Marriage with His Uncle!

“Alicia, you are one lucky girl to be marrying Nash,” my best friend Kylie said jokingly. I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Leave it to you to always brag about your brother! You know as well as I do that he’s the lucky one because I love him,” I replied with a grin. We both laughed and went back to enjoying our drinks. Today was my bachelorette party, and we were having a blast. I was ready to celebrate the time of my life when I received an anonymous message. “If you wish to know your fiancé well, come to this location.” The message was tagged with a location that Nash, my soon-to-be husband, frequented. Thinking it was just a prank, I ignored the message and continued chatting with Kylie. She was still raving about her brother, and soon I forgot about the message thanks to her endless chatter. That was until I received another message. “You will regret this.” Now that got my attention, and without saying a word, I decided to trust my instincts and check it out. “Kylie, look at this,” I said, showing her the message. She frowned. “Is someone pranking you?” she asked, and an idea sparked in my mind. “Wait, is Nash playing a prank on me? Maybe he has a surprise for me and is trying to lure me to this location without revealing his identity!” I said excitedly, convinced that it was Nash behind the messages. “What made you think that?” Kylie asked, still skeptical, but I could see she was beginning to believe me. “Look at the pattern of the messages. The sender knows how to get my attention. No one knows me better than your brother,” I explained. Her eyes lit up with excitement, and she started to consider the possibility it was indeed her brother calling me out. “You’re right! Let’s go check out his surprise,” Kylie agreed, and we left the bar to head to the location. It was an upscale club that many businessmen frequented for shady deals and socializing. I retrieved my membership card, and we were both checked in by the attendant. The attendant led us through twisted hallways. Halfway down, we ran into someone I least wanted to see. “Uncle!” Kylie exclaimed, rushing over to the man she called “Uncle” and wrapping her arms around him. He, however, had his attention fixed on me, watching me like a hawk as I awkwardly shifted from one leg to another. His aura screamed danger, and this was the first time I was meeting him up close. Clearing my throat, I gave him a polite nod and greeted, “Uncle!” My voice came out so low that even I could barely hear it, but he caught it loud and clear as he removed his gaze from me and finally acknowledged his niece. “You're here to meet Nash,” he said with certainty, still looking at me with unwavering eyes. Under the pressure, I nodded and almost hurried past him. Seeing my frightened expression, he didn’t hold us back and let us go. I sighed in relief when we finally turned down a hallway where I couldn’t feel his intense stare anymore. “Why are you always afraid of my Uncle?” Kylie asked curiously. “Have you seen the look in his eyes?” I responded instead of directly answering her. “What look? You’re the only one who finds him terrifying. Everyone else thinks he’s just unsociable but polite,” Kylie laughed. “I might sound crazy, but whenever he looks at me, it feels like he’s saying, ‘I will devour you.’ It terrifies me!” I exclaimed, struggling to express how unsettling his gaze was. “You’re being dramatic! Uncle isn’t a carnivorous animal who eats people,” Kylie chuckled, but I shivered at the memory of his penetrating look. He always seemed like a predator on the hunt when his eyes were on me. Finding it difficult to articulate my feelings, I stayed silent. “This is the room,” the attendant said, stopping us in front of the door where Nash was. We could hear voices coming from inside, speaking in hushed tones. I frowned. If Nash had a surprise for me, then why were there other people in the room? I found it odd but pushed the thought aside as I stepped closer to the door. Just as my hand touched the handle, I heard: “Come on, tell us why you’re marrying Alicia! Don’t give us that repetitive ‘I like her’ answer. We all know you don’t,” Nash’s best friend slurred drunkenly. “Like I said already, I like her,” Nash replied calmly. “Bullshit! You only dated her because she asked you out,” another friend shouted. They all sounded drunk, and I felt an urge to burst into the room and demand to know why they were joking around like that. But for some reason, my legs felt glued to the spot. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kylie frowning. I could see the anger building in her eyes as she waited for Nash’s response. I knew Nash liked me; I was confident of that, but I still found myself holding my breath for his answer. “You are half right,” Nash said. “I did date her because she asked me out. She is pretty, uncomplicated, and puts my mind at ease so I decided to date her, but it's also true that I like her. However, the reason I like her is not that I love her, nor do I wish to marry her because she is the love of my life, but she is the only woman who can give me what I want.” “You cunning bastard. You are only with her because her father can help you take over your grandfather's group, aren't you?” Someone asked. At that point, I wasn't concerned about who asked, and who answered. My heart was beating out of my chest, and tears stung my eyes as I waited for Nash’s answer, even though his last answer pretty much cleared my perspective of him. “Exactly! If I want to compete with my uncle, I need a strong backing,” Nash said unapologetically. “So, what happens after marriage? After you get what you want, will you divorce her?” “Why would I?” Nash frowned. “Even though I don't like her as a woman, she is still the best suitable to be my wife, and she always will be.” “I have never seen someone as cunning as you. How are you maintaining that facade that you love her with all your heart after all these years? Isn't it tiring?” “She makes it easy for me to maintain that facade. I just have to go along with whatever she wants, and she takes that as a gesture of love,” Nash answered. My tears were running down my cheeks as I listened to his cruel answers. “What if she finds out that you are playing her?” “She will never suspect anything,” Nash said as a matter of fact, and I couldn't bear to listen any longer. I turned my face away from the room, holding back the sobs that were threatening to escape past my lips. Kylie’s face was red with anger, and when she tried to barge into the room, I held her back. Seeing my condition, she walked me back home and cradled me like a baby as I cried my heart out. I felt hurt, used, betrayed, and lost at the same time. I felt so many emotions brimming in me that I was confused about how to react except crying out all the emotions. The night was painfully long, but little did I know that my heartbreak was someone's biggest victory and that I was but a pawn in the game of chess. ~•~