Samual stared at his boss and then at the woman sitting next to him, both sitting in silence. Ziyan's head was leaning back and he was sure he had his eyes closed behind the glasses, Vesna was busy on her phone.
"Such an odd couple," he thought to himself.
He still could not believe what was happening. It had only been a few days since he saw the two chatting casually in the elevator which made him question if he was seeing correctly and now the same woman was here with his boss, on their way to get married. He couldn't help but pinch his thigh to wake himself from whatever dream he was seeing. But even after he pinched himself, the reality remained the same.
"I guess it's actually happening,"
It didn't take them long to reach the marriage bureau. Samuel stepped out and opened the door for Ziyan when Vesna suddenly appeared by his side, startling him.
"I got it from here," she smiled at him.
He stared at her for a moment questioningly before snapping out of his daze when Ziyan cleared his throat who was still inside the car.
"Yes young madam," Immediately, he stepped back. Still, he watched as Vesna held out her hand for Ziyan and helped him step out of the car.
"Wasn't this the man's job?" he thought to himself but when he felt Ziyan glare through his glasses, he stiffened and looked away. "Whatever, none of this is my business."
The two did not realize that they were being watched. While Vesna helped Ziyan and guided him towards the building, she was observing everything that was around her, like the little interaction between the two or the guards that stood at a distance, thinking no one noticed them. In fact, Vesna had noticed them the moment she got into this car. She had also noticed the cars that were following them from a far distance but she seemed unbothered, knowing they were Ziyan's bodyguard.
She looked at Ziyan, but this time, there was a quitting glint in them.
They entered the civil affairs bureau gaining glances from other couples. Some were even whispering how good-looking the two were. Since Ziyan was not holding his cane, no one could tell he was blind.
Vesna leaned closer to him and whispered in a low voice, "I told you the world will watch."
Ziyan shook his head, choosing to ignore what she said but there was a subtle smile playing on his lips. The whole process of registering their marriage took less than an hour before they walked out of the building with red marriage certificates in their hand. Ziyan slipped his into his pocket while Vesna looked at hers. She had a grin on her face as she stared at their photo.
"We really do make a beautiful couple," she said out loud before closing the book. She then turned to Ziyan and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Luo. You are now off the market."
"Congratulations to you too, Mrs. Luo. How would you like to celebrate?" Ziyan questioned.
"We can celebrate later," Vesna said, her gaze flickering behind him. She turned back to him and interlocked her fingers with his, "Right now, we need to leave."
Without waiting for a response, she started to pull him toward their car, were Samuel was waiting for them.
"Congratulations, Mr and Mrs. Luo on-"
"You can congratulate us later. Right now, give me the keys," Vesna said as she snatched the keys from his hand while her other hand opened the passenger door for Ziyan.
Without asking a question, Ziyan got inside. Vesna went towards the driving seat and opened the door. She paused when she saw Samuel not moving at all.
"Are you getting inside or should I leave you here?" she asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Immediately, he got in the back seat while Vesna got in the driver's seat.
"Put on your seatbelts," Vesna advised, and before they knew it, she had started the car and pressed the accelerator.
Samuel gave a girly shriek as he grabbed onto the edge of his seat as Vesna sped off, the car lurching forward with a sudden burst of speed. The tires screeched slightly as they left the parking lot of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Ziyan, on the other hand, appeared unfazed by the sudden acceleration. He calmly adjusted his seatbelt, his expression serene as if he had expected this all along.
"So, dear husband..." Vesna began. She glanced in the rearview mirror before she took a sharp turn, earning a couple of angry horns from other cars. "...any enemies I should be aware of?"
"A couple," Ziyan casually shrugged.
"Hmm," Vesna's eyes flickered with amusement, but she kept her gaze on the road as she expertly navigated through the traffic. "This is going to be a problem."
In the back seat, Samuel was still trying to process everything that was happening. He turned around and finally realized they were being followed. The SUVs of the bodyguards they had hired were nowhere to be seen instead, there were three unfamiliar cars behind them.
"But I believe it's nothing you can not handle, right wifey?"
"So much trust," she mused.
Vesna's voice was light, but her eyes were sharp as she assessed the situation. The three unfamiliar cars tailing them had increased their speed, and she could see them closing in through the rearview mirror. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and glanced briefly at Ziyan.
"I hope you're ready for this," she said, her tone now more serious.
She expertly maneuvered the car through the dense city traffic, swerving around slower vehicles and making sharp turns that left Samuel gripping his seat in panic.
Samuel, who had finally managed to pull himself together, leaned forward from the back seat, trying to get a better view of the situation. "They going to hit us."
"Not if I can help it," Vesna said tersely.
Just as two of the cars attempted to box them in, Vesna slammed on the brakes and swerved sharply to the right, allowing them to avoid a collision. She glanced through the review mirror watching one of the cars slam into the side of another vehicle, causing it to spin out of control.
"One down," Vesna noted with a hint of satisfaction. She quickly resumed accelerating, the car darting through narrow alleys and side streets. The remaining two vehicles were still on their tail, though they were finding it harder to keep up with them.
Just then, Vesna's phone began to ring. While keeping one hand on the steering, she answered her phone using her other phone. All the while, she managed to avoid the car that was about to slam into theirs.
Samuel stared at her with wide frightened eyes. 'Haven't anyone taught you not to use your phone while driving?' He wanted to scream at her but instead, he swallowed his words and started to pray.
"When will you come to the villa with your husband?" a voice asked, sounding angry.
"Well, hello to you too, father," she replied sarcastically.
"Now is not the time, Vesna. Where exactly are you?" she could practically hear the man growl through the phone.
"Where exactly are we?" Vesna muttered to herself as she too was unsure where she was. "It doesn't matter though. We can't come today. Something urgent came up."
With that, she ended the call and threw it backseat, almost hitting Samuel on his forehead who was whispering some mantra under his breath.
Suddenly, she pressed the accelerator and at the same time, pulled the hand brake, pulling a perfect drift and causing the car to spin 180 degrees. The tires screeched in protest, sending clouds of smoke billowing into the air. Changing the lane, she accelerated again, driving in the opposite direction.
The two remaining cars were now facing the wrong way, and it took them a few moments to recover. By the time they had turned around, Vesna was already far ahead.
"That was fun way to start our marriage life," she said, grinning.