The wedding invitation cards

Avery's face flushed pink as she watched Sebastian descend the stairs gracefully. His upper body was dripping with water, and his wet black hair became even darker like coal.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her breath stiffened.

'You need to wake up. Athletes have this kind of body. Avery,'

"Nothing is new about him. Remember, he is—"

"Why are you standing behind the door, all dazed out?" His cold voice rang through her ears like a symphony, settling at the pit of her stomach.

Her heartbeat accelerated in her chest because of the aura and charisma this man exuded.

Avery scolded herself for staring too long as she walked inside the spacious sitting room. Staring at him straight in the eye to give a useless excuse.

She parted her lips to speak, but he didn't wait for her reply as he walked deeper into the spacious room. Instead of stopping, he took a left turn and opened another door behind the stairs.

A door Avery hasn't noticed before. Maybe it was because she hadn't explored the mansion. Avery exhaled the breath she had been holding the moment Sebastian disappeared inside the giant door.

She touched her heart, which didn't stop drumming loudly in his chest. 

"It's normal to feel this way, Avery," Avery assured herself, patting her chest slightly. 

"You haven't seen a naked, grown man. So, this is normal," Avery added, but her thoughts betrayed her.

She kept on seeing the images replaying in her mind like a movie in slow motion. 

"I must be going crazy," Avery thought aloud as she decided to walk up to the staircase, shaking her head in disbelief. 

"As time goes on, I know I will be seeing more of this in my line of work." 

*** 

Avery was about to go offline after watching some model poses on her phone when a message suddenly popped in in her WeChat app.

She clicked on the message to read the content.

"Congratulations Avery. Father just told me you will be getting married to someone to save his company. I can't wait to thank you enough for helping him out."

Avery hissed in anger when she read the message her sister sent.

"Jessica was going to play the pity card today?" 

Avery didn't return the message, as she placed the phone on the bed. Her two hands covered her face in frustration. She shut her eyes and waited to be drifted into the dreamland.

"Just two weeks more, and everything will be fine," Avery whispered. 

"I will be back to my daily routine. Living and spending lavishly under the disguise of this marriage."

The moment she heard the knock on the door, Avery sprang out of bed in a hurry to open the door for whoever it was. 

She wasn't surprised to see that it was the Butler again. The man is indeed trying hard to make everything right in the mansion.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. The young master told me to give you this." The Butler said, holding a small box in his hands with his head bowed low.

Avery collected the box from the butler and took it. "Thank you," she said politely to the Butler.

Avery closed the door behind her and walked back to the bed.

"What is inside?" she asked, pouting her lips with her brows raised. She opened the box. The invitation cards were lying inside. Maybe ten of them or twelve.

Avery couldn't smile as she watched the cards lying in the box.

"He couldn't even give it to me by himself," Avery asked, alone in the room.

"I guess this is how it's going to be. He sure has pride." 

"Not talking to each other and minding each other's business." She continued, checking one of the cards. 

Avery knew they were beautiful, but she just didn't want to admit it. 

"A—a garden?" Avery stuttered. She wasn't sure if she had read it wrong. She wondered if she was expecting it to be a church.

"Maybe because this marriage is fake, he knew it'd be better not to lie in church." Avery chuckled, saying this. 

Avery put the box on top of the wardrobe and sat back on the bed with her legs dangling. 

'Then it's fine with me. Let's just get this one with.'

****

Avery pressed her legs together in the car as Connor drove her across the street of Los Angeles. Her heart felt heavy with the burden she was carrying. She has decided to visit her workplace today. The wedding is just six days away. 

She was going to get the invitation card delivered to the company, but she knew it might be somehow since most of them didn't know her at all.

As soon as the car was pulled to a stop at the front of the company, Avery got down gingerly from the car. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back, dancing slowly to the movement of the air.

"I will be back," Avery said to Connor, leaving the car. She walked inside the building in her long strides with confidence. She was on the edge because she wasn't sure how everyone was going to react.

Avery only told Mrs. Piper she would be coming today, just to make sure the woman would be there to cheer her up and all.

When Avery took the elevator and got down to the third floor, she was surprised to see that the floor was vacant with no one in the room.

Still, she didn't stop walking in. Her long blue velvet dress clung to her body in the right places.

"Hello," she said aloud on the quiet floor. Her eyes scrutinized the floor for anyone.

"Anyone here?" Avery asked again as she walked further inside. Her voice echoes in the room.

Avery was surprised no one was in the building, and she could see different cars parked outside.

She wondered if they all went for lunch or something, but they should be in the cafeteria eating, right? Avery decided to turn back to leave.

However, a sudden whooshing sound in the air made her look up to see what was wrong.