ALINA’S POV.

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While we were working, a call came in. At the sound of the ringtone, I got startled, heart racing, and damn near had a panic. attack as I stared wide eyes at the ringing phone on the table.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” Mia asked, handing the phone to me with concern in her eyes.

“Who is it?” I asked, not making a move to take the phone from her.

“It’s your sister, ma’am.” Her face held confusion. “Do you want me to take the call and tell her you’re busy?” She offered gently.

“No, it’s fine,” I said, taking the phone from her and walking into the bathroom, my fingers slightly myself. !--

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“Alina.” Seraphina’s slightly harsh tone came through the phone.

“Hi, sis. How have you been?” I forced my tone to be light and syrupy.

It had been a week since she and Ist met, and I was surprised she took this long to call.

wing as I calmed

She cleared her throat. “How have you been since our meeting?” Her tone switched to her usual fake sweetness.

I rolled my eyes at the switch-up.

“I’ve been fine. Thank you for letting me sleep in your room.” I told her.

“Yeah, about that… when I woke u- I mean, came back to check on you, you were gone. I was worried.” Fake her tone like too much cheap perfume.

I ignored her almost-slip-up.

She was worried, and yet she took this long to reach out?

worry coated

Oh please, she had probably spent the entire week trying to figure out what happened, and since she couldn’t, she decided to finally call.

“Oh, I woke up a couple of hourster and was picked up by Lucian.” I told her,half the truth.

“Oh.” She paused. “You didn’t see anybody else in the room?”

“Like who?” My tone was slightly daring.

“Oh, no one.” She chuckled nervously.

“Where did you disappear to, anyway?” I asked, pretending to be clueless so she’d think I had no idea what happened to her.

“Oh, me? I had a quick errand to run.” She said breezily. “Anyways, I have to go,I have an event to prepare for. Talk to youter, sis.” And with that, she hung up.

She was probably talking about the g.

I couldn’t help but imagine her frustrated face as she tried to remember how she woke up in a different room.

What I would have given to see it.

“How far are we in getting a venue for the ce?” I asked Mia, stepping back into the room.

“About that, we’ve been able to secure a hall at Virn Square, in the same building as the store. It should help with easier movement of the dresses from the store to the venue.” She informed me, her tone pleased.

“That’s amazing, Mia.” I praised. I wasn’t going to lie, Mia was born to make my life easier. “Are you sure the venue is secured though? There won’t be a mishap? Or do we have a backup n?” I asked suddenly, a flicker of anxiety creeping in.

We could never be too sure with things like this.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ve taken all legal precautions, we’re good. Nothing will go wrong with the venue.” She assured me confidently. “The venue packagees with setup options you have to choose from. Maybe you can go through them and tell me which of them best fits what you’re envisioning.” She handed me her iPad.

As I began to scan through the different setups, Mia got busy on herptop.

The morning went by quickly, and soon it was afternoon.

There was a knock on the door, and after a go-ahead, a maid came in.

“Ma’am, your makeup artists are here.” She informed me politely.

“Really? What time is it?” I asked, shocked.

“Two-thirty, ma’am.” Mia responded, ncing at her watch.

Wow. I didn’t know time was far spent.

“You can send them up.” I told the maid.

She nodded and then left.

“Mia, you can take a break, and we’ll continue tomorrow.”

“Alright, ma’am.” She said as she packed up and left the room.

A couple of minutester, two men walked into the room holding bags that wererger than life itself, but carrying it with such grace and ease.

“H, belle!” They greeted me excitedly as they entered, both of them pulling me into a warm hug and cing a kiss on either side of my cheeks at the same time.

“Oh, hi there.” I greeted back, stunned by the sudden gush of energy.

Their excitement was contagious, immediately filling the room with an upbeat, yful hum.

“I am Rapha-el, and that is Gabri-el.” The one with pink hair introduced, his ent rich and melodious, though I couldn’t quite ce it.

“Nice to meet both of you.” I smiled, still trying to match up with their energy. “Are you brothers?” I asked curiously.

“Not at all, hunny.” The blonde one, Gabri-el, spoke with a simr ent and a dramatic flick of his wrist.

“Oh… uhm, okay.” I blinked, unsure of how else to respond.

They looked slightly alike, same vibrant energy, bold fashion sense, and even their names were simr. One could easily

mistake them for fraternal twins.

“Don’t worry about it, darling. We get mistaken for being twins by a lot of our clients.” Rafa-el chuckled, winking yfully.

I was d I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

I giggled, their ir and charm putting me at ease.

“Well, let’s get right into it then! You’re already gorgeous, so we won’t be doing anything too heavy just enough to highlight your features.” Gabri-el said, grabbing my chin gently and tilting it side to side as he scanned my face with an artist’s focus.

“Where is your dress?” Rafa-el asked, already ncing around.

“In the closet.” I said, pointing in its direction.

“Wow,this is a dream!” He eximed from inside the closet, voice echoing with awe.

He had been assigned to do my hair and pick the right essories to match the dress, while Gabri-el was in charge of my makeup.

They both got to work immediately, moving in perfect sync like pros. After what felt like hours of poking, brushing, fluffing, and adjusting, they finally stepped back with proud expressions on both their faces.

“Master ckwood will be picking his jaw up from the floor when he sees you.” Gabri-el eximed with a grin.

“He’s definitely going to have a hard time keeping everybody’s eyes off you at the g.” Rafa-el added, beaming.

They pulled me in front of the mirror, and my jaw dropped at the sight that met me.

The makeup was wless, soft, yet striking. And the dress… The dress was a silk, wine-red, spaghetti-strapped gown with a V neckline and open back. It red from my waist all the way to the floor, with a slit that ran daringly up to my upper thigh.

The best part was how soft the fabric felt against my skin, its subtle shine catching the light beautifully.

It was paired with silver essories, and my hair was styled in a messy top bun, with a few soft strands framing my face perfectly.

“This is so beautiful.” I told them, eyes still glued to the mirror.

I couldn’t believe this was me.

“Alright, enough drooling at your reflection. I’ve been told your man is already waiting for you downstairs.” Gabri-el announced, tapping something on his phone with a satisfied smile.

I gave myself one final look in the mirror, heart fluttering, and made my way out of the room, Gabri-el and Rapha-el trailing behind me like proud creators.

I couldn’t wait to see the look on Lucian’s face.