“You’re telling me you're not omnipresent?”
“Brat," he smiled. “I think, in the short term, we should focus on what’s important.”
"And what's important?”
“Our wedding.”
“At least I get to attend the wedding, having missed the marriage. So romantic.”
“Sarcastic little wench,” Alex growled, rolling her over onto her back and covering her body with his. There was no waiting for the wedding night. That had already come and gone without her knowing. But that didn’t stop him from pushing himself inside her, taking her with all the rough energy of a sexual tyrant deflowering an innocent virgin bride, over and over and over again.
Chapter 26
The wedding of the year took place in the venue of the decade in the celebration of the century. Alex had invited half the country as far as she could tell. There were almost three thousand guests, a thousand more than had been invited to Kate and Will’s nuptials. Bigger was better according to Alex.
Sophie had wanted a wedding, but this didn't feel like a wedding. It felt like a performance in which she was the star. For the last two weeks, magazines, gossip shows, and every celebrity website in the world had been running Who is Sophie Rosu? stories.
None of them were remotely accurate, and nobody cared. She was surprised that her cover had held up to the scrutiny of Internet gossips, but she knew why. They didn’t really care about her. They just wanted a story about a pretty girl marrying a handsome, rich guy. It was princes and princesses all over again.
But she was the princess. She was the star of this show. She was the main attraction at this circus of romance. This was everything she was supposed to want.
She drew in a deep breath and took stock of her situation. Her friends and loved ones should have been with her, helping her get ready. Instead, Alex had hired a half dozen actresses from Romania to play the role of bridesmaids. They spoke broken English and were very sweet. Soon they'd come to help her don her wedding gown, but for the moment she was alone with the dress and her thoughts.
The gown was vintage de la Renta, a garment so incredibly delicate and simultaneously grandiose she was nervous merely to be in its presence. The skirt of the gown was cast in dozens of hoops and swirls, cascading from the neat waist in an expansive circle.
“From my mother’s collection,” Alex had told her. “She would collect them, even though she refused to be married herself. She would have loved to see you in it.”
Sophie smiled at the memory. Alex had gone out of his way to make this day special for her. And it really was for her. He would quite happily have remained in a secret marriage forever. This was a grand gesture, a sorry for secretly marrying you against your will. As gestures went, it was quite sweet.
“Hello, Sophie.”
The voice was familiar, but she didn't recognize it at first. She turned around, her veil sweeping dramatically behind her as she came eye to eye with Ellen Islington, the overbearing office manager from the fifth floor of the Apex NYC corporate HQ.
For a second, Sophie wondered if she was seeing things. There was no reason for Ellen to be here. She wasn't on the guest list. Sophie had literally not thought about this woman since she'd worked at Apex, and that was an increasingly long time ago.
The woman was dressed in a sensible gray pantsuit. Not exactly wedding attire, but she wasn’t here for the wedding, obviously. She was here for something nefarious. Sophie had never liked this woman. She certainly didn't trust her.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Your language is coarse as ever,” Ellen replied, her tone clipped. “We need to talk.”
“Like fuck we do. What are you… is that a gun?”
"It is.”
“You can't stop the wedding. We’re already married.”
“I’m not here to stop the wedding, you silly girl. I’m here to activate you.”
Chapter 27
The organ swelled to the chords of the wedding march. Alex had never imagined that one day an instrument would play this tune for him. He'd intended on remaining single all his life, just as his mother had, perhaps adopting a worthy heir later in life, as she had.
The doors at the end of the chapel swung open, and Sophie turned the corner. An audible gasp went through the crowd. She was stunning. Like a perfect mannequin come to life. She was his real life doll, carved and sculpted to his specifications. She was as much his as anybody could be anybody else’s. He felt a swelling of pride, and love, and just a tinge of regret, knowing that beneath that perfect exterior the heart of an innocent still beat.
She proceeded down the aisle at a slow march, one step, two step, one step, two step. Her eyes were locked on his. She paid no attention to the adoring crowd. It was as if they didn't exist at all. Alex felt the same way. In all the world, only they two existed. This wedding might be attended by thousands, but it was all for her.