ALINA'S POV
"You may now kiss the bride"
The priest's voice echoed through the almost empty ballroom.
But no one moved.
I stood at the end of the hall, observing everything happening
my fingers curled tightly around my apron, from the few guests in the hall that could be counted, to the impatient priest and Brian Vander's extremely cold countenance.
I was twenty-one years of age, the new chef living in the Vanders mansion in Maryland.
I stood on the wooden floor of the palatial kitchen, unsteady on my feet, struggling to maintain her sanity.
My legs trembled, almost giving out from standing for hours, tasting food organizing, supervising and giving out orders for the impromptu wedding happening in the Vanders mansion.
Maybe it was not impromptu to others, but to me it was.
Two hours later…
The Vanders mansion was looking expensively off
The ballroom looked like it was barely organized,the crystal chandeliers hung so low that they almost scraped the guest's heads, the expensive looking lights not placed in the right position,just there glittering like they were showing off.
Rows of towering white roses lined the aisle,at least it was arranged well.
Nothing about the decoration whispered love or romance. It announced a rushed and Sham marriage.
After a few minutes of waiting, someone announced, "The bride is coming."
Everyone rose to their feet.
Brian, the heir and acting CEO of vanders enterprise, rose from his seat and made his way to the podium.
Linda Martins, a beautiful lady in her mid-twenties, was in her white glittering, flowing wedding gown, her hand resting on Mrs Clardy's arm, Brian's stepmother.
Linda's face lit up with a radiant smile, better than the chandeliers above.
Mrs. Clardy, the stepmother of the Brian in her mid-fifties, let go of Linda's hand. Almost immediately Linda started making her way up the podium where Brian was standing.
Brian went ahead to lift her veil, exposing her beautifully glammed face.
Her face was still beaming with joy, which was the complete opposite of Brian's face. Linda's eyes darted all over Brian's face, searching desperately for any flicker of emotion.
She found nothing.
The priest began speaking impatiently, reading from his tiny book,less concerned.
Daniel, Brian's best man,who happens to be his Personal assistant at work.
Immediately, climbs up the podium giving the ring to Brian, bows slightly and returns back to his seat.
"Do you, Brian Vanders,take Linda Martins to be your lawfully wedded wife in sickness and in health, until death do you both apart?."
Brian spoke, his voice low and cold.
"Yes I do."
The priest turned to the bride, "And do you, Linda martins…"
"Yes I do, she said quickly, smiling sheepishly before he could finish the sentence. Her lips curled in a deceitful, but yet sweet smile.
Brian slipped the diamond ring onto her finger, cold, practical.
Linda slipped the diamond ring onto Brian's finger, still smiling widely,she turned to Mrs. Clardy expecting some kind of reaction from the job well done.
"You may now kiss the bride," the priest announces.
Just immediately, Brian looked at Daniel, giving some kind of signal, which was barely noticeable.
Daniel then stepped forward, climbed the podium,and leaned close to the priest whispering something in his ears that even Linda, who was near, couldn't hear.
"Sir" he whispered," He has a serious fever and cough," Daniel said. "And he is just recovering, he doesn't want his sweet innocent wife to contract it."
As if planned, Brian then let out a fake cough, for dramatic effect.
Linda stood surprised, her face completely drained of all the glow and smile she had on before, realizing that she won't get to kiss Brian.
The priest nods in affirmation.
"Then you may hug."
Immediately the smile appeared back on Linda's face, as she dived for Brian.
Traping Brian as her arms circled him eagerly, tightly, not wanting to let go of him.
While Brian hands barely moved from it's position,
The guests clapped like a choreographed act, as if they could not notice how strange the wedding was.
Just as I was still observing the strange wedding, I felt a masculine hand come over me, then rested on my shoulder.
My pulse kicked hard, and I took a step backwards recognizing the scent,but he followed.
Only for me to look up and see Anders, the most admired model in the whole of Maryland, who's in his mid-twenties and a known women's lover, Brian's step brother.
Anders leaned over, stepping too close, invading my space like the crowd didn't exist.
"Have you been avoiding me?" Anders said, almost entering my face.
"Come on, don't act like you don't want to talk to me," he continued without allowing me to reply.
I tensed, my body stiffening as he leaned closer, his breath brushing my cheek, immediately I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to shield myself.
No one noticed because we were at an almost hidden position at the end of the hall.
The priest continued his duty with a closing sermon, Brian and Linda turned to return to their seat.
just immediately Brian noticed us.
Anders almost suffocating me.
Immediately Brian's eyes narrow
His chest tightness, not in jealousy, but something sharper, something protective, that he didn't understand.
His body moves before his mind could even process it, Brian changed his direction, instead of returning to his seat, he walked down the aisle, ignoring Linda and the priest mid-sermon.
Murmur spread through the hall. Heads towards his direction.
Mrs. Clardy looked confused.
Ignoring everything happening around him, Brian walked straight to were we stood.
I looked surprised, while Anders didn't even notice Brian's presence or anything happening around him, he was so carried away flirting with me, even though I seemed uninterested.
Anders was still smiling down sheepishly at me.
Brian cleared his throat, making his presence known.
Anders looked, startled.
"What…."
Brian didn't reply, he just reached for his hands and removed it from my shoulder and let it fall–calm, without raising his voice or engaging in any conversation with Anders.
I looked up at Brian, wide and uncertain.
Brian then leaned down towards me, his lips near my ear, not touching, just close enough for me alone to hear.
"you don't have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable," Brian whispered.
"Go get me water," he said standing upright
I stopped breathing for a second, then I turned immediately and left.
Brian turned, walking back to his seat, eyes following him.
less concerned he resumes his place beside Linda as if nothing happened.
Linda looked at him with an unreadable
expression.
While Anders remain frozen, completely speechless and confused .