Not One, But Two Marriage Ceremonies

The next morning, Trinity woke up to find herself nicely tucked into bed again. /… I’m very sure I did not fall asleep like this./

She looked at the bedside table where her things were stacked nicely, again. This time, she took her MacBook immediately. She remembered falling asleep while she was still working on her part.

Her eyes gradually grew wider the longer she stared at the screen. New words were keyed into her private notes for her presentation. She checked to make sure that she had not accidentally shared the document with others. /It's still private./

“Your content’s superior but you don't present it well. Lengthy sentences. Poor and weak links. Be more coherent.” She read in a soft voice. “What the…” She whispered.

/Someone's definitely sneaking in while I'm asleep./ Goosebumps raised on her arms and she rubbed them like she was freezing cold.

She glanced at the neat stack on her bedside table then back at her MacBook. /Well… It's not like he did anything bad.../

Finding that no line had been crossed for her, she decided to overlook it.

She followed the feedback and revised her part, again. Although it was tough work to revise it over again and again, she enjoyed the process a lot more. The feedback her tutors gave were usually vague and unhelpful.

"You're awake." Phil's voice travelled from the doorway.

"Yup." Trinity said without looking up.

"Well, lunch is ready."

Her head snapped towards him. "Already?" She checked the time. "Oh, crap." She hastily gathered her things and shoved them into her bag.

"Don't worry, I made something easy to eat. You'll have just enough time to make it to school." He then left her alone to wash up and get dressed for school.

Trinity found clam chowder and egg sandwich waiting for her on the dining table. Damien and Phil had already begun eating.

Just as she dug in, Damien spoke. "The marriage ceremony for close ones will be next week. The larger one will be later."

Trinity almost spat out her sandwich. She gulped down the bite quickly, intending to speak, but it hurt. So, she grabbed the glass of water and downed half of it. Finally, she replied, "I didn’t think we’d be having one.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. There was no mention of it? You avoid being in the spotlight?”

“It’s something that should be done whether I like it or not.”

“I didn’t think your family would be that traditional.”

“They’re not.”

“Then why?”

“It’s a show.”

“Fo-?”

“For business.” He interrupted her.

“Oh.”

Although his expression did not change, she could tell that he was getting impatient with her questions. She went silent and resumed eating.

/Why’s there one for close contacts and one for the public? Are they going to be different? What purpose is each one going to serve? I don’t get his world at all./ She spent the rest of the time talking to herself in her head, until Damien interrupted her thoughts.

“Here are the plans.” He slid two files across the table to her. She caught it and looked at him, but he ignored her gaze. She wondered if he wanted her to look through it then. To play safe, she flipped through it while she ate.

Each file consisted of the plans for each ceremony. They were western-styled and very grand. The decorations were elaborate and over the top. The only difference was the number of guests. The one next weekend only included his family and some couples and singles. The one months later included almost every notable figure in the high society and every business partner. Electronic wedding invitations had already been sent without her knowledge. The dress fitting was the next day.

“Understood.” She said.

Everyone finished their food at the same time. “I’ll do the dishes. You can keep the files.” Phil offered.

Trinity smiled and mouthed the word “Thanks”. She brought the files into her room and left it in the drawer of her bedside table. On her way out, she did not see Damien anywhere. She met Phil at the van and found that the black car was still there. This meant that Damien was hiding somewhere in the mansion. /I really wonder how he makes money like that./ She casually wondered to herself while she hopped onto the van.

The final lecture for the day ended. Trinity slipped out of the lecture hall from the back the moment it ended. It was easy because she had intentionally sat in the last row. Once she stepped into the car park, she thought to herself, /Alright, safe./

Just then, a gentle voice cried out. “Trinity?!”

Trinity’s steps faltered for a second, but she quickly continued on like nothing happened. She pretended not to hear whoever had called her. However, the running footsteps dashed her hope of escape. She looked at the van that felt so close yet so far.

A small girl appeared by her side and clearly checked out her face. “Trinity! It’s you!”

“Oh! Hi Pauline.” Trinity acted surprised.

“You look so different! How’re you? I was worried about you when you were absent for the first time! I mean, you still come to school even if you’re sick. You just wear a mask. You must have been terribly sick to be unable to attend class. Or did something happen at home? But seeing how you’re dressed, it looks like things at home got better? What exactly happened?”

“My answer’s the same as always~ I’m fine~” Trinity reassured with an incredibly stiff smile.

“How can you be fine? It’s really okay to share anything with me. I won’t judge!”

“... Like you said, things got better for me but it took two days for me to settle everything. That’s it. I’m fine.”

“See! I knew something was up! So what happened?”

“I don’t feel like talking about it.”

Pauline grabbed her hands tightly and looked at her with worried eyes. “Trinity, don’t isolate yourself like this. You’re not alone. Talk to me.”

Trinity felt irritation and anger slowly bubbling up within her. However, she held herself back from snapping. She did not want to jeopardise the group work she still had to complete with this girl.

Just then, her phone rang. Her eyes widened in surprise to see that it was from Phil. She answered it.

“Say whatever you need to get yourself away from her.” Phil said the moment she placed her phone against her ear.

“What?! How did-?! First, are you okay?! Okay, okay, I’ll be there, wait for me.” She hung up the phone.

“What ha-?”

“I got to go. Bye!” Trinity said as she dashed down the carpark.

“Wha-? Trinity! Where’re you going?” Pauline ran after Trinity.

/Must she be so persistent?!/ Both thought the same of each other.

The van started up and easily drove past Pauline and Trinity. Trinity turned around the corner where Phil drove to. A wall blocked them from Pauline’s vision. The door was already open, so Trinity jumped on. Phil immediately closed it then drove off.

By the time Pauline turned around the corner, she could only see the black van disappearing in the distance. Trinity was nowhere to be found. She sighed then returned back to where she came from.

“What was she up to?” Phil immediately asked when they drove off.

“She’s just super nosy. She wants to help and thinks she’s being helpful but really she’s just super annoying. I was careless once. ONCE. All I leaked was how I had work before and after school. Everyone learnt about it because she thought that everyone should empathise with me and cater to my timing. Now she hounds me for my backstory like I’m some sad protagonist in a story.” Trinity fumed in her seat.

“When did that happen?”

“My first year.”

“... Why did you group with her this time then?”

“So there are things you don’t know huh?”

“We can dig further but that’s inefficient. We search for what we need and only dig deeper when it’s necessary.”

“I see. Anyway,” Trinity sighed. “I don’t get much choice with my groupings. I don’t have time or energy to maintain friendships. Besides, Pailine’s careless, clueless, and stubborn to a fault but she doesn’t harbour any ill intentions. I usually have no issue brushing her off since I take a different bus from her.”

Trinity sighed heavily again. After what happened, she was sure that a lot more people would know of the change in her predicament. /She sure is a blabbermouth though./

When they reached home, Damien was still nowhere to be found. She only saw him during dinner but it was silent and uneventful. She returned to her room after washing her dishes and got started on her usual routine.