"What is your problem, Tiff?" The annoyance in her voice is clear. She arrived home from Lilly's house to find Tiffany waiting for her in her bedroom.
"I'm telling you that Lilly has been lying to us!"
Sue heaved a deep sigh and gave Tiffany an indulging smile but on the inside, she was rolling her eyes. "You have been telling me that since last week. And I've been telling you that you can just ask Lilly directly instead of us playing detective."
"I want her to tell us. We are friends. She should be able to tell us things honestly." She pursed her lips and slouched on Sue's panda bean bag. She could not tell her that as much as she wanted to ask Lilly the truth she doesn't want her to be on her bad side since she still needs her.
"I don't know, Tiff. I just came back hanging out with her because she's sick," she said, watching Tiffany's expression. Tiffany has been acting strange these past few weeks. "She didn't say anything."
"Were you with her when I sent her a message?" She arched her brow at Sue. She didn't know that Sue visited Lilly. And she doesn't like the fact that the two were doing something that she didn't know.
"About the private yacht? Yes, Lilly showed me your message."
"Tch, she didn't reply to me."
"I told you, she's sick! Why are you so hung up on a yacht party? Ask your boyfriend to get you a yacht," she stuck her tongue at her.
"Hey, wait…I was just kidding," she crawled to Tiffany who burst out crying.
"Andrei is mad at me!" She wailed.
***
"I don't want a big wedding."
Her mother looked at her in disbelief.
"I need to talk to Dad. Don't do anything about my wedding. I don't want a wedding ceremony. Matthew Grayson and I can just register our wedding. No need to do anything at all."
She was thinking what her father told her that he just needed two to three years to get back the company from Matthew. There is no reason to have their wedding in the news, especially online. Thinking of the IG accounts that were stalking Matthew, she didn't want her photo to end up in those accounts and be bashed by those women—like Sue, who were thirsty for Matthew.
The more she thinks about it, the idea of not having a wedding ceremony felt right. They were not getting married because of love. It's all just a business arrangement. She may be a virgin but she's not naive nor old-fashioned like what Sue was calling her. It's her choice who she wants to sleep with. And Matthew is hot!
"Matthew agreed for us not to build a family until I finish university?" She carefully asked her mother. Her brain was spinning in finding a loophole to get away from Matthew as much as possible. She's going to study at Y university. In a different state. She doesn't have to stay with Matthew under the same roof.
From her conversation with Matthew, she knew that he didn't like her. His type was someone that wasn't her, that was for sure. I mean, those supermodels have something in common. Something that she doesn't have. She's not ugly. But not as hot and pretty as those girls that were associated with Matthew.
"Your father wanted me to prepare a grand wedding, sweetheart."
Lilly looked at the excitement in her mother's eyes. Her mother used to be a model when she was still single. She gave up her career to be a full-time housewife. But she didn't stop being a social butterfly and be the center of everyone's attention.
Her mother loves the spotlight. And with the way her eyes twinkle, she wasn't thinking about the fact that she didn't like to get married. That Matthew wasn't her boyfriend or that the wedding has to happen because of a business deal. Her mother didn't think of any of those. What she was thinking was the spotlight.
The grand wedding that she is going to prepare. The beautiful gown that she's going to wear, the people that are going to be invited and how it's going to be in the news and her picture will be seen. For her mother that's all that matters, she thought to herself bitterly.
No one cares that it's her life that she's giving up. Her youth and her dreams. Her parents are deciding things according to what they want. She never felt so alone in her life. Thus, the idea of not having a grand wedding solidified in her head. She wanted to at least have a say in the wedding. You can say it's her form of rebellion. A futile attempt to take hold of her life.
She looked up at her mother and smiled. "No, Mama. There is no wedding ceremony that is going to happen. My wedding is a business deal. We are going to treat it as such. Matthew and I will sign the papers to legalize our marriage and that's it."
"Sweetheart—"
"Please, leave." She got up and crawled into her bed. She wanted to be left alone. "I'm not feeling well, Ma."
"Have a rest, sweetie. I'll tell one of the helpers to bring you some medicine."
She watched her mother leave her room from the edge of her blanket, covering half of her face. A pang of sadness hit her chest. She told her mother that's not feeling well, and yet, she didn't even bother to ask if she needed something. Or maybe show a little worry about her well-being.
She was just probably thinking of what she was going to do next that she said no to the grand wedding. She picked up her phone and had the urge to call Matthew. She wanted to tell him to oppose the grand wedding as well but then she realized she didn't have his number.
Matthew was so businesslike when she talked to him. He was even sarcastic over the idea of them marrying. Just like her father, he was acting like their wedding was just a contract. He wasn't fully in agreement in the deal that he got but it was necessary to make things happen.
A tear escaped Lilly's eye as she slid herself under the blanket to hide away her tears.