Seraphina's Point of View

We are in a risky situation, both of us. These words echoed continuously in my mind, resembling loud sounds from a church while Adrian returned the documented agreement into the storage folder. The feeling of holding the valuable writing tool still made my hand vibrate.

"Precisely, what sort of dangerous situation? " I inquired.

"The kind that can devastatingly alter life. " Adrian securely fastened the case with a clear snapping sound. "Although, let's remain optimistic that it doesn't escalate to such a degree. "

I had the urge to seek further clarification, but he was already rising to his feet. Like tossing away insignificant funds, he placed another one hundred dollar note onto the surface.

"I will come and get you at 6:00 PM tomorrow," he stated. "Gather all of your possessions. "

"Every single thing? However, I had thought this was merely a staged act."

"It is an act. However, it is vital for it to seem genuine. " A tinge of apprehension mixed with seriousness was noticeable in his grey eyes. "We cannot afford to take chances, Seraphina. "

He headed towards the exit point, paused briefly, and turned back. "Just one further thing. Avoid mentioning any aspect of this to others. Not your circle of friends, not those you work with. Absolutely no one."

"What is my mother included in? "

"Especially, refrain from telling your mother. "

Following his departure, I was now alone among messy coffee vessels and the aroma of stale oil. For a prolonged duration, I sat inside the seating area, intensely staring at the currency equivalent to one hundred dollars. I was merely an exhausted service employee the previous day. I am about to become the spouse of someone with extreme wealth this evening.

The prospect makes me experience a rising sensation of vomit.

I completed my workday as if in an unconscious state. Each patron gave me strange looks, seemingly able to discern that I had just consented to participate in something outrageous. As Tony bid farewell for the night, I was nearly about to inform him that I would not be returning for work tomorrow. But the statement remained unsaid.

Arriving at the medical center around 7:00 AM, the atmosphere was serene. I entered the lift, heading up to the fourth level where my mother had been staying for the duration of three weeks. An odor of cleaning agents and grief lingered in the area.

"Sera? " Mom's pronunciation was faint and raspy. "You're arriving before the usual time. "

"I had trouble getting to sleep. " I sat on the furniture next to her resting place. She seemed noticeably fragile with each passing day, similar to gradually vanishing. "How is your condition currently? "

"As if I've been impacted severely by a transport truck. " She attempted a grin, but it failed to reach the vision. "The medical professional desires to engage in dialogue with both of us during the current day."

A feeling of unease immediately hits my stomach. "In reference to which matter? "

"Concerning the process of operative intervention, my beloved. We must make some significant choices. "

An hour later, Dr. Peterson entered the room with a collection of unfavourable details. He is a caring person with comforting vision, however, on the current day, he seemed weary and saddened.

"The state of your kidneys is declining," the doctor stated, seated in front of us. "We are required to perform the surgery within the next two weeks; otherwise. . . "

His statement was left unfinished, though it was unnecessary for him to complete it.

"What will the cost be? " I questioned, despite my awareness of my inability to afford it.

"Accounting for all expenses, it will be approximately three hundred thousand dollars. "

The color drained from Mom's face. "Three hundred thousand dollars? "

"The insurance coverage will offset a portion of it, but not the full amount. " We were met with a sympathetic gaze from Dr. Peterson. "I realize the sum is substantial. "

"That's practically three million," Mom said softly. "We simply don't possess that amount. "

My thoughts drifted towards the agreement contained within Adrian's briefcase, an agreement amounting to two million dollars – sufficient not only to fund Mom's medical treatment but also to provide for our future financial needs.

"We will figure out a solution," I assured her, grasping her hand. "I give you my word, Mom. We will find a way."

Following Dr. Peterson's departure, Mom's eyes welled up with tears. These silent tears pierced my heart, causing me immense pain.

"I am so sorry, Sera. I feel terrible for being such a burden on you."

"Please don't talk like that! " I tightened my grip on her hand. "You are far from a burden. You are my mother. "

"But concerning the funds. . . We will never acquire that much money. "

"Actually, we will. " The words came out instinctively. "I have identified a means to acquire the necessary funds. "

Mom's eyes reflected a mix of anticipation and apprehension as she gazed at me. "How so? "

The urge to disclose the truth was strong. I wanted to explain about Adrian, the contract, and the fictitious marriage. However, his warning echoed in my thoughts. Do not reveal this to anyone, especially not your mother.

"I accepted a new position," I said, telling a lie. "It's a very lucrative job with excellent compensation. "

"What kind of employment offers such a high salary? "

"I will be the personal assistant to a wealthy businessman. " The fabrication came more easily as I continued. "He is a frequent traveler and needs someone to assist him. The salary is exceptionally high. "

Mom adjusted her position in the hospital bed. "Sera, dear, that sounds too unrealistic to be true. "

"It is genuine, Mom. I assure you, it's real. "

She scrutinized me for a prolonged moment. I observed her internal struggle as she attempted to determine whether to believe me.

"When will you begin? "

"Tomorrow. "

"Tomorrow? " Mom's voice conveyed concern. "That's incredibly soon. "

"He requires immediate assistance. And Mom, there may be times when I have to accompany him on his travels for work. "

"Travel where? "

"I'm uncertain at this point. Potentially everywhere. " I told another lie, but what other choice did I have? "The significant aspect is that we will have the necessary funds for your operation. "

Mom raised her frail hand and gently touched my face. "Are you certain about this, sweetheart? It sounds frightening. "

Scary was an understatement. Terrifying would be a more accurate description. However, as I observed my mother lying in the hospital bed, growing weaker with each passing day, I understood that I had no other recourse.

"I am certain," I reassured her. "Everything is going to be alright from now on."

I’m with Mom until visiting hours conclude for the day. We talk mostly about her surgery and her future dreams after she heals up. She says she wants to grow a garden and try learning how to paint things. These simple dreams don’t need much money to come true.

Leaving the hospital, my phone buzzes from a text from Adrian.

The car will be at your place by 5:30 sharp. Make sure you’re ready to go then. - Adrian

I see the time. It's already four in the afternoon, like a switch flipped. I have ninety minutes to pack and get ready to act like someone else.

My place, while small and old, strangely feels just like where I belong. I see the cheap furniture and the pictures all over the walls. Most were me and Mom when I was young and she was still very healthy then.

I stuff my clothes into a couple of bags. Everything I own fits really easily. This fact makes me feel inexplicably sad deep inside.

Right at 5:30, a black car stops outside my building out front. The driver gets out and comes towards my door.

"Are you Miss Wells by chance? Mr. Kane sent it to me just now."

He grabs my bags and opens up the car door wide. I've never had someone open a car door like that before. The seats are probably more than I pay for rent each month.

The city looks different from inside such a fancy car. It seems brighter, like the windows are made of magic and not regular glass at all.

We drive through parts of Manhattan that I've only seen in movies shown on screen. Giant buildings that look like they are trying to touch the sky up above. Stores with fancy names in gold letters shining bright. People wearing expensive clothes walk around like they own everything here.

The auto stops short facing the hugest place I have ever set eyes on. The chauffeur does the deed of popping my door open once more.

"Mr. Kane is sitting tight for you up top," he tells me now. "Go up to the tippy top using the lift."

I go into the entry room lugging my two small bags. All around are rocks, shiny gold stuff, and see-through lights. The guards stare at me like I don't fit in here.

"I'm here to see Adrian Kane now," I let him know then.

He checks his tech thing and says yes with his head. "Top floor. Take the lift over on the right side."

The lift ride feels quite long now. I watch the numbers tick higher and higher up. 20... 30... 40... 45.

When the doors split, I walk into a new world now. The top flat is bigger than houses. Big glass shows the city down below. Things like you'd find in a fancy house show.

"You made it here." Adrian shows up from a hidey spot in the flat now. He's not in a suit today, just pants and a white top that costs more than I make in a month still.

"Do you live in this spot?" I ask, while I look all around now.

"We live in this spot now." He grabs my bags like they weigh nada. "Come here, let me take you to your room now."

We walk down a long path, past rooms I can't even think of using. Adrian stops at a door way far at the end.

"This is your spot," he says, when he starts to push it open then.

Adrian's Point of View

I'm getting hitched tomorrow. The words float like fog. Seraphina's in her room, seeming spooky and lost.

"Tomorrow?" Her voice is quite small. "We just inked the deal yesterday."

"I said time was a foe." I peek at my watch. "We've got twenty-eight days. No time to lose now."

She plops down on the bed. It's big and barely dips. "This is really for real."

"This is actually real." I go to the glass and peek at the town. "My lawyer's in the hall at ten sharp. We ink papers, take photos, then finish."

"What do I wear now? My clothes are quite drab."

I spin back to her now. She stares at her hands, and tears begin now. I feel a pang for what I ask.

"There's a dress in that closet," I say now. "My helper got it this morning."

Seraphina goes to the closet and opens the doors. She sighs at the clothes inside. Clothes with tags that might scare her.

"Adrian, it's too much."

"It's a thing that's needed." I sit by the glass. "Folks want my wife to look right."

"Your fake type of wife."

"My wife. Fake or true, no one minds."

She grabs a white dress that's plain and nice. The type for hall if hitched for love.

"It's very pretty," she whispers.

"Give it a whirl. See if it is right."

"Right?"

"Right."

She slips into the bath with the cloth. I hear drips falling and boxes sliding. When she steps out fifteen minutes later, my breath goes missing.

The cloth hugs her just right. Her brown eyes pop, and her hair seems to burn bright. She seems lovely, youthful, unlike that worn girl from Tony's Place.

"What do you think?" she says, spinning slowly.

"Like some rich guy's dear bride."

She smiles, a first since she came here. "Is that bad, or is that good?"

"That's ideal."

My phone makes a small buzz with words. Marcus' name pops on the screen, and my joy fades out.

I hear wedding bells will ring. Congrats, dear brother. Eager to greet.

I stare hard at those words. How does Marcus know this now? Only my lawyer heard the tale.

"Adrian? What is wrong?"

I stare back. Seraphina eyes me, filled with fear. "Nothing. Just work woes."

But this is not a small thing. Marcus knows a thing, a bad omen. My brother lurks, eyes on me, for my fall. He finds out this deed is false, we're both doomed.

"Go get some rest," I tell Seraphina. "Tomorrow's a big day."

She nods, heading towards the bath spot. "Adrian?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. Helping my kin. I know this is work, just a deal, but it counts."

After the bath door shuts tight, I call up my lawyer.

"Richard, a flaw now."

"Say what?"

"Someone spilled out the deed's details. My brother knows it all."

Richard pauses, not a peep. "How did he hear? Only my aide did."

"So, a soul spilled the beans." I roam around my lair. "This stays secret, Richard. If they deem this love unreal, I'm ruined."

"Perhaps Marcus just thinks so. Perhaps his facts are wrong."

"Marcus thinks not. He knows why he does things."

"What's my task, then?"

"Make tomorrow flawless. No mess, no fuss. Find the blabbermouth."

I end the call and drink hard. The dark sky has bright buildings. Marcus plots, I just know it.

My phone buzzes twice. A number unknown, how strange.

"Adrian Kane here."

"Hello there, Adrian." The voice sounds smoky. "I am Vincent Ashford."

My phone nearly slips. Vincent Ashford ruined my folks long ago. He made dad kill himself. I've yearned to hurt him since.

"What do you seek now?" My voice feels icy hard.

"I want to meet my new kin."

"What is your point?"

"Seraphina Wells. The girl you wed soon." Vincent laughs, a sad sound. "She is my own girl, Adrian. Did she not say this?"

The room seems to sway. My drink spills and shatters down. "That cannot be true."

"DNA is real, boy. I've eyed her for years, for contact to form."

"You speak lies, man."

"Do I know? Ask her 'bout her kin. Ask why her mom lied." Vincent lowers his tone. "Ask why she seems like her dad."

The line goes still. I eye the phone, scared of its blast.

Seraphina is Vincent Ashford's kid. The lady I am marrying the next day is my worst foe's kid. I'm paying two million to a lady from a family that wrecked mine.

I move to her room's door and eavesdrop. I hear water running in her restroom. She's bathing, preparing to sleep and get married to me.

Does she have any idea about this? Did she know who I am and what her dad did? Is it a plan to end what Vincent started fifteen years ago?

My hands vibrate as I return to study. On the desk sits a picture of my dad from my young age. He smiles and holds me. Six months later, Vincent Ashford wrecked our firm, and my dad killed himself.

I lift the picture and stare at my dad. "What do I do now, Dad? How do I trust her when she's his kid?"

But my dad can't speak. He's been dead fifteen years because of Vincent Ashford.

I am marrying Vincent's kid tomorrow.

I hear Seraphina's door open. Her feet are soft as she readies for sleep. She has no clue that things just changed.

My phone vibrates with text from Marcus.

Sleep well, man. The next day is very interesting.

I stare at the text, knowing Marcus knows who Seraphina is. He planned this, waiting for me to fall for his trap.

However, I am way too far to quit this thing now. The big day is coming up on the next day. All papers have my signature on it. And somewhere in the town, Vincent Ashford may be giggling about how great things are going.

I have another drink and sit in dim light, seeing city lights mix as one. On the next day I wed my foe's kid. What I wonder is, does she have any clue she may destroy the man who is trying to save her mom's life?

Seraphina's View

I jolt awake on a bed feeling like floating on thin air. Briefly, I lose track of my location. Then, I spot giant panes and the metropolis unfurling below like an open storybook.

This is how I exist now. This lasts a year, give or take.

The washroom dwarfs my former room. Everything is bright stone and gold knobs gleaming like treasures. I start the water and it pours like rain from above. At home, our shower trickles down.

Putting on garments feels odd, clothes worth more than half a year's pay. The glass shows a face I don't know. Someone fit for a spot like this one.

But this isn't my place. It's just a big act.

I spot the kitchen by sniffing out some fresh brew. Adrian sits at the table scanning news on a pad. He dons a sharp suit and perfect hair, like he's from a magazine.

"Hey," I say low.

He peeks at me. Briefly, a glint sparks in his eyes. A flash that looks vaguely like fury. Then it fades out.

"Hey there. Coffee's ready."

I grab a cup from some gizmo worth more than a car. The brew tastes great, more so than anything, ever.

"Worried for today?" Adrian asks.

"Just a bit." I sit facing him at the huge desk. "And you?"

"Nah." He goes back to reading his pad. "It's a simple form."

Simple forms. Marriage is simple to him. I need to recall, it's not love for him. It's just work.

"Adrian?"

"Hmm?"

"Once we're hitched, then what? Like, what's my daily gig?"

He puts down the tablet, staring straight at me. "Anything that grabs you. Go shopping, read books, watch shows. This place is now your zone."

"I've been a worker bee forever. I can't just chill and do squats."

"Find a gig, then. Classes, new quirks. You are getting two million smackers soon. Your hobby choices are endless."

How he says that makes me feel tiny and foolish. Like a pampered hamster in a glitzy cage.

"Can I see my mom, by the way?"

"Sure, go see your mom." His voice turns gentle. "I fixed it so she gets a sweet room at the top city hospital."

My heart takes a leap. "You did that?"

"The move's happening this afternoon. She'll have nurses all the time, plus docs that money just buys."

Tears fill my eyes. "Thank you so much. That's... just awesome."

"It's part of the deal." Adrian gets up, shrugs on his jacket. "The car comes at nine-thirty sharp. Don't slack."

After his exit, I'm alone in the huge kitchen. Everything's so perfect, costly, and distant. The fridge dwarfs my old closet. The stove looks like a spaceship central.

I try to eat, but my gut feels jumpy. In two hours, I'm marrying a stranger. A man who chats about our wedding like it's just getting teeth cleaned.

The car pulls up right on time. The driver opens up and calls me Mrs. Kane, which makes me blush hard. I'm not Mrs. Kane just yet. I'm just Sera Wells who spills coffee on big spenders.

The town hall buzzes loud, far from movie vows. Folks with files, babes, droopy eyes crowd round. Adrian greets me, shades on, like a spy.

"Okay?" he then says.

"As okay as one gets for a bogus vow."

His lip jumps as if he'd grin. "Just play, our love burns bright. Hands glued, see?"

"I'll hold back, I guess."

Now he smiles, lighting his hard face. Brief flash, young and soft. A real soul hides deep down under wealth.

Ten minutes seal us. Papers signed, words feel odd on the tongue. Adrian slips on a ring, a star's faint spark. When told to kiss, Adrian dips fast, a cold peck.

"Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Kane," says the judge.

Mrs. Kane. I'm now really Mrs. Kane, wow.

Outside, a lensman snaps shots. Adrian hugs me, smiles big, so glad. I grin too, but it feels like a lie.

"Sweet pair," the lensman beams. "Love just shines."

If only he knew the real deal here.

Back in the car, Adrian phones, does deals. I stare out at folks, their lives so plain. None wed a stranger just for the cash.

"We must shop," Adrian says, done with calls.

"Shop for what, now?"

"Clothes, gems, the works. You're a rich wife now. Looks must wow them all."

I haven't got a clue about fancy stuff.

That's why I got someone to give you a boost. Adrian checks the time. We see her in sixty minutes.

The spree feels like a dizzy swirl of gems. The lady Adrian picked is Claire, and she acts like I'm royalty. She makes me wear clothes while Adrian sits, seeming tired.

"This one," Claire says, holding a blue dress that's worth more than my wages for months. "It matches your eyes."

I stare at my own reflection. The girl I see isn't really me at all. She seems fake, rich, and perfect.

"Adrian?" I glance in his direction. "Your opinion?"

He glances up from his device. Briefly, his eyes grow big, as if shocked. Then his face goes blank once more.

"It's okay," he tells me. "Take it."

Okay. Not nice or pretty or awesome. Just fine, nothing more.

We get so many things that they must be sent to the flat. Adrian pays with a card like he's buying bread.

That night, I'm in my large room with many bags of pricey items. The ring on my hand catches light, making small rainbows on the wall.

I'm wed. I have more wealth than I thought I'd see. My mom gets great health care on Earth. I ought to feel joy.

Then why do I feel stuck in a gilded cage?

I drift near the glass and stare into the town below. A piece of my past self exists way down there. My small home, jobs times three, buddies at the food place. All of it shaped who I turned out to be.

Now, I'm a new person. I'm Mrs. Adrian Kane now. A pretend spouse wearing a pretend happy face but a real sad soul.

My cell rings with a text from an unknown phone number.

Hi, kiddo. We gotta hang out finally. Meet tomorrow at 3 in the afternoon, Central Park. Come solo. Keep it secret from your guy. - Pops

The device slips out and hits the floor with a loud smash. Pops? But I know my pops is not alive. He passed away in a wreck when I was super young.

Unless mom had fooled me my entire life.

I grab the device, hands trembling, reading that text once more. The words stay the same. Someone pretending to be my father figure wants to meet up. Someone knows I'm now married.

Someone has had their eyes on me.