Let Me In

Cole's POV

I know this is foolish! To marry a man who despises you to the heavens – he despises your twin, and he believes you are still your twin. Thank you! However, I had to do this for Papa, Mama, and Nicky. When I caught sight of my twin, I could easily switch with her. Besides, Bennet is angry with him; he will suffer the consequences of that man's anger.

I was on edge when I heard the wedding march playing inside the church. Hmmm. It seemed like the cue for me to shake my head and bolt, but because I wasn't in the mood, I stepped into the church amidst the melodious sound of the bamboo organ.

I needed to get married. It's a pity that Papa endured so much.

Since I am entirely orphaned, no one will escort me down the aisle. Just myself. I don't even recognize anyone in attendance. They are all fine people, Bennet's friends and business partners. I couldn't care less about them. I'm not the type to enjoy socializing. Nicky loves it, and as I keep saying... I AM NOT NICKY.

The entire church is elegantly arranged. That hellish Bennet must have paid for it. He's just trying to show off his "WEDDING OF THE CENTURY." Sheesh! Some media outlets even covered the wedding. Sheesh! If I were there, they would have understood the situation differently and not this pointless marriage.

I gazed straight ahead in the church. I fixed my attention on the man awaiting me at the altar...

Bennet Michael Leofwin, a renowned Filipino businessman and billionaire.

What I know is that he's only 26 years old but has already established a business empire – RedSphere Inc – a multinational corporation headquartered in Silicon Valley, America. He's half Filipino, half demon, and also part Spanish. He hails from the esteemed Leofwin family.

I care little for him; my twin Nicky is dead to him. I was even in the middle of grappling with a tiger in Africa when I received Nicky's email announcing that Bennet was her boyfriend. Then, polar bears were chasing me in the Arctic Circle when news arrived that they had broken up. And my twin was utterly heartbroken.

After that, I heard nothing from him. I believed Nicky might have even taken her own life. When I returned from Afghanistan, this is what awaited me – Bennet and his indecent proposal.

Amusing, isn't it?

I had still believed Bennet to be a kind individual due to his offer to aid Papa's company. It turned out he had an ulterior motive. Shh!

He intends to make my life a living hell? Huh! We'll see about that! I've been far away, traveled many places. I've encountered and faced various kinds of monsters. I've wrestled with wild gorillas and had pythons slither over me. As a wildlife photographer for Geo Magazine, courage is my investment. To me, Bennet is just a lion...

A handsome and fierce lion.

Perhaps he can be tamed easily.

I continued walking down the aisle. There's no turning back now. Let's meet the lion king in his den and face the consequences. Eaten alive? Just a jest. If he dares to strike me, I'll break his jaw, he'll see.

I walked and walked some more. Alright, Cole, keep walking... walk. Damn it! Why is this church aisle so long? I'm exhausted! Especially with these heels taller than the Eiffel Tower. I don't wear heels. Who can afford such luxuries? I might as well hit his forehead with that heel and at least strike back.

After an eternity, I finally reached the end where Bennet stood with a smile.

Fake! Gotcha! That smile might fool others, but I know he's imagining how he'll torment me after marriage.

Beside Bennet stood his best man, Lukas Leofwin – Bennet's nephew. The handsome man also wore a genuine smile, unlike his uncle.

"Hello Nicky, or should I say Aunt Nicky?" Lukas greeted.

"Not yet," I retorted. "We're not married, remember? Save your congratulations; we might jinx it!"

Lukas chuckled. Bennet shot me a meaningful look. I merely raised an eyebrow in response.

Bennet took my hand and guided me to the altar. I was aware that all eyes were on us as we faced the priest to exchange our vows. I could still hear the murmurs around us.

"Cole's fortunate, right?"

"Yes, absolutely. He's got Bennet!"

"Hmph! I have a feeling Bennet had no choice after his true love, Kelly, passed away. I don't know why he settled for Nicky when I'm here. I would have been a better choice!"

I wished I could throw my shoe at the person speaking, but I restrained myself.

Or maybe I should just aim my heel at Bennet. There's that smile again. Addicted, perhaps? After he threatened me, now he's offering me a candy-coated smile? Ridiculous!

As we took our positions in front of the priest, I struggled to comprehend what the people around us were saying. Even the priest's words seemed incomprehensible. My brain had switched off.

Blah blah blah blah blah.

That's all I could hear. I scratched my head; the priest's ceremony felt excessively long, and my patience was wearing thin. I'm not usually impolite, especially not with priests. It's just that, in my view, Bennet was the one who deserved to be insulted after revealing his reasons for this wedding. So I couldn't care less if I displayed bad manners.

I felt my hair becoming disheveled, but I brushed it off. What if I looked disarrayed? People would criticize Bennet, not me. Hehehe. He married a lunatic.

After a while, Bennet nudged me, and I turned to him. He raised an eyebrow slightly, and I stopped myself from swearing because his appeal seemed to increase by a hundredfold. I didn't react when he lifted his hand and untangled my hair. His gentle fingers raked through my hair, sending shivers down my spine.

Hail Mary! What's with his touch? Does he have an electric current running through his fingers?

"Don't play the fool, Nicky. Don't embarrass me, or you'll regret it..." he whispered softly but intensely.

Jerk!

"It's touching that you're concerned. I don't intend to embarrass you. I'm just dealing with a stray louse in my hair..." I whispered with a grin.

Suppressing a laugh, I watched as Bennet turned to me with an inscrutable expression.

Haha!