Not Your Regular CEO Husband

I took in a deep breath yet again as I sat in the car. It was one of the Harold’s latest models – a Klade inferno but it was painted lavender, my favorite color. I wondered if Klyde was trying to pacify me by doing all this. 

First, he gets me dressed in the most beautiful wedding dress I had ever seen and now he’s trying to please me by making me ride in my favorite color for a car? None of that would change how I feel about what he did to me.

Elizabeth held my hand and smiled at me softly but I didn’t feel better. I was thinking about how I would go through with this wedding. According to Elizabeth, the wedding will be held at a very popular cathedral and everything will be recorded live – thousands of people would watch this wedding, including those ignorant women who hated her because of the rumors. 

I could hear the other bridesmaid in the back laughing and giggling as they jumped from one gossip to another while I looked out the window and prayed for a never ending traffic to keep me from getting to the cathedral. 

I always wanted my wedding to be small, quiet and filled with my very few friends and well wishers. Instead, I’m surrounded with shallow girls that I know nothing about and people who would sit in the congregation at the cathedral and judge me with their eyes.

“We’re here Viola” I heard Elizabeth say and I nodded as I said to her, “I know, the provocative words on these banners these women are holding is kind of hard to miss,”

She shook her head and smacked her lips as she joined me in watching these men and women lifting banners and placards saying, “Viola is a gold digger, free our boys!”or “She is a whore”, “With a heart like hers she deserves to die!” 

“All because of one mistake,”I muttered as I looked away from them and fiddled with the flower in my hand. 

“No, this is all my mom’s fault.”Elizabeth said and tried to convince me further as the car drove past the people and waited for the security to move them aside so we could enter the cathedral.

“She wouldn’t have so many people believing those rumors if I hadn’t been a selfish girl who wanted sex so badly with her boyfriend’s twin brother so of course it’s my fault!” 

The whole conversation between me and Elizabeth was said in whispers so that the girls behind us wouldn’t get wind of our talk. The driver parked the car and then he got down and opened the door. Elizabeth got down first, followed by the four other girls at the back.

“Face it, this is what you deserve.”I heard a voice in my head say to me so I got down from the car while the girls quickly grabbed my gown and held it up so the ends wouldn’t touch the ground.

The shouts and chants from the crowd outside the church was inaudible to me. They couldn’t even unite and make one chant! That’s how dumb they were to me. Elizabeth took the lead as she stood in front of the cathedral entrance and just as we were about to enter I heard my name.

“Viola, a word.”The person said and I exhaled, feeling tired already when she spoke, it was Emelia. 

“What do you want now?”I asked with a frown and she pointed at me face.

“That look on your face right now is what is wrong with everything. Do you know how many women would do anything and everything to marry my son? ” 

“I honestly don’t care.”I said indifferently and she smirked.

“Well, if you don’t walk the isle with the brightest smile ever you’ll start to care more than any time you’ve ever done so.”She threatened but I refused to show any signs of fear.

“and why would I care?”I asked instead. 

“Because your children will go down for it. Trust me, you know I’ll do it…I mean, I didn’t spare my own children.”She said and I genuinely got scared. She just told me to act happy else my children would pay for my defiance. As much as I wanted to slap her across the face for even daring to threaten my children, I knew that I had to protect my children from her by all means. 

At least when I marry Klyde, they’ll be mine. They’lllobe with me! 

I looked away from her and forced a smile on my face while she chuckled and said, “that’s more like it”then she slithered out of sight. 

“Are you okay?”Elizabeth asked me but I said nothing to her. She sighed and used the veil to cover my face before I would have to walk down the isle. Since I had no father to walk me down the isle Elizabeth did it. I watched as they all turned around on their seats while I proceeded to stand before the altar where Klyde was already waiting for me. 

I couldn’t tell if it was the dress that made everyone stare at me or if it was because they all waited to cearly see the face of Viola Walden, the gold digger. 

I took a deep breath and advised myself not to look at Klyde’s face, that would provoke me to anger and I may just totally screw up the wedding. I stole glances at the cameras around the cathedral, they were everywhere – as if they wanted to get the best angle of everything. That meant that when my veil is removed I cannot slip up with my facial expressions, else everything would be caught in 4k literally! 

I swallowed hard when the priest started the biblical readings. Then he talked about the meaning and importance of marriage briefly. 

The congregation became extremely quiet as he asked, “Have you come to offer yourselves to each other, freely and without reservation? Will you love and honor each other for life? Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the Catholic faith?”

We both said, “I will”

This was it, once we say our vows it’s sealed! And there’s nothing I can do about it! I started to shake when I heard Klyde clear his throat, then he said.

“I Kade Nathaniel Harold, take you Viola Reese Walden, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

I froze.

Did I just hear Kade Nathaniel Harold? I looked up at him and my eyes widened when I saw him, he was in a black tuxedo and he had his hair slicked back, though some strands of it lazily peeked out across his forehead – he was devastatingly handsome and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted no part in this.

But why was it him? I thought I’d be marrying Klyde. I turned to find Klyde in the congregation sitting beside his mother and father with a scowl on his face. Emelia mouthed to me, “go on!”

I gripped the flowers in my hands and tried my best not to stutter as I said my vows,

“I Viola Reese Walden, take you Kade…”I paused and looked at him and he smiled and said through clenched teeth, “Nathaniel” 

“…Nathaniel Harold , to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.” I finished and looked at the ground as the priest cleared his throat and said,

“You have declared your consent before the Church! May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. That God has joined, man must not separate. Amen.” 

I looked at Kade the entire time and was surprised by how he played it cool as we exchanged rings and the priest blessed us, meanwhile I was dying inside. “You may kiss the bride,”I heard Emelia say and the congregation laughed heartily. Even the priest smiled, the kiss wasn’t part of the process but some couples wouldn’t miss it for the world. 

Kade grunted and moved closer to me as he removed my veil. I couldn’t look him in the eye because I felt that he was somehow forced to do this, some women giggled when Kade titled my chin with his finger so that I would look at him. My heart started beating a little too much when I did look at him but he quickly sealed the deal and kissed my lips softly, lingering a little before he broke the kiss. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

It was just one kiss but I still couldn’t stop my cheeks from turning red. Thankfully I had blush on, anyone would suspect it was make-up. Kade tucked out his elbow to me and I slipped my hand, linking it with his as we went to sign the marriage register.

“Get in my car”Kade said without looking me in the eye as he walked out of the office where we signed the register and shook hands with a young man dressed a white suit. 

I was more than glad to leave because I didn’t want to be introduced to anyone so I quickly started to leave. 

“Where is she going? Won’t you introduce us?”I heard the man Kade was speaking to say. I looked at Kade and he smiled and motioned for me to come over there. “Viola this is Mr Hansel my business partner, Hansel this is Viola…my wife.”He said the last part with a slight hesitation and I could tell for sure that he hated this. 

“Don’t be so stiff Kade, ‘ Mr Hansel? Business partners?’ what the fuck does that mean I’m his buddy!”Hansel said with grin and shrugged when some people gave him judging glares for cursing. His green eyes sparkled with mischief as he kissed my hand but Kade didn’t seem to care.

“It’s so nice to finally meet the woman my friend has –”he stopped when Kade gave him a stern gaze. “I mean, I hope to see more of you at the reception,”he said and I stared at Kade.

“Reception?”I asked and Hansel smiled, “Yeah, so many people to meet.” 

“Lots of shitty people like you,”Klyde said with a smile as some camera men took photos of us. People would look at this photo and think Klyde came to congratulate us not knowing he was being a jerk.

“Fuck off swine!”Kade retorted with a smile as a camera man came closer and he pulled me to him while Hansel stood beside me and Klyde stood beside Kade, extending his hand over kade’s shoulder and we all posed for a photo. 

“Get used to the fake life bitch.”Klyde said to me and walked away with a girl I knew was no doubt just one of his playthings. 

“Viola, wait for me in the car.”Kade said and I glared at him before I left angrily.

“Mrs Harold?”I heard someone say but I didn’t stop because I suspected it was a reporter dying to ask me questions and by the way, I just got married merely a few minutes ago and I’m being called that name already? Kade’s body guard Pedro saw me heading for the car and he quickly opened the door for me and I entered as fast as I could and burst into tears the second I got in. 

A small part of me was relieved that I wasn’t marrying Klyde but it didn’t exactly mean I would have it easy. All those people I’d have to meet at the reception would most definitely include last school mates and nosy house wives who would say the vilest things to me and I knew Kade wouldn’t say a thing about it. 

I couldn’t help but wonder if Kade was truly any better than Klyde. I heard his temper was terribly uncontrollable since he found out the truth about me and his brother. I guess it didn’t matter, either way I still ended up being Mrs Harold.