CHAPTER 119: JUST A WEEK, ONLY A WEEK

Maya still can’t fathom that she is getting married in a week. This is absolutely crazy. When Dalton announced that their wedding was in a week, she thought he was joking. But now it’s Monday morning, and she has to get out of bed soon to go wedding gown hunting in New York City while Dalton takes care of the other wedding preparations.

But she’s yet to get out of bed and begin hunting for her wedding gown. Dalton did wake her up with a good morning kiss before going off to do his business for the day, but she succumbed to sleep again, only to be jerked out of sleep by some noise that wasn’t her damn alarm.

"Maya, wake up!" The noise molded into a voice she recognized but couldn’t place because her mind was foggy.

"Sleeping head, it’s time to wake up!"

Maya stirred, rambling into her pillow. "Haven, Christ! I need my beauty sleep." Then it hit her.....Haven is here with her! In the penthouse, in New York!

She jerked off her pillow. ’Haven, what are you doing here?’ she yelled, yanking off the comforter and jumping out of bed.

"Well, I was in Vegas, and Aiden suddenly whisked me away, and I ended up on a private jet. And here I am," Haven rambled, finishing off with a cheesy grin that made Maya can’t help but find her so cute that she wanted to give Haven’s rosy cheeks a squeeze.

Maya squinted at her, blinking. "What were you in Vegas for?

Haven’s jaw fell. "Uhhhh."

She need not answer as Maya’s eyes fell on Haven’s left hand. "This isn’t the engagement ring you got from the guy you’re being forced to marry," Maya’s curious eyes scrutinized Haven’s ring finger. She gasped out loud. "Oh, this is a wedding ring. Did you marry him?" Her heart sank for Haven.

"No, I married her." Abruptly, and not unusually, Aiden made his sudden appearance and put his arm around Haven’s shoulders.

Maya’s mouth went wild. "Whoa, you two eloped!"

Haven let out a frustrated sigh. "That was my only option. Marry a man of my choice before I’m forced to marry a man chosen as a result of a stupid oath that my parents got themselves involved with."

"Let me get this straight: to escape an arranged marriage, you willingly entered into another one, or you fell in love with each other in just a few days and then got married in Vegas." A hint of a smile was traced on Maya’s lips. She preferred the second option.

Haven snorted. "Who would willingly fall in love with such a cliché bad boy? It’s just a contractual marriage. In just six months, we’ll be divorced and go our separate ways." Haven pinched Aiden’s arm that was draped around her shoulder. Aiden groaned and pulled his arm away, freeing her.

Maya’s eyes snapped to Aiden. A tiny bit of pain flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by smugness and a sort of determination.

Oh boy, he isn’t going to sign the divorce papers when the six-month period is up, right? Maya thought.

"I have to go and help Dalton. He’s helpless when it comes to event planning " Aiden said as he suddenly walked away.

Maya planted her hands on her hips, scanning her curious blue eyes over Haven. "When did you two buy this ring?"

Haven collapsed onto the bed. "Months ago."

Maya admires her diamond ring, blinking on her ring finger, "Thank you! It’s so beautiful."

"You’re welcome. I know I have good taste," Haven said smugly, making Maya let out a shy laugh.

"So Aiden said you guys are getting married next week and it’s all Mr. Black’s idea."

Maya nods.

"How do you feel about it, Maya? Are you okay with it? Marrying quickly without enjoying the engagement phase? Or planning your own wedding?"

Maya shrugged, a dreamy smile pulling at her lips. "We can even get married today, and I’ll be totally fine with it." She sat down, drawing closer to Haven, who was lying with her back against the bed.

"I’ve never really dreamed about getting married or having a dream wedding," Maya says. She’s been too busy trying to survive the abuse of her stepfather and half-siblings to think about weddings or marriage.

"So, I don’t really care about the wedding. All that matters to me is getting married to the man I love and spending the rest of my life with him. The wedding is just a mundane event to me."

Haven pulled herself up and said, "Aww, so philosophically in love," she teased Maya, throwing a pillow at her.

"I guess you’re here to help me choose a wedding dress," Maya said, jolting up. "Dalton booked me an appointment with a top wedding dress designer. I’m going to have a quick shower so we can go meet her."

"Okay," Haven said, getting herself busy with something on her phone while Maya took her shower.

Maya showered quickly and got dressed, and soon they were outside the door to meet the wedding dress designer. It was a fun, short affair. With Haven’s assistance, Maya was able to choose an enthralling wedding dress that was the best fit for her from the ten dresses the designer presented to her.

**

They made a quick stop at a smoothie shop somewhere in Manhattan. But Haven had to leave shortly after they sat down in a booth. Dalton needed her assistance. Maya had to drink her smoothies with the cupcakes she had ordered all by herself, but she soon began watching wedding videos to ease her boredom. She became so engrossed that she stayed for an hour to watch more videos, ordering additional smoothies and pastries along the way.

Something prompted her to look up, and her eyes landed on Marcello, who was sitting right across from her. She shuddered in fear as he approached her. "What are you doing here?" she gasped, her hand flying to her chest to calm her racing heart.

Marcello flashed a grin, revealing his white, sparkling teeth. "Fancy meeting you here, princess."

"What are you doing in New York? How did you know I was here?" Maya was slightly panicked inside.

Marcello let out a loud laugh. "Oh, did I scare you?"

Maya nodded rapidly. "Yes, don’t creep up on people like that. You seriously gave me a heart attack."

Marcello pouted, his eyes glistening as if he were a little boy being scolded by his mother. "Sorry for my bad behavior," he said.

Maya sighed. "How did you find out I was here? Were you following me?"

"Yes," Marcello admitted.

"Oh," Maya rolled her eyes. Marcella’s admission to following her would have scared anyone, but it just confirmed what she already knew: Dalton had put him up to it and turned him into her bodyguard, like Aiden.

"I love Manhattan, so I was in the area exploring when Dalton called to say you were also in Manhattan and he needed me to check up on you."

Maya rolled her eyes again, "I thought so.Well, thank you for your service," she said dismissively. "You can tell him I’m fine. Go report that."

Marcell laughed. "You’re still mad at me,"

Then he said remorsefully again "I’m sorry."

"You are forgiven," Maya replied, but deep down, the discomfort she felt when around Marcello had returned.

"You’re angry with me. It’s written all over your face. So I’ll leave." He stood up, bent down, and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. Then he whispered, "I’m so patient, princess, just a week." And he was gone, vanishing as if he had never been there.

What did he mean? Was he talking about the wedding, which was in one week, or did he mean something else? Maya wondered, confused.