I Do Series: Betrothed

Chapter 10

"Is this really it?" Andrea asked herself as she scammed herself in the mirror.

She's wearing a champagne-colored Sabrina-neckline, a-line midi dress that she paired with beige-colored lace pump heels. And to complete her attire, she wore a diamond set of jewelry that matched with her emerald-cut diamond ring framed by a paved halo that added more glimmer to her engagement ring. While she puts on light makeup that perfectly fits her dress, she then styles her hair in a low and sleek ponytail.

"There's no turning back now," she whispered to herself as she brushed her palms onto the skirt of her dress and took another quick glance at her reflection.

"Miss Andrea," her secretary, Rina, called her name after knocking three times on the door. "Sir Alexander, is waiting for you now, Ma'am," Rina politely informed her after opening her hotel's room door. "The party is about to start now, and you're the only one they are waiting for," she added as she walked closer to Andrea, who was busy putting her phone on her clutch bag.

"Okay, let's go," Andrea replied as she turned to face Rina. "Let's get this over," she mumbled as she heaved a deep sigh before flashing a sweet smile into her face to hide her nervousness.

Then, they stepped out of her hotel room to head down to the hotel hall where her and Alexander's engagement party was held. And, just like the preparations for their wedding day, their grandparents are also the ones who organized and prepared everything for their engagement party. Most of their guests are their families' business partners, which turns their engagement into a vast business meeting. Andrea doesn't mind, though, since their wedding is about their family's business, to begin with. She just wished for the party to end faster; in that way, she wouldn't be dealing with everyone, and she wouldn't be smiling like a lovesick girl in front of everyone.

"You look good in your dress," Alexander complimented her as soon as he saw Andrea stepping out of the elevator near the hall.

"You too. You look good in your suit," Andrea complimented him.

Alexander is wearing a three-piece beige-colored slim-fit double-breasted plaid suit that matches the color of her dress. Instead of a regular necktie, he wears a bolo tie that adds a modern touch to his attire. His hair is stylishly messed up in a tousled quiff style, making him look younger despite his young age.

"Let's go inside, and get this engagement done," Alexander said as he offered his arms to Andrea.

"Let's go," Andrea said with a smile on her face as she clung her hands into his arm.

As soon as Andrea clung her hands-on Alexander's arm, they began walking towards the double entrance of the hall where their visitors and the organizers were waiting for them.

"You better keep that smile all night," Alexander reminded Andrea.

"You should tell that to yourself," Andrea mumbled confidently as she smiled sarcastically at Alexander, triggering his competitiveness.

"In the count of three, we'll open the door," the organizer that their grandparents hired informed them. "Three. . . Two. . . One."

The blinding light of the spotlight shone upon them as soon as the door opened, which surprised both of them. And it was followed by the loud clapping sounds and cheering of the visitors echoed inside the four walls of the enormous hall.

After the introduction, Alexander and Andrea's parents approached them when they reached the stage. They walk towards the center where their table is placed. After that, the host immediately proceeded with the program, introducing both families, giving brief backgrounds before introducing the main star of the night, the wife-to-be, and her husband-to-be. And then, after the short introduction, they began greeting their guests while talking about business. They keep on going and greeting their guests while the food is being served. A few more minutes had passed until Andrea felt like her facial muscles were going numb more than her legs, for smiling continuously.

"Congratulations," a familiar voice congratulated her.

Andrea's legs almost turned into jelly upon hearing its voice, while her heart felt like it was thrown into ice-cold water.

"You look good today," Augustine complimented her with a broad smile on his face.

Andrea, just smiled faintly at him as she turned to face him. But, as soon as she did, she almost regretted doing so. She thought that she had prepared her heart enough for a day like this for the past few days. But she's wrong. No matter how much she prepared herself to face reality, it still hurts more than she could ever think it could be. It feels like her heart is being stabbed by a thousand pieces of needles while someone keeps on pouring lemon juice into it every time each needle pierces her heart.

"Congratulations to you too," she congratulated him as she managed to keep a broad smile on her face. At the same time, she averted her gaze from her half-brother to his wife, Elizabeth, who was holding his arms.

"I'm sincerely wishing your marriage the best," Andrea added.

"Thank you," Elizabeth and Augustine both thanked her.

Once again, Andrea felt the pain in her heart upon seeing their smiles and wedding rings on their fingers.

"We also wish you the best of your upcoming marriage," Augustine added.

"Thank you," Andrea answered while keeping herself calm.

Andrea, already knew that Augustine knew their actual relationship. Still, she was not sure if he knew that she had already found out the truth. She felt awkward more than now that he was in front of her. And that awkwardness makes her wish to vanish in an instant to keep her broken heart from tearing apart more than it could possibly get.

And just in time, Alexander came, still looking handsome and dashing in his suit as if he's not yet tired from entertaining everyone. Just like her, Alexander greeted the newlyweds with a warm smile on his face as if he was doing fine.

"I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, but Andrea and I need to go now. We still need to greet the other guests," Alexander cut their conversation off to save his broken heart from turning into fine dust.

"Sure," Augustine replied, before they left Andrea and Alexander alone.

"Are you alright?" Alexander immediately asked Andrea.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Andrea replied as she smiled at him and stopped her tears from falling. "Let's go," she added. "Let's get these greetings done," Alexander said exasperatedly, as he also felt tired from all the talking and smiling.

"Yeah, let's get this one done," Andrea agreed before they walked towards the other guests with a smile on their faces.