In the private room, both families exchanged warm greetings, polite words and subtle smiles as everyone settled into their seats. And just as I took a quiet breath, Tessa appeared next to me, beaming as she pulled me into her embrace. “Emily, you look incredible,” she whispered with a grin. And then pulled back with a sparkle of familiar warmth that eased my nerves a bit. “Thank you, Tess,” I murmured, returning her grin. Thanks to Mum and my nerves, I have to guard my reactions. As Tessa returned to her seat, my gaze drifted to Christopher. He was watching me with an expression that was soft yet unreadable, a slight curve to his lips that was barely there. He caught my eyes, and in that brief moment, he gave me a subtle smile. Though it was a simple gesture, I couldn’t help blushing. As the dinner began, I noticed with some relief that no one in Christopher’s family asked about Brenda. Not a single mention of her name. It was as though they’d erased any memory of her for ton
I took a shaky breath, feeling the weight of her gaze on me. Tessa was my rock, the person who’d been there through every high and low. And knowing she deserved the truth, I don’t hold back at all and reveal everything that transpired at the hospital. Her face hardened with every word. “Emily…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Are your parents humans or aliens? I can’t believe they would do that to you. Just when I thought I had heard worst stories from you, they go ahead to do an upgrade.” A deep sigh escaped my lips as her words sank deep. Tessa was right, the ill-treatment from my parents keep getting worse from each passing day. Regardless, I continued, recounting the overnight changes; the accessories, the stylists. “But I see through it, Tess,” I said, my voice low. “They’re only pretending to care because your cousin probably threatened them and for the benefits they will receive from your family.” Tessa’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Emily, this is
“Thank you,” I replied, still adjusting to the idea that all of this—the planning, the choices—was for me, and the fact that I was getting married, and that to, Christopher Moore. I bet Brenda will flip a hundred times when she realizes how much that has happened in her absence. She would probably wish she died. We went through pages of wedding gowns, each one more beautiful than the last. Lace, satin, intricate beadwork; they all blurred together until I focused on a style that felt true to me—simple yet elegant, with delicate lace sleeves. Mum sat beside me quietly, her usual authority softened as she allowed me to make my own choice which wasn’t a surprise as Christopher ‘s warnings still lingered fresh in her memory. When we moved on to discussing decor and colour schemes, I found myself leaning toward softer tones—a mix of ivory and sage green, with hints of gold for a subtle elegance. Mum offered a small nod of approval, mentioning that once I’d made my decisions, the M
“My family will be visiting yours this Thursday,” he said, his gaze warm yet focused. “It’ll be… a formal meeting to talk the wedding plans, so you can pick something from your wardrobe here to wear.” A small laugh escaped my lips. He really can’t wait to see me in the stuff he got for me. “I think my mother already has that covered. She will want me to wear something she picks herself, just to make a good impression on your family.” Christopher chuckled, his smile widening. “I should have known she would take care of that,” he said with a glimmer of amusement. Before I could respond, the sound of footsteps caught our attention, and to my surprise, Tessa appeared in front of us, a mischievous smile lighting up her face. “Well, well, well,” she teased, folding her arms and leaning forward with her eyes on us. “I didn’t know the two of you were having a cozy little dinner without me.” Her playful gaze shifted between us, and Christopher raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Tes
“Oh. My. Goodness, Emily! Are you serious?” she finally whispered, her voice rising slightly with each word. I nodded, biting back a smile. “Yes, Stella. I wouldn’t lie about this.” Her hands flew to her mouth, and she shook her head, blinking as if trying to process the information. “How could you just...drop that bomb on me like that?” She chuckled, slowly starting to regain her composure. “Alright, alright. But seriously, Emily, you have to give me a little more than that. How did this happen?” I settled into the chair beside her desk, smiling as I folded my hands in my lap. “It turns out that our families are acquainted, so they made they arrangement for us to meet, and the rest is history,” I said, refusing to give more information away. For a moment, Stella was silent, her eyes studying me as if seeing me for the first time. “Emily, if you hadn’t told me, I never would have known you came from a rich family” she finally said, almost to herself. “You’re so…down-to-earth.
“Oh...” I drawled, barely able to keep the strain out of my tone as I wonder the nerve my mother had to report that to me. It seemed to me that with her favourite daughter back at her side, she has forgotten what she did to me, and Christopher’s warnings as well. “See you soon then!” Mum chirped, oblivious as ever, and hung up without waiting for a response. I stood there, staring at my phone, the brief conversation echoing in my mind. My fingers tightened around the edges of the phone, the familiar bitterness rising up, tainting the sweetness of the day. Tessa noticed my change in mood immediately, her eyes narrowing. “What happened?” I took a shaky breath, glancing between her and Christopher, who was watching me with concern. “Brenda’s back home,” I said quietly. “And they want me to come over early to… celebrate,” I add with a strain in my tone. Tessa’s mouth twisted in annoyance and Christopher’s expression darkened. He took a step closer, his hand resting gently on my
Christopher is right, I need more energy to face my enemies, so I pick up my cutlery and continue eating, but who would have known that I would throw everything up after that? “Emily, are you that upset?” Tessa asked as she uncapped a bottle of water and passed it to me. I took it from her weakly and used some of it to rinse my mouth before handing it back to her. “Trust me, I’m trying to be strong here, but it looks my system recognizes that I can’t pretend anymore,” I said, looking Tessa in the eye. She noticed how tired I was and grasped my arm before helping me out of the washroom. “If you don’t want to go back home, you can follow me to my place. Emily, you know I hate to see you like this,” Tessa said to me with a tinge of bitterness in her tone. I can tell that she’s a little upset with me for exerting myself, but there isn’t much I can do. I don’t want to start staying away from the house once the situation is unfavourable for me because I don’t want to give B
Mum supported Brenda by wrapping one arm around her waist while the other hand held her by the arm. As I took in the scene before me, anger overwhelmed me. Brenda looked so frail, and I wonder the reason she chose not to stay in her bedroom and insisting on coming down for dinner. Maybe she was expecting to see me so she could show me how well she’s being taken care of. I know Brenda like the back of my hand, even if she was dying, she would always find a way to incur pity from others. She was very good at it. Brenda just got out of the hospital after undergoing a serious surgery. If it wasn’t for her insistence, she would have had to spend more time in the hospital. But now that she had forced her way back home, she was not supposed to make vigorous movements when her body wasn’t ready. Mum would never force her to come down for dinner, so that leaves Brenda on the spot for orchestrating all these. I feel very tempted to tell her to her face to stop incurring pity by ma
Emily.It is with so much relief on my heart that Christopher and I are walking right next to each other without any other human to interfere.Tessa is my best girl. She read the situation and then proceeded to an act. Mum almost ruined it though by trying to make Brenda follow us.I don’t know what she was thinking when she brought up that idea. I bet she didn’t know she looked empty in front of the Moore family for what she did.If I wasn’t so sure that Mum would never want to jeopardize her bidding relationship with the Moore family, I would have thought she was thinking of making Christopher interested in Brenda. I hope I’m not wrong.Because, I haven’t forgotten the fact that Mum was going to help Brenda marry Christopher instead after Brenda found out Christopher’s identity and cried to her that she wanted him.To think Mum had been foolish to even consider her request and even proceed to act on it.Today made me realize that there was probably nothing Mum could not do fo
Tessa.Mrs. Wilson being unable to read the ruin angered me in ways I didn’t know was possible.Even that fool naked Brenda pretended to be oblivious to the situation and sat there next to her mother, fluttering her lashes innocently; like she was some pitiful unloved lady ostracized by her family. If I didn’t know what Brenda was like, I would have fallen for her stunt but thankfully, I would never be deceived by her. But my family was different.They don’t know Brenda is a white lotus and a green tea bitch.And although I would like to expose that witch right in front of them, now wasn’t the time as it could ruin things for Emily. Besides, I can still deal with Brenda on my own.She doesn’t know whose lands she is stepping on.The awkward silence stretched enough to erupt Chris’s anger. He wasn’t a fan of Brenda, thanks to the true stories I told him about how Emily used to be bullied by her, and her mother.But before things could get out of hand; like Chris displaying an
Tessa. Grandpa’s talks were getting boring. From taking about the wedding, he shifted focus to business, engaging Emily’s dad in the conversation.Mr. Wilson’s eyes was full of smiles as he immediately connected to the conversation. After all, the business deal was the reason for his happiness, not his daughter’s marriage. I rolled my eyes inwardly as the silence on my part stretched. And that was when my gaze fell on my cousin, Chris. He was looking my way but I could bet it wasn’t me he was staring at.There was someone he had come to adore who was sitting next to me.From the corner of my eyes, I caught Emily looking back at Chris. And instantly, a smile appeared on my lips.These two looked tired of sitting at a place with no opportunity to interact with each other. Unfortunately for them, Grandpa was so old fashioned that he doesn’t have any innovative ideas in regards to this aspect.He doesn’t understand that the future couple need to spend more time together to know
While I’m happy someone from the Moore family came to my defence which is proof they had accepted me, I couldn’t help but be mad at Mum.What she just displayed was evidence of how bias she was to Brenda. She just showed the Moore family that I am the less preferred. Which is stupid.I don’t care that Mum loves Brenda with all her life. At least, she should tame her emotions and obsession outside. Even Dad who was alert, seemed to disapprove of Mum’s actions in front of the Moore family. I could tell by the way he touched the back of her hand while gazing elsewhere.And I would like to think that he was more disappointed because she and Brenda had indirectly told them they didn’t like the work they did with my wedding invitation cards.Soon, the awkwardness hanging in the air disappeared along with Tessa’s presence. Tessa arrived with a warm smile on her face , especially after she saw me. But the second she noticed Brenda, I saw her smile crack.I perfectly understand my fri
I felt Brenda’s discomfort as Grandpa Moore engaged me in a conversation. I think she’s crazy for even wanting the Moore family’s attention on her. Brenda is nothing short of a heavily delusional psychopath who doesn’t have a limit to her actions. Why on earth would she be mad that all attention was on me now? Somehow, I wished that Brenda will be taken away from my side. I don’t like sitting beside her and assimilating her negative energy. It makes me more mad. Unfortunately, I don’t have any other option. From talking about work, Grandpa shifted the conversation, mentioning the wedding which was in a few weeks. Uncle Frederick’s wife mentioned the wedding invitation cards were ready. A minute later, their family butler brought a square-shaped box with a red ribbon at the top. “They arrived this morning,” Grandpa Moore revealed with a smile before turning to Christopher to give him a glance. Then Mum used the opportunity to say her thoughts. “I think we should unveil the
“Thank you for caring this much about my daughter,” Mum said, her eyes lighting up like fireworks. Then almost immediately, she dragged Brenda into the conversation. “Brenda, you have to thank Mr. Moore.” And as if Brenda was just waiting for the right moment to show herself, she took Mum’s leading and turned her attention to Grandpa Moore. “Thank you, grandpa for your well wishes,” she said softly before turning to Christopher’s uncles to do the same. “... I deeply appreciate your concern.” It was so hard keeping a straight face when anger was about to consume me whole. Brenda spoke so endearingly as if she was the one marrying into the Moore family. It can’t be jealousy driving me at this point. Also, I’m not being paranoid. I have every reason to be furious at Mum and Brenda. I don’t know who is more dumb between the two but finally after analyzing the situation, I realised that Mum was the foolish one because how can you try to get Brenda into the Moore family’s good bo
“The patriarch and his family are all waiting in the living room. I will lead the way,” the butler informed Mum and Dad while gesturing towards the building’s entrance. “Sure,” Dad muttered as he and Mum quickly started to walk behind the butler and in no time, my steps and Brenda’s fall into place behind our parents’. The Moore residence was nothing like anything we had seen. It had this vintage style to the building whereas inside the house, the decors and styles were modernized, making it look like there have been a renovation in recent times. Brenda and I couldn’t help staring at the intricate designs on the walls, and the beautiful sculpture pieces inside the building. But I made sure my fascination was masked with a subtle elegance. Stepping into the grand living room with a splash of pure gold used in the interior decor, we meet the members of the Moore family rising to their feet with welcoming smiles on their faces. Within a few seconds, my gaze swiftly moved from on
As Mum and Dad went over to the first car, Brenda got in next to me and slowly secured her seatbelt. Next, she turned to me, her lips parting several times before finally bringing forth a word. “Emily, how do I look tonight? Do you think my lipstick is a little too dull?” Instantly, my eyes narrowed into splits as I briefly turned my gaze to her. What nonsense?! Is this witch actually asking me how she looks tonight? Is she on something? What kind of delusion gave her the effrontery to even say a word to me, talk more of trying to make me gauge her looks tonight? There could be only one reason for Brenda being high this evening. Her senses have returned. I feel Brenda deserves a beating for her annoying thoughtless provoking actions right now. She only acts out of point and looks for my trouble when she was her usual self. I guess she has actually made full recovery from the surgery. My stare on Brenda conveyed my deep hatred for her and I guessed just for a tiny
My question seemed to stop Mum right in her tracks. She stared at me for a moment and finally, Dad broke the silence. “We are going to be late if you two keep arguing,” he said with a tight frown. I bet he was only trying to end this fight because it wasn’t beneficial with his plans to keep time with the Moore family. “Darling, we are leaving in just two cars. What’s the sitting arrangement?” Mum asked as her gaze darted towards the cars before shifting back to Dad. As soon as Mum asked that question, Brenda interrupted with that annoying harmless smile on her face. “Mum, you and Dad can ride in the first car while I ride with Emily,” she suggested, taking Mum’s arm as if to please her and get her to agree.I’m not surprised Brenda made that suggestion. If anything, I had been expecting it. And if she hadn’t made that suggestion, I would have questioned her.Brenda likes attention. She can’t do without making others look bad as long as it would elevate her in other people