Gilded Deception

Chapter 4

The reception hall is very spacious, and the chairs are decorated in pink flowers like the chairs at the wedding venue. Each arrangement of chairs has a table in the center, and on that table are exotic wines. There's a dance floor at the center of the hall.

Music is blasting at the loudest volume as Kim makes her way to where Tyler is seated.

“Hello husband.” She said

Tyler was taken aback.

“Hello wife. It seems you are finally in sync with this whole thing.”

“I am.” She replied

Seeing that the lady of the hour had finally arrived, the MC took up the mic.

“We are going to have the couple's first dance, and then every other person can join in.”

Tyler takes Kim's hand, and they stroll to the dance floor. He places his hands on her waist, while she places her hands on his shoulder. Stephen Sanchez's song Until I Found You is playing in the background.

Tyler can see Eden over Kim’s shoulder. He looked drunk, and Tyler wondered how many shots Eden had had to take just to get through. He knew he had taken Eden by surprise when he announced he would be getting married to Kim, and he absolutely loved how Eden reacted to it.

It was a Friday evening, and he knew Eden had just come from seeing Kim. He was expecting Eden to attack him and warn him to stay away from Kim. But nothing of the sort happened. Eden strolled into the house and went to his room as usual. Kim had not told him about the marriage proposal.

That night, Eden continued with his business as if nothing was happening. Tyler wasn't happy with this, so he broke the news to Eden himself, hoping it would break his relationship with Kim and propel Kim to marry him, and his plan did work.

Eden did not believe Kim could betray him like that, his face was pale, as if he had just been told about the death of a loved one.

Tyler had won, he had succeeded in getting married before Eden, securing his position as the heir in the family. He knew Kim and Eden were planning to get married, and seeing as he wasn't in any romantic relationship, he knew he had just one plan: get married to Kim.

He had worked beside his father in the company for years, this was time for him to reap the fruit of his labor, and he wasn't going to let Eden take away everything he had worked hard for.

The smirk on his face on the dance floor while looking directly at Eden aggravated Eden even more. Not wanting to cause a scene and ruin Kim’s big day, Eden walked out of the hall.

Kim spotted Eden as he was leaving, she tried to pull away from Tyler, but Tyler wouldn't let her.

“What are you doing?” Tyler asked

Kim doesn't reply but still tries to get herself out of his hold.

“You can't leave your husband on the dance floor, Kim. It's not nice.” Tyler giggled

“You want to go after him?”

Kim doesn't reply.

“Answer me, do you want to go after him?”

“No, why would I do that? I'm just tired, and I don't like the song.” Kim replied

“Let's have the song changed then.”

Tyler signaled to the MC, and when he arrived, he whispered something in his ears.

The MC walks towards the DJ, says a few words to him, and the song is changed.

“Better now?” Tyler asks Kim

“Yes, thank you.”

The reception ceremony continues with the guests dancing, the flower bouquet being thrown, and then Mr. Kamani's speech.

The reception party didn't end on time as planned, everyone got carried away by the festivities, so Tyler and Kim had to reschedule their flight to Paris for their honeymoon. They had to return to the mansion that night and then leave at the break of dawn.

The ride to the mansion was very quiet. Tyler tried to spark a few conversations, but Kim wasn't having any of them. She pretended to be asleep so Tyler would shut up.

The car horn signaling the security man to open the gates forced Kim to open her eyes and see what's going on.

“You are awake, great!” Tyler exclaimed

“Yeah.” Kim replied dryly.

“What will you like when we get in? I have a collection of exotic wines you will love.”

“I'm okay, I just want to rest.” Kim replied as the car was driven smoothly into the compound.

“Oh, you want to get right into business.” Tyler said, giving Kim a funny face.

Kim quickly turned to him.

“What do you mean? What's that face for?” She questioned

“You said you were tired and wanted to sleep. Isn't that an invitation?” Tyler asked

“An invitation for what?” Kim tried to steady her voice so she wouldn't come off as irritated.

The car had come to a halt.

Kim stepped out first, walking hurriedly into the house.

“Hey honey, wait up!”

Kim doesn't answer Tyler and keeps on walking and then runs into Eden

“Uhm, where are you going?”

“I'm going out with my friends for a couple of drinks.”

“Eden, we need to talk.” She reached out to touch him trembling and her eyes pleading.

Eden takes a step back.

“Your husband is coming.”

“Eden! Lil bro! Where are you off to?” Tyler asks as he walks towards Eden and Kim.

Eden ignores him and continues going his way.

As Kim entered the house she couldn't believe how magnificent it looked. She had been here a couple of times, but the place looks different. Tyler must have given it a whole new look.

“Like what you see?” Tyler's voice came as a shock to Kim, who was already lost at the moment.

“Do you always show up like that, unannounced? I didn't hear you come in.”

Tyler doesn't reply but instead smirks, an expression Kim dislikes.

“Where's my room?” Kim asks as she climbs the stairs, going into the hallway which has different rooms on each side.

“Now you want to talk to me?”

“Tyler please. I am really tired.” Kim pleads

“What do you mean by ‘your room’?”

“A wife is supposed to have her room. Everybody does it.” Kim said, her hands akimbo.

Tyler walks up to her and places his hands on her shoulder.

“Well, my love, you are not everybody. You are Mrs. Tyler. There are different rooms in this house, but there's only one room for the both of us, the master bedroom. Let me show it to you.”

Tyler leads Kim to the master bedroom.

The room has a large king-sized bed with blue bedding and pillows of the same colour. Kim wondered if the bed would not swallow her if she lay on it. A fancy chandelier is hanging from the ceiling.

“Bedrooms have chandeliers?” Kim thought to herself.

Kim could see her boxes arranged neatly on the floor of the closet. Her dad must have brought them here earlier.

“I will take my bath now, why don't you get the wine ready?”

“Okay.”

As soon as Tyler leaves the room, Kim searches for her cell phone and finds it in her handbag, kept with the boxes in the closet. She quickly dialed Eden's number.

He didn't pick at the first ring, nor at the second or the third.

And then he called back, she could hear loud music playing in the background. He was at a club.

“Hello, can you hear me?”

“Eden?”

“Eden?!” No response came.

Maybe it was a butt dial.

Kim takes off her wedding gown and walks into the bathroom. She filled the bath tub with water and sat in it. Her head was filled with so many thoughts, if only she had someone she could share them with.

She was worried about Eden. He wasn't the clubbing type, why was he at the club? Is he with another woman? Is she the reason he went out to drink? What time would he get home? Should she stay awake, waiting for him, in case he needs help?

Kim didn't know what to do, she just allowed the water in the tub to soothe her skin and, if possible, take away all the voices in her head.

“Honey”

She could hear Tyler calling her. She got out of the tub, changed into a red nightgown and went to bed, pretending to be asleep.

“Honey?” The door opens

“Oh, you are asleep already.”

Kim didn't sleep that night, she was grateful Tyler did not come to the room again, he must have taken too much wine and passed out in the living room.

When she heard his car drive into the compound, she didn't waste any time, she hurriedly went out into the hallway so she wouldn't miss him.

She sees Eden climbing the stairs not being able to steady himself.

“You are drunk” she walks up to him assisting him.

“Where's your room?” He didn't reply but continued walking.

In the room, Kim helps Eden lay on his bed, and then proceeds to take off his shoes and clothes, so he could sleep properly.

“Kim, what are you doing?” Eden asks her

“I just want to help you get comfortable.”

“By taking off my clothes?”

“Yeah, you reek of alcohol.”

“Come here” Eden pulls her on top of him. Their faces close to each other, Kim could feel his breath on her neck. Kim raises up her head and now their lips are so close. Eden tucks some of Kim's hair behind her ear and goes ahead to close the distance between their lips. His tongue found his way into her tongue, while his hands caressed her body.

They were carried away by how deeply they wanted each other, that they didn't notice Tyler had been standing by the door.

“Jesus Christ!!!!! Kim, what are you doing?!”

Kim jumps up and sees Tyler by the door. It was already too late, he had caught them.