C5 THE FAKE WEDDING

Jaxon gulped nervously, trying to find the right answer to give to his parents. Autumn too was beginning to get scared that their charade was about to get exposed. She decided to intervene.

“C’mon babe, I can’t believe you forgot again. I reminded you just two weeks ago that my favorite thing to do is to read novels. Mr. and Mrs. Wellington, your son has been too busy with work these days that he forgets a lot of things. Even though we’ve been together for just six months and he still forget somethings about me, I still love him and will be by his side forever to keep reminding him of those things,” she said.

“Awwww, that’s so sweet,” Mrs. Wellington said.

The rest of dinner went well and Jaxon’s parents told them they had nothing to worry about as they would personally plan the whole wedding from beginning to end. News about their wedding spread out across the whole state, leaving everyone in shock. No one could believe that the notorious Playboy was out of the market and was getting ready to settle down. Everything came as a rush. Jaxon’s friends threw a bachelor party for him while Ruby and a few other ladies from Autumn’s former job came together to throw her a party too.

On the wedding day, Autumn was dressed in the most beautiful wedding gown which Jaxon’s mother said was the dress she used for her wedding to Jaxon’s father. Mrs. Wellington admitted that she had always wished that her future daughter -inlaw would put on the same dress. Autumn suddenly felt bad but it was too late to stop the whole charade. Ruby was Autumn’s maid of honour and her bridesmaids were the same ladies from her bachelorette party while Jaxon’s friends were his groomsmen.

The wedding went well and they moved to the reception. It was the biggest celebration in New York. Autumn and Jaxon’s played their parts well that noone could tell that they were taking everything. After the party, Jaxon’s driver drove them to the hotel that Jaxon’s parents got for them for their honeymoon. They barely spent the night there and had to drive over to Jaxon’s house as early as possible the next day.

The staff at Jaxon's mansion welcomed them happily. Jaxon, to the surprise of everyone, asked the staff to move Autumn’s things to a different room which they did. For Autumn, this makes the beginning of being a married woman to a certified jerk. She slowly began to adjust to her temporary life as Jaxon’s pretend wife.

Few weeks after the wedding, Mr. Wellington, Jaxon’s father handed over the company to Jaxon in a grand way. Soon, Jaxon became the CEO of the Wellington group. Autumn and Jaxon hardly saw each other although they slept under the same roof everyday. Autumn slowly started becoming bored in the house because the staff always kept their distance from her except they were serving her.

One day, she made her way to the kitchen and when the kitchen staff saw her there, they greeted her. The oldest one amongst then spoke,

“Mrs. Wellington, do you need anything ma’am.”

“No; actually I want to help in making breakfast,” Autumn said.

The kitchen staff looked amongst themselves, eyes wide open. They were shocked but the oldest one immediately spoke again,

“Oh no Mrs. Wellington, we can’t allow you in here. We’re your staff and we’re here serve you. Just let us know what you need and we’ll bring it to you.”

“First of all, I’m Autumn… just Autumn. So please call me that. Mrs. Wellington is what you’ll call my mother-in-law. Secondly, my position as Jaxon’s wife shouldn’t be a problem when I want to help. I just love helping; this house has been sort of a bondage since I got here. I just want to get close to everyone so I don’t become bored in here,” Autumn said honestly.

The oldest member of the staff felt sorry for her. They’ve all noticed the distance between Jaxon and Autumn sine after their wedding. The oldest member whom Autumn found out was named Sandra, later allowed Autumn to join them in the kitchen. Autumn made friends with the kitchen staff and also other staff in the house who kept her company whenever Jaxon was out of the house.

Autumn’s new relationships with the workers gave her the company she much missed in the huge estate. As she explored her temporary residence and occasionally joined the staff in various activities, she started to appreciate her time more. She was tending to some of the lovely flowers that decorated the grounds of the estate one day when Jaxon suddenly joined her. Given how infrequently he visited his home, Autumn was startled to find him there.

He asked sarcastically,

“Enjoying some gardening, huh?”

Autumn affirmed, seeming a little unsure of herself around him.

“Yes, it’s relaxing,” she said.

“Anyways, there is a charity event coming up this weekend and I have to appear there with you. I’ll have some dresses and other items you might need sent to you by today. Choose whichever one you’ll need and keep the rest,” Jaxon said and immediately walked away before Autumn could say anything else.

“Jerk,” Autumn said as she watched him walk away.

Later that evening, a couple of dresses, shoes and accessories were brought to her room. She went through them. A particular gold dress caught her eyes and she found matching shoes and accessories for them. Soon the day for the charity came and autumn got ready for the party. They arrived at the party in on time, looking gorgeously and in love, deceiving all the paparazzi people who kept taking pictures.

After all the pictures, they walked into the grand building.

“I didn’t think you’d show up,” Jaxon heard someone say behind them, causing Jaxon to grit his teeth.

“Xander,” Jaxon said with so much hatred in his voice.