A girl stared blankly at the invitation in her hand. She let out a long sigh. It was an invitation to her employer's son's wedding.
Actually, Aishla had no intention of attending. Besides feeling unworthy of attending such a lavish wedding, she was also too lazy to go to the wedding of a lecherous widower like Arsyan.
Salwa, on the other hand, was extremely enthusiastic. The girl had even bought a new outfit just to attend their wedding. For a moment, Aishla realized that she didn't have any nice clothes either. Arsyan was a successful businessman who would surely be inviting many people from high society. The clothes they wore would definitely be expensive and designer-branded.
"Which outfit should I wear?" she murmured as she looked through all the clothes in her closet.
Aishla let out an exasperated sigh. She decided to wear a navy abaya because it was still in good condition and she rarely wore it. Then she lay down on the bed.
All the employees had been given the day off. That meant Aishla could rest, even though her thoughts kept returning to the widower's wedding. For some reason, she couldn't settle down. It wasn't as though she was the one getting married. Arsyan and Alisya were the ones getting married. Not her.
The next day, Aishla went alone. She deliberately arrived a little late so she wouldn't attract attention. She was sure the guests at the wedding would be wearing beautiful dresses or expensive suits. Not a modest abaya like hers.
"Bismillah..." Aishla murmured as she continued toward the building.
She shook her head when she saw the many cars lined up neatly. After parking her motorcycle, she checked herself in the mirror first and fixed her crooked hijab.
Aishla jolted when someone grabbed her hand tightly. Her heart pounded wildly. She turned around and found two muscular men glaring at her. Her thoughts immediately began to race. She was afraid they were going to do something terrible to her.
"LET GO OF ME!!" Aishla screamed as she struggled.
But the men ignored her and dragged her toward the side of the building. Aishla looked to the right and left, hoping to find someone who could help her. Unfortunately, there was no one else around but the three of them.
Clear tears began streaming from the corners of her eyes, beyond her control. She was roughly shoved into a room, and they locked her inside. Fear took an even stronger hold of Aishla's body. She pounded on the door and screamed for them to let her out and help her, unaware that the room was soundproof.
Regret filled Aishla's heart. She should have accepted Salwa and the others' offer to come together from the start. Instead, she had come alone and ended up being kidnapped like this.
"PLEASE, OPEN THE DOOR!!!"
"WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE BEING LOCKED UP IN HERE!!"
"HEEELP!!!"
"Sob... oh, God... please help Aishla..."
Aishla's body crumpled. She hugged her knees and leaned against the wall beside the door. She still didn't understand why they had kidnapped her and locked her in there. What had she done? Who could be cruel enough to commit such a crime against her?
"Sob... oh, God, Aishla's scared."
One of the men who had kidnapped Aishla walked toward a room not far from where the girl was being held. At the madam's request, they had found a hijab-wearing girl and locked her in the dressing room.
The marriage contract ceremony was about to begin, but the bride still hadn't arrived. Arsyan was beginning to panic. Especially after being told that Alisya was missing, the man could no longer think clearly. If Anatasya hadn't held him back, Arsyan might have left already.
"Ma'am, the girl is in the dressing room," the man reported to Anatasya, who immediately hurried toward the room. Arsyan and his son followed behind her.
Creeeak...
The sound of the door opening made Aishla look up and rush into Anatasya's arms. She breathed a sigh of relief because her employer had come to save her.
"Ma'am... please help Aishla..."
"Shh, Aishla, calm down. Nobody's going to hurt you." Anatasya tried to soothe her, and Aishla nodded trustingly. She seemed completely unaware that the woman was behind her kidnapping.
Aishla's body tensed when her eyes met the groom's. She quickly shifted her gaze to the little boy who was presumably the widower's son.
The tension grew when Arsyan closed the door and ushered his son to sit down. The man stood in front of Anatasya. Sensing the unpleasant atmosphere, Aishla edged backward and hid behind her employer.
"You want me to marry a girl like her?!" Arsyan shouted, making the girl flinch.
Aishla's eyes widened. She summoned the courage to look at the man, whose fists were clenched tightly as he restrained his mounting anger. "W-what do you mean?"
Anatasya guided her employee to sit down. She gripped both of Aishla's hands tightly. The girl was her only hope. She alone could save the Arkatama family's reputation. If this wedding failed, they would suffer tremendous humiliation.
"Please, Aishla. Will you marry Arsyan? Alisya suddenly disappeared and we can't reach her. All the guests have gathered. We can't just call off this wedding, La. Please... agree to marry Arsyan. You're my only hope, Aishla..." Anatasya pleaded, holding back her sobs.
Aishla lowered her head deeply. Her heart throbbed painfully at the woman's sobs.
After losing her mother, Aishla had truly come to regard Anatasya as her second mother. Besides being loving, Anatasya was also very understanding. That made Aishla feel too guilty to refuse the woman's request. But to Aishla, marriage was something that happened only once in a lifetime. She had no desire to marry a widower, especially without love. Aishla could still sense that Arsyan was deeply in love with Alisya.
"Aishla can't, Ma'am," Aishla refused, unwilling to steal the widower from his fiancée.
"Please, sweetheart..." Anatasya's voice faltered.
The woman wanted Aishla and no one else to become her daughter-in-law. She would keep persuading her until Aishla agreed, regardless of her son's obvious opposition. Right now, saving the Arkatama family's reputation was far more important. "Would you really be able to bear seeing my family become the subject of people's ridicule because this wedding failed?"
"I can't bear the shame if—if this wedding really falls through, La..."
Aishla closed her eyes for a moment, then let out a long sigh. "Okay. Aishla agrees. But Aishla only wants to get married once in her lifetime."
At last, Anatasya got the answer she had been waiting for. She wiped the corners of her eyes and hugged Aishla tightly.
"Yes, sweetheart, I understand. I'm so grateful to you, sweetheart..."
Arsyan stared intently into the brown eyes of the girl in front of him. He hadn't expected it to be so easy to persuade this holier-than-thou girl. For a moment, he became convinced that she had some hidden ulterior motive. After all, Aishla was a girl from a lower-class background. She must want to get her hands on all his wealth. All women were the same—lovers of money. Except Alisya, who was genuinely devoted to him and his son.
Arsyan's jaw tightened as he remembered that his fiancée still hadn't been found. He clicked his tongue and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
Where had Alisya gone, anyway? Arsyan couldn't accept Aishla taking the bride's place. Anatasya should have allowed him to go search for his fiancée, and once Alisya was found, they could hold the wedding. Instead, she was pressuring him to find another girl to marry and had even suggested that Aishla marry him.
Arsyan disliked the hijab-wearing girl whose clothes concealed every curve of her body. Only her face and palms were visible. She was completely unattractive.
The sound of knocking on the door made the groom growl in irritation. He knew the wedding guests were waiting. If the wedding wasn't held soon, the Arkatama family would be utterly humiliated.
"State your name and your parents' names!!" Arsyan snapped, his anger barely contained.