Talia sat nervously in her chair as Aly made her face up for her wedding. She had waited long and hard for this day, and it had finally arrived! “ Are my girls almost done?” she asked Camari, who was almost done with her makeup.“ Um, May and Lacy are done; the makeup artist is currently on Faye's; that leaves Coco and Aubrey,” Camari answered. Aly came with two apprentices, one for Cam and the other for the girls.“ That was fast,” Talia added as her make-up artist applied blush to her face. A couple of minutes later, Camari was done with her make-up, and the apprentice moved on to help her colleague.Camari went to check on the girls. They had to get into their bridesmaids robes for pictures and videos with the bride.“ You look great,” she complimented her friends as she entered the room. Aly admired her work as she applied the final stroke of lipstick to Talia’s lips. She looked very pretty.“ You look beautiful, Tal; I’m happy for you and Zeke,” Aly complimented. “ Thanks to y

"Baz, relax. Aly will understand," said Kim, trying to calm her nervous cousin. He was worried about telling Aly that he wasn't actually a bartender like she knew, but really a wealthy businessman. However, in his search for real love, he felt he had to disguise who he was. "Easy for you to say," replied Baz. "If this was you, wouldn't you be mad?" "No, not because I know you or that you're my cousin," said Kim. "But because you're a good, kind, caring, and loving person. You pay attention to details and really support her. Those are just some of the reasons she'll understand. You just need to tell her the truth." "Thanks, Kim," said Baz appreciatively. "By the way, I ran into Calvin a few weeks ago," said Kim after a pause. "He's in town?" asked Baz, surprised. "Yeah, I was surprised too," shrugged Kim. "How do you feel about seeing him, given things with Ryker?" asked Baz. "Calvin doesn't have another chance with me," confessed Kim as they sat by Baz's pool. "Oh?" respond

"Bad time or good time?" Alyona asked as soon as Zeke answered his phone. "By that, do you mean 'are we in the middle of f**king or not'?" he replied with his typical blunt humor. "Oh my goodness! You never change, do you?" Aly asked, giving him an exaggerated eye roll. "If looks could kill, you'd be six feet under." "Alright, alright. What's up?" Zeke said deciding on a subject change was in order. "It's been ages since I last heard from you." "Nah, uh, it's been ages since I last heard from you!" she teased. "You've been on your honeymoon for close to a month now." "Whatever, Aly. What's new with you?" "Well, Bazyli and I are official now," she told him. "Finally!" Zeke exclaimed. "You're finally off the market. I'm really happy for you, Aly. Under that tough exterior, I know you wanted someone to call your own. I hope Bazyli is the perfect choice and that you're both very happy."Thank you , Zeke. We’re taking things slow for now,” she added.“ I’m still happy for you. You d

Alyona had a lot of errands to run. Valentine’s Day and its hoopla were over, and she was back to reality. She had to plan her father’s 5-year death anniversary in two weeks, and she was already overwhelmed with the stress. The venue and food were covered. It was going to be held at her father’s house, and the maids were going to handle the food. Next on the list was decor. She needed an event planner to help her with the decorations for the event. She had been going through her contact list, yet she wasn’t getting any leads. “Gale, have you found someone yet?” she asked her secretary without lifting her head up. “Yes, I have.” “Did you say you have?” She turned to face her, hoping for a positive answer from her. She’d been on this for the past few hours, and all she needed was to find a person who could do good decor. “Yes. I can handle the decoration. It’s actually my side gig,” Gale mentioned. Aly knew Gale knew someone who did decorations, but she couldn’t put her finger on

Xara stood before the gathered guests with a smile, though inside she felt a storm of emotions she couldn't name. "Thank you all for coming," she began. Her late husband would have been pleased to see so many friends and family there to honor his memory. She took in the familiar faces, drawing comfort from seeing her children mingling in the crowd. Over the years, her husband had built strong bonds with many in attendance. Through him, they had become like extended family. "The relationships he formed brought you close to our family as well. For that, and for your constant support, love, and care since his passing, I am deeply grateful." Xara paused for a moment to compose herself. "The occasional check-ins, donations, and gifts have meant so much to me and the children during this difficult time. We appreciate your friendship and generosity more than I can say." Her gaze lingered on Elon as she continued. "To those who took him under your wing to teach him about managing his fathe