Beware of the Bride

Cassian felt nothing as he stood in front of the mirror on his wedding day.

"You don't look nervous at all." His cousin Sam piped up jokingly.

He shifted his tie for the third time and reached out for the bottle of perfume. It had been arranged by his mother, especially for today.

'As if that would make a difference,' he thought.

Vivian peeked through the door before sneaking in. She had a bouquet in her hands and a very wide smile. Cassian turned around to face the one cousin he actually liked.

"You should have brought something useful." Cassian took the flowers anyway.

"Like what, brother? Tell me if you need something urgent, I can fetch it." Sam spoke up, his mouth stuffed with a cupcake he had randomly found on the table. He even had the audacity to wink at Cassian.

"Special service just for today," Sam added, begging for a reaction at this point. But Cassian didn't spare him a look.

Vivian shook her head at her brother. "I wish you get married too and leave us forever."

"Why would I leave, Vulture? Isn't that your fate, baby princess?" Sam retorted, only to be smacked with the flowers Vivian had been holding so delicately until then. He seemed delighted to finally get a reaction.

The siblings left the room shortly after.

Cassian checked the time. The day felt too long.

He recognised the rushed footsteps echoing in the hallway. His mother was charging down the hall. The door burst open. Diane entered with a sigh, her hands filled with bags he didn't bother to ask about.

She looked him up and down, then nodded approvingly.

"At least you are behaving..." She dropped the bags on the floor and took a seat, her legs giving up.

"Is that a compliment?" Cassian responded lazily.

"How are you feeling?" she asked out of the blue, her voice calmer than before.

"Such an optional thing to ask." He replied, cutting through all the fluff. He wouldn't entertain such dramatic nonsense when they had basically threatened him to be here.

Diane frowned, not surprised by his lack of enthusiasm.

"I thought you were fine with it. Are you going to be like this the whole evening?" she scolded, but there was worry underneath.

"You made sure I was fine with it." He corrected her cleanly, taking a seat across from her.

"And I've learned enough about keeping up appearances." He sniffed the bouquet discarded next to him. "So stop worrying. I've faced worse." He finished and stood up, giving his watch one final look.

"I just want it to end already," he muttered.

Diane headed to the door before him.

"It's a beginning, Cassian." She managed to deliver her words of wisdom and made an exit right away.

Cassian couldn't help but smile as she left. She looked exhausted. She brought this upon herself, though. He could've gotten married over a call if possible.

Cassian wanted to question this marriage but decided against it. The arrangement itself was no surprise to him. Neither was it a problem.

What drove him crazy was the fact that his father didn't bother to involve him in the actual deal. The series of meetings held, the merger agreement with the Clarks- he was purposely kept out of it all. The Chairman never failed to irk him with his tactics.

Cassian shut the thoughts away. Thinking about his father never brought him any joy.

It was time to step into the main venue. As he passed through the overly decorated entrance, Cassian looked nothing like the bored groom he had been minutes ago. His stance was neat, expressions controlled.

He was flooded with greetings as soon as he entered. People appeared so excited that it seemed fake. He didn't recognise most of the Clarks. Well, there was no saying if he'd even recognise the bride. He had only met her once.

His thoughts were put on hold as the commotion began.

It was the bride's entry.

-

Azalya took a deep breath and walked without looking where she was headed. Her father, Heath Clark, and brother, Arthur, were on either side of her. An emotional moment, only for her.

The smile on her father's face kept circling her mind. He looked like the happiest man today. Arthur looked like he just wanted to leave.

She hadn't figured out what she was supposed to feel. She was already in front of her soon-to-be husband. Heath murmured something to Cassian, short and unimportant. That gave Azalya pause before she looked up.

As their eyes met, they found the same hollow absence in each other. Both were occupied with keeping up the act. A look of mutual understanding passed between them. Brief, almost imaginary.

The wedding rituals were tedious, but they ended sooner than she expected. When his hand came to her waist, Azalya didn't flinch. The cameras snapped. They smiled at each other, so smoothly that it fooled everyone in the room.

When they finally stepped down from the suffocating stage, they noticed the circus carrying on around them. Two families with a long-standing rivalry, smiling and laughing together.

Azalya found herself staring into oblivion after witnessing the hug between her mother and Diane Orville. That was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

"Congratulations!" Vivian hopped up, hugging the couple.

"I'm so happy, I'm about to cry." She laughed.

Cassian was about to say something, but Heath's voice came from behind.

"Azalya!" He rushed towards her and held her hands. His eyes shone with unmistakable pride.

"Don't forget your father." He glanced at Cassian, who only smiled, polite and unfazed.

"Why would I?" Azalya hugged her father. At this point, she couldn't tell how much of her own actions were genuine.

Her in-laws kept the interaction brief, which she was thankful for. Soon the festivities died down, and it was time to leave with Cassian.

Suddenly, she felt nervous again. The crowd was gone. The act was over. She couldn't predict what would come next and had no plans of her own.

-

The fancy car made no sound as it moved, leaving them in silence. But neither rushed to break it. Cassian relaxed in his seat, finally loosening his posture. Azalya adjusted her dress so it wasn't all over the place.

It had been a long and tiring day. So exhausting that she hadn't even had the liberty to think freely. Now that she sat in the quiet, thoughts flooded in. She kept her eyes focused on the window.

Azalya's only excuse against this marriage was that she was still young. If she mentioned her job, she'd look too ambitious. If she mentioned things like choice and freedom, she'd look like a fool. Her father seemed adamant. And it was a fate she had made peace with long ago.

The stop at a red light gave her pause. She glanced to her side briefly.

One thing she had noticed about Cassian was that he was mostly a quiet person.

Or was he?

The one meeting they had before marriage was useless. She had been forced to sit between the suffocating awkwardness and masked pleasantries of their parents. They hadn't looked at each other twice back then.

Her eyes unknowingly drifted towards the rear-view mirror. Unfortunately, she met his eyes straight on. Her heartbeat picked up right away, the contact catching her off guard.

At that moment, her bracelet became the most interesting thing in the world. She removed it, only to put it back on again.

Beside her, Cassian remained still. His mind was calmer. The end of the ceremony felt like a burden removed. He hadn't thought much about what would follow. The idea of a 'wife' felt more ridiculous in his mind than it should have.

The only thing he knew about Azalya was her father.

Heath Clark was one of the worst men in business. Cassian had never dealt with him personally, but seeing how he could make his own father lose his composure, that man had some twisted skills.

Therefore, he was beyond confused when he heard of this arrangement. Although he still lacked key information to make a proper judgement, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Orvilles had fallen right into Clark's trap.

The car stopped after a quiet and long journey. Azalya stepped out before she could overthink it. There was a pause before the door on his side opened.

The night air felt cold on her skin. As he walked towards the entrance, she started moving behind him with unsure steps.

The new house felt like a compensation for their weak ties. Grand and luxurious. Enough space to never run into each other if they wished.

Once inside, Azalya couldn't help but admire the interior for a while. She had heard Diane Orville was exceptionally good at such things.

New house, new name and a new person, just like that.

How was that normal?

While she dwelled in her head, Cassian had already stopped somewhere behind her.

When she turned around to face him, she felt the silence again. And this time, it wasn't comfortable. The space she had been admiring a second ago suddenly felt smaller.

Cassian only stared back at her, still refusing to acknowledge her.

But Azalya didn't have the patience to wait for it.

So she spoke first.