BECOMING HER HUSBAND'S BIGGEST MISTAKE

 Lana stared at her reflection in the mirror, unable to move for a second like she was seeing herself for the very first time.

 Expensive silk hugged her body, her gown custom made, the designer's talent on full display. Her ears twinkled, diamonds glistening from her earrings, necklace and bracelets wrapped around her wrists. Her heels were extra inches tall, every clink against the floor ready to scream luxury. From head to toe, she was dressed in a manner she wasn't used to but a manner she was about to force herself to get used to.

 Her lips were painted bright red, her eyes lingering on it for a while. In her years of applying makeup, she almost never went with red, her palette always varying from the several shades of pink to ever exist. But now that she was Mrs. Frane, living under the same roof as the very Mr. Frane, she needed something bold and different.

 Something that did a good job at masking the old Lana Sanderson.

 She reached for her bag laying on her vanity and rose to her feet, her car keys twirling around her fingers. She had classes and naturally she was on her way to school but all it took was her first step out of her room to immediately reconsider.

 The smell of freshly made breakfast pierced the air, Lana's stomach immediately grumbling. Ever since she got married, she'd ignored the cooks Alexander had in the house and lived on junks, café meals and takeouts. But that morning, she decided it was time to put that to rest and treat herself to the breakfast she deserved.

 "Good morning, ma'am. We've been expecting you to grace us with your presence at the dining."

 Offering the cooks light smiles, she took her seat and watched them rush into the kitchen to fill the table with breakfast, ever curtly. Her mouth watered as they dished her meal, her food preferences particularly catered to like they had been previously briefed about it. Her plate was full, glass filled and with a final bow, they gave her all the privacy she could need to eat.

 Quickly reaching for her cutlery, she began eating, silently marveling at how well prepared the food was. Food at her parent's house were good but oddly enough, theirs tasted even better.

 "The man of this house might be a complete asshole but at least the food here is-"

 It had to be a wicked coincidence, Alexander's frame immediately appearing before the words could completely escape Lana's lips. In total shock, she froze, her cutlery immediately slipping from her hand to hit the ground.

 "Shit," she muttered as she tried to get her gaze to follow the cutlery only to find herself still staring at him. he walked into the dining room like he owned it- which he technically did- his eyes on the table as he noticed her unexpected presence.

 He was dressed in a dark suit, the color heavily contrasting her gown. His hair was styled, his brows furrowed as he made his way to his seat and though Lana hated to admit it, she was immediately reminded his sharp insanely attractive features were one of the reasons she easily fell for him in the past.

 "Shit," she muttered again and this time, dug into her bag to fetch her body. Swiping it unlock as quickly as she could, she rose to her feet, tapping all sorts of icons on the screen in her desperate attempt to pretend something came up resulting to her having to leave the dining as soon as possible.

 Her plan didn't work. Not the way she wanted it. As the only thing that came up was her plate of barely finished food, making its way into the air for a while before eventually crashing onto the ground.

 "Shit," her voice was the loudest it had ever been, Lana watching the meal she was enjoying few minutes ago decorate the floor, the plate spread into a thousand pieces. "Shit."

 "Is my presence making you uncomfortable?" Alexander's voice was heard next the second the sound from the broken plate quietened. "Were you trying to leave because of me?"

 "What?" Lana immediately raised her head to meet his gaze. "What? No! Of course not."

 "Is that so?"

 "Why would I be uncomfortable by your presence?" she faked a laughter then immediately bent to pick up the broken pieces of the plate. "I was only-"

 "Stop," his voice joined hers as he also bent, not to pick up the pieces of the plate but to suddenly hold her hand, stopping her before she could reach for a new piece. "You could get hurt doing that."

 "Don't touch m-"

 She was ready to protest and push him away from her before he could tighten his grip on her. But like he'd expected her reaction, his grip was tight and the minute it became even tighter, her eyes caught a familiar glint on his finger.

 Lana immediately swallowed, unexpectedly at a loss for words as she stared at their wedding ring wrapped around his finger. She didn't argue, her eyes on his hand as he guarded her back to her feet. His grip got only tighter as he took another step closer to her, moving her away from the broken glass and before she could come back to her senses and push him away, freed her hand from her grip.

 "The cook would bring you another plate then," he said as he returned to his seat. "You can have your sit while you wait."

 She didn't have her sit while she waited. Instead, she remained on her feet the entire time while the maids scurried in and cleaned up the mess, apologizing a dozen times as they brought a new plate and served her food all over again. Then the moment they were done, placed the food right next to Alexander.

 She wasn't hungry anymore. Her appetite for food had ran far away the second she caught sight of the ring on Alexander's finger, replaced with an appetite for answers.

 Why was he wearing his ring? Wasn't the wedding nothing but a contract to him? if she could decide to not wear her ring then why was he wearing his?

 "I thought you weren't uncomfortable."

"What? No, I'm not," she awkwardly took her seat again, placing her phone in the space between them as she grabbed her cutlery. "Why would I be?"

 She knew the answers to her question. Because she wasn't expecting to eat with him at the same table? Because she couldn't believe the next time they got to eat at the same table as a married couple was turning out like that? And newly added reason, because she couldn't understand why he was wearing the symbol of a marriage he clearly didn't care about?

 "You've been staring at my finger," he suddenly dropped his cutlery, startling Lana as he shifted his entire focus to her. He looked at her from head to toe, his gaze lingering around her fingers for a while before speaking up again. "Oh, you aren't wearing your ring. Why?"

 Her tongue curled. "Why should i?"

 "It was custom made, you know," he continued his meal, taking in what he needed from checking her out. "Extremely expensive too if you haven't figured that out. It'll be the perfect extra touch to your new, well, style."

 Her cheeks burned, Lana understanding exactly what he meant. He was mocking her ever so skillfully as he clearly had a knack for.

 "You're right," she replied him with a smile, determined to not give him the permission to get to her. "I should wear it. The perfect diamond cut should match my bracelet, right?"

 "Even if it doesn't you can always get a new bracelet," he nodded, sending a piece of freshly cut beef into his mouth. "Maybe one as expensive as the ring so it perfectly matches. Anything to show off, am I right?"

 Lana balled her fists, finding it really hard to stay calm. His words were slowly getting to her, poking at her carefully built façade.

 "Of course," she took a sip of water, sending down any urge to break down in his presence. "Must be the reason you're wearing your ring then. To show off? Since that's clearly what this marriage is to you. Just a done deal you want to show off?"

 Whatever effects her words had on him, she wasn't sure. But it was strong enough to get him to pause eating and then look at her again.

 "Mis- Mrs. Lana, I thought we were honestly on the same page-"

 "Of course, we are," she clapped her hands excitedly, a bright smile on her face. "Don't get me wrong. I wasn't wearing the ring because I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

 "What?"

 "The ring is fancy, yes," she smacked her lips. "But wedding rings are sort of a big deal- at least so I heard- and since this wedding isn't that much of a big deal, I didn't see any reason to wear it."

 "But now that I see you're wearing yours," she continued, avoiding his direct gaze. "Fine, maybe I'll wear mine too. It won't look good if you're the only one wearing your ring, right?"

 She finished her words with a smile and coincidentally, her phone immediately rang. Placed right between them, it was loud enough to get both Lana and Alexander to glance at the screen, Lana's smile immediately widening.

 "Oh, I need to go now," her fingers lingered on her phone, her eyes on Alexander to ensure he saw the caller ID. "I guess I'll see you later then."

 She rose to her feet then grabbed her bag, swiping to pick the call as she did. Then with a high-pitched tone, greeted the person at the other side of the call before completely walking out.

 "Oh, Nicholas Adams! Took you long enough to finally call again!"