"Are you sure Lisa is actually missing or she doesn't want to be married to you?" Dylan asked.
Aaron clenched his fist in anger and glared at him "What do you mean she doesn't want to be married to me? You know how much Lisa loves me and she doesn't have any reason not to want to be married to me. She might actually be in trouble or even worse kidnapped, have you thought about that?" Aaron pointed out, anger and frustration evident in his voice.
"Ohhh true, but what if she isn't? Moreover, have you sent your men to investigate this and probably look for her?" Dylan asked, keeping an expressionless face.
Dylan Thompson was Aaron's childhood friend, he never liked Lisa for Aaron. But Aaron was too blindly in love with her to even notice how much of a snitch she was.
She was clearly with Aaron because of his money and that's it. He had seen Lisa with different men on different occasions but somehow she manages to escape being caught. The last time he tried to tell Aaron about it, Aaron warned him never to speak ill of his girlfriend.
It seems he was the only one that saw the signs but after several attempts to reveal Lisa's true color failed he decided to let it be. Lisa thought she was smart but he knew that sooner or later Aaron is going to see the signs and Lisa would be doomed for life.
"I have sent out my men to search every nook and cranny of this city but she's no where to be found. Even her family doesn't know where she could be" Aaron responded.
"Crap! They are obviously hiding her. I don't even know how you fall for their cheap lies, l don't trust that family one bit" Dylan scoffed.
"Really? Is that all you have to say? Blaming them at this point, you don't know what they are passing through after the news of their missing daughter. You of all people should know better Dylan" Aaron half yelled.
"I'm sorry man, it just that all of this, is happening so fast and I don't even know what to think anymore. And your wedding is tomorrow! You should call off the wedding while you search for her, if truly she's missing" Dylan suggested.
Deep down Dylan knew that something was off. He was yet to place his hands on what was wrong but he knew Lisa was up to no good. "She's clearly playing with fire. Aaron is not the type of person to play games with. If he dare finds out that this was not a kidnap, she sure would be sorry for ever pulling this stunt!" Dylan thought to himself.
"I would have done that. But you know who Eleanor Winston is, my mother thinks is bad for business and she's right. If l fail to provide a bride by tomorrow, it will be all over in the media. A powerful billionaire, Aaron Winston jilted at the alter and a lot more, l can't give them that publicity. There must be a wedding tomorrow"
"Do you know how funny you sound now Aaron? So you are going to wed yourself tomorrow. Snap out of it, Lisa is gone and how sure are you that you would find her before tomorrow?" Dylan said, his eyebrows furrowed at Aaron.
"I have found a substitute bride till l find Lisa!" Aaron declared, his face devoid of any emotion.
"Whattt? Are you being serious right now? Who is she?" Dylan asked, a glint of confusion could be seen on his face.
"The gardener's granddaughter l guess. That was what she said. I don't really know her and l don't care to know. I caught her snooping and eavesdropping on l and my mom yesterday, so her punishment was to become my substitute bride"
"And she agreed?" Dylan asked.
"Well not yet. But nobody dares to say no to Aaron Winston. She doesn't have a choice here, she either agrees or l get her locked up. Moreover, who doesn't want to be seen with me, she should count herself lucky that l choose her and not the other way round. I gave her till noon today to give me a reply and is almost time" Aaron blunted out.
"You do know that this is a blackmail right? You're clearly blackmailing that poor girl but then we don't have a choice. There is no time and you need a bride. But tell me my man, is she pretty?" Dylan asked with a giggle.
He knew Aaron better than to settle for anything less.
Aaron glanced at him and said "Really? Well if she's not, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place but you know me. I'm a one-woman kind of man. I only have eyes for just one woman and you already know her, Lisa Robinson"
"Jokes on you man. I can't wait to see our substitute bride, l have a feeling that she's going to blow your mind away soon" Dylan said jokingly.
"Never! I have to go pick her up myself. I don't want any surprises" Aaron said and stood up to leave.
"Wait, you already know her place?" Dylan asked surprisingly.
"Of course, you know me. I have my men follow her, l wanted to be sure she won't run away, with the way she acted all tough yesterday, l don't trust her" Aaron said and left.
Meanwhile, Tessa was all packed, she was holding her phone and glaring at Aaron's number, not sure if she should text him. Aaron's mom had given her the number, just in case she changed her mind. It was almost noon and she has to send in her reply.
Just as she was about to type in the words, a knock was heard on the door. "Who could it be?" She thought to herself. Her grandma got some days off from work by Mrs Winston and she was in the room resting, mara was at work, so who could it be?.
She got off from her trance and walked to the door. She slide the door open and was shocked at who she saw.
"Aaron? What are you doing here?" Tessa asked surprisingly.
Aaron glanced at his wristwatch and said "It's noon already. I'm here to take my bride-to-be home" Tessa's eyes widened on hearing that. Such an arrogant jerk! She fumed. "And what if it's a No!" She fired back at him. "Why do l have a feeling that it is a yes? You wouldn't quit your job if you were going to decline. And you wouldn't dare to say No" Aaron said proudly. 'What? How do you know that?" Tessa asked with widened eyes. "There is a lot you don't know about me Tessa, and l hate to be kept waiting is inclusive" He said and brought out a file, he handed it over to her and said. "Open it or perhaps you can go through it on our way home" "Home? Is this asshole being serious right now? I haven't even given my approval yet" Tessa thought to herself. "This guy is clearly an asshole and why can't l just say no to him and go back to my normal life. How can l be in love with such a jerk, who doesn't even give a fuck about me? Hope I'm not making the worst decision of my life?"
"She's bold! I like her already. And there is something about this one, she's quite different and outspoken, you have really met your match, someone who could stand up to you without fear" Dylan said and sat down on the couch.He turned and met Aaron glaring at him, giving him the "really?" look."You know, the last time I checked, you're my best friend and you're supposed to be on my side," Aaron said vehemently, giving Dylan a questionable look.Dylan giggled and replied "I'm on your side man, we want a better Aaron. And I'm particular that this one is going to blow your mind away real soon""Well, let me refresh your memory just in case you've forgotten. I'm still engaged to Lisa and no one, l repeat no one can ever replace her, and I'm going to do anything to find her and marry her" Aaron declared."Yet you're getting married to another. And not just anybody, a breathtaking and gorgeous lady, or is there something you're not telling me, Aaron?" Dylan teased and laughed. "I'm done
Hours later. Mara left as it was getting late, she needed to run some errands for her mother. Before she left, she encouraged Tessa to be strong as all of this would be over soon.Tessa shrugged back on her bed after Mara left. Her mind reminiscing on the day's event, she could recall the hurt in Aaron's voice as he made those dreadful promises to her on the altar. She knew he didn't want to be married to her, Lisa remained his only true love.It hurts for someone you love, to love another. She only came into his life a few days ago, so it was understandable if he didn't see her in the way she wanted him to.She stared at the mirror and wondered how long she had to put up with Aaron before he found the woman he loved, Lisa.As she lay on the bed, gradually drifting off to sleep, a knock came on her door, which made her open her eyes and let the person in.Deep down, she wished it was Aaron knocking, probably coming to check up on her. Tessa knew that her wish was futile. Aaron would n
Aaron glared at her without uttering a word, he shifted his gaze and continued eating, not sparing her any further glance."Thanks for the new clothes" Tessa added and stood up to leave. Aaron's silence was beginning to take a thorn on her.…….It's been months, living with the Winstons and yet no news about the whereabouts of Aaron's fiancee. He was clearly losing his mind as he had tried everything possible to find her but all to no avail. Aaron and Tessa hardly speak as he always look irritated anytime he was around her. Nevertheless Tessa tried as much as possible to avoid him and his tantrums but Aaron wouldn't let her be without picking on her. It was as if he made it his life goal to frustrate and trigger her.Tessa was on her bed, wrapped up in the warmth of her beddings when her phone suddenly beeped and a message appeared on her screen. She squinted her eyes in curiosity as she saw that the message was from Aaron. Wondering what it was this time."We have a brief meeting wi
Tessa could feel Aaron's anger from the way he held her hand. "But l didn't do anything" She thought to herself. The party was epic. With different influential men trooping in and out, Aaron seemed to be the richest with the kind of treatment and attention he was getting from them. She was not left out, as almost everyone that came to greet Aaron gushed about her beauty."Aaron you've got a pretty wife" That was a compliment that Tessa got used to, it almost sounded like music in her ears.Aaron was called for a brief discussion with some of the men. Tessa was seated at the table, sipping her drink quietly and waiting for Aaron. It took long enough and Aaron was yet to return to the table. She turned using her eyes to ransack the party hall, looking for Aaron. "Looking for someone?" Alexander's husky voice echoed, coursing Tessa to turn and smile at him, a bit disappointed because she wasn't expecting to see him.Tessa nodded and shifted her gaze from him. Her eyes fixed at the ent
Tessa took a cab and after a few minutes drive she got to her grandmother's house. It was Mara's day off from work and she came around to wait for Tessa.Tessa enveloped her grandmother in a warm hug."You look so good Tessa" Mrs Taylor complimented her.Tessa smiled and replied "You don't look bad yourself. Thank you Mara for taking good care of her" "What are friends for? She's like a mother to me too, so it is also my job to take care of Granny" Mara retorted, pulling Tessa into a hug."I have missed you T," Mara said, patting her back softly. Eleanor had placed Mrs. Taylor on an extra salary for as long as Tessa lived with them. So everything she needed was provided for her. She was able to take care of the bills around the house with the tips she got from the Winstons.They all chatted for a very long time, trying to catch up with the things they've missed. A few hours later, Tessa's granny returned to her room to get some rest while Tessa and Mara continued with their discus
Tessa's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe her ears, "How did he get to find out? She thought to herself. "Whatt?" Tessa said, stuttering a bit but tried to maintain her composure."A friend dropped me off" She said, a little bit frightened. She watched as Aaron stood up and walked towards her, keeping an expressionless face.Tessa moved back a bit and stopped, looking at him and wondering what he wanted to do.He reached out to her and grabbed her hand forcefully saying. "When did Alexander Cooper become a friend?"He goaned, his grip on her hand tightened.Tessa winced slightly in pain and said "You're hurting me Aaron. Do you get to choose my friends now? He's a friend and he dropped me off" Tessa said stubbornly. Aaron clenched his fist hard on her hand and freed her. Tessa winched hard in pain. Her hand bruised. "Your friend huh? Fine. Leave my room" He commanded.Tessa sighed and left angrily, holding her bruised hand.As she left, Aaron clenched his fist harder. W
"You again? Are you following me?" Tessa asked, smiling at him. She was obviously tipsy."Let's just say it's a coincidence, Tessa. I'm glad to see your pretty face again" Alexander said, smiling back at her."So what is Aaron's wife doing at a club alone?" He asked as a smirk crossed his lips. His eyes trailed her body and he lost it, he pictured her naked and on his bed. The thought of fucking her senselessly engulfed his mind. He was surely going to do anything to make her scream his name."I'm not alone Alexander. I'm here with my best friend Mara" She said pointing at Mara who smiled at Alexander and brought out her hand for a handshake. "Nice meeting you, Mara," Alexander said, taking Mara's hand."Can I have a dance with you Tessa? Of course, if you don't mind" Alexander proposed. Tessa was about to decline when Mara interrupted her saying, "Of course she wouldn't mind"Meanwhile, Aaron was at his office earlier when Dylan walked in. "Hey, man. You're still working?" Dylan s