The Billionaire's Forced Alliance

Chapter Twenty Three

Two days passed in a jiffy. Maya had been taking care of everything on her own, and her team of event planners were street smart, who took care of every problem like it was a cool, strategic game of chess. Sarah couldn't help but feel happy. Just the night before the wedding, everything came into a halt when Richard marched into the house, his face in an agitated knot.

Sarah, Faith, Alex and Ben were taking seperate places in the couch and having their tea, when Richard burst through the door, sweating abnormally. "I think I'm calling off the wedding!" He shrieked, his eyes tearing up.

For sometime, nothing moved. Everyone went standstill as the seriousness of his words sunk in. "What the hell are you talking about?" Alex was the first to react. As usual.

Richard breathed a huge sigh. "I don't know....I--"

Faith was the second person to speak. "What are you even saying, Rich? What happened?"

"Jean....she showed me the wedding dress today, she was wearing it, and suddenly, I realised that---I'm marrying her." Richard stammered.

"What--the, you didn't realise you were marrying her previously?" Ben questioned now, stupefied.

Richard huffed. "No, no, obviously, I knew but..."

"Rich, do you have cold feet?" Alex mustered up his voice.

Everyone looked at Richard, including Sarah. She had never seen the second Hamilton brother so tensed. These past few days, she had seen him at his happiest, shining with joy and exuberance at the prospect of marrying Jean. She knew Jean, that redhead was a catch, a perfect life partner for him. She didn't understand why, all of a sudden, he had developed fearfulness. The past two days, mostly, had been spent tirelessly to pull up their grand wedding. Maya had conducted rehearsal dinners, her team had set up the venue, contacted the flower decorators, the caterers. Everything had been taken care of.

All of them had co-operated with Maya. Alex and Faith had helped with the supervision of the venue, Vivian had taken his part as an assistant to Maya when she was checking out food and drinks. Even she had helped with the guest lists and invitations along with Ben. The sudden thought of him sparked in her mind, and Sarah breathed aloud. After that kiss in front of everyone, he hadn't spoken with her properly. Even now, he remained aloof. These two days, he had helped Maya, came back home and slept, turning himself away from her.

Sarah didn't quite understand why. Honestly? She did, in her secret heart of hearts. He was disgusted, utterly conflicted for kissing her despite being forced into the marriage. The way he had kissed her, so deliriously, so passionately, she had wanted nothing more but to snake her arms around his neck and reciprocate. Though she had prevented herself from doing that, she had felt utterly aroused and extremely wonderful. She had never been this close to any other man. She had only known her father, as the opposite sex; cruel, selfish, atrocious. The definition of a man, for her, was strong, powerful, abusive and cunning.

But her old perspective was slowly shedding. Her father had restrained her closeness with any other boy of her age, let alone from her department or collegial staff. She had never known a man like this before. Her thinking had started to change its course, and slowly, she had accumulated another definition of man. Ben. Benedict Williams. She had seen him from the first day of her forced alliance; quiet, unscathed, relentless, optimistic. He was the gentlest of souls, the most purest of human. He didn't have a facade, he lacked cunningness, but yes, she had to admit, he was intelligent and wildly clever. It was in his eyes, those intoxicating cognac brown eyes.

Deflating her vision from Ben, she focused on Richard's face, and his agitated eyes. "You love her, don't you?" She couldn't help but ask.

Richard, who had been a nervous mess all this while, looked at her. "Very much."