Bargain Wedding

Her New Home

Jona ambled towards Axel and called her name softly. "Axel."

The woman immediately opened her eyes droopily.

"Let's get you home."

She got up and silently followed Jona, who moved towards his stepmother. "We are leaving for home. I am just too tired." Jona announced, rotating his shoulders in a clockwise direction.

"It's too soon, son, it is your party. They all want to meet Axel," The red-haired averted her badgering gaze from Jona to Axel, who just looked at both son and mother, blinking cluelessly and saying nothing.

"I am sure we will get another chance to meet soon. I can't leave Axel alone here as it makes the situation a little uncomfortable. We shall leave now." He persistently bowed before his stepmother came up with any more excuses to stop them from leaving.

Coco butted in, as usual. "I will see them off then," he practically dragged Jona away and Axel followed wordlessly.

As they waited for the car, Coco broke the awkward silence. "Axel, congratulations once again on the wedding," the young woman nodded. "Don't let the plastic lady give you any trouble. Jona doesn't say anything to her. It doesn't mean you can't." Coco acquainted the young 20-year-old with some knowledge when they were outside.

Jona just tsked. "Stop it," he groaned lowly as the chauffeur brought the car. "She is tired and sleepy. Preach her your stupidity later." He sighed, opening the car door for his wife.

Axel offered her pam to Coco for a handshake. "Thanks."

Instead of getting a hand in return, Axel got pulled in a gentle hug. "Anytime, love. Have a good night."

Axel flashed Coco a vague smile before entering the car and letting Jona take her to her new home. The man had barely gotten to the driving seat when she yelled out. "Wait! I will take something before we go."

Hearing her at a higher decibel was unexpected and Jona stared at her curiously, her round, innocent eyes, making him halt in his position. "What is it?" He asked.

Axel's maid soon brought a box that Jona had put in his car. It was not heavy but it was big. He wondered what it could be, but whatever it might be was necessary for Axel.

As Jona drove to the house while Axel slept beside him, he kept stealing glances at the brunette indirectly through the rearview mirror.

The lights were off inside the car but her skin sparkled from streetlights falling on her flawless face.

Did falling in love feel like this? Jona's heart wanted to protect this beautiful woman, love her till the end of his heartbeats, and do everything right for her. Axel was now his family and Jona felt responsible for her. He knew that things would take time to be right but he was willing to wait. Wait for however long it took.

He missed his parents today. He kept wondering quietly what it would have been like if they were alive. They would've been on the seventh sky and loved Axel so much, danced with her, especially his father. A few tears escaped his eyes in vulnerability while he drove under the shining moon.

The wind was calm today. They would have left directly for the honeymoon if Axel did not have commitments at college. She was a senior, and she needed to attend the last few days.

Jona hit the brakes softly as he reached home. The guards opened heavily guarded huge mansion gates for his white Audi e-Tron to enter.

A security room was provided towards the left of the entrance. Once the gates were opened, Jona pulled over in the driveway and looked at the feminine presence beside him.

"Axel," the called out softly.

The woman opened her eyes while still reclining back on the leather seat, but sat upright immediately as she fathomed where she was. Her new home. "We are here." Jona pleasantly informed his wife.

Axel nodded before unbuckling the seatbelt. They got out of the car at the same time. Under the illumination of the house, she noticed Jona's eyes were red as if he was crying, but she ignored them.

A head maid came out to welcome the couple. "Madam Axel, welcome home." The old lady stated, bowing her head slightly.

Axel bowed to her and held her hands, which were trembling slightly, perhaps due to the nip in the air as it had started getting cold at night.

"What can I call you, Obaasan?" She asked, leaning a little closer to level her small height.

"Madam, you can call me Obaasan if you want. Master Jona also calls me Obaasan." The maid replied sweetly.

"Obaasan, hmm," Axel found her head staring at nothing in particular towards her right as if she were in deep thoughts. "Deal!" She cried out comically. "You will call me Axel." She declared.

The maid laughed and she patted her head lovingly. "Get inside. It is getting cold." She spoke in a rushed manner.

Jona was adoringly listening to their conversation, standing just behind them. He directed Axel towards the entrance door of the mansion. "Go inside first. I am right behind you." He beckoned her and quickly turned around.

Axel watched him get back into the car and put it to drive. She moved inside and looked around the white marble mansion exhibiting the elegance and taste in each corner and around. It had warmth as if it had been called into existence to protect those who came to dwell within.

She immediately felt at ease. There was a huge pool outside that she'd glanced at for a split second. The enormous lit-up living room was provided with huge sofas and glass tables. There were antique vases kept along the walls on every flat surface. Straight up ahead was a round glass elevator and towards the right was a bifurcated staircase, dividing the mansion in equal halves.

She was still gazing around when Jona appeared from the elevator. He slowly walked towards her.

Axel's eyes faltered. "I will show you the house tomorrow. You can rest for now."

Axel nodded, flashing a slight, hesitant smile from the corner of her lips.

"Our room is on the first floor."

☘

They entered a big room in which the bed was aligned on the far left. There was a big sofa paired with a coffee table and a study table with chairs towards the right. There was a huge TV in front of a king-sized bed on which satin white sheets laid flawlessly. Towards the left were two doors; one for the bathroom and one led to the walk-in closet. The huge windows would allow any amount of sunrays in the room.

Axel peeked at everything.

"Axel," the sweet voice jostled her back to her senses in the space where she was standing.

"Are we going to sleep in the same room?" She asked abruptly in a very low tone.

Jona knew she would be uncomfortable with the arrangement, but he wanted to stay in the same room. "I am sorry for this, but yes. I don't want my family to know that there is anything wrong between us. We will have to adjust in this room. But you can take the bed. I will sleep on the couch." Jona apprised.

Axel wanted to say something but she kept quiet.

"That is a walk-in closet," The man pointed at the door towards the left. "And the one adjacent is the bathroom. Get comfortable. Your belongings will arrive tomorrow, which you can arrange however you want. If you need more space, let me know. Okay?"

Axel looked around and then at Jona as she sighed lightly. "Thank you," she answered, again in a low tone before she walked towards the closet.

Jona's glance followed.

"The password is 1013," He spoke from behind.

Axel looked at him in confusion and then she found the biometric installed on the closet door.

"Of course. Thanks." She muttered.

Once inside, she saw huge sliding door wardrobes running along the entire length of both opposite walls and two full-length mirrors on the remaining sides.

The closet automatically turned on the lights as she stepped in. The whole floor was carpeted and a small chaise was placed in the middle, symmetrically dividing the room into two halves.

Sliding open one door, she saw Jona's clothes hung neatly. She closed it shut and opened another door and saw Jona's watch collection. She admired the collection for quite a few minutes. A man with a taste. She thought.

She had forgotten to ask which side was hers, but when she opened the door on the wall opposite, she found a half-empty closet with a few robes hanging, which Jona must have bought as they were all brand new. "Oh, I can't wait for my things to arrive," Axel mumbled, sighing heavily.

While picking out a blue robe set, her eyes fell on a black and white striped square box. There was a white ribbon tied in a bow sitting on top of the box's head with a card attached to it. She picked up the card to read.

Something for you. Consider it a wedding gift.

Jona.

Putting the card back slowly, she picked up the box. Just when the box opened, there was a bright light, almost blinding, from the Asscher-cut diamond, the color resembled a burning fire. It was embedded in a platinum socket and a long thick intertwined platinum chain.

By the looks of it, Axel knew it was no ordinary diamond, perhaps an heirloom. How could she accept it when this marriage itself was a compromise for her? She put it back in the red velvet pouch, closed it with its golden string, and finally into the box before closing it shut.

She carried the robe out of the closet and dashed to the bathroom without looking at Jona, who was getting all anxious from the inside but was composing himself on the outside.

After the shower, when Axel came out smelling of lilies and musk, Jona was sitting on the edge of the couch, playing with his phone.

He took one look at her and gulped. Axel looked so elegant in the robe which was loosely tied below her chest, and the way silk was gliding off her soft skin made it all too tempting to resist. Without any trace of makeup, she looked even younger.

"Jona?" This was the first time she called his name or talked at all.

Jona had to physically pull him up from the couch. He walked towards her but stopped, maintaining a safe distance and looking at her patiently. "Did you get my gift?" He asked, biting his lower lip to hold the slight trembling of his jaw.

"Yes, about that... I don't think I can accept it. It looks..." Axel took a pause for the right word to come. "Too precious." She ended the sentence by looking at the sheets on the bed.

Jona took a step towards her but wavered. "My mother wanted my wife to have it. It is yours to keep, Axel," he asserted authoritatively, but his tone remained the same as ever, gentle. Axel could barely say anything. "I will go take a shower now." The 24-year-old man remarked to end the conversation.

When Jona was on his way to the bathroom from the walk-in closet, he glimpsed Axel, who was unboxing the carton that she'd brought from home. The maid had it put in the room. It was her sleeping pillow.

The young woman plopped on the bed once the man was in the bathroom, got inside the covers, and pretended to be asleep so that she didn't have to talk to Jona anymore for the night.

When Jona returned, he saw Axel sleeping with her eye mask on, cuddling a huge, almost as big as her body-length hug pillow, the only thing Axel brought with her.

It was so adorable to him that he chuckled airily.

"Good night," he mumbled softly, wanting to place a chaste kiss on his wife's forehead, but aborted the idea as he trudged towards the couch after grabbing a blanket and a pillow from the bed and turning off the lights.

☘

He tossed and turned, not being comfortable enough on the couch, but finally found sleep in his arms.

Axel sat straight on her bed after some time, unable to sleep for many reasons. She looked at her husband sleeping on the couch. The thought of being Jona's wife settled and it overwhelmed her too quickly. She was angry at Jona for agreeing to this marriage. She was angry at her parents and also the circumstances.

The second reason she couldn't sleep was that the room temperature was too cold for her.

The third reason was the thought of making a man sleep on the couch, the same man with all the luxury at the disposal of his fingertips, she felt guilty, especially when it was Jona's room in the first place. He made her feel that this was now her home too, but she wasn't going to accept anything that came her way.

Somewhere around midnight, exhausted after overthinking about what would happen, Axel fell asleep and when she woke up, she took a glance at the time. It felt like she had fallen asleep only a few minutes back, but it was already morning.

Turning around and looking towards the couch where Jona was still asleep, she tried to get up, but it seemed to her that her body was against it. On touching her forehead, she found that she had a fever.

Axel nimbly tiptoed over the gray and white rug and advanced towards the cabinet to find a first aid kit or medicine box, but to no avail.

She sighed and looked at her platinum and gold-toned wedding ring, which she did not take off for some reason. She had a big day ahead of her. She had just gotten married yesterday, but she badly needed to go to college today for the final submission of her name for the upcoming dance event.

Curiously but slowly, she looked through the entire drawer, but couldn't find the medicine. Giving up, she sighed and just stood there in front of the cabinets, arguing with herself if she should wake her husband for such a slight inconvenience.

But she had to before her fever could worsen more. She couldn't miss college today. At any cost. Hesitantly, she walked towards the couch as the soft rug tickled against her feet.

"Jona," she called out in a low-morning voice, but that did not do much. She raised her voice a notch. "Jona?" Again, no effect on the sleeping man.

She further raised her tone, "Jona!" This time, the man woke up and removed the blanket away from his face only to immediately sit upright.

"Do you need anything, Axel?" He asked, his voice a little husky due to sleep, but his tone was sweet as always. His smile was no different, as Axel noticed. The way he smiled at everyone showed the goodness of his heart.

"Um, I need paracetamol. Where do you keep medicine?" Axel asked, unable to maintain eye contact.

"Are you okay?" Jona threw the blanket away as he stood up so suddenly, and unintentionally touched Axel's forehead with the dorsal side of his hand before she had a chance to say anything or retract her steps. "You go lie down. I will get you medicine."

"No. Just tell me where it is. You don't have to bother-" Axel tried to reason with him but got cut off.

"Axel, please. Go lie down," Jona asked her in a way of pleading.

Axel sighed in defeat as she turned to the bed and laid down, covering herself under the duvet and her eyes fell shut slowly.

A sudden voice woke her up when she tilted her head to see. A doctor was sitting on the better and Jona was standing behind him in his gray pajamas. Axel panicked a little as to why the doctor was called, but then when she looked at Jona, who gestured her to keep staying in bed.

She did.

The doctor did a normal check-up and gave her medicine before turning to Jona. "She must have been exhausted. Her body didn't seem to be used to the new temperature. You need to consider it."

Jona nodded and Axel felt anger build inside her. Why was the bloody doctor talking to Jona about her? She wasn't a child. She could take instructions herself and she for sure didn't need Jona to baby her. She wanted to blurt it all out but opted to stay quiet, for now.

When the doctor left, Jona closed the door behind him and walked back to bed. Sitting on the edge, he looked at Axel. The young woman was irritated and on the verge of erupting in her wrath. "You should have adjusted the temperature according to you," Jona mumbled.

Axel shot him a slight glare before tearing her eyes away. Why was this man behaving nicely to her? Okay, she knew that they were stuck in a marriage for life. But that didn't mean she needed anyone to tell her what and how she should do things.

"You did not have to call the doctor. All I needed was paracetamol," there was a hint of anger laced with bitterness in her words.

Jona decided not to antagonize her further. "I am sorry for that. The medicines are right by your nightstand in case you need them again. I will get ready for work."

Rushing and before closing the bathroom door, Jona turned toward her. "Oh, and Axel, all your possessions have arrived. You can ask Obaasan to guide the workers and arrange as you want."

Axel nodded, looking at Jona, who now closed the door.

She rushed downstairs and found her in-laws gawking at the boxes, which she silently ignored, and wished them a good morning briefly, not wanting to engage in conversation as she was already getting late.

She arranged the boxes category-wise and requested the workers to place them per label. A beautiful smile adorned her face when she looked at her cruiser Harley-Davidson parked in the driveway. She rushed to touch its leather seats. The smile didn't leave her lips when her stepsister-in-law, Jussy, interrupted her.

"Nice ride," she snided, standing at the entrance door.

Axel flashed her a smug smile. "Thanks."

☘

Peering at the time, she walked back to the first floor and realized that the bathroom was now vacant. She quickly conditioned herself and changed into ripped black tights, a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket, pairing the look with black high-knee boots.

When Jona came back to the room to call her for breakfast, Axel wasn't anywhere. He walked out and caught sight of her leaving the house on her Harley. "My rebellious wife," He uttered to himself, standing by the door.

"Jona, would you talk to Axel?"

He heard his stepmother say from behind and turned around with a questioning look on his face.

Hana, the red-haired woman sighed. "She is now the daughter-in-law of the Suzuki family. She should not be wearing those ragged clothes. Or riding that."

"What was wrong with her clothes?" Jona asked as he sauntered back inside the mansion.

"Those ripped pants. What will people say? Especially one day after the wedding. The media must be all over the city to dig any dirt," she showed her faux concern.

"Don't worry about it, mother. They are just pants, not guns."

"Please give her the car you don't use anymore. I suppose you were saving it for her because you did not let Lohan use it," she remarked as she followed close behind. Jona ignored, so she continued. "Being a member of the Suzuki family is a privilege, and she should understand that. The sooner, the better."

Jona didn't want to hear anything else about his wife. "Mother, she indeed married into the Suzuki family. But she is still Axel Aoki."

☘