Chapter 2

I was happily browsing the comments section when Austin called. His deep, rich voice flowed through the speaker.

"My PR department wants to know if you want to take down those news reports and viral hashtags."

"It's fine," I replied with a knowing smile. "If you've got money to spare, you should spend it on the wedding instead. You're not allowed to waste your money on unimportant people."

Austin chuckled. "Alright. Let's go shopping for our wedding outfits today. As for the flowers, tell me which type of rose you like the best. I had them ship in three types, so you can choose among them later."

I had to marvel at his efficiency. We had only decided to get married yesterday, but he had already managed to bring in three types of roses today.

In fact, from the moment the decision was made, Austin and his team handled everything. I didn't even lift a finger, but Austin made no comments on that. He simply got everything ready in advance before allowing me to choose what I wanted.

I was reminded of how things went when Jonah and I decided to get married. Unlike my role now, back then, I was the one who had to plan and organize everything. Whenever I tried to get Jonah's input on something, he would always snap at me irritatedly.

"You can make such insignificant decisions yourself. Don't come bothering me with everything."

Now that I had Austin's actions to compare to, I finally realized this was how a groom should be behaving. He even prepared close to 50 gowns for me to choose from, and strangely, every single one of them fitted me perfectly.

The designer tirelessly encouraged me to try on as many as I could. "Mr. Everett approached our team yesterday and made us work overnight to prepare everything. A lot of these wedding gowns had been modified at the last minute. He also requested us to be on standby so that we could make any necessary changes."

As he stared at me while I stood there in the dazzling gown he designed, I saw the way his eyes shone with happiness for a soon-to-be newlywed couple. "I'm sure Mr. Everett loves you very much."

My cheeks turned a little pink as I stole a glance at Austin, who was sporting an unreadable smile.

I spent the day trying gowns and picking out my wedding jewelry. I also had to look through all the flower options for the wedding ceremony. Thus, by the time I got back to the house, I was so exhausted that I plopped right on the couch to get some rest.

However, as soon as I sat down, I saw an incoming call from Jonah, as well as over a dozen missed calls from earlier.

"Where are you?" Jonah demanded. "I told you countless times not to be late! Must you insist on showing up after everyone else just to seem important?"

Puzzled, I asked, "Where am I supposed to be?"

Jonah sneered. "I see how it is, Celeste. Here I was thinking you'd genuinely accepted Sasha now. Turns out you were just putting on a show yesterday, huh? You've even started ignoring my messages, have you?

"I sent you a message ages ago saying that I'm hosting a welcoming party for Sasha on her first day back. Sasha has kindly insisted on inviting you to join us, so hurry up and come over. I'll send you the location."

The call ended before I could get another word in edgewise. The message with the location was soon followed by a voice message.

"It's been ages since we last met, Celeste. Do come over as soon as you can. I don't want you to misunderstand my relationship with Jonnie…"

That voice message trailed off, and when I played the next one, Jonah's voice rang out.

"If you don't come over right this minute, Celeste, you can forget about getting the contact information of the editor-in-chief of the journal I promised to give you."

That made me hesitate. I had a background in medicine, but I was taking a rather long time to get one of my research papers published because I wanted to have it printed in a specific medical journal. Jonah had chanced upon the contact details for the journal's editor-in-chief and promised to give them to me.

Well, here he was, now using it to blackmail me instead. What a deplorable man he was.

I stood up and freshened up a bit, figuring I might as well go. Those two wouldn't be able to disgust me for much longer anyway.

As soon as I entered the private lounge at the hotel where the party was, I saw Jonah and Sasha sitting together in the center of the lounge. They were stuck close together, looking like the perfect couple.

Once Sasha spotted me, she quickly stood up and called out with a smile, "You're here, Celeste! Come and take a seat."

She even started scooting to the side to give me her spot, but she barely moved an inch before Jonah stopped her, saying, "Just sit here. You're the star of tonight's party, Sasha. There are plenty of other seats to go around. She can just sit anywhere."

Sasha gave me an apologetic look. Looking slightly embarrassed, she said, "I'm so sorry, Celeste. Jonnie is probably a little drunk."

Waving her off, I took a random seat and said, "It's fine. I can sit here. Your precious Jonnie is right. You're the star of tonight's event."

Patrick Thompson, one of Jonah's friends, called out, "That's enough. What's the big deal about a seat anyway? You know, when we saw the photos the reporters took today, we all realized just what a perfect match you and Sasha are, Jonah! All of our friends who aren't acquainted with you guys thought you two were dating!

"Alas, Sasha is so focused on her career. All she can think about is pursuing her dreams! It was such a shame that you two had to break up back then, but now that she's back in the country, you guys can start over again!"