Episode 004
909 Words
Numbers, charts, and a consistent schedule of meetings had dominated Oliver Mitchell's morning. The rhythm broke now as the private elevator slid open into the top-floor foyer.
A young woman wearing a rain-damp dress stood across the polished tiles, drops still clinging to her hair like shy pearls. "This is the first time we've seen her, and she looks like that?" Rafael, who was usually reserved, whispered to Carlos. Carlos grinned, but when Oliver moved forward, both men fell silent.
He said, "I'm Oliver," in a low voice that he hoped would sound serene. Inside his mind, thoughts were bouncing like stones on water. Who dispatched her? How was she able to bypass security? Why does the air feel different to me?
As if trying to discern the truth in Oliver's eyes, the woman's gaze moved over Rafael and Carlos before finally resting on him. "Your fiancée, Emily Andrews."
Rafael's mouth quirked. Carlos suppressed a laugh with a cough. Oliver didn't flinch.
"Prove it," he said. He tried to soften the word, but it sounded too harsh.
Emily dug into her tiny purse. She pulled out a teardrop-shaped crystal pendant, its facets containing tiny rainbows, which were caught by the light. She held it out in her palm. "My grandmother received this present from her grandfather. When the promise was ready, he said, it would be returned to the Mitchell family.
Oliver only took one step. All his worries vanished as the pendant filled his field of vision. Near the clasp, he noticed the small engraving. That mark was known to only four living people. He took a swallow. Why keep such a story hidden, Grandpa?
Rafael whispered to Carlos that a library could be filled with the older man's secrets. "This one looked livelier than dusty books," Carlos replied.
Oliver felt the weight of the pendant as he raised it. Emily's hand lowered and briefly touched his with her fingers. His heart leapt.
Her voice was even as she spoke again. "I'll leave the pendant and leave if you don't want to. Nobody will accuse you of being dishonest.
Oliver's mind was consumed by a silent storm. Getting married to someone you don't know? Disregard Grandfather's word and turn away? He listened to the older man teach him that a promise endures more than comfort as he gazed at the pendant.
He looked up. "What if I'd rather not fight fate than maintain the family name?"
Emily's eyebrows shot up in surprise, then she covered them up. The outcome was not the rejection she had expected. A series of thwarted plans unraveled in her mind. She tried to sound courteous. "Then we keep our word."
He might faint, Carlos whispered. Rafael pushed him to his feet.
Oliver moved in close enough to see the patterns of raindrops on her eyelashes. "Let's get married," he said steadily.
Emily's world swung. She parted her lips, then shut them. Her body remained motionless, but her heart raced. To be safe, she reasoned, the event was supposed to be a show. He isn't complying.
Oliver waited while he read the questions, dancing in her eyes. His voice was quiet, more breath than sound. "I don't require a lavish celebration—just truthfulness.
She discovered her voice. "Sir, you have no idea whether I cook, snore, or talk too much."
"Then our first adventure will be discovering."
Rafael quickly transformed his laughter into a cough, losing the battle. Carlos grinned even more when Oliver gave him a look.
Emily clenched her fingers around her bag's strap. Her internal monologue was "Refuse, leave, and forget. But warmth, as gentle as the glow of a candle, spread throughout her chest. She gave herself a head shake, silence your stupid heart.
"My grandma hoped I'd meet a man of honor," she said aloud. Perhaps she had the event planned.
Oliver once more touched the pendant. "And my grandfather had more faith in his word than in gold."
They were enveloped in silence. A serene drummer kept time as rain drummed the tall windows. Oliver inhaled deeply. "What do you hope the ceremony will bring?"
Emily blinked. "I didn't bring a list. I did bring paperwork because I thought the clerk might require documentation for a basic record.
"You made many plans," he said. "Or you hoped," he teased.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed. "I didn't hope; I planned."
Without pressing, he accepted her response with a single nod. There was a subliminal message: it's safer to plan than to hope.
Before their unexpected wedding, Rafael, still in disbelief, quietly asked if anyone wanted coffee. A stiff drink sounded better, Carlos muttered.
Emily attempted to de-escalate the situation with humor. "Are you always this quick, sir?"
Oliver's face lit up when he smiled. "Only when the clock threatens a promise." He looked at his timepiece. "The city office will soon close."
She muttered, "You're serious." Wonder, fear, and a sort of trust that was trying to emerge were all in her voice.
"Yes."
Emily considered everything, including the steady warmth in Oliver's eyes, years of silent dreams, and her grandmother's gentle prodding. She sensed an odd calmness descend, as if the storm outside had decided to take a break. She nodded briefly.
Oliver held out his hand. Startled by how well it fit, she slipped her fingers between his. Warmth jumped up her arm. Carlos muttered, Oh, wow.
Oliver squeezed lightly and said, "Good." "Now let's go."
- Writer
