Bargain Wedding

Like A Snowflake In Air

Sleep couldn't find Jona for hours after he put Axel to bed. He woke up late the next morning and whipped his neck around to find an empty bed. He peered at the time sluggishly. It was quarter past ten, which jolted him upright. Picking up his phone, he saw multiple calls from Coco, so he immediately got ready and left for the office.

On the other hand, Axel woke up particularly happy in the morning. The place which seemed hell to her a few months ago was now turning into a paradise. Every day, she hustled for positive mornings and lovely evenings with Jona. Albeit she hadn't expressed her feelings yet, she enjoyed staring at her husband subtly and silently.

Axel looked at the couch in the hope of finding Jona, but the man was gone.

Despite the drama yesterday, Axel was pretty optimistic for today. She kept thinking about last night and smiling brightly, but it shrunk all of a sudden to nothing when she recollected that she had blurted out about her dance finale. What relieved her was that she told Jona it was tomorrow, meaning, to Jona's knowledge, it was today, but in reality, it was the next day. She thanked God for the save and got up to start the day.

When she reached university, she put her cent percent into final rehearsals. "Axel, you need to slow down," Minhaj said, huffing.

Axel flashed him a small smile. "We have to do this, Minhaj. We have cameras recording us right now. I suggest we perform like it is the final, so we can monitor our flaws." She spoke not only to Minhaj, but she addressed all the background dancers.

She had worn a black short-sleeved t-shirt with a black bucket hat to hide her hair color. Due to all the dark clothing and heat, she was sweating profusely. The drenched t-shirt hugged her torso and the boy couldn't keep his eyes off her. Axel felt more and more anxious by the end of the day. Not only was it the dance finale, but it was also the end of the chapter called Minhaj from her life's story.

She deserved to be free from all the guilt, and Minhaj deserved to move on, too.

☘

Jona was back at home, sitting with his laptop when Axel arrived all exhausted in the evening. "Hey," she said slowly to invite Jona's attention.

"Hey. How was your day?" Jona asked sweetly as he closed his laptop to give undivided attention to his Axel.

"It was so tiring," Axel complained, but also felt disappointed that Jona had already forgotten about her supposed finals today. Even so, it worked in her favor. She didn't want him there anyway.

"Let me run you a bath. You will feel relaxed. We have new bath items." Jona announced as he stood up.

"Jona... I cannot use new or any other fragrance," Axel stopped her husband while she sat on the bed and rubbed her eyes, her legs hanging down to the ground. She looked like she would pass out at any moment.

"I know your fragrances. I have got your personalized items delivered... So don't worry," Jona replied to Axel and went to the bathroom to get the jacuzzi ready.

In a few minutes, when the man returned, he saw the younger had her eyes closed as she lay on the edge of the bed. He called her softly, "Axel," the girl opened her eyes and sat upright slowly. "Go wash up. We can have early dinner, and then you can sleep."

Axel sighed as she sat upright and then her legs trudged her towards the bathroom lethargically. She looked at the scented candles that Jona had lit around the ceramic of the bathtub. On the holster were a fresh white bathrobe and towels. Her tiredness immediately began to leave her body just because of the calming and refreshing atmosphere.

She breathed into the air deeply, taking in the musky fragrance before undressing herself. Letting her dirty clothes fall on the floor and getting inside the Jacuzzi, she let the bubbling water and the right amount of warmth elicit a moan of relief. She closed her eyes and pressed a button on the wall which was within her reach. It turned on soft music from the in-built music system, and she let her body and mind relax.

Jona knew she must be tired after her day full of dance practice, so he mixed bath salts into the water with muscle relaxants. Axel almost wanted to sleep inside the jacuzzi. She quickly shampooed her hair and the red pigment washed out a little, reminding her that she had a big day tomorrow for which she had colored them in the first place.

After washing up, she put the dirty clothes in a laundry bag and changed into a bathrobe. When she stepped into the bedroom, she saw her dinner on the bed with a note. She lurked towards the paper, loving getting these little scribbles from Jona.

Sleep early. I will be late.

When Jona returned, Axel was passed out horizontally on the bed in her bathrobe. He walked towards her and wrapped a towel on her head with priority, not wanting her to catch a cold. He then covered her with the duvet and called out the maid to clean the room before turning off the lights, so his wife could sleep peacefully.

Axel was so exhausted that she slept under bright lights. When she wore eye masks to sleep, Jona thought it was her habit, but his mother-in-law told him that Axel couldn't sleep with even dim lights. She would need a pitch-dark room. Since then, Jona has always made sure that no lights were on when Axel slept and, as a result, the younger one stopped using eye masks a month after the wedding.

He wished at the time that Axel would talk to him about these small things, but she never did. Nevertheless, it was all thanks to Jona's mother-in-law, he got everything he needed, including Axel's dance finale date. "Good luck for tomorrow," he muttered. It didn't matter if Axel didn't inform him about the date herself. As he said, he wouldn't miss it for the world.

☘

Jona woke up early to again find an empty room. He groaned in frustration as he wanted to wish Axel good luck for today's performance, but then he recollected that he had to surprise her. His mood pepped up immediately. He had postponed all meetings. Coco was in the office, holding the fort for him. He was thankful to his best friend. He suddenly realized that he hadn't been spending much time with Coco lately, aside from work.

Today he had some free time in hand, so he decided to put it to use in planning a few things.

After a leisurely shower, Jona made his way downstairs for breakfast. "Good morning, master Jona," a maid greeted him.

"Good morning. Did Axel eat?" He asked.

"She had an early breakfast today," the maid affirmed.

Jona smiled at her slightly before dismissing her. After eating, he decided to monitor the CCTV footage of cameras he had installed at home. This was a biweekly chore that he had assigned to himself.

It was almost afternoon when he finished everything and decided to give a call to his parents-in-law. "Hello, Mom! How are you and Dad?" He asked his mother-in-law as she answered the call.

"Hey, Jona. We are good, son. Thanks. How are you and will you be able to make it today?" She asked, being considerate of Jona's busy schedule.

"I am not working today, Mom. I was thinking I'd come to pick you two, and we could all go together. Will it be convenient for you?"

"Oh, wonderful! If it fits your schedule, we will be glad to." Mrs. Aoki stated happily.

"Alright! It is settled then. I shall pick you up in an hour. Please say hello to Dad until then," Jona replied fondly, smiling.

"Sure, honey. See you."

☘

Jona was in his walk-in closet, fiddling with the sunglasses in his collection to choose from. He finally made a choice and got a pair before walking out.

He didn't want to dress up like per usual in a suit and a tie. Today, he chose gray trousers, a white silk shirt having light and vertical shimmering gray stripes, paired with gray Chelsea boots. The look was topped off with his black Ray Ban, scintillatingly spunky.

"Jona-San, where are you going?" Lohan asked him just as he got inside the elevator door to get to the basement.

"I am going for some work, Lohan," Jona replied with a smile as he blocked the motion sensors of the elevator door with his hand so the door wouldn't close.

"In these clothes?" Lohan gawked at him with astonishment, because he had never seen Jona like this before.

The older man airily chuckled and got out of the elevator, letting the doors close. "Yes, how does your big brother look?" He asked the boy.

"You look like a beautiful butterfly," Lohan replied as he giggled and ran back to his room, causing Jona to wonder if he indeed looked like a butterfly. He must mean it as a compliment. He assured himself and smiled while shaking his head as he entered the elevator again to get to the parking compound.

He was feeling out of the box and took out his white Mercedes today, leaving behind the usual Audi e-Tron avant-garde. In the next minute, he was on the road, taking a right from the roundabout to swerve his way to the Aokis'. He drove gayly, tuning up I'm gonna be by Post Malone. When he arrived at the house, the guards happily let him in by opening the electric gates.

Pulling up the car, he walked inside gracefully. His voluminous natural chestnut hair bounced airily with every step he took. "Good afternoon, master Jona. Madam is in her room. I will call her," a maid attended to the son-in-law of the house.

Jona greeted her back, smiling modestly as he accepted the glass of water that she offered and sat on the couch.

"Son!" Mrs. Aoki exclaimed as she made her way to the living room. Jona immediately stood up, set the glass aside, and bowed to her. "How have you been?" She asked.

"I have been great, Mom," Jona told her as she embraced him in a warm hug, making him feel content.

"How is Axel with you? Does she behave? I am so worried about that girl, I tell you," she mumbled as they settled on the couch.

"Don't worry about her. She is just perfect. I can't complain about anything," Jona replied with the slightest blush adorning his face, and his eyes shimmered at the thought of his wife.

Mrs. Aoki assumed they were now on good terms after she spotted her daughter hugging him at a party last time. She was content not only for Axel but also for Jona. "I am relieved to know. However, you can talk to me anytime if there is anything that is not going well. I will make her understand. With her, we need a lot of patience."

"Sweetheart! Out of all things, I know patience is something which isn't found in our daughter," Mr. Aoki replied to his wife as he made his way toward the family and they all laughed at the remark. "She takes after her, Jona. Trust me." Mr. Aoki pointed at his wife as he advanced toward his son-in-law, who stood up and hugged him.

"Sorry, Dad... But you are on your own on this one," Jona jested, breaking off the hug and causing the environment to be merry. "Shall we leave? The event starts in half an hour." He proposed as he peered at his golden wristwatch in his left hand.

"Are you sure it is a good idea for me to tag along?" Mr. Aoki was hesitant as he asked his wife for the nth time.

"Come on! She said it was fine. Moreover, she doesn't know Jona is coming either. It would be a good surprise," Mrs. Aoki responded as they walked towards the door.

"She'd better win, otherwise god knows how quickly this surprise will turn sinister." Mr. Aoki expressed, chuckling.

"What do you mean?" Jona asked, not aware of the fact his wife wouldn't take anything less than victory.

"She is very competitive, Jona. Once, she came second, and that day, she set the house on fire — quite literally," Mr. Aoki replied, thinking back to the good old times. "Thankfully, there was no property damage or casualties. She was just nine." He affirmed at Jona's astonished face.

Jona interpreted the downside of the situation. Wasn't marrying him also a loss for Axel? How furious must she have been? This thought gave him discomfort as his laugh dissipated as he mindlessly walked up to the car.

A guard reached out to open the car door for them, but Jona beat him to it. He dismissed him and opened the door for Mrs. Aoki and then for Mr. Aoki.

Whilst he drove, the couple were engaged in communication, but Jona's head was as though bombarded with worry. He half-heartedly responded or tried to stifle laughs, but his heart wasn't into it.

It felt like a minute, and they arrived at the university.

After parking his car, Jona walked to the guest registration counter with his parents-in-law. They had to enter their names, contact numbers, and relationship status with the student. Jona hesitated. He didn't want to put Axel in any sort of scuffle. He knew that she never wore her wedding ring around there, hiding her marital status from her classmates, so he ended up mentioning his relationship as 'Friend' in the form.

The university looked different today. It was cleaner with decent decorations and welcome billboards whipped around. They were ushered into the dark auditorium and found their seats in the third row from the front. There were many people, a few behind him, and a few already settled in their seats. Just as they settled down, Mrs. Aoki's phone rang. Jona looked at it and smiled.

"Honey, we are here," she spoke after picking up.

"Why didn't you come sooner? I cannot even meet you now," Axel whined. "I am backstage, getting ready."

"Sorry, honey. I will make it up to you," Mrs. Aoki replied lovingly.

"Did dad come with you?" She asked hesitantly.

"I have a surprise. See for yourself." Mrs. Aoki chuckled.

"Meaning he came. Good for him... I will see you after the performance, Mom. Bye for now. They are calling me for make-up. Wish me luck!" Axel gushed hurriedly.

"Good luck, baby. You will kill it, as always."

"She doesn't know you are here," Mrs. Aoki stated, turning to Jona.

The young man felt giddy, and he was sure that there were no butterflies, but elephants in his stomach.

The presentation started with the MC welcoming the judges, families, and alumni. There were many entertainment agencies present at the event. It held great importance for students who wanted to pursue careers in modeling, acting, or dancing. This was one of the reasons why Axel worked hard for it.

The hoarding resonated through the big hall as the moment arrived that everyone was waiting for. Jona's heartbeat was pacing up as if it was not Axel, but he had to go and perform. He recollected his time when he performed on similar stages.

Calm down, Jona.

The music reverberated across the hall from the speakers as the first group of contestants made their way onto the stage. Everyone clapped and welcomed the participants before watching them dance.

Jona felt more and more excited and also nervous after each performance. He wanted Axel's turn to come sooner rather than later, but sadly, it was set at last.

Groups after the group came and left. The wait also came to an end just as Jona saw Axel standing in the center of the stage with a spotlight on her. His breath stopped. Under the stage illumination, Axel was glinting a flurry of colors along with her cherry hair which contrasted her flawless skin so conscientiously that being mesmerizing was the only by-product. A dreamy and proud smile adorned Jona's luscious lips.

Mrs. Aoki cheered and screamed for her daughter. This was her every year ritual. This year, she wasn't alone as Jona gave her company. The performance started on stage and Jona's eyes fell on Minhaj for the first time. He felt his heart on fire, looking at him in person. Though soon his thoughts were disrupted when music began to play and the bodies began to slay.

The flawless music and synchronized fluid body movements of the group captured the moment and everyone's eyes. The girl moved like a snowflake in the air, flying slowly before landing. Impressed by Axel's sharp and crisp clear movements, Jona enjoyed the performance to the fullest, but that was until Minhaj lifted her during the choreography. It sucked the air right out of Jona's lungs, and it took everything in him to pretend that he had no problem with his wife writhing her body against another man, whom she happened to have feelings for.

Mrs. Aoki got tensed a little bit. Although she knew nothing about Minhaj, the sight of Axel with somebody else compelled her to ponder what Jona must be thinking. But she did what her husband and Jona were doing right now, not acknowledge it at all.

Axel kept playing with the music as if she controlled it. A section came where she danced in the water, and the crowd went berserk. Axel was elegant and was executing it with such ease as if water was her best friend. She was more than halfway done with the choreography when her eyes fell on Jona sitting in the third row and her mind was as if got electrocuted.

She almost messed up her choreography, but being the skillful dancer that she was, she slyly nicked and sealed the moment without any outsider realizing it. Everyone on stage and her trainers knew that she had made a mistake, but the judges didn't know the original choreography, so it worked out in her favor.

Jona observed the change in Axel's body language. He smiled and was impressed by the way Axel covered it up. The performance came to an end when a loud cheer emerged within the walls of the auditorium.

"YEAH AKIEEE! YOU GO, BABY!" Mrs. Aoki yelled again and Mr. Aoki slid down from his seat, hiding his face.

☘

The dancers walked back after bowing to the audience and the MC took over the stage. She entertained the crowd with fillers, so the judges could make decisions. The entertainment media directors present at the event were helping the in-house judges and each family wanted their child to get picked up by them.

"Do we have the score from the judges?" The MC asked some time later and the judges gave her a nod. They closed an envelope with the winner's name as well as scores for all other participants.

The MC took the envelope back to center stage to announce the winner.

"And the winner is... 'Let's get it' group from Sophia University!"

Axel's team had won.

The loudest chorus emerged from the auditorium and Mrs. Aoki was responsible for half of it.

Axel and her co-dancers appeared the next moment on stage as applause echoed and grew stronger.

The MC turned off her mic and asked Axel if her family was there to present her with the award. Axel nodded, pointing towards them."Can we have Axel's family members on the stage to present the award?" The MC invited them on the stage enthusiastically.

Mrs. Aoki motioned Jona to go. "But Mom..." Jona began, but got cut off when Mrs. Aoki persistently held his hand and stood on her seat.

After escorting him to the stage, she returned to their seat.

Axel's heart was pounding for two reasons. One, Jona looked stunning in the outfit he chose. She imagined if he was to attend the performance, he would be in his formal attire as usual. Two; her disguise of being unmarried was about to be blown away.

Just as Jona ascended the stage, all eyes were trained on him. The girls and the guys were gawking at him. A few background dancers started whispering in each other's ears. The MC was also taken aback by the man's persona. She quickly asked Jona his name and how he was related to Axel?

Jona's eyes darted to Axel, who visibly gulped. With his gaze not leaving his wife, he answered."I am Axel's very close friend, Jona."

"We have Axel's friend, Jona, to present the award. Please give them a huge round of applause!" The MC announced and Axel sighed in relief.

A trophy was brought to the stage which the man had the fortune to present. The photographers clicked the pictures of the moment as the billionaire presented the trophy to his wife. "Congratulations, Axel... And everyone." Jona mumbled and stared at Minhaj for a split second.

"Thank you," Axel mumbled with teary eyes before she saw Jona retreating his steps and leaving the stage.