#THE_LAST_MINUTE_GROOM_S2
©Sir_Zach
EPISODE 16
*At Rex’s place… *
Rex got out of his car and entered his Villa. The first thing he did was to enter the shower and take a cold bath.
As the water ran down his clean and smooth skin, his memory jolted.
“Mother, please. don’t go!!” Two and half years old Rex was holding his mother’s shoes while sitting on the floor.
Madam Caroline glanced down at him with disgust before she kicked him away like she was kicking a ball. She said something after that but Rex couldn’t remember it. It was already a miracle that he could still retain that memory of when he was just 2 and a half years old.
At three years old, Rex remembered seeing his mother in a gathering with other women and the child ran away from his father and went to hug Madam Caroline. However, in return, the woman picked him up from the back of his shirt with her fingers and raised him to her face level.
“Who owns this thing?” She asked before flinging him away. Good thing his father was quick to come to his rescue and caught him in mid-air. They exchanged words but little Rex was crying and didn’t pay attention to what was being said.
At the age of five, Rex saw little Piper playing in school. They attended the same school. He knew that she was his sister, thanks to the other Lu family members that kept bullying him and Maverick. So, Rex approached the child who just resumed kindergarten and intended to play with her but the child cried so hard that Rex got scared.
The teacher carried Piper away and consoled her. But when Piper’s nanny came to pick her up, the teacher lied that Rex beat Piper. The nanny went to report to Madam Caroline and she came to school the next day. Madam Caroline had the teachers make a muddy pool and threw Rex in it to drown.
The school authorities and teachers were all standing around and doing nothing to stop the woman. If not for Maverick and his friends who hurried into the pool to drag Rex out, he might have died.
That was the first day Maverick pulled his first trigger. He brought a gun to school for wh@ťěver reason he had. Maverick ki||ed the school authorities and teachers who were quietly watching the show.
If not for Matt who slapped Maverick’s neck to make him fall unconscious, Maverick might have ki||ed Caroline and Piper because Maverick of that day was like a demon leaving hell.
That was also the day Rex learned to accept that Madam Caroline wasn’t their mother. They only had a father who died a few days before Madam Caroline tried to drown Rex in a pool of mud. The only person Rex got to rely on after that day was Maverick.
Their father died a few days ago, so they no longer had a backbone.
Rex’s eyes snapped open and he wiped the water off his face before turning off the shower.
“Rex?”
Rex turned to look at the door. It wasn’t closed, so he heard Celestine’s voice. He got out of the shower and took a bathrobe from a hanger before heading out.
No one was inside his room when he came out, which means Celestine had gone to the sitting room. However, before he could walk to the door, it was pushed open from the other side and her beautiful face filled with worry was all that came to view.
“Hi,” Rex said soullessly with a slight hoarseness in his voice. He left the door ajar and walked back to the room.
Celestine entered and closed the door behind her. “Hey, your house looks beautiful.” She didn’t know what to say. The young man standing in front of the mirror right now was a different version of Rex.
“Mn,” he replied and took the hairdryer.
“Rex,” she dropped her handbag on the couch and stood close to it. “We are your family… Your brother is,” she knew those were what he already knew but she was seriously lost and didn’t know what to say to ease his pain right now.
Rex hardly feels this way and when he does, he is no different from Maverick who is a walking dead. This type of Rex is someone none of them want to see. One Maverick is enough, they don’t need another Maverick who smells of death.
“We are all used to our supposed families being our greatest enemies. I know it hurts to know that the person you keep wishing would amend their ways keeps disappointing you, but Rex, you should accept that she can’t change. She can’t love you–”
“Then, will you?” He slowly turned to look at her. “Celeste, will you be that woman in my life?”
Celestine swallows the lump that had formed in her throat. She lowered her eyes to her bag and picked it up, ready to head out, but Rex wasn’t going to let her have her way. Not this time.
He took large strides towards her and before she could fully open the door, Rex slammed the door shut with his hand on the door while looking at Celestine.
“Rex, do we really have to do this again?” She asked tiredly.
“Will you be my woman, Celeste?”
She looked at him and to be honest, she had never seen Rex this serious before. At this moment, he was giving her Maverick’s vibe.
“Rex, please, stop it–”
“Why?” Rex placed both hands on the door, trapping her in the middle.
“This is not right. You are like my little broth–”
“But I’m not.” He cut her off. He was slow and serious. His eyes were red and a vein was popping on his forehead.
“You called me mother, remember?”
“You should know better that it’s figurative. Mother, asin, my love.”
“Rex,” Celestine pushed him helplessly but he didn’t budge. “Do you know what you are asking for? It won’t work.”
“Why? Is it because you still thinking about that weakling? Do you still want to make another bad choice?!”
“Rex, stop it.”
“He’s not your type, Celeste. He’s a golddigger, a worthless man! Did you marry him because you were desperate to–”
“Paah!”
Rex’s face turned to the side due to the tight slap. He felt a cut on his lower lips and touched it to see it was bloody. He raised his gaze to see the frown on Celestine’s brows.
“Did you marry him because you were desperate to shut out the feelings you have for me? I can see it, Celeste. You love me too and you can’t hide it. Your marriage failed because you couldn’t hide the love you have for me. Isn’t it?”
Celestine turned her gaze to the side. “I need to leave. You seem to be fine now,” she tried to peel his hand away from the door so she could leave but Rex held the hand over her head instead.
Celestine’s heart was palpitating wildly as fear of what she had been running away from slowly consumed her.
“R– Rex, what are you doing?!” She panicked.
“Forcing you to accept my heart and what you feel for me.” He kissed her.
Celestine’s eyes shut open and she immediately gathered strength and pushed him hard.
Rex let go and staggered back. The impact of the push caused his robe to open. Everything he had was exposed to Celestine who gasped at the body in front of her. She hurriedly turned around and tried to open the door but it was locked.
“Rex, what are you doing? Open the door!”
Rex walked silently to stand behind her. His body was glued to her back and his right hand held her right hand to the door while his left hand trailed her other hand that was also on the door. “Celeste, we’ve suffered for ten years. What are you still running away from? You left the entertainment industry, so no one will talk bad about you anymore. What else is stopping you from embracing what you feel?”
“R– Rex, stop, pleas–”
“No, Celeste. I can’t stop now. I watched you marry that weakling even though you wanted me. I was hurting, yet I did nothing to ruin the marriage–”
“Shut up! You did!” Celeste finally grew frustrated and struggled to turn around to face him. She did all she could to avoid all these but this boy ruined her effort.
“You ruined my marriage for your selfish reason. So what if I love you? We can’t be a thing, don’t you get it?! I’m older than you, I’m a divorcee, I’m your brother’s best friend and I see you as my little brother!! What do you think Maverick and others would feel? Do you think I care about my fans and what the world would think? No, I don’t! I got married just to protect the relationship we all share. But what did you do? You ruined my one-year marriage!”
“I didn’t.” Rex shook his head and got closer to her. She was furious, so he hugged her. “Celeste, I didn’t ruin your marriage, believe me. However, I thought of ki||ing him but my brother didn’t allow it, so I allowed him be.”
She tried to push him away again but Rex was hellbent on hugging her. “Celeste, I have always listened to your lies but today, you’ll have to listen to me.” He let go of her and watched as her face changed from light red to tomato red.
Celestine was blushing!
Rex raised her jaw with his fingers and made her stare into his eyes. “You are five years older than me, agreed. But you aren’t taller than me. You are my brother’s best friend, agreed, but he wants me to marry you. You see me as a junior brother, false. I see you as my woman and I’m certain you see me as a man too, else you won’t shy away from my d!ck.
“You–”
“Allow me to finish.” He leaned closer to her ear and whispered. “My age might be small but my d!ck isn’t. I can get you pregnant within a few seconds…”
Celestine pushed him away. She was feeling embarrassed right now. Rex was a Casanova with a sugar-coated tongue. He had never failed in seducing a lady he set his eyes on. Even though he doesn’t sleep with them, kiss them, or touch them, he could make them dripping wet and stimulated both mentally and physically with his words alone.
“You are insane,” she tried to hide her embarrassment.
“Only for you.” He responded and before Celeste could open her mouth, he swept her off the floor and strode to the bed before throwing her in.
Celestine bounced up and screamed. Everything escalated too quickly for her to react. ‘This boy is going crazy!’ She thought.
“Rex, stay right there, don’t… don’t…” her voice went off when he threw his robe off his shoulders with his ‘little something’ standing erect.
“Rex! Cover up right now!” Celestine was genuinely scared. Not for anything else but for herself and what Rex was doing to her body right now.
She needed him too!
But how could she have such a relationship with Rex? It’s not right, to her.
“You want me too, don’t you?” He got on the bed with his knees, crawling towards her.
“This is not right, stop it!” Celestine was frustrated. She wanted to leave but the door was locked. “Rex, listen, calm down, let’s talk things through.”
Rex curled his lips, “do you accept me now?”
“I’m– I’m pregnant.” She announced.
“Hahahahaha… Celeste, do you take me for a fool? You really do see me as a baby, don’t you? That weakling told me you didn’t allow him to touch you. Your marriage was a business deal. He got the fame he wanted and you got to deceive me for a year.”
She could have succeeded if not for Maverick who forced her husband to ruin the marriage and take the blame.
Seeing she had grown silent, Rex sighed. “Fine, I’ll keep our relationship a secret. I promise,” he caressed her cheek and leaned in to kiss her.
Celestine knew too well to not trust him but she still allowed herself to embrace the desire that had been drumming against her senses.
Rex had vowed to make her scream his name and beg him to stop, that was why, under the canopy of darkness, he proved to Celestine that he might be five years younger than her in age, but his experience in bed was older than her.
His name and tonight will be the only things Celestine would remember for a long time. He will brand her and make sure that even if she left him again for another man, she won’t be able to stay with him.
…
The next morning, Celestine woke up to see her naked body lying on Rex’s bed. Remembering what she had done, she burst into uncontrollable tears. She tried to stop it, God knows that she did but she couldn’t help it when he kept seducing her. His charm was way beyond her.
“Rex, what did you make me do?” Her hands flew to her face as she cried in shame. How would they look at themselves from now on? Their harmless jokes and everything will become different from now on.
“Why?!”
“Click,” the door opened and Rex walked in with a tray of food.
“I knew this would happen.” He placed the food on the table and joined her in bed. “I learned from my brother that women should be respected, so, Celeste, I’m sorry for seducing you, but I’m not sorry for sleeping with you.” He smiled and brushed her hair backward.
“Now, do you still see me as a child?”
“Rex, what else do you want? Haven’t you done enough?” Celeste glared at him.
“I want you and you know it. I slept with you, so I have to take responsibility for it. My brother also taught me that. So, Celeste, marry me.” He took a box from the tray and opened it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring.
Celeste looked from the ring to Rex and vice versa. Was this his meaning of ‘I’ll keep our relationship a secret, I promise?’
“Do you know what you are saying?”
Rex nodded. “Indeed. I don’t keep promises.”
That’s right, how did Celestine expect a lover of gossip to keep promises?
“I’m not interested in marrying you, Rex.”
“Then, do you only want to keep having s3x with me?… That’s immoral, don’t you think?”
Was last night not immoral?
“I don’t want any. Last night was a mistake. And I hope it won’t happen again.”
“You hope… but I’m not intending to allow you to hope, Celeste.”
Celestine took a deep breath to calm down. “Get me a new dress.”
“I can do that. But you can’t leave without my ring on your finger.”
“Rex, are you aware that you are driving me to h@ťě you?”
Rex curled his lips into a smile. “Can you? If you don’t wear my ring, any man that blindly comes close to you, I’ll ki|| them all. I might accidentally ki|| someone I shouldn’t and get in trouble. It will be your fault. You can’t be so stubborn for ten years. If you can keep hurting yourself, I can’t hurt myself anymore… not after what we shared last night. The bruises you left on my skin with your nails are still fresh and now you want us to pretend like nothing happened?” He shook his head. “I can’t, Celeste.”