Bride Of Hades

The party to announce Matthew's appointment was in full swing. All the big wigs, influential businessmen, and members of the mafia circles were in attendance since it was a very important day.

Finn, Matthew's childhood friend, knew about his relationship with Jane, so he asked why she was not present for his big unveiling. 

"Jane said she was busy with her internship, and she couldn't get away," Matthew replied.

The two men have been friends since they were small kids. Finn's family owned several construction companies around the country, and since construction was always a booming business, they were considered well-to-do. Not Santoris rich, but rich enough to be well known.

They were as different as night and day, where Matthew was stoic and austere, Finn was sociable, extroverted, and charming. His smile and easy nature made people open up to him. If they were not childhood friends, there was no chance they would have gotten along.

Jane, on the other hand, decided not to come because she felt out of place. She remembered her last time at one of these ritzy parties was at his mother's birthday. Sure, people did not say anything to her face because they feared Matthew, but they gossiped and mocked her behind her back. They made fun of her clothes and the gift she made for his mom. She felt so uncomfortable that she left the party even before it ended.

She anticipated Matthew being busy for his event. He would be receiving and entertaining his guests, and he would not be able to be with her the whole time, so she lied and told him she was busy. In reality, she felt inferior to the crowd her boyfriend mingled with and knew that she would never measure up to their expectations. 

And Matthew believed her and did not pressure her to be there, even though he felt that it would have been nice if she was there to support him. "I cannot force her to be here if she has other commitments," he said.

Fin asked, "Is this the real reason? Maybe she's not comfortable with this crowd?"

Matthew frowned. Why would Jane lie? If she had a problem then she would have already said something to him.

"Ohhh… Look who's coming. I better leave before I get kicked out," Finn chuckled, not minding his friends' glare.

Daisy, a beautiful, smart, and bold young lady, had walked in with her father, Matthew's business associate. She had been molded by her father from a young age to act and think like one of the male heirs, so she had been handling their family business alongside him for a while.

And just like any heir that had been groomed for greatness, she took on the chilly, arrogant demeanor that most of them exhibited. She had an unapologetic attitude and did whatever she wanted. 

She had men falling at her feet, but she never gave them the time of day, rejecting them ruthlessly, bruising their egos so much they ended up hating her. 

Daisy met Matthew abroad when she and her father were there to attend a meeting. He caught her eye when he started showing his initiative in commanding his audience. The way he spoke showed how intelligent and strategic he was when it came to business matters.

Gradually she started paying attention to certain things about him, how his arrogance made him more handsome. His inattentiveness to the women flaunting themselves at him was a plus in her book. Bit by bit she started comparing him to her idea of her ideal man, and he was ticking off all her boxes.

Men were usually intimidated by her beauty and intelligence, so they kept a good distance away from her, they got insulted or flustered when she gave them snide comments. But not Matthew, he met her head-on, staring her in the eye and challenging her. 

At the end of the trip, Daisy realized she had fallen in love with him, his masculinity, and his confidence. Like a true dominant heir, she did not waste time confessing her true feelings for him, but Matthew replied that he had a girlfriend waiting for him back home. Though disappointed, she did not lose hope. It was not surprising that a man like Matthew was already taken.

-=-

Daisy would approach Matthew every time she had the chance, and today she wanted to congratulate him on his achievement, "Hi Matthew! Congratulations! How does it feel to be the big boss?" 

Matthew grimaced, he didn't really like talking to Daisy. When he rejected her, he thought she would just quit and disappear, but it seemed she knew where he was at all times, and that irked him.

With all the people present, he had to put up a facade that they were at least civil to each other. "Daisy," he replied tersely.

"I heard you are going to X region to expand your business. The locals are a bit troublesome, but I have resources that could help you," she offered.

"I can manage," he scoffed.

"Are you underestimating me? There are very…," Matthew cut her off. "I don't want to owe you any favors."

Daisy nodded, "I understand." She turned her back on him and walked away, knowing when she was not wanted.

He knew that her resources were useful. Her talent and her wide range of networks would bring him better assistance, but he did not want to be associated with her when he knew that she was interested in him. 

She was very headstrong and talented, but her comment about not giving up on him turned him off. "You're not married yet, there's still a chance we could be together. But don't worry I won't try to separate you and your lover, that will happen on its own. I will wait here patiently, and I know that someday you will reciprocate my feelings," she declared.

Recalling that day made him mad. 

His reply to her had been, "Good luck with your wishful thinking. You and I will never happen."

"Don't be too sure about that. One can never predict human nature," she told him before she left.

He had avoided Daisy ever since, but she seemed to appear at every function he attended. She was true to her word, only talking to him about business, and whenever he would give her the cold shoulder, she'd leave without making a fuss. Her attitude intrigued him, finding it a little strange that she did not fit the mold of the typical heiress he knew.

-=-

After the event, Jane came to see Matthew to bring him a gift.

"My friend dragged me into pottery class. I wanted to make something special for you, and I hope you like it," she replied as she gave him the box.

Inside there were two figurines that resembled him and Jane. It was not a masterpiece, but it looked cute to have cartoon replicas of them together. She made them with love and wanted to share them with him.

"I like it a lot," Matthew smiled at her.

"Really? Then you have to take care of it," Jane smiled, seeing her efforts paid off.

"Jane, I want you to know that I'm going on a long business trip," he said.

"How many days will you be gone?" she asked.

He looked at her like he was delivering a regular message, "I might be gone for more than two months.

Her face fell as her heart sank, "Why are you going to be gone for so long? What is taking you away?"

"I'm starting a new project in X region. I need to stay there until everything gets settled. But don't worry, we can talk over the phone anytime," Matthew tried to reassure her.

With a forced smile, she accepted her fate, "Okay, come back soon. I'll be waiting for you."

Matthew got called away for a phone call, and as she sat there, Jane felt so alone and bitter that her boyfriend did not seem to care that she would be lonely the whole time he was gone. She was also pissed that although he said he liked her gift, he just left them lying on the sofa where they could have fallen and broken. 

With a heavy heart, she left him alone to finish the phone call that sounded like it would take a while to finish. She did not want to sit around and wait for him to notice her because she knew she came last in everything he did.