Gabriella looked at herself in the mirror her body lost in the lace and beading of white. It was like she had stepped off the pages of Vera Wang. Her hair was pinned back, away from her face while her cheeks were blushed and painted to look natural, to cover her pale and bleak features. Gabriella let out a sigh, "I can't believe this is happening," she said as she glanced down at her mother who was fixing the bottom of her dress.

"My baby girl is finally getting married, and to think I was losing hope on you ever finding a decent man." she said looking back up at Gabriella and taking a step back. "You look amazing in that dress."

Gabriella tilted her head, thinking of her definition of decent. Well he met the nice hair cut criteria and he had health insurance. "Yeah," Gabriella said in low voice.

There was a knock on the door and her mother turned to watch her father come in, "Look at our baby girl isn't she beautiful," she said holding the tissue to her face and dabbing her eyes.

Gabriella put on her fake smile her cheeks sore from the attempt, last night during the rehearsal it was all she had. Her fake smile and her inward thoughts, she just had to get through the wedding.

"That's my girl," Her father smiled and chuckled as he held his stomach. "Not only is she a beautiful bride, but she's marrying a senator!" He reached out an arm and wrapped it around her mother pride beaming off his chest as if she brought home a winning lottery ticket.

Gabriella looked back into the mirror, her image once again making her inside cringe. How did it ever get this far, it was all so simple, she never even saw it coming. It was a receptionist job, something simple and easy. A job she could do and pay the bills like the overwhelming college debt she accumulated. She had a degree in Fine Arts of Communications, with a minor in English literature, and nothing to do with it. She remembered it was her third day on the job and she was bringing in coffee.

Her hands were sweaty from the bustle in from the cold, her nose was still red from the autumn wind and she was panting from the long run up the stairs. "Coffee," she said quietly as the two men held a conversation as if she didn't exist. Which was fine by her she didn't want to be noticed, didn't want any attention just a job and paycheck.

"What about her?" The Senator looked at her from his desk and she froze. His blue eyes had only looked at her twice before. Once during the interview when he asked her why she wanted to be a receptionist and once more when they almost collided in the hall.

"Who is she?" Said the other man, he'd been in and out of the office from time to time, a friend as much as she could gather.

"My receptionist, hired her this week so no one really knows about her." He said leaning back his blue eyes meeting hers once again.

Gabriella nodded and shrugged. "I'll be at my desk if you need me," before she could turn around his friend was up on his feet and walking toward her.

"She's a fixer upper," he said looking back at the senator, "Ditch the glasses and sweater, maybe?"

"Excuse me?" Gabriella jerked back looking at the man appalled by his vulture eyes roaming her body.

"Sorry about him he's harmless," Standing from his desk he moved around it sliding his hands into his pockets, "Please come in and sit down."

Had she known the subject of his conference she had run out of the room when she had the chance. However she sat down, she listened to both men talk vaguely about him and then her. Her eyes going back and forth between the men until those blue eyes stopped on her and he smiled. That's when stupidity kicked in.

And just like that she'd be a married woman by the end of the month. She'd be the key asset to the Senator's re-election, wasn't like she had anything planned for her life anyway. Might as well marry a politician and get her loans paid off, get a escape form herself. Gabriella's brown eyes glanced back in the mirror, who does it? Who trades in their life to be ghost in another?

Gabriella looked back at her loving parents; Troy Bolton was a man of power. Not only did he have loads of money from his family's own estate seeing has how he was fourth generation senators, but he had this thing, his entire presents brought out a king like quality. It was almost as if people would bow when he enter the room, why he needed a bride to be re-elected was beyond her. Why he chose plain or her was also a mystery.

"Time to get this show on the road," He father held out a hand and she took it.

Those were the last words she heard, cutting through the noise of thoughts running through her head. It was the last thing she remembered the last time she could say she was mentally there. The walk down the aisle, the vows, it had all been blur of events her body was going through. She smiled for the pictures and if anyone asked she could never be happier then that moment in time. It wasn't until she was sitting in the honeymoon suite her hand cradling a champagne glass her dress puffed up around her that the events sunk in. That she Gabriella Marie Montez no longer existed. Isn't that what she wanted?

Her eyes rested on the wedding ring it felt cold around her finger. Like it was a metal object of imprisonment more than a circular promise of eternal love. Her hand stood out in front of her, not recognizable to herself. It was nothing like the movies, no romantic kiss scene, and no quiet moment when two people spot each other from across the room and have a conversation without words? Was she never going to feel time stop when his hand touched hers, feel the world come to a screeching halt right under her feet and have her breath taken away? She moved her finger and watched the light bounce off the surface. Was it really important to have those kind of feelings anyway?

"To marriage," she said turning her attention back to the glass in her other hand and tipping to the windows that over looked Washington's best view. A curl had finally managed to escape the hair spray and pins. It was the proof of her imperfections, the tarnished bride. Looking back at the bed she rolled her eyes and took a sip of her champagne, "He wishes."

"Wishes what?"

Gabriella jerked suddenly champagne coming over the ridge of the glass and falling on her gown. Looking towards the door he pushed it shut.

"Sorry," His blue eyes darted from across the room at the open champagne bottle then at her, "You disappeared from the reception."

"I didn't know I'd be missed," Gabriella put the glass down on the nightstand. "I can go back down if you like," Gabriella got up from the bed.

"No, it's fine." Troy held up a hand, "It's probably a good thing if it looks like we disappeared, might even lead people to believe that you and I like each other." Troy chuckled.

"Glad this is so funny," Gabriella look down at the rug, here she was on her wedding night, with a man she didn't love in the finest hotel with her family just downstairs living up the joy of her misery.

"Hey, this wasn't my idea," Troy began to undo his tie. "It's just a distraction." Troy slid the tie from his neck and tossed it aside. Marriage was the downfall of every powerful man he'd ever known. The trick to getting what you want out of life was staying single and detached. Looking over at her he let out a sigh, women were trouble, aside from beauty, sex, and money, Woman brought nothing but trouble behind them.

Gabriella let out a sigh. "Yeah well I don't like it any more than you do." Gabriella reached for the glass and chugged it.

Trouble, he thought, "Whatever," Troy walked over to the bed and grabbed a pillow, "It's been a long day, let's not make it a long night." He said setting them up on the couch.

"Fine with me," Gabriella got up from the bed and pulled the covers back pausing she looked at the bed and then over at Troy. He was undoing the buttons on his shirt pulling it from his pants. "What are you doing?" She said holding up her hands and covering her eyes.

Troy shrugged as he took off the cuff links "I'm not going to sleep in this tux," Troy said removing his shirt. "Are you going to sleep in the dress?"

Gabriella bit her lip, "I'm surly not going to take it off in front of you." She said crossing her arms.

"Can you even get out of it on your own?" Troy said undoing his belt.

Gabriella let out a breath and shrugged her shoulders. "I happen to like this dress," she lied as she looked away from him. God it took her mother and two of her cousins to get her into the damn thing. "I mean I certainly didn't wear it for you." She said annoyed that she wasn't able to get to the damn zipper. Why the hell did women's clothing have to be so hard to remove and so depended on a man.

"I can help you," Troy said pulling the belt from his pants.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and kicked at the floor. "Fine," Gabriella shoulders slumped, "Unzip me, but don't you dare look."

"Dear, we're married modesty is lost in this situation." Troy said making his way around the couch.

"Please it's the only thing I have left." Gabriella said turning around and holding the front of her dress. "I hate this damn dress."

"Shame," Troy said coming to her back and looking at all the lace and beading. His eyes rested on her delicate shoulders. She was petite with a full-figured hourglass shape. Her hair was the color of chocolate with strands of burnt almonds. Her bare skin had sun browned like honey. "You wore it well."

"Just unzip it," Gabriella bit her lip as she waited to be freed from the hell of white lace.

His fingers pulled the zipper down and Gabriella could feel the warmth his skin from his fingers and chill in the air from the exposed skin.

"Shame, things worked out the way they did," Troy said pulling his hand back and looking at her exposed skin, his eyes wondered to the bed then back to her. "It could have been a good honeymoon night."

Gabriella spun around quickly holding her dress to herself. "If you think I'm going to let you touch me, you're out of your mind." Gabriella shuffled herself and dress around him racing to the bathroom. "You can fool my parent's and make everyone think your some prince charming but I'm the one that was forced to marry you." The bathroom door shut and Troy was left in an empty honeymoon suite.

Tapping his fingers on his waist he stared at the bed then at the couch. Had he really made the right choice? Was he right to listen to Chad and the board when they planned his upcoming elections campaign? They knew what was best after all; they held all the tests and surveys? If they wanted to see him married then wasn't it all just marketing and advertising.

At least he had the choice of who would be his bride. They were going to ship in woman, hold silent interviews. He was trying to get Chad to make them reconsider when he saw her pouring the coffee. She was silent and graceful; she looked down to earth and real. More real than any other mail in order bride he'd have to put up with.

Troy undid his pants and walked back over to the couch. This was plan B, marry someone who felt the same way he did about the whole thing. At least he didn't have to pretend, they could have their own separate bedrooms. He really didn't care, as far as he was concerned this was a cover.

Troy let out a sigh and sat on the couch in his boxers and white t-shirt he could hear the shower running in the bathroom and he let out a sigh. It's not like he was going to attack her or make her homeless he had the best intentions to make feel at home and give her anything she needed. It was a win/win why couldn't she see this the way he could. Everyone favored the arrangement, everyone but his new bride.