Chapter 2 Wedding

• “Amelia, why did you ask me here?” Sol asked with a puzzled expression. “And what are these?” She pointed at the items on my bed. “Is this a wedding gown?” she asked, frowning as she picked it up.
• I could see her in the mirror in front of me, and I rolled my eyes at her. Isn’t it obvious? She could clearly see it was a wedding gown.
• I busied myself applying foundation. I was the only one doing my own makeup because I didn’t want anyone to know I was marrying an old billionaire! It’s a good thing this is a private wedding.
• “Miss Amelia, here’s the dress you asked for,” the maid said, carrying the pastel-colored dress I had ordered.
• Sol took it and examined it with surprise.
• I signaled for the maid to leave.
• “Okay, what is happening?” Sol asked, sensing something was wrong.
• I irritatedly set down the brush I was holding.
• “Gosh! This is so embarrassing!” I complained.
• “What?” she asked.
• “Do you know that our family is going bankrupt?” I said, exasperated.
• I turned my back to her and only looked at her through the mirror.
• “Yeah,” she replied, as if she was not surprised.
• I turned around because of that.
• “What? How? When? How come you know it but I don’t?” I protested.
• “Hello, your family is the talk of the town. So, everything happening with your family is being talked about,” she said nonchalantly.
• I gave her an “I felt so betrayed” look.
• She raised an eyebrow and even chuckled slightly.
• “Don’t look at me like that, Amelia. I literally warned you. While you were busy wasting money on luxuries, you had no idea your family was struggling.”
• “It’s because you didn’t tell!”
• “It’s not my story to tell, okay?”
• I didn’t respond and continued to face the mirror with my arms crossed.
• When I remembered something, I looked at her in the mirror. She looked back at me, seemingly asking, ‘What?’
• “Don’t tell me you know about this wedding!” I asked, narrowing my eyes and tilting my head slightly.
• If people in our town knew about our family’s bankruptcy, it’s not surprising they might know about this wedding too!
• “What wedding?” she asked innocently.
• I looked at her as I tried to figure out if she was telling the truth.
• She stood up from the bed and picked up the wedding dress again.
• “Oh my gosh, is this for your wedding?” she asked, eyes wide.
• I continued with my makeup.
• “This is so embarrassing!” I said irritably.
• “Who is the groom?” she asked.
• I ignored her.
• She took the dress I had ordered earlier. “So, this is mine?” she asked, nodding.
• “You’ll be my only bridesmaid,” I said with a sigh.
• “So, who is the unlucky guy marrying a spoiled brat like you?” she joked.
• I gave her a deathly stare.
• She laughed because of that. She sat beside me and began applying makeup.
• “Is he handsome? Is he our age? Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to meet him! Have you seen him yet?”
• “I’ll see him at the wedding later.”
• She looked at me in surprise.
• “Oh my gosh! If that’s the case, why are you marrying him?” she asked, her face confused. “For money?” she asked, stunned.
• I felt so offended, even though it was somewhat true!
• “I don’t know, Sol. Okay?” I said, tears welling up. “Dad told me to marry his friend so we can save our wealth.” I looked up at the ceiling, blinking away my tears to avoid ruining my makeup.
• Sol approached me, offering tissues and patting my back.
• “Your dad’s friend? So, he’s around his age?” she asked, unable to believe it.
• I wiped my tears and nodded.
• She pulled her chair closer to me, and she held my hands.
• “Lia,” she said, using my nickname, “if you want to run away, just tell me. I’ll help you.”
• I shook my head. “No. This is our last chance. I don’t want to lose everything,” I told her.
• After what happened to us, I’ve had time to reflect. Maybe this is a way I can help our family since I also don’t want to lose our family business. My grandparents worked hard for it! I’m sure if they were still alive, they’d get mad at Dad!
• Sol is right, I’m such a spoiled brat! Maybe this is my payback for the way I’ve behaved.
• The church where the wedding will take place is quite far, so I decided to take a nap. Sol had already arrived there. Aside from her and my parents, I didn’t know anyone else among the guests.
• I thought about my groom. Just thinking about marrying a 52-year-old man made me want to back out! Gosh, I don’t even know how I’m going to manage a honeymoon with him!
• I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep the entire ride. The driver had to wake me up.
• I got out of the car. My hands started to feel cold, I was nervous. I saw the large door in front of me, and it was closed. They were probably just waiting for me.
• I positioned myself in front of the door. “Calm down, Lia. You can do this!” I cheered myself on.
• I heard the door slowly opening. I tightened my grip on the bouquet I was holding. I closed my eyes as the door fully opened, and a bright light greeted me.
• In front, I saw Sol, with my parents standing in front of her. Next to them was a man standing, looking at me and seemingly wiping away tears.
• Because of his age, I mistook him for Dad. Why is he crying? He’s even more emotional than Dad, who is just chill! This is our first time meeting, and he's acting like he's marrying his first love. So annoying.
• I began to walk slowly. It felt like everything around me disappeared, and all I could see was the bright future for my family, making me feel that my decision was right.
• On the other hand, my mind was telling me that this was wrong. It would be embarrassing if people found out that I’m marrying an older man just for the money. What if they call me a gold digger?
• I remembered a dream I had earlier while I was asleep during the trip. There was a little girl who I think was me, and an unfamiliar voice that I thought might be Mommy’s because it called me “sweety” I wasn’t sure because it was unclear.
• “Mommy, when I grow up, I want to find someone like Daddy. Someone loving and who will take care of me,” I said with a smile. We were by the sea, making sandcastles.
• Mommy smiled at what I said. “Just remember, sweety, marry someone you love and who loves you. Know your worth,” she said, pinching my cheek affectionately.
• Then my gaze shifted to a figure not far from us. That person was also making a sandcastle.
• That’s when my dream was cut off because I woke up.
• I stopped walking. I looked at my parents. I heard the noise around me as a few seconds passed and I still wasn’t moving.
• I saw my parents. Dad and my groom had furrowed brows. Mommy and Sol had worried expressions on their faces.
• I saw Sol look at me and nod. Then she suddenly left his spot.
• I wondered if all this was worth it—being a way to pay off my family’s debts and marrying someone I don’t know and definitely don’t love!
• I want a Prince Charming, not just an old friend of my Dad’s.
• I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I knew the decision I had to make!
• I looked at my parents, who were shaking their heads as if to say not to go through with whatever I was thinking.
• I shook my head too and apologized to them.
• I am Amelia Hayes. I admit I’m a spoiled brat, but I won’t let anyone call me a gold digger!
• I dropped the bouquet I was holding and ran out of that church!
• "Ameliaaaa!" a man shouted in a deep voice, which I think belongs to my groom. "I will find you! You can't escape from me!"