1. Meet Cute Or Not

The hunk of the car came again, this time louder than the first few times. Sophie quickly grabbed her shoes and bag from her closet and hurried downstairs, tripping on the stairs as she ran, hoping to make it to the limousine before her father, Carlos, orders the chauffeur to drive off.

Luckily for Sophie, she made it at the nike of time, just before the butler closed the door.

"I'm sorry, Father. I had to fix my hair," Sophie apologized, her eyes fixed on Carlos, who was seated at the other end of the limousine close to his wife Beatrice, but he never spared her a glance as he had his eyes fixed on his phone.

"And I can see how beautifully and well put together that came out," Beatrice snapped, her voice laced with disdain as she stared at Sophie dirty blonde hair, which was tied in a messy bun. 

"I ran down the stairs," Sophie said, offering a shabby excuse for her messy hairstyle. 

Carlos lifted his head, and after taking a good look at Sophie, he turned to the chauffeur. "Do you need an invitation to start the car," His hoarse voice echoed, startling the chauffeur.

"I'm sorry, sir," the old man quickly apologized before he drove off.

"I just received a text from Mother. The old George Dupree already arrived, and he seemed to be very impressed with Mandy," Carlos said with his chin lifted proudly. 

"Who wouldn't be. I mean, my daughter is smart, so it's normal for her to leave anyone that comes across her in awe," Beatrice said, her lips curved in a smile and her eyes stealing glimpse at Sophie.

"Oh, I am so happy that my daughter is going to be the wife of the mainstay of the Dupree Group, Collins Dupree," Beatrice said, her voice laced with proudness as she took yet another glimpse of Sophie.

"Aren't we all glad, this marriage is going to bring lots of fortune to the family and I am just glad Mother picked the smart one," Carlos said making Beatrice to let out a small laugh. 

Sophie took in a deep breath of relief when the limousine pulled up in front of the Grand Diamond Garden, one of the biggest and most expensive serene gardens in Europe, if not the world. 

She was tired of hearing her father Carlos and his wife Beatrice go on and on about how good Mandy, their daughter, was. Not that she was jealous of Mandy, no, she would never be, but she knew Beatrice was saying all those things just to make her uncomfortable, and frankly, her plans were working.

Mandy was the golden girl, an epitome of everything Sophie could never be. The public seemed to believe that the Rowling women were naturally blessed with good looks and great bodies, but with Sophie, there seemed to be an exception. While Mandy had a thin body, a soft honey coloured curls set in a natural balayage, a baby blue eyes and an almond shaped lips complimenting the entire beauty look, Sophie was chubby, had a fat round face, and although she had thin, heart-shaped lips, it didn't quite sit well with her fat face.

"Don't do anything stupid to embrace me, your sister, or the family, especially your grandmother. Your existence alone is enough to sour  anyone's mood," Carlos gritted as he fixed his well tailored tuxedo.

"Okay, father," that was all Sophie could say.

She didn't have the best relationship with her father. Carlos made it clear that Sophie was one mistake in his life that he would forever live to regret, and he never failed to treat her as such; A mistake. 

"And don't you forget the rules either. Tonight is a big night for the family. Don't ruin it," Beatrice warned before she left in Carlos' arms.

Sophie stood at the spot, her eyes fixed on Carlos and Beatrice, who had already mingled with the rest of the guest, saying their pleasantries.

"Why did they bring me here anyway? It would have been more convenient if they had left me at home. At least they wouldn't have to worry about getting embraced," Sophie couldn't help but wonder. It was no longer news that she wasn't allowed to attend any socialite events. Her grandmother, Agatha Rowling, made it clear. Since she was born, Sophie could count the number of socialite events she has attended in one hand, and in those few cases, she attended those events, there was a strict set of rules she must adhere to.

Sophie exhaled deeply and made to take her first step, but she tripped almost falling down, thanks to the old chauffeur that grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"Miss, your shoes....?" the chauffeur said, his eyes staring down at Sophie's shoe.

Sophie glanced at him, and following the trail of his eyes, she gazed down to her shoe, and she froze with her eyes and mouth wide open in shock.

"Oh my gosh...." Sophie lifted her head to look at the chauffeur before looking down to her shoes again. She had left the house in a hurry and unknowingly grabbed two different pairs of shoes with neither matching her outfit nor her bag. 

"Please, sir, can you take me home to...."

"I'm sorry, miss, but I can't," the chauffeur said curtly, without letting Sophie complete her request. "I would have, but Madame had asked me to pick up an old college friend of hers from the airport, I'm already running late, so I can't make a trip back to the mansion," the chauffeur explained further and with that, he excused himself leaving Sophie to her own ruin.

Sophie didn't need a soothsayer to tell her what was going on there. Beatrice had only informed her about the engagement party a few hours ago, and she didn't have any time to prepare herself, resulting in her poor wardrobe choice and her terrible shoe mismatch. 

Beatrice was obviously trying to embrace Sophie, turning her into a thing of mockery, in front of strangers she doesn't even know, and unfortunately for Sophie, Beatrice's plan seems to be working.

Sophie scanned the entire place as if searching for a way out of her present predicament. Her clothes weren't the best she could have worn if she had more time to prepare but it wasn't as bad as her shoes and bag.

"This is a disaster, Grandmother would definitely kill me,' Sophie muttered, recalling the strict rules part of which included not making any appearance in any tabloid for the wrong reasons but with her current outfit and shoes, it was almost hard for Sophie to avoid making headlines in every tabloid as a fashion don't. 

"Perhaps I could just hide somewhere until the party is over then...."

"Aren't you going in?" Sophie thought was interrupted by a deep masculine voice which although was hoarse but very smoothing at the same time.

She turned towards the direction and saw a masculine physique standing in the dark. 

Sophie's breath caught in her throat as the man stepped into clear sight. Tall, handsome, and well-dressed in a dark blue three-piece tuxedo that properly outlined his broad shoulders, lean physique, and long legs. 

And his face..., his angular jaw, prominent brow, and pairs of green eyes that seemed to be looking right through her even from a distance.

Sophie's face flushed as she examined him. He looked like he had just walked out a men's fashion magazine, and although Sophie didn't quite find him familiar, she knew he had to be someone really important.

"Rule number 17; Do not have any conversation with anyone from the elite class, especially those you don't know," Sophie muttered to herself and with that she turned to leave but the man quickly grabbed her arm, startling Sophie.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," His voice came again, this time revealing his Scottish accent, which Sophie found compelling and sexy.

"It's just that the air inside was a bit toxic, so I came out here to get some fresh air," He said, still holding unto her arm. 

Sophie didn't utter a word to him as she had her eyes fixed on his hand, which was firmly pressed against her arm.

His brow furrowed, notcing her attitude, and following the trail of her eyes, he found his hand still holding unto her arm.

"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't realize I was still holding you," He said quickly, letting go of her.

"I'm Philip Parama, by the way, and you are....." He said, extending his hand for a handshake.

Sophie just stared at his extended hand for a while, and without uttering a single world, she bowed lightly and hurried off.

Since she couldn't figure out whom he was, Sophie decided to play safe. Her outfit was enough to rile her grandmother up, and she didn't want to add offending a Scottish guest to the list. 

He scoffed as he watched her retracting figure running off. He found her unusual attitude really cute, and he wished she had dropped her name before running off. "long dirty blonde, cubby, round face," He chuckled. That was a very peculiar feature, and from what he knew about the elite beauty standards, no family would let their child be as fat as her.

Immediately, Sophie walked into the event, all eyes fell on her, and in a second, she became the belle of the ball as some quests leaned towards each other, gossiping about her choice of outfit.

'Isn't that the Rowling eldest daughter.... what was her name again, Sonia???'

'Do you think they are trying to save money on her outfit?'

'I know this is a private event, but she should have paid more attention to her outfit and what is going on with her shoes?"

'And here comes the illegitimate heir, always trying to make headlines' 

'She is so ugly, fat, and pathetic. No wonder her younger sister is getting married before her'

Those were the mumbled side talks Sophie heard, making her aware of her outfit and her decision to hide before she met the stranger that startled her. 

"Oh no, this can't be happening," Sophie's face flushed in embracement. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her, but that was one wish that never came true.

She barely managed to find her way to her seat without tripping. Luckily for her, her seat was at the far end, almost in a dark corner, which took her out of the spotlight momentarily. 

Sophie couldn't be happier. Sitting with the Rowling family meant she had to endure a long night of insult and disdain, and with her outfit, they would have more things to say to her, and she just wasn't sure if she had the emotional strength to put up with it.

The engagement party soon started with George Dupree, the grand patriarch of the Dupree family, giving a warm welcome speech to welcome the guests. Although the Grand Diamond Garden had the capacity of hosting five thousand guests but since it was a private affair, the Dupree family kept the invitation list to a bare minimum of two handed guests, which mostly were families and close-knit family friends.

The speech was short and simple, but it was parked with witty and humorous statements that elevated the atmosphere and made it a lot lively. 

Agatha Rowling stood close to Goerge Dupree, smiling from chin to chin. She was no doubt proud that her granddaughter was getting married into such an esteemed family like the Dupree family, anybody would be.

Mandy, on the other hand, was sitted in between Carlos and Beatrice, even from her distance, her beauty was radiant and her outfit from her hair to toe were well put together and screamed luxury. When it came to beauty, Sophie was no match for Mandy, as Mandy was the living definition of beauty.

Perhaps if Sophie paid a little bit attention to herself, just as much as Mandy does, she might stand a chance.

"And now, I would like you all to meet my first grandson....." George Dupree paused. It was time for the main course of the event, and everyone had their attention on the stage. The few invited reporters were ready to capture everything in pictures and video.

The door swung open, and Oliver, a middle-aged man dressed in the black suit, walked in, pushing with him in a wheelchair, a man dressed in a grey suit and a mask covering his face.

"... Maxwell Dupree"  Goerge Dupree announced stunning everyone.