Share
19. USHERETTES
USHERETTES:
Their role is to make sure that your guests do not lose their way on your wedding party.
One night, Ryder called me to ask a favor.
“The maid will come tomorrow. Usually I’m there when she does. But I won’t make it this week. Can you stop by my house? She doesn’t have a key. Just let her in and stay there while she does her stuff.”
“You want me to supervise your maid?”
“Not really. Just be there to make sure that everything’s in order.”
“Alright. I think I can handle that.”
The next day, I went to Ryder’s house. His maid was a woman in her forties named Zara. She didn’t look like a maid at first, more like a diner waitress. She was chewing gum and was wearing a skirt way above her knees.
“Where is Mr. Ryder?” she asked me.
“He’s in Manhat
Bab terkait
Knight in Shining Suit 20. ARRANGED MARRIAGE
ARRANGED MARRIAGE:A marriage born out of a business arrangement where both parties aim to benefit from the other.Adam asked me to have dinner with him. But I knew my cousin better. He only invited me over for dinner to either drop a bomb on my head or he’d touch base on what’s going on with the business. So even though it was casual, I was ready with the figures in my head, just in case he asks.“Business is good?” he asked casually.“I knew you took me to dinner for a reason!” I accused, pointing a finger at him.He chuckled. “Just asking.”I smiled at him. “It’s great!” I said. “In a few months, you’ll see those figures going green.”“Maybe it’s time to expand.”I stared at him. “What do you mean?”He shrugged. “Well, my investor saw
Knight in Shining Suit 21. WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY:A celebration of another year of marriage, no divorce, no separation. Whew!Friday morning, I called up Adam. I wasn’t really mad at him. I knew that he was only looking out for me. I told him that I would catch a ride with him, as I wouldn’t be going with Ryder to my parents’ party.“And if they look for Ryder, what will you tell them?” Adam asked.“That we’re taking time off. That I wasn’t ready. Ryder is a wonderful guy, but he was too serious about getting married and I’m not ready for that commitment yet. Plus, he’s in Manhattan eighty percent of the time.”“And what will you really do about Ryder, Astrid?” he asked.I took a deep breath. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s… my boss apparently. I’ll keep working on this, until the profits sta
Knight in Shining Suit 22. I DO
I DO:Powerful two little words that actually mean, ‘I will love you, take care of you, serve you, protect you, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.’Before I joined my parents, I looked at Ryder and said, “Thank you, Ryder. You’ve been very kind to all of us. I guess this is the last, huh? I'll call my parents after a week to tell them that it’s over. Don’t worry. I'll make sure nobody blames you. I’ll tell them that I want to stay single for a while. To… date around…”“Do you?” he asked bitterly.I raised a brow. “Do I what?”“Want to date around?” he asked.I laughed… to cover up the pain that I feel inside… and to hide the truth behind the lie that I’m about to say.“It’s been a while, hasn&rsquo
Knight in Shining Suit 23. BOND
BOND:A connection that fastens things or people together.The next morning, I woke up Ryder with kisses. He smiled at me and then he held me by the waist, pushed me on my back and pinned me between his body and the soft mattresses of his bed. There was no need for words after that.It was almost noontime when we got up from bed. I knew that Ryder would leave soon and this made me want to cry already.“What time’s your flight?” I asked him.He smiled and pulled me to him. “Tomorrow at ten.”“Why?” I asked in surprise.“I canceled things today.”“Ryder… why did you do that?”He kissed me. “I wanted to. A day won’t hurt. It’s our first day together… for real. The first day that didn’t have to end.”I gave him a hug. “Geography&rsqu
Knight in Shining Suit 24. VEIL
VEIL:Covers the bride’s face to the groom until he has fully committed to her after the wedding ceremony.I am made of stone. I can do this. I am not giving up! I told myself over and over.I was sitting on the deck of Ryder’s Malibu home. After so many nights I still felt alone, my heart was still broken and every single minute, I ached for the man who swore he would make my ‘ever after’ come true.But he was not here anymore… I never felt so alone in my life. The pain was ten times worse than what I felt when Bryan and Geena betrayed me.I remembered his laughter, his smile. I remembered his arms around me and the way he would look at me. I remembered how he never gave up on me. How he waited for me to realize that he was the right one for me. How long he waited for me to realize that I was in
Knight in Shining Suit 25. VELLUM
VELLUM:A thin, transparent or semi-transparent type of paper the effect of which resembles a frosted glass, commonly used in wedding invitations.Ryder.When I woke up at the hospital, my first thought was that I was late for my meeting in Malibu. I just opened Oil Rig and would soon open another bar, Rig Style.When I opened my eyes, my family and friends were staring back at me curiously, all with tears in their eyes.That’s when I realized that something must have happened to me. Judging from the throbbing pain I felt in my head, the fact that I could barely move my body due the tight bandages wrapped around me in the rib area, I guessed that I was in a car accident.Damn! I wonder which of my cars I have to say goodbye to. I hope it’s not my McLaren. I just bought it a month ago and the price was not sweet at all. I would hate to
Knight in Shining Suit 26. BRIDAL REGISTRY
BRIDAL REGISTRY:A log of the couple’s gift preferences aimed at making it easier for wedding guests to shop for gifts for the couple.Astrid.I went to the hospital every single day. But I never got a chance to see Ryder. The doctors didn’t encourage it until all the tests were done and they were sure about the gravity of his amnesia.“You should go back to Malibu,” Janis advised. “We’ll keep you posted, when he’s ready to see you.”I shook my head. “He should at least try to see me, Jan,” I said hopefully. “Maybe if he sees me… it would trigger some memories to come back.”“We have to do this slowly, Ash,” Jake said. “Only time can help Ryder now.”I think the sight of me was unsettling to Ryder and it didn’t help his recovery
Knight in Shining Suit 27. PRENUP
PRENUP:A legal document filed before marriage that states what would happen to the couple when they get divorced, particularly in terms of their finances and property.Ryder.Four months since the accident, and I’m slowly returning to my old shape. My wounds have healed. Minor broken bones and stitches… nothing I cannot recover from.Except for one—the wound in my brain. There is still this veil that keeps one year of my life from my consciousness.One year. I thought, how significant could that year be? I can read year-end reports from my businesses and I should be fine. I can spend a day on the net and catch up on what happened to the world.I can heal from this and still go on with my life. No hassles.I feel normal. I feel like nothing happened at all. I still have the people I love around me. Pari
Bab terbaru
- Knight in Shining Suit Epilogue: THE WEDDING
- Knight in Shining Suit 38. THE VENUE
- Knight in Shining Suit 37. RING
- Knight in Shining Suit 36. PRESENT
- Knight in Shining Suit 35. WEDDING ALBUM
- Knight in Shining Suit 34. SOMETHING BORROWED
- Knight in Shining Suit 33. SOMETHING BLUE
- Knight in Shining Suit 32. SOMETHING OLD
- Knight in Shining Suit 31. SOMETHING NEW
