CHAPTER 28: DON’T WORRY

Monday was filled with good news while Tuesday was calm, nothing new.

By Wednesday, Naomi’s wedding gown and Alpha Maxwell’s tuxedo suit and boxes of shoes arrived in the windowless room, delivered by one of the staff.

Naomi quickly removed the wedding gown from the box. "Wow, such a beautiful gown!" She smiled brightly, admiring the white beads adorning the garment.

"Nice." Alpha Maxwell removed the tuxedo from the box. "They really are serious this time," he commented.

"Yeah, I think so!" Naomi grinned happily.

Done admiring the wedding gown and the tuxedo, she hangs them inside the closet.

She opened up the box and picked up a pair of two-inch white shoes, put them on the floor and inserted her feet to see if it was the right fit. "Perfect!" She gushed, walking around the room, practicing her bride walk.

Alpha Maxwell watched her move around the room. Amusement flashed in his eyes. "The shoes look nice on you, sweetie," he commented casually.

"I know right?" Naomi giggled happily. Done practicing her bride walk, she removed the shoes from her feet and put them back in the box.

"I didn’t expect the dress and suit to arrive today. I thought Zero was just joking around," Alpha Maxwell muses.

"I guess it’s real," Naomi giggled in delight. She opened another shoe box containing Alpha Maxwell’s shoes. "Aren’t you going to try on your shoes?" she asked, putting the shoes on the floor.

"OK." Alpha Maxwell put his feet in the shoes to humor her. "It fits perfectly well," he said.

"Great!" Naomi clapped her hands in glee. "I can’t wait to marry you this Saturday!" she exclaimed in a thrilled voice. Wedding fever got her truly excited.

"Me too, I can’t wait to marry you, sweetie." Alpha Maxwell hugged her and kissed her lips.

After a few moments of kissing, they disengaged from the hug.

Naomi went to the crib and checked baby Jacob’s diaper. It was already soiled. She changed her son’s diaper.

Alpha Maxwell’s thoughts were not on the fake wedding happening this Saturday, he was wondering how they will leave the facility on the day of their release.

He looked up at the ceiling and asked, "Zero, are you there?"

"Yes, I’m here. Did you like your wedding attire, guys?" Zero asked.

"Yes, we did. They are the right fit. Thanks for the effort," Alpha Maxwell replied.

Zero responded, "You’re welcome. What do you want to ask?"

"I just want to ask how you will release us?" Alpha Maxwell asked. "Are you going to drop us into our homes individually?"

"Um, I haven’t received a memo from management yet regarding the process of your release. We are still busy planning the wedding. After the wedding, your release will be planned accordingly," Zero replied.

Alpha Maxwell was not pleased with Zero’s reply. "Are you really serious about releasing us? Tell us. We wanted to know," he demanded, his tone rising.

"Of course, management is serious. Rest assured, you will be released next month without a doubt," Zero explained.

"Ask management how they will release us. They have to take into careful consideration that we have a baby. They can’t just abandon us in the middle of the road out of nowhere," Alpha Maxwell reminded him.

"Don’t worry, we will ensure your safety, especially baby Jacob’s safety," Zero assured him.

Alpha Maxwell said, "I have one request. Can you pass on my request to management?

Zero asked, confused. "What request? Let me hear it."

"I request my family to be escorted to this place I own in the city where we can stay for a while before returning to our respective families," Alpha Maxwell said.

"No problem. I will tell management about your request. Anything else?" Zero said.

"I will tell you tomorrow. That’s all for now." Alpha Maxwell ended his conversation with Zero. He picked up baby Jacob and cradled him in his arms, spending time with him.

"How about you, Naomi dear? Do you have a request for your wedding this Saturday? Anything?" Zero asked.

"How about my bridal bouquet?" Naomi inquired.

"The bridal bouquet will be provided to you by staff on the day of the wedding," Zero replied.

"Great!" Naomi said cheerfully. "Do we have a wedding cake?"

"Yes of course. Your wedding is not complete without a wedding cake. It’s an elegant 5-tier fondant wedding cake decorated with roses," Zero explained.

Naomi’s eyes widened in elation. "Fabulous! I can already imagine it in my mind," she said enthusiastically, excited to see her wedding cake.

Baby Jacob had fallen asleep in Alpha Maxwell’s arms, so he placed him gently in his crib.

"Guys, if there is no question anymore, I will go offline," Zero said.

Alpha Maxwell looks up at the ceiling. "Wait, I have a question for you Zero. I hope you tell me the truth."

"OK. Bring it on," Zero said.

Alpha Maxwell begins with his question. "This Love Game shenanigan is not true, right? In this facility, it’s only me and Naomi here and no other couples are housed here. Am I correct?"

Zero fell silent. He hesitated to answer the question.

"Why are you not answering my question, Zero?" Alpha Maxwell asked. "Come on, answer my question. No need to hide the truth anymore. We are leaving this place in two weeks. No need to keep hiding the truth from us. We need to know the truth. You owe us!" he demanded.

Zero coughed a little. "Um, management told me not to answer your question. I hope you understand my situation. I’m just a messenger."

Alpha Maxwell groaned in displeasure, annoyed that he hadn’t got the answer he wanted. "OK, fine, I understand your situation. I have another question. I hope you can answer it this time."

"OK. I can’t promise you anything but let me hear it," Zero said.

"Does management monitor our family’s activities outside?"

"I don’t know. I will have to ask management about your question. I will get back to you if they give me an answer," Zero said. "Next question please."

"Did you really send our letters to our families?" Alpha Maxwell asked.

"As far as I know, yes," Zero replied.

"OK, that’s all for now." Alpha Maxwell sat on the bed, watching his son sleep peacefully in his crib.

Hours passed by quickly.

That night while lying in bed, hiding beneath the blanket, the couple was talking to each other in a whisper, careful not to make their voices heard by Zero or anyone eavesdropping on their conversion.

Naomi took a deep breath and sighed. "We both know that the wedding this Saturday is fake. But I’m still excited about going through the wedding process. I’m sure it will be a wonderful experience. I can’t help it."

"I’m glad that you are aware that it is a fake event," Alpha Maxwell said.

"Yeah, I know. I’m not naive. But despite knowing the truth, I just want to enjoy the moment of getting married to you. It might be the only time I get to marry you in this lifetime," she said, sighing deeply.

Alpha Maxwell raised a brow. "Why are you saying that? I’m determined to marry you once I sort out my problems back home. You don’t believe me?" he asked, his tone serious.

"It’s not that I don’t believe you. I just have this nagging feeling deep inside me, telling me that once we leave this place, things will change between us. I just can’t help it," she said dejectedly.

Alpha Maxwell looked deeply into her eyes. "We have a baby, Jacob. He is your assurance that I will marry you. I care so much about the family we have created here. We will always be one family and no one and nothing can change that. So stop worrying about us, okay?"

Naomi nodded her head. But deep inside she’s not fully convinced that Alpha Maxwell can stick to his promises. Men are sometimes weak, weaker than most women when it comes to upholding commitments.

"We only have a few days left here before we face the world outside. It’s going to be tough dealing with our families’ inquiries and all. So while we’re here, we should practice answering their questions. After I’m done talking to my fiancée and cutting ties with her, I will bring you to our house and introduce you to my family," he said thoughtfully.

"But what if they don’t accept me? What if they object to our union? What are you going to do about it? Will you let them separate us?" she asked, wanting to know where she and her son stand in his life.

"I will not allow my father to run my life anymore. I will leave my family behind if needed so we can be together," he said.

"Even if your family disowns you?" she asked, holding her breath.

"Yes, even if they disown me. Nothing can stop me from marrying you," he replied in a serious tone.

Naomi smiled. "Thank you for choosing me and my son. I’m satisfied. Now can I ask you something?

"Yes, what is it?"

"This coming Saturday, can you pretend our wedding is real and not fake? I just want to pretend it’s real. I hope you can do the same," she said wistfully. "What I’m saying is... please control your temper and don’t ruin the moment. That’s all I asked of you," she said in a pleading voice.

Alpha Maxwell fell silent.

Naomi suddenly felt uneasy, searching the truth in his eyes when he didn’t say anything. "Are you planning something for this Saturday?" she asked, worrying about his deepening silence.

Alpha Maxwell sighed. "This coming Saturday, I plan to tear off the masks on their faces so we know who they are," he finally revealed his plan.

Naomi’s eyes widened in fear. "So you’re planning to ruin our special moment? Is this your plan?" she asked, enraged.

"Yeah..." Alpha Maxwell nodded his head.

Naomi was furios, she disagreed with his plan. "Are you out of your mind? But what if they get mad at you? What if they punish us? They will change their minds and no longer release us? You are ruining our only chance of freedom! Don’t ever do that! If you do these stupid things, I will never talk to you again!" she warned him sternly. Tears of frustration sprang from her eyes.

Alpha Maxwell sighed. "Please calm down, sweetie. Worry no more. I promise you I will not do anything stupid during our wedding. I will behave in my best manners." He assured her, rubbing her back gently, consoling her.

"I believe you, please don’t break your promise," Naomi finally said, earnestly hoping he would stay true to his promise and behave during the wedding.

Heavy silence envelopes the room.

The couple stopped talking to each other, busy dealing with their own thoughts.

They finally drifted into a deep sleep two hours later.