Contract Marriage With Mr CEO

Layo's fingers trembled as she adjusted the lace trim of her gown.

The delicate fabric felt foreign beneath her touch, as if it belonged to someone else, someone whose wedding wasn't on the verge of crumbling.

The murmurs around her grew louder, whispers weaving through the grand hall like an unsettling melody. She tried to ignore them, keeping her eyes fixed on the large wooden doors at the far end of Christ Covenant Cathedral. Any moment from now, Tony would walk through them breathless from rushing, an apologetic smile on his lips. He would take her hands, squeeze them gently and whisper some excuse about last minute nerves.

But as the minutes stretched unbearably long, doubt slithered into her chest with a vice like grip.

From the front row, her mother's sharp gaze pierced through her. It was a warning, a silent command to keep her composure. Layo inhaled deeply, lifting her chin. No matter what was happening, she wouldn't embarrass herself.

Then, at last, the door creaked open. The man of the moment arrived.

Her heart lurched as she turned, relief flooding through her, only to freeze in a place when she saw him.

Tony strolled in at an unhurried pace, quite intentional, as if he weren't arriving disgracefully late to his own wedding. His suit was crisp, his posture relaxed, his expression unreadable.

But something was off, there was no urgency in his steps, no remorse in his gaze.

A cold wave of unease swept over Layo, raising the tiny hairs on her arms.

The hall once filled with murmurs, fell into a suffocating silence.

Tony came to a stop few steps away from her, his dark eyes scanning her face, yet offering nothing in return.

Layo swallowed the lump rising in her throat. "You're late", she said, her voice quieter than she intended.

A muscle twitched in Tony's jaw, but his stance didn't shift. Then, with a measured breath, he spoke the words that sent her entire world crashing down.

"I can't do this", he said, with all the nerves he could possibly muster.

Layo blinked. For a second, the words didn't register.

Then a sharp ringing filled her ears, drowning out the collective gasps from the guests. She forced herself to breathe, to move, to react, anything but stand there like a fool.

"What??"

Tony's gaze remained steady, but there was something unnervingly distant about it. He was completely detached.

"I don't want this wedding," he affirmed.