He was right. Of course he was right.
Alexander paid attention to details it's what made him successful. But it still felt oddly intimate that he'd understood her aesthetic well enough to choose her wedding dress.
The dress fit perfectly, as if it had been made for her body specifically. Vivienne made a few minor adjustments, pinning here and there, then stepped back.
"Look at yourself," she urged.
Sophia turned to the full-length mirror and barely recognized her reflection. The woman staring back looked elegant, polished, like someone who belonged in Alexander Sterling's world. A bride.
"You're beautiful," Vivienne said softly. "Mr. Sterling is a lucky man."
If only she knew the truth.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of final preparations. The florist needed approval on centerpieces. The caterer had questions about dietary restrictions.
The wedding planner wanted to walk through the ceremony timeline. Sophia answered questions and made decisions, all while feeling like she was planning someone else's wedding.
Around noon, Alexander returned, looking harried and exhausted.
"The Tokyo office is having issues with the merger," he explained, loosening his tie. "I've been on calls since five AM. How's everything here?"
"Under control, apparently. Margaret and her army have it all handled."
"Good. That's good." He ran a hand through his hair, disrupting its usual perfect styling. "The rehearsal is at two. Just us, the officiant, and a few key people. Then dinner after with close family and friends."
"How many is a few?"
"Twenty, maybe twenty-five."
Sophia's eyes widened. "That's not a few. That's a dinner party."
"That's a small intimate gathering in my world." He studied her face. "You okay? You look overwhelmed."
"I'm fine. It's just… a lot. Yesterday I was barely scraping by, and now I'm picking centerpieces and having my wedding dress fitted by a designer whose work I've only ever seen in magazines."
Alexander moved closer, his voice gentle. "Do you want to slow down? We can postpone"
"No," Sophia said quickly. "Your grandfather needs to see us married. And besides, once we do this, it's done. One more thing checked off the list."
"That's a romantic way to think about our wedding day."
"What do you want me to say? That I'm excited to pledge my life to someone I barely know in front of two hundred strangers? That I can't wait to walk down the aisle in a dress that costs more than my car used to be worth?"
She heard the edge in her voice and tried to soften it. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired."
"Don't apologize." Alexander reached out, then hesitated, his hand hovering near her face before dropping. "This is strange for both of us. I've been so focused on the logistics that I forgot you're the one actually doing this.
Leaving your whole life behind, moving in with a stranger, playing a role in public. It's a lot to ask."
"You're paying me two million dollars. It's a lot to give in return."
"It's not enough," he said quietly. "No amount of money is worth a year of your life."
Sophia looked up at him, surprised by the admission. "Then why are you doing this? Really? It's not just about the company or the inheritance. There are other ways to satisfy your grandfather's requirements. You could have found someone who actually wanted to marry you."
Alexander's laugh was bitter. "Could I? Who would want the Ice King of Manhattan? The man who's so cold he paid for a wife because he can't trust anyone enough to fall in love naturally?"
"That's the tabloids talking. It's not who you really are."
"Isn't it? I made a business deal out of marriage. That's pretty cold by anyone's definition."
"You saved my brother's life," Sophia countered. "You've been kind and patient and surprisingly human for someone who supposedly has ice in his veins. Maybe you're not as cold as you think you are."
They stood close in the hallway, the sounds of wedding preparations a distant buzz around them. Alexander's gray eyes searched her face like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
"The rehearsal," he finally said. "We should get ready."
"Alexander"
"We should get ready," he repeated, already moving away.
Sophia watched him go and wondered how someone could be so close and still feel completely unreachable.
The rehearsal was held at an elegant chapel on the Upper East Side, all soaring ceilings and stained glass windows. The officiant, a dignified man in his sixties, walked them through the ceremony with professional warmth.
"And here, Alexander, you'll take Sophia's hands," he instructed. "Look into her eyes. This is the moment where you speak your vows."
Alexander took her hands, his grip warm and steady. They were standing so close Sophia could see the flecks of darker gray in his irises, could smell his cologne mixed with something uniquely him.
"I, Alexander Robert Sterling, take you, Sophia Marie Chen, to be my lawfully wedded wife," he recited, his voice formal but his gaze intense. "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."
The words felt heavy, significant, even though they both knew they were temporary.
Sophia's throat tightened as she repeated her own vows, her voice surprisingly steady.
"And now the rings," the officiant said.
Margaret produced two wedding bands simple, elegant gold. Not the flashy diamonds Sophia might have expected. When Alexander slid the ring onto her finger, his hand trembled slightly. Just for a second, but Sophia felt it.
"And now you may kiss the bride," the officiant said with a smile.
Right. The kiss. They hadn't practiced this part.
Alexander's hands came up to frame her face, gentle but sure. "Okay?" he murmured, so quietly only she could hear.
Sophia nodded, her heart hammering.
He leaned in slowly, giving her every opportunity to pull back. When his lips met hers, it was soft, sweet, almost chaste. A kiss for show, nothing more.
Except Sophia felt it everywhere a spark that traveled from her lips straight to her core. When Alexander pulled back, his eyes had darkened, and she knew he'd felt it too.
"Beautiful," the officiant said, oblivious to the tension crackling between them. "That's exactly how it should look tomorrow. Natural, loving, like you can't imagine being anywhere else."
If only he knew how natural it actually felt.
The rehearsal dinner was held at a private club, all dark wood and old money atmosphere. Sophia found herself seated between Robert and a woman who introduced herself as Catherine, Alexander's cousin.
"So you're the one who finally broke through Alex's defenses," Catherine said, her tone friendly but assessing. "I'm impressed. We all thought he'd sworn off relationships permanently after the Vanessa disaster."
"He's not as closed-off as everyone thinks," Sophia said carefully.
"Isn't he?" Catherine sipped her wine. "Don't get me wrong, I love my cousin. But he's been different since Vanessa. Colder. More controlled. Like he's afraid to feel anything real."
"Maybe he just hasn't found someone worth feeling real things for."
"Maybe he has now." Catherine's smile was knowing. "The way he looks at youI haven't seen him look at anyone like that. Not even Vanessa."