Walking Down The Aisle

Ariel wanted to laugh at Adele's words but she controlled herself well. She instead observed Vista Miller. 

The woman's smile faltered a little as if she was taken aback by Adele's straightforwardness and then she suddenly laughed out aloud. 

"Hahahaha....Adele, I didn't know you have such a good sense of humour. Ines never told me."

Adele perhaps preferred not to praise herself and stayed silent. 

Vista laughed for a few more moments before she looked at Ariel. Her smile was utterly soft and gentle as she moved towards Ariel and said 

"Oh my...our Leon's bride is so beautiful."

Vista held Ariel's hands so the latter had to stand up from the chair. As she stared at Ariel, Vista's eyes got filled up with tears and she said 

"My father would have gone crazy with happiness, if he had seen you my dear. You look so amazing. He had always wanted a beautiful, sensible, gentle and virtuous wife for Leon."

Adele sarcastically smiled at Vista's words. From whatever she had heard about Ariel, she was sure Ariel was not gentle at all. 

Vista was all in for surprises. 

Even Ariel found all the words used by Vista to describe herself ridiculous. At the same time she couldn't help but frown a little. 

The marriage was only for six months. Wasn't Vista's behaviour too weird for that? 

"I appologize that I didn't come to meet you before. I hope you will not hold it against me, my dear."

Vista said it very sweetly. Ariel merely shook her head. 

"Alright, I will take my leave then. I need to go and ensure that even Leon is ready."

And just like that, Vista left the room. 

"Does she not know that the marriage is for six months?"

Ariel asked as soon as Vista left the room. Her eyes were still towards the door.

Adele laughed in mockery and answered while looking towards the door.

"Rubbish! It was she only who had visited Father and put this proposal."

"Is that so?"

Ariel whispered. 

"Something is..."

"...really wrong with her."

Adele finished what Ariel had started but didn't complete. Both of them looked at each other for a few moments before Adele asked again

"Are you sure you don't want to run away? You still have the time to decide."

However, Ariel shook her head. 

No, she no longer have the time to decide. Her grandmother treatment has already started. She could only go with the flow now. 

She has already taken the money and she can't run away anymore. 

"Boring!"

Adele said and walked towards the door to leave. However, just when she was at the door, she stopped and turned around to look at Ariel. 

"By the way...you know that you need to walk down the aisle with him, right?"

Ariel frowned not understanding what Adele was saying and asked

"With whom?"

"Father."

Adele said and observed Ariel's expression for the next few moments. As expected, Ariel's eyes turned cold. 

"Well...if you want to run away just in case....tell me. I am in the wedding hall."

Adele left after saying these words. 

.

.

.

No one else from Miller family came to visit Ariel. Ariel wondered if this Leon Miller had only a paternal aunt on the name of relatives. 

Almost fifteen minutes later, Ines came to take her to wedding hall. 

As they walked outside the room, Ariel told Ines

"I don't want to walk down the aisle with him."

She didn't wish to be anywhere around that man. However, Ines shook her head and said firmly

"There is media there, Ariel. I can't do anything about it. If they saw that Henry Mintz's daughter was not walked down the aisle by him then there will be rumours in high society."

"But..."

"Just this once, Ariel!"

Ines's tone was that of request. Ariel looked away from her helpless expression and didn't say anything anymore. 

When they appeared in the marriage hall, everyone stood up from their seats. Her eyes immediately went to the man walking towards her. 

Henry MIntz. 

The person Ariel had despised the most in her life was her father. She stared at the man coldly while he looked unfazed by her gaze. 

He had that fatherly smile on his lips which she could predict t a glance was artificial. 

Oh! How well he could fake it! 

The sound of clicking pictures could be heard as Ines placed her hand in Henry's hand and then she was walking down the aisle.

Ariel tried to ignore the disgust she felt on being so much near to this man. So many memories flooded her mind making her feel dizzy and suffocated. 

She felt as if she wouldn't be able to breathe. 

Fortunately, the stage was only a little away. Henry finally gave her glove claded hand to someone else, supposedly her groom. 

She smiled coldly when she heard him say

"Take care of my daughter, Leon."

He sounded so much like a father who had cherished his daughter well for so many years. If only anyone knew the truth...

"Sure, Mr. Mintz."

The voice fell in Ariel's ears making her look at the person. Her face was covered by veil but she could see the man in front of her. 

And when she saw that face, Ariel couldn't help but gasp for a moment. 

Such beautiful grey eyes, that slender jawline, that sharp nose and chin, those hair slightly falling on forehead and those lips....why did she feel something weird inside her stomach on looking at them.

Ariel gulped and tried to look away but her mind didn't seem to listen to her.

Adele did tell her that her groom was a beauty but she didn't expect him to be so beautiful. 

She suddenly felt conscious of the hand that was holding hers own. 

The priest seemed to be chanting something but her focus was only on the man's face. 

Someone nudged her and Ariel turned slightly to look that it was Adele. Only then did Ariel realize that she was supposed to repeat something the priest was saying. 

Ariel blinked and was about to open her mouth to repeat when a shout sounded in the hall.