In Love With Mr. Billionaire

CHAPTER 28- UNINVITED GUESTS

****Aaron's POV****

"I don't think this wedding will go well."

"Neither do I. I've had a bad feeling since this morning."

"Maybe she'll change her decision today," Nate said while the other two men hummed and nodded their heads, almost in sync.

I ignored the three men wishing for doom on the most important day of my life and focused on my reflection in the mirror. My hair was styled perfectly. The tuxedo I was wearing was tailored to perfection. And the smile on my face indicated how much I have waited for this day to arrive. It was here now.

My eyes moved to Nate in the mirror, who was standing beside me, staring back at me quite keenly. I frowned. When I turned to face him, I realized the other two—Brian and Kevin—were doing the same.

"What?" I asked, lifting a quizzical brow.

"Man! I never thought this day would come this soon," said Nate, flicking away a non-existent drop of tear from his cheek.

"Who would have thought the college heartthrob Aaron Woodwords would be the first to tie the knot among the four of us," Kevin patted my shoulder with a radiant smile.

I have known the three of them for too long to know that their words were hollow shells. Wishing doom on my wedding day was their way to show me support, and bringing old memories and wiping away fake tears were their way to exaggerate that support to the point to make it sound ridiculous.

Whatever it was, their words did take me back to the old times. Only a few months back I had been so reluctant about getting married. Commitment had always been a big deal for me and my father had been begging me to settle down with someone. It was hard to think of spending every single day in someone's company. And before that contract, I had never thought this day would ever be needed.

The contract still bothered me. Not that I thought of it anymore, but there were times when I had thought of telling Caroline about it. She would be angry, it was expected, but would that be all? Would she still want to be with me? Would she still feel the same for me?

Because explaining the events leading to the contract would be easy, the way I feel for her would be not. Would she believe me if I told her even without the contract, she was the only one who had ever mattered? That she wasn't an option that I had chosen above her step-sister, but a necessity, a requirement in my life without which none of it would have mattered?

The contract didn't even matter anymore. I was going to officially marry her today. She was going to be mine and that was all that mattered.

Looking back at the mirror, I adjusted my cuffs and tie. As I turned to walk out of the room, Brian blocked my path.

Why did I even bother to invite them here? Oh wait, I never invited them.

"I think you should call Caroline once. It'll be very humiliating if she didn't show up there..." he said, trailing off at the end.

"When you will be standing at the end of the aisle with people waiting for the bride, but poof, she never shows up," Kevin completed.

"What are you going to answer to the journalists out there waiting with their cameras ready to snap a picture of the newlyweds? Damn! What is going to happen to your reputation, Aaron." Nate pretended to be sad about their newly invented future for me.

"Very encouraging, guys. Very encouraging," I said with an angry scowl.

They have been like this since the time they have arrived here. But their level of bullshit had increased ten-fold since this morning. The whole morning they had pestered me about calling Caroline to confirm if she really wanted to marry me or not. I had done so. Caroline had simply laughed because two days back, when I had officially introduced Caroline to them, that was the first question they had asked her.

But then Caroline's phone was taken away by her friend, Nadia, who had told me to back off and let Caroline get ready in peace. She had tried to tutor me on how I need to have patience since I was going to steal her friend from her anyway at the end of the day. That last part had again fueled my friends' skepticism about if she was going to show up or not.

"Why the fuck are you guys so hell bent that she is not going to show up for the ceremony," I had asked irritated.

"I don't know, man. I just know," Nate had said, filling the room with laughter.

I shook my head and walked out of the room, making sure to slam the door on their faces. The response was another fit of laughter. It made me smile as well.

Apart from all the excitement and happiness, I was a nervous wreck and these bastards were doing their best to highlight it for me. With a deep breath, I moved to the backyard of my father's house. The guests were already there. Many of the businessmen and relatives I knew came forward to congratulate me.

The backyard was decked up nicely with Caroline's choice of colors and flowers. The aisle was covered in different colored roses and peonies.

This was where the ceremony was going to take place. This was where my parents got married. Mom always wanted the same for me, she had made so many plans for this day, it hurt that she wasn't here to witness it. When dad had told Caroline about it, asking her to have the ceremony in the backyard, she had given him her brightest smile and agreed instantly.

"My boy!" I heard dad's cheerful voice call for me. He wasn't alone though, the bastard trio was trailing behind him like the bully's sidekicks in highschool movies.

"Nathaniel said you're having second thoughts," had asked with a frown. Nate was smiling behind him.

"You know him. Ignore it," I said, glaring daggers in Nathanial's head.

"You have no idea how happy you make me today, son," dad smiled. I moved my eyes away from Nate to him. His face was radiating his happiness.

This was the first time I was seeing him this happy. He hardly ever smiled after mom's death and the smiles he did offer to others were merely for show—meaning to him nothing more than a social obligation. This smile that he was giving me now was the real one. Not even when I got him my first deal worth three million had he displayed such genuine exhilaration.

I smiled in return. He hugged me, patting my back. He had his priorities set straight too, didn't he?

Only moments later, the wedding organizer came to me to ask me to take my place at the end of the aisle. My bride had arrived.

Nate seemed a bit disappointed that his prediction had gone wrong.

I walked to the altar, taking my place beside the wedding officiant. The three men followed me, standing behind me. Unfortunately, they were the groom's men.

After a few minutes when Caroline was yet to show up, Nate walked up to me. "Damn, she really didn't come," he whispered. I felt the sudden need to turn around and punch him directly in the face, but the music started to play and everyone—including Nate and I—turned their heads towards the entrance.

- Analia