CHAPTER-21( I'll be your wife for the rest of my life because you've the most valuable thing that I don't have, so I don't want to go away now)

Luna and Arthur stepped inside the funeral hall. Most of the guests have already left the place. Only the two managers and a few employees from Luna's department were present there. 

There is still Jorge's photograph placed at the center of the hall with a lot of flowers and camphor. The scent of incense burner made the funeral hall more deathly and colorless.

Newton is holding the marriage registration papers. A marriage register guy also came there. One of the managers continuously kept roaming through the hall out of tension and confusion. He was extremely anxious wondering why suddenly Luna and Arthur decided to get married out of nowhere. 

Newton placed the marriage documents on a table, discovering Arthur walking towards them,holding Luna. 

Luna plastered a wide bright smile on her face but it couldn't hide her distressed look. She kept assembling her unsettled heart and trying to hold herself to be mentally prepared to fulfill all the formalities of marriage. She prayed hard at least to be able to complete the marriage registration without running away.

"Is everything ready!?" Arthur asked, looking at the manager. 

"Yes, sir. We've sent both of you Id cards to the register office. You two just need to sign here and give consent. "

"Good." Arthur gave a content look. 

He pulled a chair towards the table. 

"Sit here."

Luna obediently sat on the chair as Arthur told her to sit. 

Newton slided the documents and a pen in their direction. 

Arthur silently read all the papers and gave another quick revision. 

"Signature on these places." Arthur commanded Luna in a soft and shy tone. 

Luna grabbed the pen with her almost frozen hands. Even her fingers also became paralyzed. She felt like jumping into a poisonous ocean by her own will when it's obvious that she'll never be able to cross the ocean even if she keeps swimming all her life.

"W–Where….??" With a low and scared voice Luna asked, looking at Arthur.

"Here…." 

"Okay." She nodded. 

Luna took a deep breath and was about to sign. But again she stopped and looked at Arthur with pitiful and helpless eyes. 

Arthur gave a gentle smile. He patted her shoulder. 

"It's okay. Just relax and sign here. Nothing is going to change. So don't be scared. It was totally your decision anyway. And you've made the appropriate decision for yourself indeed." Arthur tried to give her mental support.

"I know that. You don't have to tell me." Luna said in an upset voice. 

She took the papers and signatured all the pages. 

As soon as she finished, Arthur snatched the papers and checked it with a glistening face. 

Then he also signed everywhere at a quick speed and handed the documents to the marriage register guy. 

Everyone clapped and a delightful noise rolled over the small crowd. All of them started congratulating the newly wedded couple. 

The manager let out a breath of relief. 

" That's all!! Did everything complete. SO I'M MARRIED NOW?!?" Luna exclaimed looking at everyone. 

"Not yet, my sweet wife." Arthur answered as he was standing beside Luna's chair. 

He walked closer to the chair where Luna was sitting and clenched the both sides of her face through the palm of his hands. 

He pulled her face a little higher towards him. 

Luna dumbfoundedly looked at Arthur. 

Without letting her have any chance to protest, Arthur swiftly marked a slight kiss on her forehead. And the next moment he lowered his head and captured her lips between the layers of his own lips.

The forehead kiss was gentle and loose whether the lipkiss was totally its opposite and impulsive. 

Arthur took the full benefit of direct linkage of the bare surface of their lips and creased Luna's mouth up to his satisfaction while ignoring the others. But he didn't continue longer and release her lips with a strong, engrossing but short lengthened kiss. 

"Now everything has been completed. And we're married." Arthur kept holding her face while stating in a shy but sly voice. 

Luna looked at him with suppressive disgust. She moped her mouth with her hands to extinguish the touches of Arthur's lips.

"Okay, I understood." She harshly mattered in a calm manner.

Arthur's face visualized with a satisfied smile. He rubbed Luna's head before removing her hands from her skin contact. 

Everyone made noise while shouting with excitement. 

Arthur turned to their direction and signaled them to be silent so that he could speak.

"Okay guys...thanks for attending our wedding and Maxwell's funeral as well. I hope everyone will maintain their manners and I don't have to punish anyone for spreading any silly rumors. As for us, Luna and I know each other from our highschool days. She was my girlfriend back then and now she's my wife. We grew up together.So don't need to imagine anything dirty or wild." Arthur maintained the blusy smile while turning his eyes and voice cruel and threatening. 

"And another thing. I don't expect anyone's favor or interference to carry the news of my marriage to the Chairman before I tell him. He's my uncle. So I want to tell him in person. It would be a shame if he gets this news from anyone else before I tell him. So chained your mouth until I confess to him." Arthur added. 

"Don't worry, sir. All of us are loyal. We only take orders and abide by them. You can rest assured that no one will dare to intervene in your affairs." The manager answered with confidence. 

"Okay, then… you guys enjoy and keep celebrating the marriage on behalf of us. …. I'll give you all a bonus payment." Arthur loudly said while looking at the manager. 

He ordered the manager with his eyes to implement the bonus issue. The manager bowed his head as a confirmation. 

Everyone screamed with joy while clapping again.

Luna grabbed a bottle of water from the table and drank the water to reload her strength. 

Her mental state has already relaxed down. Her emotions were already dismayed and turned empty. She unknowingly kept whipping her lips with the back of her hand. 

"It's better in this way . It's alright if I've to go through all this. None of it can be compared with the reward I'm going to get after this hardship . From now on you'll always be within my reach. I'll never let you go away,Bran." Luna thought in her mind while pressing the plastic bottle with her fingers. 

Arthur held Luna's hand and pulled her from the chair. 

"Let's go…" he said while dragging her out of the crowd. 

The two managers followed them along with Newton. 

"Where are we going?" She asked, walking beside him. 

"You're still sick. So you'll be returning to the hospital and I'll have to attend the marriage register office to handle the rest. Sorry I can't take you to the hospital by myself. The manager will accompany you there." Arthur spoke in a very caring voice. 

"No, I want Newton to take me to the hospital." Luna shifted her gaze towards Newton with an evil smile. 

Finally she got a proper opportunity to pay back Newton's betrayal.

"Okay. As you wish my dear wife." Arthur smiled. 

Newton seemed to sense the upcoming danger looking at Luna's behavior. Some lines of tension appeared on his forehead. 

"No…sir …...I– I won't go with her. I've to go to the register office with you anyway."Newton refused promptly. 

"You'll have to go with me." Luna insisted. 

"Newton….. Don't make any fuss. Just go with her. She's not going to eat you up. We're going with sir instead of you." One of the managers exclaimed with irritation.

"Yeah… As Luna wants you to go with her, you must accept it, buddy." Arthur added. 

"But sir…."

"....." Arthur looked at Newton narrowed his eyes. 

"I'll go take out the car from the parking lot." Newton surrendered and went towards the parking area leaving them in front of the gate of the cemetery. 

"Please wait here for a moment."

The managers also followed him to take out another car for Arthur.

Arthur was still holding Luna's hand. 

As soon as everyone left them in solitary, Luna yanked back her hand from Arthur's grips. 

"I've had enough. Too much sugar may cause diabetes." Luna frowned while twisting her lips. 

"I'm going to bury you alive underneath this sugar." Arthur laughed. 

Luna didn't answer and kept observing the graveyard surrounding them. 

" We both know that you're not in love with me. So stop pretending." Luna bit her lips egotistically. 

"Neither you're in love with me. But see we've ended up as husband and wife. I really wonder why you suddenly agreed to marry me…Can you tell me the reason…" Arthur asked, making a mysterious aura. 

"You'll get to know soon. Maybe the reason is love ... Or you'll never know…." Luna gave a creepy smile. 

"Oh….shut up ….. it's not love…. I know you. You can Tell me the real reason. Let's just be frank.HOW WORSE IT CAN BE AT MOST!!??" Arthur put his arms around Luna's shoulder.

"I'll tell you. But before that, can you tell me your reason!! SWEAR ON THE LORD AND TELL ME HONESTLY IF THE REASON OF YOUR MARRYING ME IS REALLY LOVE OR LUST. Do you have the guts??…" Luna boldly nailed her gaze on Arthur's unspoken intention. 

Arthur couldn't say anything to defend himself. 

He turned his face aside avoiding her exquisite look. 

" Huh….I know,you don't have anything to say. Let me answer for you. YOU JUST WANT TO SLEEP WITH ME . THAT'S WHY YOU MARRIED ME." 

"SO WHAT IF IT'S MY REAL INTENTION. What's wrong with that even if I want to do it?? You're my wife now. So it's not a crime. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?" Arthur accepted the accusation without stretching the words. 

Luna gave a confident smile covered with a charming fierceness. She wrapped her arms around Arthur's shoulder from the side. 

She tugged Arthur's tall figure adjusting according to her medium height and whispered in his ear in an enchanting voice. 

"I'm going to do nothing. And don't worry, I'll never leave you for this reason. NEVER EVER. I'll be your wife forever. Even if you try to leave me after fulfilling all your desires, I won't let you do that. I'll stay by your side like your shadow until my last breath. BECAUSE YOU'VE SOMETHING SO PRECIOUS THAT I DON'T HAVE. AND I REALLY WANT TO HAVE THAT. That's why, no matter what, I won't let us fall apart." Luna freed him after finishing her strange talking. 

Arthur looked at her blankly as he couldn't understand any of her words. 

But deep inside he felt an extremely soothing peace as he heard that Luna would live by his side forever. 

With a light smile mixed with hidden blushes, Arthur tidied up the cracks of his coat made by Luna. 

Both of the cars stopped in front of them. 

Arthur opened the car's door for Luna and she got into the car without looking at Arthur even for once. On the other hand, Arthur kept staring at her till Newton started the car and drove away. 

Newton was extremely horrified as he knew that Luna already found out about the file that Newton privately made on her regular activities and submitted it to Arthur. All these days, Newton tried hard to avoid meeting with Luna alone. But today he fell into her trap. 

He started the car and whipped off his sweat.

"I heard you've made a file about me…." Luna placed her hands on Newton's shoulder. 

His body shivered with the sensation of Luna's cold hand. But he managed to maintain his control over the car. 

.

.

.

_____________________________

Inside the House: (at late night)

_____________________________

_____________________________

Arthur returned home after finishing all his works for that day. He has already finished his dinner and also did some of the other leftover work regarding his new position in the company.

And even after going through a long adventurous day and staying up late, Arthur couldn't fall asleep. His sleepiness or tiredness turned into a restless feeling.

There's two reasons for his unsteady heart. 

One is of course Luna. When Arthur entered inside his empty bedroom, his brain exploded looking at his bed thinking that within a few days Luna will be sleeping there so close to him. He can't wait anymore to have Luna on that bed. WHEN WILL THAT ANTICIPATED DAY COME? He was even about to bring Luna to the house on the next day. But another accident happened this afternoon and Newton also got hospitalized with her for an unknown cause. And the doctor suggested both of them stay in the hospital at least for 3 more days. So Arthur is having a hard time without getting any chance to have his wife within his arms even on the first night of their wedding. His male hormones kept knocking on his head, distracting him again and again.

And the other reason is Brandon. Arthur still couldn't gather up his courage to update Brandon about the marriage. Brandon always treated him with overprotectiveness. He has already grown a deep emotion towards Arthur in the same way Arthur always cherished for. 

Brandon takes care of him as his own son. Though Arthur loves him dearly as well. But how will he explain that he has suddenly married a random girl out of nowhere and without even consulting it with his one and only uncle. 

Brandon always puts excessive effort into everything that is related to Arthur. He might have a lot of expectations regarding Arthur's marriage.

But Arthur ended up having a flash marriage without his presence. Even without informing him. Or on top of that, it took place inside a cemetery on the day of someone's funeral. 

The feelings of guiltiness and a dense temptation didn't let Arthur have a comfortable sleep. 

So he decided to at least get rid of one of the feelings.

Arthur revised some sentences in his mind about how to tell it to Brandon. Then he put down his laptop from his lap and picked up his phone from the other corner. 

He looked at the phone screen while sitting in a comfortable position on his bed. 

It's not like Brandon will scold him. But it's not the problem. Arthur is actually afraid thinking if Brandon got disappointed or hurt anyhow by his behavior. 

Fighting with his overthinking, Arthur send a text to Brandon writing,

             "Call me when you'll be free." 

Suddenly Arthur's phone rang. 

He didn't expect Brandon to call him so soon. 

He picked up the call. 

"What happened? Why have you texted me so weirdly!!" Brandon asked from the opposite of the phone. 

"Bran, I've something to tell you." Arthur said in a tensed voice. 

"Yeah…I'm all ears."

"At first promise me, you won't get upset or angry at me."

"DID YOU BANKRUPTED MILLERS BY ANY CHANCE!!" 

"BRAN…. it's not a time to crack jokes."Arthur said, making a grumpy face.

"Okay…. okay. Tell me what you've done this time,my naughty boy." Brandon laughed.

"Actually….this morning…"

"Yeah…this morning??"

"This morning I registered my marriage."

"WHAT…!!"

"She suddenly agreed to marry me. And then gave me a short time limit. I didn't want to let go of this opportunity. I've been loving her for a long time. But she never agreed to marry me though she loves me too. So today when she proposed to me with that condition…. I promptly married her, taking advantage of the situation. I was about to tell you but I was so nervous and embarrassed. I didn't know how to tell you... So I…"Arthur nonstop created excuses. 

"Wait…wait…I can't believe this…you're not kidding with me…. right?" Brandon asked to get a confirmation. 

"No…I'm serious. And I'm sorry."

"No…you don't have to feel sorry. YOU'VE REALLY GOT MARRIED. You don't know how happy I'm hearing this. This is the most exciting news I've got in my whole life. I was always worried about you that you might end up following me and ruin your life. Your previous activities always make me anxious. But you've finally entered into your married life. I can't explain my joy with words." Brandon excitedly smirked. 

"Really…. you're not sad?"

"Why should I be? Yeah it's a disappointment that I couldn't witness my little lion entering a new phase of life. And I've been dreaming of your grand wedding ceremony for so long. It's a pity, you've married in a plain and simple way. You're Brandon Miller's only nephew. I'm going to hold a gorgeous celebration after I return home." 

"No. Don't need to do that. She doesn't like crowds or any eye-catching things. She may feel uncomfortable. Let it just be like this." Arthur refused carefully. 

"Alright. At least you've settled down with a girl. SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING. Wait– who's the girl by the way? I forgot to ask?" Brandon asked curiously. 

"You know her…"

"I KNOW HER? WHO'S THAT?" 

"Take a guess,buddy….." 

"Mmmmmm…. I can't think of anyone. Tell me nah…. I can't wait to hear that." Brandon impatiently requested Arthur. 

"It's Luna." Arthur's face became saturated with blush and embarrassment while introducing Luna as his wife.

"LUNA….!! Brandon made an astonishing sound. 

"Yeah…. We two got married." Arthur nodded. 

"...." Brandon remained silent for a moment.

"Hello….why you're not talking??"

"Wait…. you're saying, you two love each other??"Brandon asked with a doubt. 

"Yeah."

"LUNA LOVES YOU!!"

"YEAH.."

"Since when? I don't think you two ever met before!!" 

"We have known each other since childhood. We studied from the same high school and that time we fell in love. And you know what, she was the reason I never wanted to leave Strasbourg whenever you and dad insisted on me to live with you guys." Arthur explained. He didn't want to make things more complicated. So he didn't even hesitate to tell lies mixed with some of his truth. 

"You sound so serious about her." 

"Why asking? Don't you like her?" 

"No…it's not that . Of course I like her. I know she's a little bit weird. But she's an adorable kid indeed. In fact I was anxious  about her future as well. She was too careless about her personal life and always gave more privilege to her professional life. Leaving everything out of her concern, she always roamed with me like a little puppy. Can't believe that cute little puppy has grown up to this much who only used to crawl around me. Time flies so fast. I tried to teach her to have some personal space for herself. But she never pays a little heed to my words. It's a relief that you've chosen her as a life partner. My burden has reduced a lot as you two have entered a normal life like others. I thought all my life, I'll have to spend taking care of you guys…Two of my responsibilities have been fulfilled now." Brandon said in a relaxed voice. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN…ARE YOU ABANDONING ME?" Arthur said in a cute voice. 

"No…..Not at all. I can't even think about that. You're the whole world of mine. Nothing can bring any change between us. You'll always be my only priority." Brandon assured Arthur. 

"I know that. You love me the most."

"Undoubtedly, my little Prince."

"Bran…."

"Hmm…"

"Even , I've got married when I wasn't about to. Then why don't you give yourself another chance. Why don't you consider moving on and creating a family of your own." Arthur said with a fearful tone. 

"Arthur….. You're my family. I don't need anyone else." 

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST FORGET HER…??"

"You're still a kid to talk about these sensitive things." 

"No, I'M already 23. I've grown up and I can understand now." 

"No you're too little to understand. Let's just change the topic." 

" You always avoid it like this…. But today I won't let it slide. I also want a complete family. Why don't you…..

"ARTHUR….." Brandon shouted, increasing his voice's volume. 

"Did you just shout at me….." Arthur asked in a broken voice. 

"I won't talk with you anymore…" Arthur started weeping like a crybaby. 

"Oh….this boy… okay I'm sorry. Stop crying. Who was claiming a while ago that he has grown up…??" Brandon tried to reconcile with him.

"No…. I'm just a kid… you'll never treat me as an adult anyway." Arthur complained. 

"Okay…I'm sorry. I'll try to change my behavior towards you. Happy." Brandon laughed. 

"No …I'm okay with your current attitude. I got used to it anyway."

Arthur talked with Brandon for a long time. Even the whole night passed by. He was already feeling uneasy because of his sudden marriage. He was scared about the new responsibilities too. So he kept talking with Brandon to eradicate that fear. 

Brandon was too tired because of his work. But he still continued talking as long as Arthur wanted. 

.

.

.

.

To be continued…