Marriage of Inconvenience

PEOPLE always say that time and tide wait for no one. As much as Cyrel wanted to lock herself in her room to sulk and cry her heart out, she could not. She could not just ask her family and her beloved sister, Casey, to postpone the wedding because her heart was in pieces, could she?

Casey had already found the perfect man for her. And in a few hours, she would be walking down the aisle with him.

Cyrel took a deep breath as her chest tightened. The silk dress was already a little tight for her curvy body. She sat in front of the mirror, inside the cold hotel room, supposedly doing her makeup. But instead, she kept reading Raymond’s text over and over again.

I’m sorry, Cy. I am not happy with this relationship anymore. If I don’t walk away now, it will only hurt us more. I didn’t mean to fall for Julienne. But she was always there for me. She brought life back to me. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me.

He broke up with her through the phone! The asshole she dated for five years dumped her through text a few days ago. Raymond said he found someone new. Someone adventurous, exciting, and outgoing—someone she was not. She already imagined his new girl to be tall, long-legged, and fit—someone she was not, again.

Cyrel was stuck inside the same old office every day where she worked as an accountant. A part of her could not blame Raymond for leaving her for someone else, though. She had spent more time in front of her computer than with him.

And she kept reading his text not because she was a masochist and she wanted to hurt herself. Crazy as it may seem, Cyrel was hoping Raymond would contact her again, tell her he regretted his decision, and ask her to start all over again.

Heaven knows how much she tried to beg him not to leave her and give their love another chance. But he would not take her call, and he refused to meet her.

She was trying so hard to be the perfect daughter so that her parents would be proud of her, forgetting her responsibilities as a girlfriend in the process. Only to realize that after all these years of trying, her efforts were bound to be put to waste.

Her parents still could not appreciate her. They always had their eyes on Casey. Casey was sickly as a young girl, so she needed more attention. Casey wanted to do this; Casey would be happy to do that. Casey got what she wanted without doing that much.

All Cyrel wanted was to pursue a career in singing. And when she told her parents that she wanted to pursue music as a course in college, they rejected the idea without having a second thought.

She was the older daughter; she must help with the family business. No one cared about what she wanted. No one asked if she was all right.

She was jealous of her sister. Although they had a good relationship, it only hurt her to see that she could not live as freely as Casey. Everyone just could not help but fall in love with her sister.

And now, Casey was getting married. And it would be a wedding that every woman was jealous of.

“That could have been Raymond and me,” she muttered under her breath. After being together for half a decade, the only thing she was expecting was a marriage proposal from him. Not this stupid break-up via text.

Cyrel quickly grabbed a napkin and wiped her eyes.

She hummed her favorite tune as she squeezed the liquid foundation on the side of her knuckle. She began to pat a generous amount on her freckled face.

Cyrel admitted to neglecting herself for a time now. She gained some weight, and she lost her confidence because of that.

“I am beautiful no matter what they say… Words can’t bring me down…” she sang.

Cyrel cleared her throat as her tears began to well up around her green eyes.

You only got yourself now, Cyrel. You have to be strong…

“CYREL!”

Cyrel jumped at the booming voice of her father outside the hotel room. It was followed by a loud banging on the door.

“Cyrel, open the door!”

The wooden chair squeaked as she hastily stood up. This was supposed to be a merry celebration for the family, but Christian Byrne’s tone insinuated something else.

“D-Dad, what’s the matter?” Cyrel asked as her parents stormed into the room.

Her father wore an elegant tuxedo while her mother, Rosell Byrne, wore a glittering white dress. Christian looked furious while Rosell was about to cry.

Her heart pounded as she thought of Casey. What could have happened?

“What do you know about this?” Christian waved a letter in her face.

She instantly recognized Casey’s handwriting. Cyrel took the letter and read it carefully.

Dear Mom, Dad, and Cyrel, I could not think of a better way to tell you goodbye and that I never wanted this wedding. I don’t want to sound ungrateful to all of you, but it’s the truth. It’s the only chance I got, and I’m afraid I would regret it if I let it pass.

Cyrel’s hand trembled as she continued reading.

I just wanted to know what I wanted with my life before I settled down. I’m going backpacking in Europe, hoping I will find myself and realize what it is that I truly desire. I hope you understand. I love you. Please don’t worry about me. I’m not as weak as you think I am.

Cyrel, I’m sorry if I failed you as your sister.

Love, Casey

She stared at the piece of paper, dumbfounded.

“Where did you get this letter?”

“What? You don’t know anything about it?” Christian roared.

Her father was a bulky man and intimidating at all times.

She shook her head.

“I haven’t talked to her since yesterday. I never got the chance.” Because I was still crying my heart out. But, yeah, as if you’d be interested to know.

But that was not the case at the moment. The fact still remained that Casey jilted her groom, and it will be the talk of the town.

“I went to check her in her room, and I found the letter on the bed.” Rosell sobbed. “W-what are we going to do now? We’re canceling the wedding at the very last minute!” She turned her back, and she went on crying.

Cyrel swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

“We can’t do anything about it, can we?” she said.

“Of course, we can,” Christian snapped. “A wedding will still take place. And you, Cyrel, will walk down the aisle in your sister’s place.”

Cyrel’s eyes widened.

“Dad!” She glanced at her mom, searching for backup. But Rosell was not looking as the matriarch’s tears poured. Her heart broke once again. “You got to be kidding me! This is not fair! How can I marry a man I never met? I’ve got nothing to do with this!”

“I wish I was, Cyrel, but it’s the only choice we got. We’re losing our company. You are losing your job. I have a huge debt to pay. Unless you want to see our family on the streets begging for food… Look, I could never afford to ruin my friendship with Rustom. You have to marry his son. You have always wanted to pursue a career in music, haven’t you? If you agree to be his wife, it’s now possible. Now’s your chance to do it.”

Cyrel wanted to convince herself that this was not happening, that she was only dreaming.

Christian smirked as he cupped her cheek with his cold, rough hands. Cyrel flinched.

“Now is your chance to save our family from impending humiliation. I know you’ve always wanted to make us proud, Cyrel. Now is your chance to prove it. Make your father proud, hmm?”

Cyrel clenched her fists at her sides. Her father knew all along, and he purposedly ignored her efforts. What kind of a man was her father?

A monster…

What happened to the man she used to adore as a kid?

“Rosell, you’re going to stay with Cyrel until she puts on Casey’s wedding dress. Make sure that things would turn out well.”

“Y-yes, Christian.”

“M-Mom…” A tear fell from her eye.

“It will be all right, darling.”

“I can’t marry someone I don’t know.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not for you to decide,” Christian snapped. He then walked out of the room, the door closing with a loud thud behind him.

Rosell squeezed Cyrel’s hand.

“I know it’s hard for you, darling. It’s hard for me, too. But your father is on edge. We could not think of a better way to save our family. This would not have happened if Casey did not leave just like that. I don’t know what has gotten into her mind…”

Cyrel pulled away and sat on the bed, feeling weak.

“I-I’ll just… I’ll just call the hair and makeup artist,” her mother said awkwardly.

“WHAT HAPPENED to you and Dad?” Cyrel asked as Rosell returned with the makeup artist. The latter proceeded to set her makeup kit in front of the dresser. Cyrel remained seated on the bed.

She lifted her head and met her mother’s eyes with her own cold gaze.

“How could you watch me marry a man I never met? I never really mattered to any of you, did I?” she spat bitterly.

“Cyrel, you are my eldest daughter. When did you learn to talk back like that?” Rosell scolded, though Cyrel could sense the guilt she was trying to cover up.

“Ever since I realized how unfair you’ve been treating me all this time,” she replied through gritted teeth.

Her mother looked taken aback.

“I should have known I would never be good enough for this family no matter what I did.” Cyrel sniffed as a tear fell from her eye. “What did I ever do wrong to this family?”

“Nothing except that I wish I had a son instead of you,” Christian quipped as he returned to the room.

Cyrel froze as she watched two hotel staff members bring two mannequins wearing plus-size wedding gowns inside the room. Christian stopped in front of her.

“I’m sorry, darling. I think it’s already too late for you to stand up for yourself. As long as I’m alive, I will never let my name go down the drain.” He cocked his head to the side. “But things could change, you know. If you put on that wedding gown now, you will be the hero of our family. First, Rustom will save my company from ruin, and second, I will finally have the son that I’ve been dreaming of.” He smiled, but there was no fondness in his eyes.

Her father was only thinking about himself and his company that was now on the brink of destruction because of his own doing. Their company and their name must come before anyone else. And Cyrel, who did not wish to be born in the family, must become the pawn because no one really cared about her own happiness.

Cyrel grabbed the skirt of her dress and fisted it.

Christian nonchalantly motioned for the newly arrived gowns when he did not get a response from her.

“It’s a good thing they have spare gowns you can use.” He turned to Rosell. “Rosell, give our dear daughter the assistance she needs. Make sure she could walk comfortably down the aisle later. Rustom is just as excited as I am. He said he could not wait to welcome Cyrel to the family.”

Cyrel looked away as she slowly let out a deep breath.

“D-don’t worry. It won’t be a problem. We already got everything we need,” Rosell reassured him.

Cyrel only caught a glimpse of Christian’s shoes as he marched out of the room and closed the door again.

“WHAT DO YOU think?” the makeup artist said, looking proud as she watched Cyrel through the mirror. Cyrel forgot to ask her name. Somehow, she felt bad. If it were a different situation, she would have made friends with her.

As Cyrel stared at her reflection in the mirror, she would not have recognized the woman she was seeing if not for her eyes—sad and resentful. Her ginger hair was down to avoid emphasizing her chubby cheeks, and contouring was expertly done.

Rosell appeared behind them.

“Oh, she looks lovely,” her mother said with a beam. “You’re indeed the best makeup artist in town, Magda.”

So that was her name, Cyrel thought.

Rosell and Magda giggled at each other as if they were long-time friends. Then, her mom paused and studied her face once again. She pursed her lips.

“Magda, do you think you can do something with her eyes? Putin some contact lenses, perhaps? You know, so her eyes would look bright and cheerful.” Rosell shrugged.

“Oh.” Magda stroked her chin thoughtfully. “Her eyes are beautiful as they are, but yeah, they kind of look sad.”

“Leave my eyes alone,” Cyrel snapped unenthusiastically. She had no plans in hiding from the world that her wedding day was the day she regretted being.

“But, darling, this is a very important occasion. You can’t walk down the aisle looking like you are mourning,” Rosell protested.

“I can, and I will.” Cyrel stared at her mother’s eyes through the mirror without blinking.

“YOU KNOW, he’s not so bad. I mean, your future husband,” Rosell said as she walked Cyrel to the bridal car waiting outside the hotel. “He’s a fine young man, good-looking and very sociable. He had a reputation, but, well, you know how men are,” she added with an awkward giggle.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m sure he feels the same way as I do,” Cyrel replied.

Cyrel was unsure if she had ever seen Rustom King’s only son before. Though his name was also considered royalty in the business world, she never paid attention to them. She was never passionate about business. She could barely play her role as Raymond’s girlfriend—well, ex-girlfriend now.

The chauffeur got out from the driver’s seat as soon as he spotted them.

Cyrel took a deep breath as the man opened the door of the backseat. She got in quietly and did not bother to throw her mother a glance. She just wanted it to be over already.

“Don’t forget your bouquet,” Rosell reminded her as she passed the flowers through the window.

She took it unenthusiastically.

CYREL was contemplating whether to tell the driver to drive far from the cathedral or run away on her own as she waited in the backseat. If she did not do it now, she would never have the chance. The ceremony had begun, and she only had herself to blame if she ended up in an unhappy, loveless marriage while her parents rejoiced because they got to keep their fortune and reputation.

“Oh, great,” she muttered under her breath as she saw her parents walking toward the bridal car. Guess there’s no escaping now. I’m doomed.

Christian opened the door. Cyrel bit her lip as she stepped down from the car. They marched toward the church without exchanging words. Some of the guests were already looking over in their direction.

“You won’t do something stupid now that we’re here, right?” Christian warned.

“You think this is smart?” Cyrel murmured.

“Here, let me help you,” Rosell offered as she pulled the veil over Cyrel’s face.

This is not happening…

But as the bridal march song began to play, she was proven wrong. When Christian and Rosell began to walk ahead of her, Cyrel spotted a tall, lean man standing by the altar in a black tuxedo. Her heart pounded. That was him, her groom. And whether she liked it or not, he was going to change her life forever.