Strings Attached

Anni's POV Finally, the most awaited wedding in our family was happening. The one we all were desperately waiting to attend. It was my cousin Claudia's wedding. His father (my uncle) has really worked his ass off all these years to make his place to the top in the telecom industry. Today, he is one of the renowned businessmen and most influential personalities having great contacts and he is lavishly spending to make his daughter's wedding no less than a beautiful fairytale. ****************************************************** The cab dropped us outside the grand, beautifully decorated hotel. We finally stepped inside Arena- a seven-star hotel. Our eyes wondering, our jaws dropping every now and then. We were completely awe-struck at the scenes in the hotel as if every part of the hotel was oozing eliteness. The interior, the decor, the furniture, the staff, and the amenities truly justified the Name of the hotel. We have never been to such a luxurious hotel before. But it seems like we will be lucky enough to experience a lot of luxuries we have ever dreamt of while attending Claudia's wedding ceremonies. Our uncle left the house and moved to Dalmia with his wife and Claudia when we are little kids. My mind can not even trace any memory of us. Initially, after parting, my father would call uncle every couple of months to enquire about his well-being but as time passed, my father got indulged in his work and family and uncle started expanding his business. After learning about the immense success that uncle has achieved, my father was hesitant to contact him and gradually the only connection our family had with uncle started to fade. But one fine day when we received the call from uncle inviting us all to Claudia's wedding, we were all happy, shocked, emotional everything at the same time. At last, we were happy that even though the bond faded, the string was still attached between the families. **************************************************** There were a number of pre-wedding functions planned before the wedding day and the first one was about to start in some time. We were really excited to meet Uncle, Aunt, and Claudia. We haven't seen them for years. Though we have stalked them a lot on social media before coming here but meeting them in person will be a whole different feeling. While thinking about the vast difference in our social status and financial background, we were all quite nervous regarding how the uncle's family is going to treat us. One of the staff guided us to our rooms. Yes "ROOMS". I can't believe that we have separate rooms here. All our life, we have asked for an extra bed in the same room so as to avoid the cost of an extra room. We quickly freshened up and started to get ready for the function. We had packed the best of dresses and pieces we owned so that we could at least withstand the designer pieces and limited editions the elite guests would be wearing at the party. I wore a satin black dress having sexy slits and a crisscross stringy back for the function along with a pair of golden danglers, a light smokey eye look, peach lips, and my hair tied into a messy bun with some of my natural brown loose curls hanging here and there. I completed my look with a pair of shimmery golden pumps. I loved how the dress embraced my curves and how the slits on the sides and around the waist exposed just the right amount of my body. I tried to keep everything simple yet classy. It was around 6 PM, finally the time for the function to start. I stepped out of my room and walked down to the garden area where the function was to take place along with my parents. The area was very well-decorated with beautiful orchids, huge lanterns, statement decorative pieces placed on the tables, exotic drinks, endless items being served in the buffet, and what not. It indeed looked like a fairytale setup. We were standing nearby the entrance, busy wondering the beauty of the place when someone came and hugged my dad directly. Tears welled up in the eyes of both the men as they greeted each other. No wonder, he was my uncle Harrison- the great business tycoon. He greeted my mom with deep respect and looked at me with such love in his eyes. "Is she Annie? She has grown up into a beautiful woman", he said while patting my head with the utmost affection. "What about me?", asked my younger brother promptly. Uncle introduced us to Claudia and aunt. Claudia was looking like an absolute fairy in this fairy tale setup - a slender figure with milky white skin, wearing a long fluffy dress that was sweeping the floor. As the evening progressed, more and more guests joined the function. Hours passed by in greetings, meeting several known and unknown faces, dancing, chatting, eating, and enjoying the function. Initially, the thought of being amidst so many elite guests was a little pressurizing but uncle's family was more loving and accepting than we expected them to be. Continuously standing and dancing in my 6 inches heels for 2-3 hours, my feet started to become sore so I took a drink and found a cozy corner to sit back and relax a bit. I noticed one of the girls sitting beside me was constantly staring at me. Maybe she realized that I was getting uncomfortable and finally pointed out that one of my earrings was missing. I searched for it everywhere but the area was quite big and well-equipped with guests so I finally gave up on searching and decided to go up to my room to get another pair before everyone else starts pointing out the same thing. ************************************************************************************ Thankfully, I am in the habit of always carrying some extra pieces when it comes to accessories. This time it was a simple long golden shimmery drop earing. While I was closing the door of my room, my phone started ringing and guess whose call it would have been- none other than my boss. Ah! You are never on leave when working in a corporate sector. She wanted to get some details of the projects I have been handling but this short discussion was slowly turning out to be a never-ending one. I was moving to and fro in the passage in front of my room while talking to her. During the act, I accidentally crashed into someone. I was about to fall and break my bones when suddenly I caught hold of something....