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“Your sister’s here to see you, Sir,” my secretary replied, and this brightened me up somewhat. She was always a sight for sore eyes, especially now.
“Let her in,” I said, happy for the reprieve.
She nodded and left. The door was pushed open and my smiling baby sister walked in.
"Hey,” I said.
“I just ran into my favorite photographer,” she said, dropping into the seat in front of me.
I nodded warily. “And you want him to replace the photographers that Victoria has recommended?”
She cocked her head. “Not him. Her,” she corrected, then frowned. “But to be honest. I don't understand why you're so involved in my wedding plans.” But even as the words left her tongue, she felt remorse, and her gaze dropped to the floor.
“I mean… I didn’t mean it that way,” she said in a low, contrite tone.
“So, how did you mean it?” I asked gently.
“You’ve never ever involved yourself in little things like this, and you've never stopped me from doing any of the things I truly wanted. So, I don’t know why you’re so involved in the organizing of my wedding. What difference does it make to you?"
I wished I could tell her the truth. I wished I didn’t have to be the bad guy ruining her most important day, but I couldn’t tell her. I’d made a promise. One day she would understand why I had to be this way.
“I told you,” I said calmly, opening the document on my desk. “You're the one who chose to get married to someone outside our circle, so the society wedding is needed for his sake. What greater chance is there to improve his standing and associate him with us. It’s all for your benefit ultimately.”
“Drake,” she called softly. “I’m serious about this. I was ready to give in and allow you and Mom to have your way, but after seeing her today, it seems like I’ve been given a second chance. I don't want a big glitzy wedding; I want it in a small, intimate, gorgeous setting, with a few friends and my immediate family.”
I ran out of patience.
“No,” I said, and got ready to shut her out and go back to work.
“No? Just no?”
I didn’t reply to her anymore.
“What if we just elope?” she asked angrily. “Since you're refusing to listen to me, that's an idea. We don't need a wedding anyway.”
“Is the venue that important?” I asked, irritated.
“That’s what I’m asking you! If it’s not so important, then why don’t you just let it be?”
"Because we have contacts and people that we need to take the opportunity to honor, and people need to know that we are ashamed of the choice you have made. That we welcome him into our fold and from that forth they must afford him the same respect they give us.”
“You talk as though he runs a street cart,” she replied bitterly. “He is a lawyer; he meets plenty of high-profile clients every single day, thank you very much.”
"He is a first-year associate,” I countered. “He needs another ten years to build his relevance in society.”
I looked away because it was clear to both of us now that this conversation was over.
She rose to her feet, snatched her purse off the table and exited the office with an angry expression.
I tried not to be affected by her justified anger, because I knew if she was aware of the true reason why I wanted her to have this ridiculously huge wedding, she would not only understand but embrace it with both arms.
For now, all I could do was hope she would be agreeable and cooperate so that this time could pass as smoothly and peacefully as possible.
Chapter Three
Evelyn
For once, I could breathe a little as I rode the subway over to Anna’s place. There was no pressing and unsolvable financial trouble in sight; I had just finished up with my work and sent it over to the client for review.
