Fake Marriage, True Love

Chapter 5

Nikolai’s question literally froze me in place, both physically and mentally. I mean… The tone of his voice sounded like he was asking if I was still available to wed him. It was something I did not expect to happen tonight, to be honest. After our last encounter, I thought I already lost my chance with him, but I guess, fate and destiny were on my side.

“It seems like you don’t,” he suddenly said with an almost blank expression and just turned around to leave me.

Of course, I did not want to let this chance slip away because first, I won’t have to go to another date tonight in fear that my soon-to-be dates would be like Luke. And second… I get to marry Nikolai! I get to marry Nikolai Lionel Livinston! And if that were to happen, it would be like we were in some kind of a romance forbidden book, where a mafia's daughter would be marrying a police officer.

Snapping out of my own imagination, I ran after him and blocked his way, spreading my arms as far as I could reach.

“Of course, I do. I want to marry you,” I almost squealed out of excitement. “Why? Are you going to say yes to my proposal?”

“No.”

I frowned. Standing properly this time, I gave him a dejected look. Then, why did he even ask that question? Was he playing with me?

Only then, he reached something from his pocket and took it out right in front of me.

“I am the one who will ask the question.” He showed me a silver ring with a cute little diamond on it. “It will only be for convenience for us both, but will you still marry me, Calypso Lionheart?”

This was the very first time he spoke of my complete name. He did not refer to me as ‘little kid’ but called me by my real name. He was right, it may only be for our convenience but having him as my husband was already something I felt content about.

Putting my hand up front, I replied with a smile, “Yes, yes, yes!”

After he put the ring on my finger, I wasted no time and hugged him. As always, his citrus scent was so addictive that it made me want for time to stop so we could stay that close with each other. However, when the image of his grandmother crossed my mind, all my excitement was drained in no time since she clearly said that she did not approve of me.

I broke our embrace and looked at Nikolai with a worried look.

“It is too early to celebrate,” I commented, only to receive a confused look from him.

“What do you mean?”

“What about your grandmother? I-I think she does not like me.”

He did not give me an immediate reply and just intertwined his hands on mine, making my heart skip a beat before racing like a crazy race car. His warmth… His bare warmth both gave me this tingly feeling of excitement and assurance, most especially when he lightly squeezed my hand.

“We do not have to get her approval to get married. This is our life. We choose which path to take. Keep that in mind, little kid.”

“Since we are already getting married, you should really stop calling me that. Besides, I am already a fully fledged adult.”

Nikolai did not bother responding to my complaint so there was a high possibility that he would continue calling me like that.

Just when I thought that we were heading back to the restaurant, Nikolai brought me to the area where we could see the beauty of the underwater. My smile did not leave my lips for quite some time since it was him holding my hand. It felt like we were a real couple and it felt even more satisfying when I see other women look so enviously in our direction.

“By the way,” I spoke out of curiosity. “Why did you change your mind? You rejected me when I proposed the other day.”

“My grandmother is so determined to marry the daughter of one of her socialite friends.”

“I-Isn’t that a good thing though?”

I mean… People from the socialite worlds were literally wealthy and it would definitely help Nikolai's family business. Though my father could also do the same, the mere fact that we were from a mafia clan just felt like we were totally apart from being normal citizens.

“It's not,” Nikolai negated my words. “I just do not want to make the same mistake that my mother did years ago. So before my grandmother would set up that arranged marriage, we would have to get married first. That’s fine, right?”

I nodded my head.

“Okay. I will inform my father about this so we can prepare with the wedding as soon as–”

“A civil wedding would do, little kid. I have work to do so I cannot afford to take a break in the midst of a busy season.”

A civil wedding? Then, that means… It would be the simplest of the simplest wedding, right?

“But I want a grand wedding,” I complained, making him stop in his tracks.

“If we will have a grand wedding, then there will be no honeymoon. Deal?”

No honeymoon? Then, what kind of a married couple are we if that would be the case? Besides, the honeymoon was the most important one!

“Definitely not! Fine, civil wedding with a honeymoon. Deal?”

“Deal.”

T-This guy! Why was he being so frugal when it comes to time? Was he an actual workaholic like my father? Really? But if I think about it, that would be also a good thing because he won’t have time to entertain other girls–

But there’s that girl from his work who was obviously into him. Oh well… I was the one he chose to marry so there was no need to worry about those things. Anyway, our conversation came to a stop when I saw his grandmother looking in our direction. Even with only one gaze, she seemed to have killed me already with one cold and piercing gaze.

I poked at Nikolai.

“Y-Your grandmother’s here.”

Before he could say a word, his terrifying grand of a mother walked towards us and once again, raised an eyebrow at me.

“What is this?” she asked with a stern voice, but this time, she was looking at the man right next to me.

“Is it really that hard to tell?” Nikolai threw another question instead of answering it.

S-Somehow, it felt like I was stuck in a serious fight between two scary lions. If I say a wrong word or even move an inch, they might turn my way and devour me whole. Err… That thought alone gave me the shivers.

“You.” She pointed right at Nikolai. “You are not going to marry a girl like her, who is raised by barbarians. The mere fact that I let you take such a lowly job is already an embarrassment so at least do it right. Stop being stubborn like that mother of yours–”

“And then what?” Nikolai’s tone of voice was clearly mad and annoyed, but he was also trying to keep those feelings at bay as he tightened his grip on my hand. “Are you also going to hurt me like what happened to my mother? She was scarred for life because you forced her and your son to get married. And your fu.cking son could not even protect her! So for the nth time, stop meddling with my life because I do not want to be miserable like you.”

Right after he said that, which totally confused me because I could not understand a thing, a hoarse voice came from behind his grandmother. Only then, his father, the ever-handsome and ever-attention grabber CEO Leander, appeared right before us. I had no idea what Nikolai meant with the words he spoke of, however, I could not help but keep my eyes on his father. He may already have those gray hair, but he was dapper and more dashing than ever. In short, he was like a Greek god who just descended from Mount Olympus.

“Good thing you’re here,” Nikolai mused with a sarcastic tone of voice. “You should keep your mother in check so she would not ruin another person’s life. And tell her to get some shame because she lacks that one.”

“Nikolai, watch your mouth,” the CEO responded.

Nikolai’s clutch on my hand grew tighter and if this went on any longer, he might break it off of my arm. Even if I wanted to point that out, I just could not find my voice so all I could do at the moment was to keep quiet and look at whoever was speaking. To sum it all up, I was just an insignificant person in that conversation.

“The only reason why I try so hard to respect the two of you was out of consideration for my mother. So before that little respect vanishes, stop trying to manipulate my life.” He then pulled me closer with his gaze locked onto his grandmother. “I will wed her with or without your approval. Deal with that.”

He never gave them a chance to speak as he pulled me away from the hotel. But with one last glance at CEO Leander, I definitely saw pain glinting in his eyes. I wanted to know what happened, I really do. However, asking that right now was not really a good time, most especially that Nikolai looked really mad.

He dragged me until we reached the parking lot and opened the door of his car.

“Get in,” he demanded, so without any complaints, I adhered.

When he shut the door, I expected him to go to the driver’s seat but he just stood right next to the outside mirror and leaned against the hood. He never said a word and simply took out a cigarette and puffed some smoke. Heaving a sigh, I shifted to my phone and texted my bodyguards that they could already head back home since I was with Nikolai.

For the next few minutes, none of us spoke. I just watched him suck out the life of that cigarette until he was halfway done. Me being me, I could not take the deafening silence for too long so I rolled down the window.

“A-Are you okay?” I asked. “I know a place where you can vent out your anger. I can drive you there.”

He looked at me with a blank expression before killing off the fire of the cigarette with a small rectangular box he brought with him. He never said anything and just went on the driver’s seat, driving us away from Oceania to a place I had no idea where. At first, I thought he was already bringing me back home but I was wrong. When I stepped out of the car, the name Echidna greeted me.

As far as I knew, Echidna was owned by the Williams family… By the father of Nikolai. It used to be a restaurant and hotel management company, but they switched to manufacturing for years now. Either way, this sole building that stood in the middle of Centralia City was the only one that was kept as a hotel. It was as large as our mansion, but it had more windows and such.

Nikolai never said a thing and just went inside so I followed suit. When he was done speaking with the receptionist, he led us into the elevator. I really have no idea why he brought me here, but he wouldn’t hurt me, right?

I mean… He seemed to be a nice guy so I guess… I need not to worry. Or so I say…

When we stepped out of the elevator, he took me to the hotel’s suite. Just one step inside felt like I was brought into another place and, not to mention, the view of the night city made it even a more beautiful place. While looking around, Nikolai told me to wait for a bit so I took my time exploring the large place. There was a mini-library and a study room, making it look like more of a home than a hotel. There was even a huge aquarium that separated the kitchen from the living room.

“There’s Nemo, Dory, Peach, Deb, and Bubbles. I wonder if Bruce would fit in here,” I mumbled to myself. “It would definitely make this place more badass.”

After some time, I went to the room where Nikolai disappeared into and knocked. He never responded so I opened the door myself only for him to come into sight right after he exited the bathroom. I gulped as my eyes slowly went from his still dripping wet hair down to his well-defined and sculpted body. His muscles looked firm and tight, which was not really obvious because, of course, he hid them under his shirts. I almost lost it when I laid eyes on his broad shoulders, and not to mention, those visible packs of abs of his were a dessert for the eyes.

Snapping back to reality, I looked away.

“S-Sorry, I did not mean to i-intrude,” I apologized before turning on my heels and stepping out of his room.

However, in a matter of seconds, he already held onto my wrist and pulled me back in. He shut the door right behind me and cornered me against the wall. Right at that moment, my cheeks burned and… and… I might just pass out because of extreme panic.

“No need to apologize,” he almost growled in my ear, shutting me up totally.

And when his hand ran from the back of my neck down to the zipper of my dress, I shuddered under his touch. He lifted my chin with his other hand and looked me directly in the eyes.

“I want you now,” he whispered before sealing my lips with his.