RAVENS #1: THE DARKNESS

Chapter 1 - Wedding

Alyssa Takada

My grandmother once told me to chase my dreams and live as if I'm living in a fairytale world. She said that I deserve to get anything that I want because they're capable of granting every wish that I have in mind.

Aeri Takada.

Aeri in Japanese means love, affection, and fondness. It's a beautiful name, and I only let people close to me call me Aeri.

My parents named me Aeri in the hope that I could spread love and happiness. They always told me I lived up to my name because everyone loved me.

Everyone but him.

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The priest announced, and I smiled widely. Our families clapped their hands, and I cupped his face to kiss him. He stayed only for two seconds before pushing me away and walking down the aisle alone.

I turned to my family, and they all looked at me, confused. I grabbed my wedding dress and ran towards Liam, slipping my hand into his, holding him like my lifeline. He turned to me and let me hold his hand.

"I can't wait for our Bora-bora trip." I squealed as we walked out of church.

"You can go by yourself. I have two surgeries waiting for me." He said coldly. A car came and stopped right in front of us. He took off his wedding ring and gave it to me.

"No one can know that we're married to each other." I looked at the ring on the palm of my hand in silence. Liam got into the car and left. I looked up at the sky, and it was already dark.

I turned around, and when I walked back into the church, the rain started to pour down. It's a sign that I won't be happy in this marriage because rain symbolizes how many tears I will shed during my marriage life.

"Cheers to us," I said before proceeding back inside.

Liam Hastington

I looked out the window, and it was still pouring rain. My car stopped in front of the headquarters lobby, and my right-hand man, Rocky, was already waiting for me. He opened my car door and gave me my tablet.

I walked into the headquarters after finishing two surgeries. The first surgery took three hours, and the second took six hours. I'm so tired, but I must spend some underground stuff.

"Mr.Hastington, your wife has officially moved to your penthouse. I signed Rachel to be her assistant." I gave him a nod before checking my tablet for my next target. I went to our computer room and locked myself in there as I checked all the airport CCTV one by one, scanning for a Russian man named Anton.

My phone vibrates, and it's Alyssa.

Alyssa: Let's eat dinner together.
Alyssa: I made some food.
Alyssa: When are you coming home?

I read her text and continued to look for Anton. I alerted my men, already standing by at the airport, to catch Anton.

"Bring him to the headquarters." My phone rang, and it was Yugo Takada, Alyssa's dad. I answered the call immediately and left my computer room for my office.

"What do you want Yugo?" I asked, not caring that he was my father-in-law.

"Don't be so harsh on Alyssa. She loves you, and you should at least try."

"Then you should have married her to someone who loves her. I never liked your daughter, and she knew that." I heard him sighing from the other side.

"She wants you, Liam. You're the only person that she'll ever love."

"I don't feel the same way as your daughter. She's nothing but a pain in the ass." With that, I ended the call.

Alyssa has always been my shadow.

We met when she was a freshman in high school, and I was a junior. She has a crush on me and is never afraid to show it. She always followed me around, supporting me when I had a basketball game. She would always be there on the sidelines, cheering for me. She never missed one game. She's always there.

She also went to the same college as me. She asked me to be his boyfriend multiple times, but I rejected her repeatedly. Alyssa is the opposite of me. We don't click, and she always causes trouble wherever she goes and hopes that I will pick her shit up.

I told her why I never wanted to be with her, and she told me she'd prove she would become a better woman. She left for Paris to be a fashion designer, and I wish she had stayed there forever.

I went home and found Alyssa waiting for me.

"How's work? Did the surgery go well?" She asked as she grabbed my hand, leading me to the dining room. She made sushi and omurice.

"Sit down. You must be tired." She forced me to sit and put all the food before me. I grabbed the chopstick and tried the sushi first. It was okay, not that good. I grabbed a spoon to eat the omurice, and she made the rice too sweet and the eggs too salty.

"You should stop cooking," I said, and her smile fell.

"Is it that bad?" She asked as she grabbed the sushi with her hand and ate it. Then she proceeded to try the omurice.

"It's good." She said, clearly has no sense of taste.

"I have my private chef, and I don't need you to cook for me." I got up from the dining table, leaving her alone. I walked up to my room and found her stuff all over my room. I sighed and got into the shower.

After I was done, I quickly lay on the bed to sleep. I'm so tired after having a wedding that I never wanted, two surgeries, and catching one of the Russian mafia members who stole from me.

I fell asleep instantly and hoped Alyssa would leave me alone.