Leia stared at the mirror and wondered if she had dressed too formally for the occasion. She wore a black pair of dress pants over blue satin shirt and a pair of kitten heels. Her hair was neatly tied in a pony tail.
But then she knew Ethan was going show up wearing his usual business suit anyway. So that made two of them.
Glancing down at her wrist watch, the time read 9:33pm. They were supposed to be at the courthouse at 10am so she still had time to get a cab and head there. She grabbed her purse and began to put in the stuff she would need. Then her phone buzzed on the night stand and she picked it up. It was Ethan Sterling.
"Good morning, Mr Sterling."
"Are you ready yet?" He asked not bothering to wish her a good morning in return.
Leia bit the inside of her cheek before throwing on a smile as radiant as sunshine.
"Yes I am ready. I'll meet yo-"
"Good. Come on out then. I'm parked out front."
Leia blinked. Then she realized what he was trying to say.
"You're in front of my house?" she asked moving to her window where sure enough, his black Rolls Royce was parked close to the entrance of her building.
"Yes." He replied to her question. "Now hurry up. I think I'm beginning to attract undue attention."
Leia stifled a laugh. Of course he would attract undue attention. No one drives a Royce in this neighborhood.
Leia hurriedly took her purse and locked her apartment before heading downstairs to the entrance. She noticed her neighbors and passersby were staring at the sleek car.
She immediately slipped into the passenger's side of the car and was met with Ethan's intense blue eyes which seemed to get her speechless each and every time. She had never seen anyone whose eyes were as deep as the ocean that could swallow her up.
"H-hello Mr Sterling." She stuttered after a while of not knowing what to say.
Ethan gave her a brief once over and nodded, then he nodded before starting the car. The engine roared into life and soon, they were speeding off the asphalt.
Ethan was silent during the drive. Normally, he seemed to be a quiet person since he had never indulged her in small talk and only spoke when the matter was important. But today, he was even more quiet.
She didn't want him to be quiet though, she has so many things she wanted to ask him. Like for example, was she dressed okay? Was there any requirement that was needed? Was he as nervous as she was? But seeing that his eyes was fixed on the road, she looked away and stared at the passing buildings.
This was her first time getting married and even though it was a convenient one, she wanted to make the most out of it.
What would her parents think if they found out she was getting married to Ethan Sterling? Would they be happy for her? Her father probably would. He seemed to care. Her mother would act like she never heard the news. But she would have to tell them at some point.
After a not so long drive, the courthouse where they would register their marriage came into view. As Ethan pulled up at the parking lot, he glanced at Leia briefly.
"Are you ready?"
She nodded. She doubted it anything would change if she said she wasn't. She was going to do this.
Forty five minutes later, the two walked out of the building now legally husband and wife. Leia held onto the marriage certificate which was now in an envelope.
"This should be all for today, right? I have to get back to the school and-" Leia tried to say, handing the envelope back to Ethan.
"No." He objected. "You're coming with me to my office. There are still some stuff you have to sign."
Leia couldn't refute. He was her husband now, she thought wryly. With a sigh, she got into the car.
During the drive, Leia remembered that she didn't have breakfast. She had woken up early to put her stuff in order and get ready to go to the marriage registry, that food was the last thing she thought of.
Now she heard her stomach rumble lightly. Slowly, absolutely slowly, she turned her head to look at Ethan who still kept his eyes fixed on the road. He didn't hear it. She was safe.
Until her stomach decided to roar in protest. She didn't dare look at Ethan. She knew he must have heard.
"You didn't have breakfast, did you?" He asked, looking ahead.
"I was thinking I would be able to grab a cup of coffee at a cafe nearby before heading to the courthouse." Leia explained and he nodded.
"Well, I haven't had breakfast either. I'll ask Lawrence to prepare something when we get to the office. Will you be okay with that?" He asked, meeting her eyes for the second time that day.
Leia nodded. A call came in that diverted her attention from the mortification she felt. On the screen it read Lawrence. Just who Ethan was going to call. He pressed a button on the screen and answered the call, putting it on speaker.
"Good morning, Boss. How'd your marriage go?" Lawrence asked right off the bat like he had been waiting for that moment to ask.
"You seem more excited about my marriage than me, Lawrence. Is that because you have less work to do now. I think I have been quite lenient with you." Ethan replied his cheeky secretary.
"Please, you can't stop me from being happy even if you tried. Maybe getting married will help you be less grumpy and annoying."
Leia smothered a laugh and that earned her a glare from Ethan. Leia never knew that Lawrence was this talkative. He was usually looking quiet and hardworking whenever she saw him.
"What about the new Mrs Sterling? Did she return back to school?" Lawrence asked.
"Nope. I'm right here." Leia replied to Lawrence.
"Oh, Congratulations on your marriage, ma'am." He said, the cheer in his voice dropping significantly. Was he shy around her? He was always acting proper around her. Well, she would verify that later.
"Surely you have another reasons for calling other than being a nuisance." Ethan inquired.
"Oh yes, Mr Sterling. The Sterling family lawyer came to the office earlier with your two uncles. They ask that you relinquish your position as CEO. And that you should do it today."
Ethan's gaze hardened at the news from his secretary. Now that he was married, it was time to settle things once and for all.
In his most iciest voice, he told his secretary.
"Tell them that I will give them my answer, at my birthday celebration tomorrow."
"I thought you don't celebrate your birthday, boss." Lawrence wondered over the phone.
"This birthday is special. And a lot of things are going to go down." Ethan smiled to himself. Now he was ready to handle his grandfather's legacy.