Chapter Text
anxiety fills your lungs as the private plane lands in the private airport.
'stupid rich people.' you mutter under your breath as if the friends you have with you would disagree.
a few days prior, a letter came to your home reminding you of an arrangement you used to pray everyone would just forget about; 11 years ago you were introduced to one damian wayne, being told by your father that you, at merely 8 years old, will be marrying him once the both of you have come to age- it's been 11 years, are we really sure this still has to happen?
alas, you're here in gotham with a few of your friends who are aware of your situation. luckily, you were allowed to bring along your own companions, who else would be your bridesmaids? the waynes seemed to believe in 'the bigger the better' when it came to parties so why would it be any different for the guestlist of the heir's wedding be any different?
your closest friend of the 5 you brought, valerie, along speak up, "hey? you with us?" she calls you out of your anxious trance. "what? oh, right. we've landed."
your friends let out nervous laughs. it's a late into the year, the days are cold and dark in gotham, reflecting your inner turmoil. "c'mon, let's get out of this stuffy plane." they all agree and escort you to the mercedes-benz waiting for everyone- courtesy of the waynes, so is this entire trip, and your wedding, and soon, your whole life.
your friends were giving you a pep talk in the car, while they would be dropped off at a nearby hotel, you would be brought directly to the manor to see your fiance after more than a decade by yourself.
"are you sure they can't just accompany me or something?" you turn to the driver who's been listening in to the panicked words of encouragement the girls have been giving you.
"sorry miss. just you, orders of mr. wayne."
"right..." you sighed in defeat, you didn't even know which mr. wayne.
you look around the car; valerie, mitch, lilie, annabel, and chelsea all have eyes drowned in worry staring into your soul, that's how it's been this whole car ride. you bite your cheek.
"i'm sure, it'll be fine." mitch mumbles.
"if he's as much of a gentleman as everyone says he is then you're in good hands."
"wait, don't people say he's kind of an assho-" anna nudged lilie before she could finish her sentence.
"right. sorry."
you held back a groan, "i know we were really young when we first met but even then he was a piece of arrogant shit. then, he moved in with his billionaire father, he's probably more of an asshole than ever."
the car comes to a stop, "well shit." valerie shoots you an awkward grin "that's us, babe. you've got this, be the stupidly strong and independent woman you are. don't let their pearly whites scare you." she laughs as she leans towards you to hold your hand.
"your teeth are probably way whiter anyways." lilie smiles.
theres a knock on one of the windows from one of the servants, "miss? your friends have to step out now, we'll be late."
you can only assume damian wayne isn't one to appreciate tardiness.
yeah, yeah." anna says. "c'mon guys."
"you'll do great." she turns to you before stepping out of the car.
"good luck," chelsea and mitch say in unison
"hope you come out in one piece." lilie says as anna nudges her again, dragging her out the car.
"call us when you can." valerie finally lets go of your hand with a soft look.
"yeah... of course. see you guys later." valerie hadn't even finished waving to you when the car door was slammed close again.
you let out a shaky breath, feeling incredibly small in this stupidly big car. you weren't poor, no, your family was very well off. albeit, not as much as damian's family but enough to provide you a comfortable life after inheriting the fortune following the death of your father (your mother stays unknown to you, you've grown to be unbothered by the fact). your family was somewhat powerful, that's how you ended up here anyways. from what you remember, your father owed a favor to damian's mother and apparently the only thing he had to offer was your hand in marriage.
despite all this, you tried to separate yourself from all this lucrative power your father seemingly had. your father led a business that served as your family's main source of income. when you took over, you cut off all the suspension loose ends and miscellaneous sources of income that your father never had the chance to explain before he died.
you had to remind yourself that you built yourself up and proved everyone wrong when you were the successor of all of your father's assests at only 14 years old. valerie wasn't lying when she said you were stupidly strong and independent.
you took a deep breath, glancing out the windows to see the annoyingly giant wayne manor in your peripheral vision.
"You've got this... you've got this..." you repeated valerie's words to yourself.
"miss?" the driver says. "we're here."
"oh."
you take one more deep breath before stepping out of the vehicle, heels clanking against the pathway. a man waits for you, seemingly another servant- a butler?
"welcome miss. we've been awaiting you." He smiles and brings out his hand "my name is alfred pennyworth. longtime carer of the waynes."
you take his hand, shaking it firmly and politely the same way you would to your business partners. "nice to meet you." you say with a commercially perfect grin.
"master damian has been waiting for you in his study."
"ah. i see." your smile slightly falters.
"let me escort you, he's requested to see you as soon as you arrive."
"very well."
as alfred leads you up the many many stairs you observe the manor. as expected; intimidating, powerful, and dominating just in it's structure. the two of you stop in front of two large wooden doors. they're as unforgiving as the rest of the house. realizing that the first of the many major things you've been dreading these past few days is finally happening, a shiver runs through your entire body as if you soul was just begging to be freed already. alfred gently knocks before opening one of the doors, stepping aside to let you in. You look down at your feet. 'ok, ok, ok, this is actually happening.' you carefully stepped inside as if you'd be ambushed as soon as you walked in, which, isn't that crazy to assume. your breath hitches. this entire time you've been envisioning the little boy you met 11 years ago, but what's sitting across from you is man, a really fucking handsome and intimidating man. "mr. wayne." you could barely even speak without tripping over your words. his study was clean and perfectly organized, not a paper out of place. for a moment, his green eyes simply watch over you. observing every breath and twitch before he stands and walks towards you, the sudden lack of space between the two of you makes you want to black out right then and there. he looms over you. his hair was carefully combed, it looked in place but it'd be impossible for him to have gelled it with how soft it looks. his suit was tailored and ironed. he smelled impossibly clean and captivating, slightly musky. "I hope you had no trouble in your travels." he spoke blankly. "n-no. not at all. we were well accounted for." you cursed yourself for stuttering. "that's good." he seemed to be just as awkward as you, or is that just your imagination? He offers you his hand, shaking yours with much more control than alfred. 'god, his hands are so soft.' "alfred will take you to your room. you will be staying in the manor for the remainder of this contract. we will discuss the specifics in the afternoon, 2:30 pm sharp. you will eat dinner downstairs and we'll introduce you to my family." he spoke with so much professionalism you'd think this is a business trip. You could only nod. He gestured you as dismissed. you would usually be more assertive but the weight of his gaze from his gorgeous eyes crushed all your confidence. the best you could do was have a (probably) infuriating smirk plastered on as the two of you spoke. you excused yourself and had to stop yourself from stumbling out. "ooo...kay..." you mumble. you must be so red, you're filled with embarrassment with how easily you were swooned. your eyes meet alfred's who's been waiting, he gives you a reassuring smile which you feel unusually softened towards. you take a deep breath when alfred turned his heel, gesturing you to follow him. "right. okay. you've got this." you repeated valerie's words one more time before following alfred in a new-found confidence, something valerie always seemed to instill in you.