Part 1
It was another long Saturday night for Emily, filled with overtime at work. She felt exhausted, and the thought of spending the evening alone was enough to make her dizzy.
The distant thump of music beckoned from the neighborhood bar, and without a second thought, she found herself ordering a beer.
Taking a seat in the corner booth, she turned to face away from the dance floor. She craved a bit of solitude but, paradoxically, didn’t want to be entirely alone.
Her life had become a monotonous cycle of work and more work, with little room for fun or social interaction. Tonight, she was determined to break free from that routine, even if just for a little while.
Little did she know that this Saturday night would be different, a turning point she never expected.
As the server arrived with Emily’s beer, an unforeseen mishap occurred—a stranger accidentally bumped into the table, causing the glass to topple and spill all over Emily.
This was certainly not how she had envisioned her night unfolding.
“I am so sorry!” stammered the handsome stranger, his face turning a shade of crimson as he genuinely expressed his remorse.
Surprisingly, Emily didn’t react with anger. Instead, she calmly picked up her drenched Herschel bag and said, “That’s okay; it felt refreshing,” before breaking into laughter
“Let me make it up to you,” Dave implored, a determined glint in his eye.
“My name is Dave,” he said with a warm smile, “and I promise to make this night memorable for you.”
“I won’t say it’s nice to meet you yet,” Emily replied with a subtle smile on her face, “You still have to prove your worth. I’m Emily.”
Dave appreciated Emily’s directness and strong demeanor. She met his gaze unwaveringly, a trait that intrigued him. She was straightforward and sincere, qualities he didn’t often encounter.
“Let’s start by ordering another drink for you,” Dave suggested, “The same?”
“Sure, I didn’t even get to sip my beer before you dropped it,” Emily replied with a chuckle, her eyes still locked onto his. The night had taken an unexpected turn, but it was shaping up to be anything but ordinary.
They danced the night away as if they were the only two souls on the dance floor. Emily marveled at how comfortable she felt with this stranger, while Dave couldn’t shake the feeling that they had known each other forever.
As the hours passed, their connection deepened. They chatted, laughed, and swayed to the music, losing themselves in the rhythm of the moment. Neither of them cared how they had ended up in the corner emergency chapel, where a priest married people who couldn’t wait to join their lives.
The combination of beer and tequila shots was taking its toll.
The next morning, Emily was the first to awaken, her eyes fluttering open to find herself in the city’s finest hotel room. She had no recollection of the previous night’s events, let alone how she had ended up in that room. Thankfully, her clothing was intact, offering a glimmer of relief that nothing had transpired to be ashamed of.
She grabbed her purse and, without a word or farewell, fled the room.
Dave stirred awake to an empty bed, a blur of memories from the previous night flashing through his mind. He couldn’t quite piece together how he had made it to the room, but one thing was certain—it had been a night to remember.
A subtle knock on the door pulled Dave back to reality. He checked the time on his watch and sighed, realizing, “I have to run; I have an investor meeting at 11:00 a.m.”
“Boss, breakfast is ready,” Dave’s bodyguard and friend chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. “How does it feel to be a newlywed?” Colin asked with a mischievous grin.
“What are you talking about?” Dave responded, his surprise evident in his expression.
“Oh, you don’t remember,” Colin replied with a sigh, “I tried to stop you, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“What have I done?” Dave asked, panic creeping into his voice. “And where is she? I can barely remember her name, only that we had such fun.”
“You’ve got me as a witness; I tried to stop you, but you weren’t yourself,” Colin affirmed.
Dave tried to regain his composure. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out later today,” he assured Colin, determined to unravel the mystery of the previous night’s unexpected turn of events.
They arrived at the restaurant where Dave was meeting the investors, a good 10 minutes early. Dave took the opportunity to order a coffee and savor a moment of tranquility. It was a quiet Sunday morning, and the investors would be flying back to England later that night.
Dave knew the importance of being fresh for his pitch. He hadn’t reached his current position through sheer luck; he was smart and hardworking. As his mom used to say, he had a Midas touch, to which he’d reply, “Yes, Mom, he’s working for me.”
Dave turned to Colin with urgency in his voice, “Make sure to find out everything about the girls from last night. Everything!” He emphasized the importance of gathering information.
Meanwhile, Emily arrived at her apartment, utterly confused about what had transpired the night before. She had no recollection of how she had ended up in that hotel room.
“I’m glad to be home,” she thought to herself. After a relaxing warm bath and a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, coffee, and toast, she set out to attend the 10 a.m. mass. She had promised her Aunt Rose that she would join her for church that morning.
Emily couldn’t wait to talk to Rose, her aunt and confidante. Rose had an uncanny ability to say the right things at the right times, and Emily was immensely grateful to have her in her life.
“You won’t believe what happened last night!” Emily whispered with a subtle smile.
“For someone with that look on your face, it seems like you met a prince,” Rose replied, lowering her voice as the priest continued with the sermon. “You have to tell me everything after we finish here.”
In another part of the city, amidst the towering buildings of big business, Dave successfully sealed the deal with the investors who had agreed to buy his company for nothing less than a fortune. This turn of events would make Dave the newest billionaire in the city.
Though he was elated by what was unfolding, he couldn’t get Emily out of his mind. When Colin arrived in the black Mercedes to pick him up, the first thing Dave asked for was information.
Colin had revisited the bar from the night before. The server who had attended to Dave and Emily was opening the bar, and she willingly shared everything she knew about Emily, as they were familiar with each other from the neighborhood.
Emily was a decent young woman, working multiple jobs to help her parents cover the medical bills from her father’s heart operation the previous year. Despite having an engineering degree, her pay was insufficient, and she occasionally bartended at the same bar where they met. She lived just a couple of buildings down from the bar, and her next bartending shift was scheduled for Wednesday night.
“She definitely had a lot to say. I didn’t have to pry much; she offered up all the information willingly,” Colin reported to Dave.
Emily hurriedly urged Rose to leave the church, and they were the first to exit. “You won’t believe what happened last night, Rose,” Emily confessed, her anxiety palpable. “I messed up big time.”
“Come on, don’t overreact; everything has a solution. I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal,” Rose reassured her.
“I think I got married last night, but I’m not 100 percent sure,” Emily admitted, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
“You did what?” Rose exclaimed, completely taken aback by the revelation.
Emily proceeded to recount everything that had transpired to the best of her recollection and understanding.
Rose, after hearing the story, didn’t waste any time. “We need to go to that chapel and find out what really happened. Let’s go; there’s no time to waste.”
Upon arriving at the chapel, Emily’s doubts were swiftly dispelled. She had indeed married Dave Campbell the previous night.
“Oh, sweetie, what have you done?” Rose burst into laughter. “You must be kidding me. We better keep this a secret and work on fixing this mess.”
Part Two
Emily couldn’t believe the whirlwind of the past 24 hours. With Rose’s laughter still ringing in her ears, they headed to a nearby café to gather their thoughts. The shock of the unexpected marriage to a man she barely knew was overwhelming, but Emily found a strange comfort in Rose’s support.
“Okay, let’s think this through,” Rose said, taking a sip of her coffee. “We need to figure out how to contact this Dave and sort everything out.”
Meanwhile, back in his office, Dave was preoccupied with thoughts of Emily. Despite the significant deal he had just closed, his mind kept drifting back to her. He picked up his phone and dialed Colin.
“Any luck with finding more details?” Dave asked, trying to mask his impatience.
“Yes, boss,” Colin replied. “I have her address and some more information. She works at the bar a couple of times a week and has an engineering degree. Sounds like she’s been through a lot.”
Dave nodded, absorbing the information. “Good. I need to see her. Set up a meeting with her tonight. Let’s be discreet about it.”
Later that evening, Emily was back at her apartment, nervously pacing. The day’s events had been surreal, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of impending chaos. Just as she was about to call it a night, her phone rang. It was an unknown number.
“Hello?” she answered cautiously.
“Emily, it’s Dave,” came the familiar voice on the other end. “We need to talk.”
Emily’s heart skipped a beat. “Dave… I agree. Can we meet somewhere public?”
“How about the café near your place? In thirty minutes?” Dave suggested.
“Alright,” Emily replied, her voice steadying. “I’ll see you there.”
Thirty minutes later, Emily found herself seated at a small table in the café, her fingers nervously tapping on the surface. She looked up just in time to see Dave walk in, his presence commanding the room. He spotted her and made his way over, a determined look on his face.
“Emily,” he said, sitting down across from her. “First of all, I want to apologize for everything that happened last night. It was all so unexpected.”
Emily nodded, her eyes searching his. “I appreciate that, Dave. But we need to figure out what to do next. We can’t just pretend this didn’t happen.”
Dave sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re right. But I think we need to take a step back and really consider our options. I don’t want to rush into anything without thinking it through.”
Emily appreciated his measured approach. “Agreed. Maybe we can start by getting an annulment. It seems like the logical first step.”
“Yes, that makes sense,” Dave replied. “But I don’t want to just end this and walk away. I feel like there’s something more here, something worth exploring. If you’re open to it.”
Emily was taken aback by his sincerity. Despite the bizarre circumstances, she couldn’t deny the connection they had felt. “Let’s take it one step at a time, Dave. We’ll handle the annulment first and see where things go from there.”
Dave smiled, relief washing over him. “That sounds like a plan. Thank you, Emily. For being so understanding.”
As they parted ways that evening, both Emily and Dave felt a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. The unexpected turn of events had brought them together in a way neither of them could have anticipated. And while the future was uncertain, they were both willing to see where this unlikely journey might lead.
Back at her apartment, Emily felt a sense of calm for the first time in days. She knew that the road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but with Rose’s unwavering support and Dave’s genuine intentions, she felt ready to face whatever came next. She glanced at the clock, realizing that tomorrow was another day filled with responsibilities and challenges. But tonight, she allowed herself a moment of peace, knowing that she wasn’t alone in this journey.
Part2