Ruby
The drummers were making our ears bleed. Nonetheless, we managed to put on fake smiles on our faces. People were dancing like crazy around us as if it wasn't a wedding but a dance competition. Two men and one woman approached us. They flashed a smile.
"I am Topi Dundi, and these are my sons, Bexob and Polowell Dundi," the older woman introduced herself and her two sons.
First, I looked at Bexob. He wore a weird type of outfit which reached till his knee. It was yellow in color with some designs on it. His half grey and half black hair was neatly brushed. However, he was looking quite old. He was getting married for the third time, and sadly, he was the head of the village.
I couldn't believe my aunt planned to get my sister married to that old man. Just then, he flashed a toothy smile at me with his brown teeth. Yikes.
As a gesture of politeness, I was going to introduce myself until my aunt interrupted, "Uh, Topi, here you are. Meet Ruby, my niece from Canada."
Topi looked very old. I smiled as she caressed my cheek. "Oh, God, what a beautiful girl! I can already see you happily married with my other son, Polowell," she said making me glance at her other son.
Polowell licked his lips, looking at me with some sort of lust in his eyes. His grey eyes instantly darkened. He looked young, but not so much. He was an average looking guy, nowhere near my Vexon.
I realized that Topi was still caressing my cheek. I slightly pushed her away. "I'm sorry to break your daydreams, Mrs. Topi." I showed them my wedding ring. "You see, I'm already happily married." Topi's eyes instantly fell down in sadness.
"Where's your husband then?" Polowell asked, with a glint of anger in his eyes.
"He is outside for some work. He will come soon. Why are you all outside? Please come inside and enjoy," I said and moved slightly to give them some space. They all smiled and went inside.
The arrangements were made in the front yard. All the chairs and tables were placed there, including a stage where the bride and groom would sit.
There were a lot of people, who were sitting on the chairs, waiting for the food. In Bengali weddings, people just come, eat, and go away after giving the gift. That's how it is done here. They entered a minute ago and they were already sitting in the dining hall as a hungry lion.
"Did Vexon call?" Nafeesa whispered and I shook my head.
"Serve them lunch, Ruby, Nadia, and Nafeesa," Aunt told us and went away to flatter the Dun Duns.
"When will the wedding be conducted?" I asked Nadia.
"After everyone finishes eating," she replied and went to serve them.
Apparently, Keya couldn't come out until everyone finished eating. Once they finish eating, Keya will be called on the stage and get married to the groom. So she was sitting inside her bedroom, talking with Cason. Cason came out when the groom's family came, but then he went inside to give Keya some company.
"Do you think they will make it?" Nafeesa asked me all of a sudden.
"Of course," I mumbled. I looked at my aunt, who was throwing daggers at us. I sighed. "Let's serve them," I said and we went to grab the food.
I was serving on the groom's table. Apparently, they happened to adore me the most.
"Ruby, pass me the chicken," Topi said and I passed the chicken curry to her.
"Ruby, give me more rice." I gave a tight-lipped smile and put more rice on the Bexob's plate.
What am I? A servant?
Nafeesa was serving the other table next to me. Nadia was serving another table as well. The other tables were being served by the guards��our freaking guards. When my aunt ordered them, I was so shocked. My guards looked at me and I just pitied them. I couldn't stop it because the guests were coming within a few minutes and my aunt couldn't manage people at the last moment.
"Can you pass me the salad, beautiful?" Polowell's voice brought me out of my trance. I glanced at him and he smiled.
Creepy.
I took the salad and kept it in front of him. "Serve it," h said, eyeing me again. Yup. He was continuously eyeing me��especially my cleavage.
I so wanted to puke at the looks he was giving me. Nonetheless, I took the spoon and started serving him a salad. He still didn't take off his eyes. If Vexon was there, he would gouge his eyeballs out.
I placed the salad in front of him after serving and was about to go until a hand grabbed my hand. My eyes widened and I turned around to see Polowell holding my hand. I tried to wriggle out of his grip. I looked around and saw that his mom and his brother noticed it. I thought they would help me, rather they smirked and continued eating.
If Vexon was here, he would rip his hand off for holding my hand.
I went closer to him. He smirked at me, eating a cucumber with his other hand. I stepped on his feet with my white stilettos. When he winced in pain, I took the chance and wriggled out of his grip. After that, I ran inside the house.
I had my phone in my purse. I took it out to text Vexon. Where the hell was he? I couldn't be a servant anymore!
I saw that I already had three texts from Vexon.
I opened them.
Vexon?:
Cason said Bexob's mom loved you and wanted you to get married to her younger son.
I smiled at this text. I started reading the next one.
Vexon?:
Thanks to God, you showed them the ring. Anyways, is everything going smoothly? You are still angry with me, aren't you????
I laughed at this text.
Vexon?:
I'll make it up to you, Gem, I swear. Oh, and we are on our way. We will reach there soon. This stupid traffic is annoying the fuck outta me.
I didn't reply to any of his texts. Since he said they were on their way, it meant they would reach soon.
I decided to check what Keya and Cason were doing. I kept my phone inside my bag and was about to knock on the bedroom door until someone grabbed my wrist tightly and pinned me to the wall.
"What the he��" I stopped midway when my eyes were on the person. It was Polowell. I looked at his grey eyes which were filled with lust. I tried to free myself from his grip, rather he tightened it. I winced in pain. "What do you want?" I asked him and he smirked.
"To taste you," he whispered in my ear, inching closer. Even the thought of him touching me made me feel disgusted.
"Leave me alone," I said and tried to push him away, but he didn't even move an inch. Instead, he started stroking my cheek with his other hand.
"What a beauty..." he mumbled, eyeing me.
I shuddered at his voice. He started leaning closer to me. It reminded me of Carter and how he tried to touch me. I couldn't let it happen again.
I looked at him and smirked. "I'm sorry." I bent my knee and hit him hard where the sun didn't shine. He cried out in pain. Taking that opportunity, I pushed him on the floor and started to run away. As soon as I was outside the house, a hand pulled me inside once again and it was Polowell. I looked at him. This time, his eyes were darker, burning with rage.
I was scared to death. He pulled me inside my aunt's bedroom and closed it. Fear started to engulf me.
Vexon... where are you?
Abruptly, he held my arm and started digging his nails deep inside my flesh. His other hand grabbed my wrists where I was sure, he left marks. "What the hell do you think of yourself? You bitch! How dare you?" Polowell yelled.
I tried to wriggle but failed miserably. "Stop. Leave me," I wailed.
"Oh, you think I would? I want to marry you, but you're married. So I can just have fun with you until you are unconscious. But I must say, your husband was a pretty lucky lad to get you. Unfortunately for him, his wife won't be pure for him anymore," he whispered.
Did he have a split personality disorder? At one moment he was trying to touch me and the other moment, he was angry.
"Look at me!" he shouted and I spat on him when he pulled my chin to face him. "How dare you?" He released me from his grip and was about to raise his hand until someone hit him from behind. He fell flat on the floor, becoming unconscious.
I panted hard and looked at the person who saved me.
"Fragile as always," Nafeesa mumbled. I couldn't help but hug her. "Okay, okay. A thanks was better than a hug. I don't mind either way," she retorted and hugged me back.
"Thank you," I said after we broke the hug.
She smiled at me. "Let's go before he wakes up," she said and I went in front of the mirror.
I checked my shoulder and wrists, to see it had marks. I gasped. "I need to hide the marks, Nafeesa." She looked at the marks and instantly handed me a concealer from her purse. If Vexon saw the marks, he would kill Polowell and ruin our escape plan. I couldn't let that happen.
I took it and started to put it on my shoulder. I have a watch and bracelet on my wrists, so I didn't have to put a concealer there.
"Did Vexon call?" she asked as I was doing my work.
I shook my head and questioned her, "Why do you want to go to Canada?"
"You know my mom, Ruby. I want to pursue fashion designing. But she is always after money. When I told her that I wanted to follow my dream, she whacked me. She told me to marry a rich person and settle down," Nafeesa answered and I saw her eyes getting watery. "Ruby, when she heard about your marriage, she hit me hard. She said that you could woo a billionaire and why I couldn't do the same. And even when you came, she told me to flirt with Vexon or Cason. That's why I always tried to flirt." A sob escaped her mouth as she tried to control her tears.
She always flirted whenever my aunt was around. She wouldn't even talk with them if my aunt wasn't there. It meant my aunt forced her to do so.
Since I was done with my work, I approached her and patted her shoulder. "It's okay. We will escape and I will help you to pursue your dream, okay?" I assured her. She gulped and nodded. "Now let's go," I said and we looked at Polowell's unconscious body lying in my aunt's room.
"What should we do with him? By any chance, if mom enters the room, she would freak out," Nafeesa pointed out.
"Let's drag him and place him in the living room. If someone sees us, we could say that he bumped into the stand and fainted," I suggested and she instantly agreed. We dragged his body in the living room.
After we were done, I heard my phone beeping. Thinking it was Vexon, I took the phone out of my purse.
When I saw the message, I swear I was about to faint.
Newana:
Another Gerund? G8! Let's change the surname from Bevine to Gerund. Isn't that an awesome idea, Queen?
I didn't expect her to even have my number, but she just texted me to rub salt to the wound. No doubt, mom told her about Keya and Cason.
Ruby:
You are absolutely right. It will be the best idea. Convince others and we can start the paperwork.
She replied within a few seconds.
Newana:
Argh! U r so infuriating. Don't even show me ur face.
I chuckled and didn't bother to reply to her text.
Nafeesa peeked through my phone. "Isn't that your mean sister-in-law?"
I nodded.
That was when Cason got out of the bedroom while we were still in the living room. His foot bumped with the unconscious body of Polowell. "What the heck?" He looked at us.
Nafeesa was about to reply, but I stopped her and said, "He bumped into the stand and fainted."
Cason gave me a suspicious look but nodded. Nafeesa rolled her eyes.
"Anyways. Vexon texted me. They are here. We can't just run away because they are coming inside. Orson happens to fall in the pool of mud, so he has to come here and change. And Vexon stepped on the cow dung," Cason said, scrunching his nose in disgust.
I and Nafeesa, burst into laughter. Cason didn't hesitate to join us either. "Okay. After they are done, we can run away," he informed us and went inside the bedroom again.
I wondered what they were doing inside.
Nonetheless, we went to the front yard to see if people were done eating. They were almost done. I heard a beep on my phone.
Vexon?:
We entered through the back door. Come.
I showed the text to Nafeesa. "Go inside. I'm going to handle it here," she told me and I went near the back door. It was closer to the washroom.
There I saw Vexon in a blue suit. His shoes were fine as well. His disheveled hair made him more handsome than he already was. He approached me and kissed my forehead, making me feel safe now. "I missed you," he whispered.
"What happened to your shoes?" I asked, ignoring his previous statement.
"After stepping into the cow dung, the first thing I did was to change the shoes. And before you ask, Orson is in the washroom, changing his clothes," he explained and I nodded.
"Are the luggage in the car?" I asked and he hummed in response. "Let's go outside." I was about to walk past him but he held my wrists. I winced in pain.
"What happened?" he questioned, looking straight into my eyes, becoming worried.
"Nothing," I mumbled.
He touched them again and I prevented a squeal. Vexon took off my watch and bracelet, only to see red marks.
Instantly, his eyes squinted in anger. "Ruby, how did this happen?"
"It was due to the watch and bracelet," I lied and pushed his hand away. I paced towards the front yard, leaving him behind. While walking fast, I bumped into someone. "Sorry," I mumbled and looked at the person.
"You should be," it was Polowell. He woke up and he wasn't pleased at all. "You wound me, baby girl," he mumbled and tried to hold me.
I stumbled and ran back inside, only to bump with Vexon.
"What's wrong?" Vexon asked and I hugged him as he caressed my shoulder. "What's this makeup doing on your shoulder? Ruby?" I broke the hug and looked at his concealer smeared hand.
"The makeup is just to make the body glow and��" Vexon cut me off abruptly.
"One more fucking lie and I swear, I will cancel the damn escape plan," he warned and looked at me with a cold gaze.
I couldn't help but speak the truth. The thing I was afraid of, happened. Vexon got to know everything and that was how I massacred the plan.
"I will fucking kill that bastard! Who is he?" he hollered, while I flinched at his tone. "Ruby, who is he?"
"Po...Polowell Dun Dun..."
He gritted his teeth. "He is dead," with that, he went to the front yard.
"No, Vexon!" I ran behind him. "Cason!" I called Cason and he instantly got out, following us with Keya. When we reached there, I noticed Vexon was talking to my aunt, probably asking who Polowell was.
"So then it��" Vexon punched Polowell straight on the face as soon as my aunt pointed at him, while he was talking with Topi. He fell on the floor.
"How dare you?" Vexon kicked his stomach. "I'm gonna kill you!"
Everyone stopped their bantering and watched the fight.
I put a hand on Vexon's shoulder. "Vexon, please leave him. He��"
Vexon shot me a death glare. "Ruby," he uttered my name as if he was daring me to stop him. Trembling at his scary tone, I instantly backed off.
"How dare you tried to molest my wife?" He punched Polowell again, and I sighed. Vexon was going to change his face's geography today.
"Hey! Who's he and how dare he to hurt my brother?" Bexob exclaimed with anger.
Vexon didn't bother to stop and continued kicking and punching Polowell, more like beating him to death.
"He is my brother and Ruby's husband! And Ruby is the girl your brother misbehaved with," Cason said and stood in front of Bexob, throwing daggers at him. Not him too!
"Cason..." I tried to talk but he glared at me, which was enough for me to zip my mouth.
Soon, the front yard turned into a blood battle. Vexon was beating Polowell, Cason was beating Bexob. Topi yelled and tried to part them, but she ended up getting hurt. Every time I tried to stop them, they would give me such a glare that would make me want to die. Keya and my aunt were crying, while Nafeesa and Nadia tried to console them.
No guards were there to help us in this situation either.
That's when Orson entered. "I'm done chan��holy shit! What the hell?"
I ran towards him. "Orson, you have to distract them. Do something. We have to run away."
"What happened, Ruby? Why are they fighting?" he asked, unaware of the drama.
If I told him, he would join them too. So I decided not to tell them. "That is not important now. Just do something!" I hollered, getting fully stressed.
"Okay, calm down," he said. "Hey, do you have a lighter?"
I glared at him. "Do I look like a chain smoker?"
He raised up his hands in surrender. "Okay, geez. Calm down," with that, he went inside and came back with a bag of something and a lighter. Noticing that Orson would do something, I called Keya and Nafeesa in my direction. They came to me.
Orson cleared his throat before speaking, "Okay. Once I say Ready, close your eyes. When I say Set, open them, and when I say Go, just run away taking your men."
We were quite unclear about what he said. I was about to question something until he yelled. "Ready!"
I closed my eyes and heard the sound of crackers.
"Set!" Orson yelled again and we opened our eyes. There was smoke everywhere. People were coughing hard, even my Vexon. He was still on top of Polowell, punching his face hard. "Go!" Orson yelled for the last time.
I ran towards Vexon and pulled him apart from Polowell.
"What the��" I cut him off.
"Shut up and run!" I said and tried to run away. Unfortunately, I couldn't run properly due to my gown. We stopped midway when the smoke lessened.
"Ruby, why are we��" I interrupted him again.
"Pick me up in bridal style."
He raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"
"Hurry!" I hollered and instantly, he picked me up. "Now run towards the car. Go," I breathed out.
He frowned and started running away with me in his arms. It felt so weird yet safe. Now that I was in his arms, I didn't even care if we get caught, because I knew I was safe. Because I knew in my heart, he was there for me.
I saw Keya who was dragging Cason as they ran.
But when I saw Orson, I laughed hard.
"Orson, wait for me!" Nafeesa was running like a madwoman behind him and Orson was trying to escape from her.
Soon we reached the car. The guards were there, waiting for us. So this was the reason, I didn't find them there.
I got into the car with Vexon. Orson, Nafeesa, Cason, and Keya got into another car.
"I can't believe you didn't let me kill that bastard!" Vexon complained and narrowed his eyes at me.
"Whatever. Just start the car. At least, we could run away," I said while he sulked.
Aww...he looks so cute.
Sighing, I leaned towards him. I kissed his left cheek and went back to my old posture. I noticed a tint of red shade on his cheeks as he was trying himself not to smile.
"Now we can run away, can't we?" I spoke, arching an eyebrow. He chuckled and started the car. "Bye, bye, Bangladesh," I said, looking outside the window.
It was a weird tour but a memorable one. At least we were taking a runaway bride with us. We had another Bevine now, along with a Gerund.
