187 v. Rejection

The wedding has been arranged in a week. She couldn’t delay it no matter how much she wanted to.

The yakuza has been very discreet about the wedding, and so was the governor who seemed way too eager for them to marry.

Before she can even realize it, tomorrow was to be her wedding day. She pranced back and forth as she tried to think of any way to stop it.

The maid announced that her fiance came to visit. She straightened her back as if it was a natural response to his presence.

As the gray eyes of his met hers, she felt resentment creep through her heart. Anger flooded her as she clenched her jaw.

“Are you mad? Do you really wish to marry me?” she couldn’t help but spat at him with her words.

There is nothing more that could be done. There is no way on earth she can control her anger toward the impending union.

She ran away from the man she loves because she couldn’t breathe from the way she was being held too tightly. And now that she escaped, these men – her father and the governor are trying to tie her in the most unfortunate way possible.

“Well, it is a win-win situation after all. What is there for me not to accept? In fact, I am looking forward to our marriage,” the man with striking purple hair answered.

.....

“You are mad if you think there is anything to be gained from here. Whether it is the full support of the yakuza you seek or a dowry, I guarantee my father will not give you it. My father is far greedier than you may have anticipated, governor,” she felt her anger bubble up inside her chest.

“And what if I already know that? Have you not considered that my reason for wanting to marry is not as worldly as you have painted it to be,” the man sat on the chair parallel to her.

Suddenly all the flowers in the background faded and the beauty that she once enjoyed felt so bleak. She really couldn’t stand him.

“You say that and forget that in fact on the dance the day before I left, you have given me an interesting proposition about this marriage. I am only using the same words now in dealing with you and your fake reasons,” she smiled, knowing for sure she has reminded her ‘fiance’.

His face darkened hearing her say the words, “There can be many reasons for my proposal of marriage. You have only heard the most uninteresting ones.”

She smiled at him, now finding humour in his words, “Out of curiosity. You have to tell me about the most outrageous reason you’ve got.”

“Love. I have loved you from the start, Mary. I think I may have had feelings for you before we met. I have always dreamed of your face. In different times and places, in my dreams we have met,” he smiled bitterly as if being asked about something unpleasant in his past.

“Based on the face you are making. These encounters we’ve had in these past lives, they turned into nightmares, yes?” she somehow felt pity towards him.

“Well, to put it simply... yes. I never had a chance to make you fall in love with me in all those brief encounters,” he closed his eyes, as if he was suddenly exhausted just from talking.

“Do you believe in reincarnation, Mary? Do you believe in any of the words I’m saying,” his gray eyes were emotional when they met hers.

She couldn’t even look away even if she wanted to. It was as if she was a doe caught in a trance by the headlights.

“I don’t. And even if I do, I really don’t think it will change how I feel for you, governor,” she was truthful.

If at all she can believe in it, it wouldn’t change anything. Because she is already in love with someone else... deeply so in fact.

She winces at her belated realization about the depths of her feelings for the man. All this could have been avoided if she only stayed.

“Give me a chance and maybe you will be surprised over how easy it is to fall in love with me. I am neither cruel nor disrespectful, and I will treat you with utmost care and love,” his face blanched.

He felt he would lose it if he were to hear about the meddlesome bastard who has taken her for himself in the past. Mary is his this time around.

Dominus has caused nothing but tragedy and death to her. Granting he had a hand in the last, it doesn’t mean the root cause is not to be blamed.

If everyone should be honest about this, he of course is the better man. He has good intentions, nonviolent unless forced, and he loves her completely.

Rather than locking her up or forcing her to stay, he has the willingness to be with her wherever she would like to go. He will be the one to hold her hand and keep her safe while she enjoys her liberty.

That’s what love is all about, isnt it? And frankly, he knew that freedom is what she really craves. He is willing to give her that.

“At least a chance to be with you is all I ask. Let me take care of you, Mary,” he gripped her hand, his gray eyes filled with emotions that reminded her of Dominus.

She looked away because it burned her to even think of him. She couldn’t accept someone’s love because her heart has already been enamored by another.

If she is to believe in something as impossible as reincarnation. Then she would rather believe that it was Dominus whom she had loved.

“I am sorry, governor,” she bit her lip as she stared at the cup of tea in front of her.

“Malavar. Malavar is my name. I want to be the person etched in your heart. Give me a chance, Mary. Let us make this marriage work,” he brought her hand to his lips, pressing a tender kiss on the back of it.

She shook her head, “If we were to proceed to the altar tomorrow. I want you to know that I will be in front of you hating the ceremony every second. And even more important is the fact that I could never love you. You will gain a wife who couldn’t even feel for her husband,” her voice was steady, and her heart was cold.

She pities him if it was really something like love he feels for her. But even if she believes him, there was no way she could unlove Dominus and replace him in her heart.

The only kindness she can show him is to tell him how it will be if they were to proceed with the wedding. Because the heart is not something that could be controlled or forced. It beats only for the one it holds dear.

“Why do you refuse to give me even a chance, Mary? I can and will give you the world. Just let me, let me show you how good it will be once we are together,” his voice was raised in frustration.

“I would have given you a chance if I can. I would have. But at this instant and in the future, I know it to be a certainty. That I can never love you, Malavar. Because I am, wholeheartedly and irrevocably in love with someone else,” she whispered, as if the confession can be heard by the entire yakuza and more importantly her father.

“It was him. Again, it was the fucking bastard,” he can taste the bile on his lips as he said the words.

He should have seen it coming, Dominus was the one behind this again. But no, he had her now.

Dominus would have to kill him before even getting near his wife-to-be. And he has no reason to believe that he can.

As the things stand in this present time, it is an impossibility. The opposition has no power or money at his disposal because the yakuza has sequestered everything that was under his name.

Without wealth or influence, he could never come close to her, much more offer resistance. He smiled at this realization.

“It doesn’t matter then. Even if it is true, nothing will change. I will still want to marry you. In time you will realize that everything that I have done is to keep you safe. I won’t let you escape my protection. As my betrothed I will be responsible for your sake,” he smiled at her, his eyes lacked sensibility and understanding as his greed overtook him.

“It doesn’t matter now whether you see things the way I do. No, wife. The only thing that matters is... you are mine this time. And in this new world order, he wouldn’t have a chance to hurt you in any way. No one will have a chance to break you except for me,” in his eyes was madness, much like Dominus’s.

But the feeling that wrapped her heart was solely of fear, without the passion that burns, all that she can feel is her whole body turning cold as he reached in for a kiss.

A forced kiss that ended in her biting his lip and pushing him away, “Get out of my sight.”

historical

She was crying, her whole being repulsed by his intimacy. It dawned on her she cannot tolerate his touch because she rejects his presence with every fiber of her being.

He licked the blood on his lips, unfazed by her reaction, “I will see you tomorrow then, my angel. Have a well-rested night, I doubt you will get some in the evening.”