BOOK 1: The Heir Series; Choi Seungcheol

20: KISS

"Taerin Dominique Kim, will you accept this ring. . ." Seungcheol's voice dimmed at the sight of the ring. That was the ring she had returned to him before. It was the ring he once promised that he'll put on her in the future.

Her fingers twitched as he slowly put it on her. The cold metal felt foreign to her. It felt like a shackle being closed around her, restraining her, holding her down, like it's caging her.

"Dominique."

The warning tone in Seungheol's voice brought her back. The ring was already on her ring finger and everyone is waiting for her reply.

"I will." She softly answered as she got the other ring. Now it's her time to put the ring on him. She reached for his finger and ignored the tingling feeling inside her.

"Choi Seungcheol, will you accept this ring as a sign of my. . . love . . . loyalty and faith." She is staring at his hands. They were beautiful, but they felt rough and calloused.

She's been thinking. He's a rich man. Yet why are his hands calloused?

Who could've thought that she'd marry him today? She vowed she wouldn't marry him even hell froze.

A while ago, she was walking her way to the altar; she can't help but think back to the past.

They stood a million miles away from each other; her and Seungcheol. As she step one closer to reach him on the other side of the aisle, their memories together came one after another. The memories she buried at the back of her mind for a long time.

Seungcheol left her. He left her without even a single word. Only that stupid letter saying he's sorry for sacrificing her. He didn't choose her. She's not that important to him.

After that, it's like she's wrapped around a huge glass cage.

She never thought she could reach him again. Even though he is there in front of him, it's still the same. She can still feel the distance. It's not like before when they were miles away but still, their hearts beat as one.

"You may kiss the bride."

Taerin's eyes shot open at what she heard. Suddenly, the air around them felt heavy with tension and anticipation.

She planted her feet more solidly on the ground. She doesn't want anyone to kiss her. If Seungcheol wanted to kiss her, he could kiss her on the cheeks. They had an agreement.

She heard Seungcheol release a sigh when she was not facing him. She knows he knew what she wants to happen.

"Taerin, stop being hard-headed." He said in a low hard voice that only she can hear.

Before she could draw away and warn him, he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. She was shocked.

"What are you doing?" She widened her eyes at him.

He didn't speak. He reached for her veil and pulled it up slowly. She wants to stop his hands but she can't. Their guests might think something's off, especially his family. And it was already too late.

His hands stopped and his eyes roam around her face when the veil revealed her beauty.

"Seungcheol?" She called him because he paused midway.

He looked down into her eyes and she saw something pass across them before he leaned down and slanted his mouth over hers. She gasped from the touch of his lips, and she still had her eyes open!

She wants to push him away, but she also knew that wouldn't be a good idea, not when they have such an audience gawking in front of them.

But then she felt him shifting his body, his shoulders blocking out the world, leaving her cocooned in the passion that swirled like a maelstrom between them.