FROM NERVOUS TO MARRIED
1636 Words
CHAPTER THREE
FROM NERVOUS TO MARRIED
Eloise's wedding day had arrived in the twinkling of an eye. It had been exactly one month since she said yes to him, and since then, she had barely seen her boss and fiancé. He was either on business trips or in meetings, but she didn’t mind; it gave her time to think about her life and arrange it her way.
During this period, he had mentioned that a new manager was overseeing the company in his absence and would continue to do so during their honeymoon.
She had requested a small, quiet wedding, but Mr. Robert had refused. He was one of the richest billionaires in the country, so why would he have a quiet wedding? That would hurt his name and pride.
She had finally agreed but had no idea how large the wedding would be until that morning, when she looked out her window and saw the paparazzi outside the gate, waiting for the bride of the day to make her first appearance. The sight of the cameras flashing and reporters hustling for a glimpse made her heart race.
“Good morning, Miss Eloise. We need you in the main house as Mr. Robert has ordered that we dress you up there,” her event planner and manager said that morning.
“Okay, I'll be there with you soon, and you know you don’t have to be so formal about it,” she said with a smile, and the lady nodded.
“Of course. I don’t need to be told to be formal when speaking to the soon-to-be Mrs. Robert Harlord.” Eloise laughed and walked into her quarters once more.
She quickly took her bath, nervously hoping that the day and future held good things for her. After that, she took the short walk to the main house and was shocked to see a number of ladies waiting for her. There were about ten of them, each wearing a uniform of sophistication, and they all greeted her with smiles when she walked in.
A seat was kept for her in the middle, and as soon as she sat down, the makeup team began their work, as well as the hairstylist. The two worked together while she sat lost in thought throughout the process. The makeup artist applied layer after layer, turning her into a vision of bridal elegance, while the hairstylist expertly wove her hair into an intricate design. Not until the mirror was brought before her to see the work they had done did she truly comprehend the transformation.
It took her a while to recognize the person in the mirror as she stared in disbelief. The reflection before her was not the simple Eloise she knew but a stunningly glamorous bride.
“Wow! This is... it's... beautiful... but isn’t it too much?” she asked, being that she wasn’t a great lover of makeup and found the hair extravagant.
“It is your wedding day, Miss Eloise, and it has to be perfect. Let’s get you into your gown,” the lady said, and she nodded with a weird smile.
All of this was the opposite of what her life had been all along. She was a simple lady who didn’t like to be noticed, but she had a feeling all of that was about to change. The grandeur of the preparations felt surreal, as though she were living someone else's dream.
She was offered food but rejected it, knowing her nervousness would not let her eat anything. If she forcefully did, it would all go to waste as she would throw it up, especially with the tight wedding gown hugging her curves. So, she settled for some malt and milk, as her mother had advised.
Her mother!
Come to think of it, where was she? She had promised to come before the wedding proper. She hoped the other children in the orphanage would not make her late.
Yes, Eloise was an orphan and had been raised by Sister Catherine, the orphanage caretaker. That was the only mother she had known. She recalled how excited she had been when she went with Mr. Robert to give the wedding invitation card to her. She had blessed her, prayed for her, and advised her. She kept saying that God had finally answered her prayers and given her a man of her dreams.
If only she knew this was a contract marriage and it was because of her cancer that Eloise could not even save up enough money to bail herself out of this mess. If only her mother knew the circumstances surrounding this marriage, she wouldn’t have been so excited.
“My mom! Is she here?” Eloise asked no one in particular as she was helped into her shoes.
“Yes! She arrived a few minutes ago but decided to wait since you were still dressing up,” her event planner responded.
“Bring her. Tell her I want to see her,” Eloise said, and she nodded and left the room.
“Look how beautiful my daughter is,” Sister Catherine exclaimed tearfully as she walked into the room, her eyes gleaming with pride. Eloise smiled and, without caring about the high-heeled shoes she wore, ran into her mother’s embrace.
“Mom!” she exclaimed, sniffing. The comforting warmth of her mother’s hug was a balm for her nervousness.
“Oh baby! Don’t cry! Don’t cry! You’ll ruin your makeup,” Sister Catherine said as she patted Eloise’s back, trying to stop her from crying. Eloise nodded vigorously, trying so hard to control the tears as she released her from the hug.
“Look how beautiful you are. Look at you! I’m so proud of you,” Sister Catherine kept exclaiming as she laughed happily, her joy evident in her beaming smile. Eloise nodded as she tried to tilt her head back to hold back her tears.
“I’m nervous, Mom. I’m so scared,” she whispered as she hugged her again, tighter this time.
“It’s okay. You’ll be fine. It’ll all turn out well, okay?” Sister Catherine said as she patted her back and hugged her back. Her soothing words were a source of solace in the whirlwind of emotions Eloise was experiencing.
Eloise prayed so, holding onto her mother’s words with everything in her, hoping that she had made the right choice when she said yes to this loveless contract marriage.
******
“Do you, Robert Harlord, take this woman, Eloise Madison, whose right hand you now hold, to be your lawfully wedded wife, in all the conditions you have mentioned before?” the priest asked.
“Yes, I do,” Mr. Robert said confidently and slipped the wedding ring onto her finger. Eloise could see the glint and excitement in his eyes as he responded, and the congregation cheered and clapped. The sound of applause echoed around her, mingling with her own heartbeat.
She knew he was genuinely happy because, when she walked in, he had whispered to her that he had never seen her this beautiful in his entire days of knowing her and that she looked better without her glasses on.
“Do you, Miss Eloise Madison, take this man, whose right hand you now hold, to be your lawfully wedded husband, in all the conditions you have read before?” he asked her. She turned to look at the priest’s face and then at Mr. Robert’s face.
He had a beautiful smile on his face at that moment, and she smiled widely to match his. He didn’t look like the boss who had refused to help her resolve her little case. He looked like a happy groom who couldn’t wait to take his bride home.
“Yes, I do,” she finally responded and slipped her ring onto his finger as well.
“By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the priest announced, and the congregation went into wild excitement as Robert drew her closer, slipping his hands around her waist.
“Thank you for doing this with me, Eloise,” he whispered to her in a loving voice and then, very slowly, placed his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle yet filled with the weight of their shared promise. Eloise closed her eyes in response, holding her breath, waiting for the moment to be over. And soon, it was.
After the wedding pictures were taken, she was stylishly taken away from her husband, and the next thing she knew, she had another dress to put on and more makeup to endure before the reception. Her mom sat with her all through, smiling sheepishly and proudly, and because of that, she couldn’t complain about anything but hunger.
“Mom! I’m hungry,” she finally said, and her mother began running around, ordering everyone until finally food was brought to her. With her mind afar off, she downed all the food her stomach could take and was finally ready to move to the next wedding phase.
The reception was the most beautiful she had ever seen, and she still couldn’t believe it was hers. Everything went smoothly, and Mr. Robert just kept leading her around to greet every business partner of his. She couldn’t even place their names and faces anymore, so she gave up and just smiled whenever she met a new face.
Soon enough, the reception was over, and she was in the car alone with Robert, finally having time to speak to her husband, though she didn’t even know what they would talk about.
“So, after this, what’s next?” she asked him as they sat in the car.
“We are going to Los Angeles for our honeymoon.”
- Writer
