Forced Marriage To The Psychotic Billionaire ( Book 2)

Chapter 18: The veto

Lorena looked away from Markris as she took the last steps down. An usher was immediately by her side to escort her to her seat. She prayed silently she didn't have to sit next to Markris. Fortunately for her, she was shown a seat far across from him.

As soon as she sat, the murmurs began. From how their eyes searched her face, looking for discomfort, she knew they were talking about her. The runaway bride was finally in the presence of her jilted groom. There couldn't be a juicier story.

"Now that the lovely lady Lorena has joined us, we can continue." She heard a familiar voice say. She looked up and saw it was Tim. He threw her a wink, and her face flushed. She turned around just in time to see Markris staring at her from across the room. Judging from the scowl on his face, he had seen the exchange between herself and Tim.

She shrugged and turned her attention away from him. She could care less what anyone, most especially Markris thought of her. Her eyes caught Alonso's, and he waved at her. She waved back at him, wondering why he was seated closer to Markris than her. She shook those thoughts away as quickly as they came. Tonight was the night to poke her father even further. No one was ruining it for her.

"We've said a lot, and now, it's finally time to unveil our very first cover," A round of applause broke out. "But first," Everyone groaned as Tim raised a hand. "I'll like to welcome the CEO of our fashion house and my perfect friend, Ms. Tina."

Tina climbed up the podium, her signature lovely smile on her beautiful face. Everyone stood to their feet to give her a standing ovation.

"Thank you so much," She held her chest, a shin of tears appearing at the corner of her eyes. "Please take your seats." She said, and everyone obliged.

"I'll like to thank every one of you for taking time away from your busy schedule to come to celebrate the launch of this special magazine. Everyone knows me knows I've been working on this for a while. I don't want to waste too much time because enough has been said already. However, I'll like to thank our models for this sexy cover. Lorena," She turned her head towards her direction. "You have no idea how much the effort you put into this means to me. The fact that you did this for charity, too, elevated my respect for you. I can't wait for you to see how amazing the pictures came out."

"Love you." Lorena mouthed to her amidst the loud clap.

"Mark," She turned to him. "We've known each other for a while, and you still always find a way to surprise me. You would never have done this alone, but I guess no one can withstand the lovely lady Lorena right?" She joked, and Lorena shifted uncomfortably. She watched as Markris adorned a fake smile strictly for the camera. He couldn't particularly be geeked about the fact someone had just presumed he chose to do a cover because of the same woman who stood him up about a month ago. "Anyway, your support means the world to me, and I'm honestly grateful you decided to do this. Thank you, everyone. Thank you once again for coming out to support me." She ended her speech, and a round of applause followed shortly.

"We've kept you all waiting for a while. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to unveil our latest cover."

Lorena's heart began to beat as she stared at the large projected screen. She didn't know what to expect. How sexy did she look? Was it distasteful or downright repugnant? These were all the questions in her mind. Everyone's eyes were on the screen, but she felt one resting on her. She knew it was his, even without looking. He probably couldn't wait to mock her with whatever showed on the screen.

"Asshole!" She muttered as colors began to form on the screen.

The first picture showed up, and a collective gasp echoed around the room. Lorena's eyes widened as she stared at the image of herself in that sultry dress, clinging to Markris like they were long-time lovers. Everyone's eyes ultimately traveled between the two as picture after picture dropped. In the last photograph, the crowd erupted into a loud cheer.