If you want to live in that house, by all means. If you want to sell your house and move away, then you can. I cannot stop you because your house is not inside my house, so you can do whatever you want with it."

"Okay, one last question," Axel raised her finger. "If your project is under my shares, why is the board interfering with it? I don't have to ask them or tell them anything, as I understood. Right?" Axel asked cheekily.

Jona almost reached out to pinch her cheek, but retreated at the last moment. "It is confidential, Axel. No one needs to know what shares we are using for the project. As far as the board is concerned, they will know when the time comes. We just need to inform them about our decision and the money inflow and outflow will be taken care of by our CFO."

"Coco-San?" Axel didn't have to guess. She knew Jona's best friend took care of the capital.

"He is the only one besides me who knows the money inside out. Sometimes he knows even more than me," Jona chuckled as he told Axel, who keenly listened to everything as if she was taking notes during the lecture. "This is it. The board might ask you about your plans to be actively involved in the business. You may tell them that you haven't thought about it. There won't be any need to specifically answer anything. If you have any questions, we can talk tomorrow."

The two ate their dinner before going to bed.

Jona used to read after eating before the wedding, but Axel couldn't sleep unless the room was pitch dark, so he got up to turn off the night lamp which was kept on the bedside cabinet, and stroked Axel's head softly. The younger closed her eyes at the touch, perhaps anticipating a good night kiss. She opened her eyes when the hand moved away.

"Good night, Axel. Sweet dreams."

"Good night," She answered in a disappointed voice.

As Jona walked over to his couch after turning off the bright lights, just as darkness cast around them, Axel pouted. She did not get her kiss.

☘

Axel took a day off from university. Her dance final was after one day, so she decided to get her hair done, thinking that she only had some free time on her hands today, and tomorrow, she would be busy with final rehearsals at the university. She still hadn't informed Jona about the exact date. She really wanted Jona to go to her dance when she invited him, but she had to set things straight with Minhaj first.

Jona has been in the office since morning, but he had sent his driver to pick Axel up from home to drop her off at the office. The car was already waiting for her by the time she returned from the salon. On spotting the Audi e-tron, she rushed over to the driver. "Please give me ten minutes, I will go change and come back."

"Sure, ma'am. Please take your time," the driver answered.

What Axel practically did was fly to her room like a gush of wind, sprinting hard.

Hana spotted her, but she couldn't care less about her when Jona was not around. Her last attempt to harm Axel scared her too much after how harshly Jona reacted, so she dropped any idea she had to harm her again, for now.

A few minutes later, Axel found herself running back to the car in her black knee-length dress. The moment she got in, the car started moving towards her husband's office. She absentmindedly glanced outside the tinted windows of the Audi and exhaled deeply. She couldn't stop the constant replay of the sight of her kissing Jona. The kiss has reigned in her mind for two days. Her phone buzzed, she looked at Jona's incoming call and panicked. She was running late.

"Where are you?" Jona asked in a calm voice from the boardroom.

"I am so sorry, Jona. I am running late, but I will be there in ten minutes." Axel's anxiousness protruded.

"Hey, relax. It's fine. Anyway, the meeting was postponed by half an hour. Don't fret. Okay?" Jona comforted Axel.

Axel sighed in relief, thankful that the meeting had been deferred. "Okay."

The call was disconnected.

"Gentlemen and ladies," Jona addressed the Board of Directors sitting in front of him in the meeting room. "I apologize, but I am afraid I will have to postpone this meeting. Please let us all meet again in thirty minutes." He asked everyone who was already sitting in their positions whilst they waited for the youngest shareholder to arrive.

All the men and women stood, bowed, and left except one man, Norin Suzuki, Jona's uncle, or poppycock, as Coco called him.

"What is it, uncle?" Jona asked.

"I missed the wedding, but I hoped to meet Axel in a more personal setting. I guess I am excited about meeting her for the first time." Norin walked towards Jona's chair.

Jona didn't get up and gestured for the man to take the seat beside him. "It's alright, uncle. Come home for dinner this weekend. Bring Aimi too. We can have a family get-together."

"I wish your parents were alive. My brother has always been proud, but he would be prouder of you today. You couldn't save him, but you will save many others who are suffering like him. I am proud of you, son," Norin's arm patted Jona's shoulder before he got up, seeing the nephew nod politely.

He walked out and Jona also went back to his office from the meeting room.

Axel arrived at the office at the same time, but she didn't know where Jona's office was. She rushed to his PA, who was waiting for her outside. "Ms. Milly?" She asked a tall and pretty girl as she offered her hand forward to shake.

"Hello, Mrs. Suzuki," Milly shook the outstretched hand. "This way please." She motioned the woman towards Jona's office, and they stopped outside the ebony door.

"Thank you," Axel mumbled while 'Mrs. Suzuki' kept hovering in her mind, hard.

Milly bowed slightly and smiled. "You are welcome," she stated, before turning around and leaving.

Axel knocked twice before opening Jona's office door. Just as the man's eyes fell on her cherry hair with golden highlights, his mind drifted far off. Axel was looking just stupendous and alluring. "I am sorry I am late," She held onto the doorknob to close the door and felt the static shock at the touch and jumped.

Her jolt brought Jona's attention back from Wonderland. "Hey..." He rushed around the table. "Are you okay?" He held her hand worriedly.

"Yeah, I just feel like this when I touch metal sometimes. I am okay though," Axel averted her gaze from the doorknob to her fingers which felt the jolt, and then to Jona's office and their wedding picture hung on the wall by the table.

That's how the PA knew I was Axel.

She also realized that Jona never really asked her to change her surname. Even as a company shareholder, she remained Axel Aoki, instead of Axel Suzuki. It brought a smile to her pretty lips. "I am sorry," She apologized again and walked towards the table.

"It's alright... Don't be sorry. Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded, turning to flash a brief smile at Jona.

"Do you need water or anything else?" The man asked, but Axel only shook her head in disagreement. "Before we go, if there is anything you are unsure of or feel uncomfortable answering, just tell them that you will inform me about it later."

Jona wanted to make Axel comfortable enough in case she was fussing about this meeting. "If you need me to answer it for you, just give me a sign. I will sit with you," The husband said with a soft smile.

Axel nodded again.

He offered his chair to Axel, who sat on it and felt giddy all over. "You like the chair. Don't you?" Jona chuckled.

"I do like your things. Be it your choice of book, your fashion sense, or your CEO chair." Axel confessed, catching Jona offguard. He didn't expect her to say that, so he simply smiled.

"I have called someone. They will take your fingerprints for biometrics. You won't be here much, but it will still be good to have your access. You will not need Ms. Milly every time you come here," he was interrupted when the IT personnel arrived at cue.

Axel stood up, walking around the table to sit on the couch where she collaborated with the IT guy by providing her fingerprints on the glass biometric device to get her identity verified. When they were done, Jona offered his hand to the lady. "Shall we?"

Axel accepted the hand and stood up. She was walking ahead when her feet stopped on hearing her name. "And Axel," turning around, she expectantly looked at the man.

"Love the hair. Cherry is your color. It suits you really well," Jona added.

Axel tried so hard not to smile and blush but failed at it. "Thanks," she answered, her cheeks tinted the same hue as that of her hair.

"By the way, the honey-blonde you see on me is not my natural hair color. I rather have chestnut hair."

Axel giggled. "I know," she said. " I saw your pictures. I can also see that your color is washed out, mostly."

"I lost a bet, in case you are wondering why I dyed my hair. It isn't my style. Just so you know."

☘

"What is your take on the decision, Mrs. Suzuki?" Norin asked Axel as they proceeded with the meeting.

Jona tried to correct Norin on the surname he used, but Axel held Jona's hand under the table to stop him. "I think it is for a good cause. Sure, we are all doing business here, but we can still earn money from free services. We can always seek media and advertisements. We will be making money from the right sources." she answered, and everyone nodded.

"It sounds like a nice thing to say, but the Board is worried if they face a loss-" Norin Suzuki continued, representing the board.

"That won't happen," Coco pitched in. "If the loss were to fall upon us, it would be worked out of the CEO's budget."

"We just want to let the decision be collective where everyone is on the same page," Jona added and looked over to his uncle. "I don't like surprises." He lastly added.

Norin Suzuki gazed right back into Jona's intense eyes and his lips stretched from the corners into a forced smile. "It's settled then. Moreover, we all would be more at ease if we got this into writing. I am sure you can understand." He demanded, playing with the stone of his ring.

Jona looked at Coco and the latter nodded in mutual understanding. "It's a deal and this brings us to the end of the meeting, ladies, and gentlemen," Jona stood up and everyone followed.

Axel also stood up slowly and walked towards Jona unknowingly. The employees bowed to the trio and exited the boardroom one by one.

"That went well," Jona snickered at Coco, who shook his head.

"Poppycock!"

"Coco!" Jona chastised with a simper.

Axel was standing nearby, and she still didn't know anything about Uncle Suzuki. Jona didn't want her to worry about family drama just yet.

Coco bent down to pick up his laptop while humming a song shamelessly.

Tension is building with drinks

I wanna know what you are thinking

Hoping you are getting the hints

Getting more obvious with them

Who will be making the move?

Jona saw Coco strut his way out and the singing ceased abruptly as the door closed. "Congratulations, Jona. I am glad you could close this," Axel smiled at her husband, who smiled back.

"Thank you. Do you want to stay? We can go out and have lunch. I will drop you home later. Your call?"

She thought for a second. As much as she wanted to stay, she had to go back and prepare a few last things for her dance. "I am sorry, Jona. I have to leave, but I will make it up to you later?"

"No big deal. You can go ahead. I will wrap a few things here and see you at home in the evening," Jona slowly put his arm on small of Axel's back.

She nodded, hastily pulling herself away lest her heart gave out, blushing for the nth time.