"When's the wedding again?" Aira's grandmother asked her as they watched the workers move around the lane installing the tent for the wedding.Everything was coming together nicely and Aira barely had to lift a finger, her grandmother's house was the best fit for their large guestlist and Meghan's familly was puting everything together exceptionaly well.It was nice to have aquaintances you can rely on."In two days," She told her absently her mind mulling over what she was going to talk to her grandmother about,She had been thinking about this for around two weeks. She needed to have this talk with her grandmother and have closure, especialy since the wedding is in two days and Aira will be busy after that acting like a lovey dovey couple."You don't look nervous," Her grandmother commented as she puffed out the smoke from her cigarette."I'm not, Paul gave me a pep-talk the other day when we did the last fitting for the dress," Aira answered, "You shouldn't be smoking this much you
"By the way, I thought your grandmother didn't do portraits," He said as they waited for her grandmother at her workshop."She does, when she feels like it, she does family portraits. She did one of mom and dad when they got married," Aira answered eying Vincent as he looked around curiously."Is it a private piece? I don't think I've seen it before," he asked,"It is a private piece, but you've seen it," She said, "It was the piece at my parent's house,""The one with two figures?!" He asked"Yeah, she doesn't exactly paint portraits the way you would think." She said,"Are you serious?! That's a masterpiece. I'm pretty sure that it would've singlehandedly saved your father's investment had they decided to sell it," He told her,"They would never do that. It's special to both of them," Aira said, "Do you want a tour of her workshop?""Yeah," He answered immediately, "I never thought I would get to meet 'Moon' let alone Gina Lee,""You've really been looking forward to meeting me? I m
"There it is," Aira's grandmother said, " Can you see how he's holding her waist as he looks at the camera, Vincent? I want it to look like that," "Yeah, I get it," Vincent answered and Aira sent him a pleading look. She wasn't comfortable with Ray standing so close, especially since he had been leering at her."Let me try," He added as he headed toward them and practically pushed Ray out of the way to take his place,He looked down at Aira his jaw tight and his eyes so intense that she wondered if she did something wrong to anger him.He put one hand at the small of her back and the other a little firther up to her side where his fingers touched the side of her breast from time to time."Are you okay?" He whispered and she smiled"Yeah, thank you for the save," She whispered back"Fantastic!" Her grandmother said and the camera snapped a few times.They both looked her grandmother's way and she was examining the results of the shot with Ray."I want you to stay like that and Vincent
"There is no wedding without a wedding crisis," Meghan said"Why do you keep insisting on jinxing it," Aira asked as she leaned back on her chair and let the masseuse do her magic on her shoulders."I'm not jinxing it! I'm warning you!" Meghan declared as she looked down to make sure was being done properly as she asked."Whatever happens it can't be worse than getting into trouble for getting married at the justice's office," Aira said, "And before the actual wedding date,"Her masseuse chuckled and Aira looked up at her,"You must've been in a hurry to tie the knot," She told her,"Back then we thought that it was a great idea, imagine our regret when family members found out. Vincent's mother called to complain for three whole hours over the phone making sure that we were listening to her every ten minutes. When she was done, my mother came by to the apartment and sat us through another three hours of torture,""That must have been some six hours in hell," Meghan said"You have no
The birds were chirping perched on the tree overlooking her window. The nice cool breeze waffled through the thin white curtains makinf it flp back and fourth. This was the perfect weather for a wedding day. IF that wedding was going to happen anyway...Aira sighed and looked at the comotion around her. Everyone was running everywhere carying around towels and wiping the wet floor."Are you cold?" Vincent whispered into her ear and she looked up at him to see his still damp hair and soaked shirt showcasing his muscles. At least there was some uplift in all this. She got to see another hot version of her husband."No, I'm okay," She said supressing the shiver running through her body. It was indeed winter and being soaked wet didn't help with it. Bit it was the least of their worried."You there!" Vincent called one of the servants running around with a pile of towels, "Give me that,"He took the towel and wrapped it around her like a burrito, then pushed a damp strand of her hair awa
"What do you mean you can't officiate a wedding that's already happened?!" Vincent growled into the phone and Aira flinched her headache sharpening as she heard his voice banging into her head like drums.It was two AM and their wedding was supposed to happen in a few hours. But Aira didn't think it was going to happen anymore. Since the cake crisis, there had been one problem after the other. Practically everything was falling apart and she was feeling her mind slowly dissolving in a fog of sleep deprivation and irritation.Slowly standing from the dining table at her grandmother's antique kitchen, she went to Vincent and touched his contracted arms coming before him and lowering the phone from his ears taking it from him."Hello," She said into the phone as she rubbed his left arm trying to calm him down. He was two steps away from throwing things around like Godzilla."This is the bride,""Hello, ma'am. Changing the one I'm talking to isn't going to change my mind," The man on the
"Let's get to work then. We still have a lot to do," He told her and they made their way toward the ballroom where both their mothers were overseeing the cleaning and preparations."Where do you two think you're going?" Her mother asked stopping them."To help with the claning, is something wrong?" Vincent asked"Yes! Of course something is wrong. The two of you can't do this on your wedding day!" His mother said pitting her hands on her hips facing him and looking up.It was always comical to see Vincent rendered to ebing called a boy and scolded by a woman who was half his size. And she could see that he actually felt bad whenever she did scold him."Aira, you did have your manicure session this morning, don't even think about skiping it!" Her mother said, "The make up artist will be here in a few hours. Ans Vincent, don't you have a bachelor party or something?" Her mother asked"He doesn't have one, mom. We spoke about it, he didn't want a bachelor party,""That's not good. You ha
Aira stood in front of the mirror looking at her reflection. The dress was stunning, so was everything, from her hair to her makeup. Everything was perfect.But more than anything, she felt like she was glowing from the inside out. Vincent had made sure to hire a great hairstylist and make-up artists. They were both women who had been Vincent’s “friends with benefits” so she was worried at first but they were great and fun teasing her about making Vincent settle down and how much he was spending on the wedding.“You look stunning,” Meghan said with a smile as she stood behind her tying a small bow to her wrist. "I know..." Aira said shocked, "I never knew that I could look like this. I mean it's me. But I look so different..." "You're supposed to start crying by now..." Meghan said as she stood by tissue in her hand. "What in the world are you doing," "Doing my job... I take my maid of honor duties very seriously," Meghan said and Aira laughed, "By the way, thank you for everythi
Vincent pressed Aira against the door kissing her face and neck frantically and she chuckled upon the contact her melodious laugh making him relax and smile back at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. "Are you really here with me?" He asked cupping her cheeks and she smiled up at him and nodded. "I really am here with you. Vince. I'm not going anywhere," She said looking him in the eyes and he nodded his eyes looking vulnerable, "This feels like it's another dream," He said and she circled her arms around his waist leaning into him. "Did you have a lot of those? The dreams I mean," She said and he simply nodded. "Since the very first day that I met you. I had been dreaming about you since that day," He said looking at her with a serious look in his eyes making her wonder if that was really the truth. It can't be... He must be pulling her leg. Before she could think about anything, she felt Vincent pull her up against him and kiss the daylight out of her as he
Aira stood at the side and watched as the crowds all dressed in lavish black, circled around the huge gallery. She was standing to the side wearing a tight-laced black dress and black string high heels which made her feel both exposed and a little bit uncomfortable.There was something about dressing like this while attending an event alone. It made her feel as if she was being followed around by the gazes of any man hoping to get an easy lay tonight.Her only consolation is that this was a family event. A memorial for her grandmother.She wanted to laugh at that. This was more like a full-blown exhibition. The exhibition of the century.Her mother had went and outdid herself again with this event.Both her grandmother and Paul had been working nonstop on this. They even employed interior designers and event planners to coordinate everything to make sure the event was what their grandmother had hoped for.The woman sure had a fancy taste.Aira had been mostly working on the painting m
"It was believed that the legal battle between The CEO of Valory groups and his uncle was going to go on for years before the score is decided. But a sudden turn of events makes us wonder if that assumption is going to be proven wrong.Today, Warren Valory had been arrested for no disclosed reasons closing the chapter of a long battle that had been going on for years since the young CEO took over the company in his early twenties being one of the youngest entrepreneurs to reach such a position at such a young age.In answer to our questions this morning, Vincent Valory revealed that his uncle was only getting what he had always deserved. He said that the days when he would cover up for his uncle because he was family were gone and that the limit was set at hurting other people and committing real crimes.Other sources revealed that the real crime Mr. Valory was talking about was the attempt his uncle had made to harm his beloved wife in a hit and run causing her car to almost roll up
Aira sat down beside her mother and looked at the members of the family around her.Her uncle sat back on his chair looking as if he still believed his mother would walk into the room and announce that this was a joke. His wife sat quietly beside him as he clenched her hand in his offering him all the comfort he needed.Grace sat on the other side of the sofa leaning against paul her eyes red-rimmed and Paul held her close gently patting her shoulder while Ian stood be her side looking down at her from time to time looking worried.It paid to be the youngest member of their family.Her father on the other hand stood behind her mother his hands on her shoulders comforting her the best way he could.Aira on the other hand sat there alone as everyone wondered where her so sweet and loyal husband went at such an important moment.They were about to know why.The lawyer who sat before them cleared his throat as he pulled a piece of paper out of the envelope that he had been holding linking
There was one thing about goodbyes that Aira knew very well. And that it was a form of closure that people seek in order to make peace with the person they were never going to see again. And also with the part of them, that was attached to that person.Aira now was saying goodbye to both. And she knew that it was going to be hard, but she didn't expect it to be this hard.Standing before the coffin and away from it enough for her not to see the insides of it she remained rooted in place for a while fear gripping her heart like a vice.Her mind was like a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts and she even started trembling again.But then she remembered."I am proud of you." That's what her grandmother had said back then.As if her mind calmed down all of a sudden from the turbulence of a storm to the calm of a sunny morning by the beach, Aira slowly stepped toward the coffin where her grandmother was laying peacefully looking like she was simply asleep. And maybe she was, but her sle
A few days later, Aira sat down in the second row as she watched her mother present her eulogy. She felt drained and cried out. In the three days since her grandmother died, Aira had been doing very little.Other than painting or staring at the painting, she spent half the time crying and the other half trying to suppress her tears. Her family was grieving and each time she found her mother sitting in a corner crying by herself, she felt her heart break a little more as she went to try to comfort her.She was tired. So tired that she felt like she was going to sit anywhere and fall asleep as soon as the funeral was over.She felt a hand sneak around her waist and pull her sideways against a muscular chest. Grateful for the support, she didn’t tell Vincent anything. She didn’t need to.He had been hovering over her since that day but she couldn’t say that his presence bothered her. Sometimes she barely noticed his presence but most of the time, he would always be in the right place at
Aira opened her eyes after a few hours from her nap feeling rested and peaceful for the first time since she discovered what Vincent had done.Jumping out of bed, she could barely fight the urge to take the brush into her hands. So without stopping to think about anything and like a lunatic with an illusionary fire chasing after her, she changed into her jeans not bothering with a new shirt, and made her way toward the workshop.Opening the door. She headed toward the untouched painting left as she had left it before the butler had come to get her.A bang in her chest sobered her but she still made her way toward it and stared at it for a few moments before she picked up a new brush and started mixing the colors and preparing for everything.After a while, she was already painting the rest of the painting unaware of what was going on around her.Vincent came barging into the room at some point and she looked at him absently wondering why he looked so worried. Then he sighed in relief
Vincent stood by the door and watched as Aira’s family fussed over her. Her mother and sister were hugging her tightly as they cried and her uncle stood away awkwardly as her father spoke to him clearly giving him a piece of his mind about what he said to her.“Thank you for finding her,” Ian said as he came up to stand beside him, “Amongst all of us, she is the one who has the hardest time.” He said.“I know. They were pretty close together,” He said with a smile his eyes never leaving her.“They were. Which is probably why she sold the mansion to you. She wanted Aira to have it one way or another.” Ian said and Vincent remained silent for a while not bothering to answer that comment.“She told me that you had a fight. She seemed upset over it, I was wondering if she would agree to come with you.” Ian added and this time Vincent looked at him.“I was wondering the same too. To be honest, I screwed up pretty badly this time and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had refused. I had
Aira stood there in front of her mother and uncle staring at the table.“Honey, I know how hard this-““No. You can’t do this to me,” she muttered.“You have no choice, Aira, you’re an artist, you need to finish that painting. It was her last wish,” Her uncle said in a hard tone.“No!” She screamed and they were both taken aback, she took a step back startled at her own outburst.“No… I- I mean…” she stuttered taking a few steps back feeling stares on her piercing through her skin.Suddenly she felt overwhelmed, dizzy, and out of air. She wanted to throw up.“Aira, honey, are you okay?” Her mother asked looking at her with concern Aira took another step back when her mother reached out for her.“Don’t touch me…” she said dazed and her uncle stood looking at her with confusion.“Are you like this because we asked you to finish the painting?” He asked and she felt the mocking tone in his voice.“Don’t talk to me,” she gritted out glaring at them, then she turned around to find everyone l