Jaguar stood at the airplane door, paralyzed. Inside, Fati waited for him, her emerald eyes shining like a fresh plant newly watered. He longed to be beside her, but his mind, poisoned by revenge, told him to push her away. He had to make her hate him to save her from his dark world. He turned away and walked down the steps. Perhaps longing will kill the passion in her heart.
- Sir, aren't you joining the Lady on the plane?
His secretary asked, confused.
- No,
Jaguar snapped, his voice cold.
- Let her travel alone. Please go and inform her that I won't be with her in our honeymoon
Inside his car, his hand trembled as he touched his lips they still burned from her kiss an hour ago. That fire had melted the ice he had lived in for years. Her kiss was sweeter than any pleasure he had ever known. He realized with fear that if he didn't flee now, he would run back to her and lose himself in her arms. That thought ignited a terrifying spark in his eyes.
- Drive!
He commanded the chauffeur.
-Fast!
Inside the plane, Fati waited with bated breath, replaying the kiss in her mind. It wasn't just what she had imagined it was more magical, more intense. She never thought she would be the one to take the lead in their perfect kiss.
She scolded herself, thinking, "What has happened to me? Where is the rational girl everyone knew at school? No boy could ever catch my eye, so what is this strange obsession? What will my husband think of me?"
She lingered on the word husband, and a mischievous, almost devilish smile played on her lips. She realized that with this man, her heart moved faster than her mind could stop. Right then, she made a decision: she would play the role of the shy bride. From now on, she would make him take every step, forcing him to lead while she hid behind a mask of innocence.
Fati felt a movement behind her, and her body froze. Her heart raced as she thought, without turning around: "Is it him? Will we finally talk, just the two of us, away from the wedding noise?"
But a strange, cold voice broke her daydream:
- My lady, Mr. Jaguar sends his apologies. He will not be able to join you on this trip.
Before she could process the news, a woman in solid black with a stern face entered and sat in the seat across from her. The man continued:
- This is your personal bodyguard. Please, make sure you stay within her sight at all times.
He left without another word, leaving Fati in a whirlwind of confusion. Her heart sank. Why was she traveling alone? Shouldn't she be by his side? She tried to calm herself with the innocence of a lover: Perhaps he has urgent business and will join me later. He wouldn't just leave me like this at the very beginning.
Fati knew the flight would be long, so she refused to spend it in hollow silence. She began talking to the woman across from her, who initially responded with cold, brief answers. When Fati asked about Jaguar, she realized the guard knew nothing of his personal life; she was simply an employee in his vast empire.
But Fati possessed an invincible weapon: her genuine warmth. Within half an hour, she had melted the icy mask of the guard. They began talking like old friends, sharing their favorite books, songs, and colors, lost in conversation until the plane finally landed.
Upon arrival, a private secretary awaited her to organize her trips outside the hotel. Everything followed a strict, pre-arranged schedule. A bitter realization dawned on Fati: Jaguar had planned every single detail for her to be alone. Did he know all along that he wouldn't be coming?
A week passed, and Fati had become the heart and soul of her surroundings. She didn't just tour museums and markets; she transformed the lives of those around her. She picked colorful, beautiful clothes for her guard and secretary, and even their faces seemed brighter, filled with a glow they hadn't shown in years. Reports reached Jaguar daily every move she made, every laugh she shared with his employees, and every photo of her looking radiant.
One morning, as Fati sat eating breakfast while her companions filled their plates at the buffet, a stranger approached her:
- Fati? Is that really you, Fati?
She looked up and recognized a former schoolmate one of the boys who had sent her love letters years ago, letters she had never answered. She gave him a polite smile, even though his name escaped her.
At that exact moment, from a nearby corner, the bright, sharp flash of a camera went off, cutting through the morning silence like a warning of something about to break.
In a flash, Eddy, the bodyguard, lunged at the man sitting before Fati, slamming him to the floor with brutal efficiency. Meanwhile, the photographer vanished into the crowd like a ghost. Within an hour, Fati's photos were everywhere on social media:
The bride of the Jaguar-Baik family... alone on her honeymoon, meeting her secret lover!
Inside her suite, Fati was oblivious to the scandal. She was gently placing a bandage on her classmate's forehead, scolding her guard:
- Why did you do that, Eddy? He was just an old friend, he only sat down to say hello... he didn't deserve such violence!
Eddy replied coldly, her hand hovering near her weapon:
- But I saw a camera flash, Fati. I had to react.
Fati sighed, shaking her head:
- Yes, but you should have caught the photographer, not taken your anger out on this poor man!
She had no idea that she was the talk of the world, and that her husband, Jaguar who was tracking her every move had just seen the pictures.
Even after hearing what the secretary said about her friend, Fati couldn't bring herself to care. Her heart was fluttering, unable to look at anyone but the man standing before her. She kept sending him shy, timid smiles, then biting her lip to hide her bashfulness. Seeing her lips the very same lips that haunted his thoughts all week with the memory of their kiss made Jaguar lose all control. Yet, he suddenly barked,
- Teach him a lesson he will never forget!
As they grabbed her friend to drag him away, Fati finally realized something was terribly wrong.
- Why are you doing this? He didn't do anything!
She cried.
The secretary shoved an iPad in front of her, showing the scandalous headlines. Fati gasped, her green eyes flashing with a wild, fiery anger.
Nothing happened between us! He just sat across from me!
She lunged to pull her friend's hand away from them. Jaguar couldn't take it anymore; he yanked her back, stopping her from touching him.
- Stay where you are. You are being punished.
Fati stood in shock. Punished? She hadn't done anything wrong! Jaguar turned to the bodyguard and the secretary, his voice like ice:
You are both fired. Get out. I never want to see you again.
Then, he turned his cold, piercing gaze back to her:
- Sit down. Now. My patience has run out.
Fati couldn't bring herself to sit, but seeing her friends leave with such broken expressions made her decide to stay and try to reason with him. Everyone left, leaving only Jaguar, who sank into a plush chair opposite her. Fati sat, trembling; she had realized that her husband was truly terrifying when his anger took hold.
Noticing the secretary was still there, she looked at him with tear-filled eyes, pleading:
- Please, tell him I did nothing to tarnish the family's honor!
The secretary didn't answer. Instead, he coolly placed two documents on the table one in front of her, one in front of Jaguar and walked out, leaving them alone in the suffocating silence. Fati looked at the paper, raising her eyebrows in confusion:
- A contract between us? To set boundaries for today?
- But... we are already married!
Jaguar looked at her, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
- This marriage does not exist in my dictionary,
He said, his voice cold as stone.
- And I do not recognize it.
He signaled for her to read the document. She was baffled by his silence; in front of cameras, he was always so bold, but here, he barely spoke. Yet, his mere presence sent waves of apprehension through her, making her skin prickle. She read the first lines and gasped,
- A contract marriage? Why?
- Finish reading,
He replied coldly.
She lowered her gaze back to the paper. He watched her eyelashes flutter lowering, then rising to reveal shocked green eyes, then dropping again. Every time she looked up at him, his heart leaped so violently that he had to press his hand against his chest to silence its frantic thumping. At one point, while reading the clause No kissing allowed, her mouth formed a shape of disbelief, and she looked straight at his lips-lips that were now strictly off-limits to her.
She reached the final clause and asked, her voice trembling with naive hope:
The contract ends after three years... and what then? Is this a test? If I succeed, will you finally treat me as a real wife, with all my rights?
The answer hit her like a whip:
- No. At the end, I will hand you your divorce papers and delete you from my life forever.