The bridal suite was peaceful after the departure of Bella to join the others in the ceremony. Aria sat by herself with her thoughts and the great responsibility of new knowledge. She had a few minutes before she'd be walking down the aisle to vow matrimony with a man who had already made the choice to take her life.
She gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror and did not see the lovely bride everyone envisioned, but a woman transformed by knowledge and resolve. The wedding gown, which once reflected her dreams, now seemed to be armor for the battle ahead.
Her contemplation was interrupted by a gentle knock. "Aria, dear? It's time."
Robert Sinclair, her father's long-time business associate and oldest partner in the firm, entered the room with eyes full of tears. He had requested to be the one to give her away because her parents were dead.
"You look really beautiful," he spoke in a sincere tone. "Your parents must be very proud."
Aria thought, 'If only they knew what I was really getting into. '
She smiled and held his arm. "Thank you for your assistance, Uncle Robert. I appreciate it."
Marcus stood at the altar, waiting with what most people would describe as nervous anticipation.
He was dashing in his handsome black tux. His light brown hair was properly groomed, and his hazel eyes were filled with great joy. To everyone else who was in attendance, he appeared like a very loving man, gazing at the beauty of his future wife.
But Aria saw something new this time. The faint tension in his eyes indicated he was reasoning rather than feeling. The smile was forced rather than genuine. The look was intense but with a desire to control rather than love.
****
Flashback - Six Months Ago
"I love the way you trust others," Marcus said to Aria one evening as they reviewed business documents together. "It's refreshing to meet a beautiful woman who has a high opinion of other people."
Then she had believed it was good. Presently she perceived it as an accurate declaration from a hunter who had caught his ultimate quarry.
****
Robert placed her hand like a father giving a blessing into Marcus' hand, and Aria felt the coldness of her future murderer in her warm hand. But she still forced herself to smile widely.
"You look stunning," he whispered to her. A scene that looked like a tender look between two lovers.
The ceremony began with the normal repetition by the officiant about love, commitment, and the unique marriage bond. The wedding vows were comical to Aria because of what she knew now, but she pretended everything was normal.
"Do you, Marcus, take Aria to be your wife?" the officiant said.
Marcus looked at her, "I do, I vow to love you, care for you, when you are ill or in good health, wealthy or poor, until death do us part."
Promises once sacred now resounded as threats in hushed tones.
Aria's turn was next; she gazed into Marcus's eyes and spoke her vows sincerely. But in her mind, she was vowing something entirely different from what she was saying.
"I do. I vow to love and honor you and care for you."
'I vow to gather evidence of all the crimes you've committed, ' she vowed softly.
"I will be with you come what may."
'To stand by and watch as you destroy yourself with your own greed.'
"In riches or poverty, in sickness or health."
'So that you suffer the greatest pain and contract the sickness which you planned for me.'
"Until death do us part."
'Until your death puts you exactly where you belong.'
The ring exchange was akin to binding herself to her nemesis but Aria smiled as she let Marcus place the platinum ring on her finger. The ring itself was a reminder of the part she was playing and the revenge she one day would have.
Bella had tears of happiness as the maid of honor. But Aria caught sight of a fleeting glance of a cold and contemplative look on Bella's face—a glance indicating everything she suspected to be right.
As the officiant pronounced them husband and wife now, he said "You may now kiss the bride."
But as his lips neared hers, he whispered something that sent a shiver down her spine: "You're mine now. Everything you possess, everything you are—mine."
And the kiss that followed was a cold claiming thing, with none of the warmth of true affection in it. It was from a person who didn't even consider her emotions. Aria stopped herself just in time before pushing him away in disgust.
There was a burst of claps and cheers from the chapel when they were declared husband and wife and petals of rose fell like snowflakes upon them. Aria waved and smiled and tried to think what to do next.
She needed to place security cameras around the property. She was forced to monitor any cash dealings. She needed to begin establishing a good rapport with potential witnesses and friends. Foremost, she needed to sit down with Adrian Blackwood, Marcus' rival, and strategize how to bring down Marcus' company.
Marcus placed his arm around her waist as they proceeded down the aisle. Aria spotted Bella waiting by the chapel doors. Her supposed best friend was smiling widely and carrying two glasses of champagne.
But the position in which Bella was holding the glasses made Aria suspect something. One of the flutes appeared normal, but the other one—the one Aria was to take—glittered oddly.
Bella stepped towards them and was grinning very widely. "Congratulations to you both! I have brought some champagne to celebrate!"
She offered the suspicious glass to Aria with hands that trembled just slightly—not from emotion, but from what looked like nervousness..
Aria was thinking fast. She didn't want to say no to the drink and then be questioned as to why. But if she did drink it, she'd be risking being poisoned on her wedding day. But if she was right about Bella and Marcus, this was the beginning of obtaining evidence.
"That's really sweet of you," Aria replied gratefully, extending her hand to grab the glass.
'Let the games begin,' she said to herself as she brought the glass to her lips.