"This is Eden Richardson. Eden, this is our bride-to-be, Kay Lupine. The formal sitting room will have more space for you to speak," Minerva said, eyeing the two neat black boxes filled with folders.

It took every bit of Kay's willpower not to say "I know" during the introduction and to remind herself that there was no way her mother would recognize her.

"Nice to meet you," Kay managed, and as that familiar cool hand touched hers, she wondered why Akira did this to her. But then realized that this was not the woman she was supposed to be speaking to and that her sister might not be aware of the dangerous situation her wedding planner had created. Not that the woman would know.

"Likewise."

Dear heavens, how much it hurt to be this close to her mother and not be able to hug her and bridge the distance between them?

"This way?" Minerva said, leading the way. Once they reached the white and pastel decorated, modern living area with his leather sofas and glass tables, the housekeeper turned to face them.

"Tea?" she asked, and Kay nodded automatically, barely hearing the question as she struggled to keep herself from staring at her mother.

Baccus' genes allowed her parent to age gracefully. Despite being in her fifties, she looked no older than forty, which was both a blessing and a curse.

"Please, sit," she said, surprised at how normal she sounded.

Before they had properly settled, the tea arrived, and not trusting her shaky hands, she allowed Minerva to serve them. Was it strange for Azera's daughter to serve others in this castle that should be hers, or was she so used to it that it never occurred to her? Kay found that hard to believe.

Minerva immediately picked up on her unease, and their eyes met, curiosity in those cool eyes.

"Should I reschedule your meeting with Artemis? My boss may have forgotten that you made other arrangements this morning?"

For a second, she was tempted to accept the escape the woman offered her, but the idea of sending her mother packing and perhaps never seeing her again upset her even more.

"Please ask Artemis to meet me this afternoon at whatever time suits her," she said, and Minerva nodded, still concerned. Her gaze went subtly from one to the other. Was there still some hint of a resemblance? No, nothing remained of Daniella in her.

"Miss. Percheron mentioned that the wedding will be in twelve months; that should give us plenty of time to make it a memorable occasion for you if today is not ideal," Eve said, accepting her tea.

Kay almost asked if Miss. Percheron was Eve's employer until she realized the name appeared on the files in Akira's office. It never occurred to her to wonder what her sister's last name was. It seemed a trivial matter to ancients who must change their names often. How did they hide their faces, though, in this modern era? They would have a way. Did they not possess an answer for everything?

Minerva departed from them, leaving the tray behind.

"Yes. This was rather a bit sudden," she admitted.

"Will you be a second wife?" Eve asked with the tiniest measure of censure, and Kay froze. "Sorry. How can I ask such a thing?"

She seemed scandalized that the question slipped out.

"Claudia and Marcus are getting a divorce. Speak your mind. I will not take offense as long as this conversation is private." Had this woman been anyone else, she would not mind

"They've been married less than five months," Eve said, "and I signed a nondisclosure agreement, but this is really none of my business."

"They were friends and, after a few months of marriage, realized they mistook friendship for love," she said, and it was true enough.

"We should really not be discussing this. What did you have in mind for the wedding?" Eve asked, and Kay frowned when she noticed how Eve's fingers trembled ever so slightly.

"Do I make you uneasy?" she asked, and her mother froze much as she had earlier.

"No. This is just a very large wedding to be handling on my own."

Kay bit her lip not to blurt out that surely it wasn't the first big wedding her mother had taken on. She'd been doing this for thirty years. The name on the file, Bertram's Weddings, was the same place her mother worked when she was a child.

How much had the supernatural world been part of her life as a human without her knowing? From the way Claudia and Akira spoke, the owner of Bertram's wasn't human.

"Truthfully? I do not have a clue. Planning a wedding wasn't anywhere in my head when I woke up this morning, and we won't even be getting engaged until after the divorce."

"Did you make any arrangements for the engagement party yet? We also cater to those." It was an instinctive response on Eve's side. Just her doing her job. "Oh, dear. I am not usually so forward; forgive me."

She took in the sleek business suit, upswept hair, manicured nails, and subtle but expensive jewelry. The air of sophistication and upper-class chic, and Eve was not quite the woman she remembered either.

"Perhaps we should look through a few of your books?" Kay suggested, unsure if she did the right thing by prolonging their time together, but she wasn't ready to let her mother go.

"Is Kay short for anything?" Eve asked, not seeming able to help herself, and the way it unsettled her said it wasn't a natural state of affairs.

She had to bite her lip not to speak the truth. The last thing she wanted this woman to know was what it really meant. Although, with Azera having learned the truth, she understood why the woman had chosen such a crass word. The dark queen wanted to destroy Thane, but someone once said the line between love and hate was a thin one.

"No." Despite realizing it sounded slightly short, she didn't know what to say and hated telling a lie to the one person she could never fool.

"Let's start out simple. Name three colors you love."

"White, blue, and pink," Kay said and noted the slightest hesitation as Eve picked a different book. Why did those choices... Daniella. They were Daniella's favorite colors. But why would her mother's mind go there?

"Excellent choice. Name three fabrics you associate with a wedding."

"Silk, lace, and linen."

"White linen napkins and tablecloths with ivory overlays. White silk wedding dress with lace. White, blue, and pink bouquets, and light blue bridesmaids' dresses. Little pink accents in the men's ties, handkerchiefs, and cumber bands?" Eve suggested.

"I don't think Marcus would wear pink; he's more of a black or dark blue guy," Kay said, unable to picture her lover wearing pink.

"Then we will make his dark blue. Old-fashioned or modern dress?" Eve asked, making notes on her phone, which seemed so jarring. Her mother always had tons of notebooks lying about.

"Somewhere in between. Long sleeves, train, and veil."

Had she thought of this before? Yes. When she used to imagine the life that she should have led... during those endless hours trapped in the dark, humming to herself like a demented person just to hear something other than silence.

Except that the man she had pictured during those long, lonely hours had no face in those days, but that had changed. The memories of that perfect wedding returned as she paged through those books.

Minerva came and went two more times, serving them drinks and then a few snacks, and she half expected Marcus to interrupt them after having promised her breakfast, but Akira must have contacted him.

"Are you expecting someone?" Eve eventually asked, and their eyes briefly met.

"Marcus said we'd be having breakfast together, but I guess Akira contacted him," she admitted.

The shadows in her mother's expression made her wonder if this wedding reminded Eve of Daniella. Or did she remain that young woman in her mother's mind, on the cusp of maturity and robbed of life?

It was so hard to keep track of her words and ensure she said nothing strange, but she enjoyed this more than expected. The excitement finally set in, much of it because she got to do this with her parent.

"I can't bloody do this," Eve said unexpectedly, slamming the fabric sample book shut.

"Excuse me?" Kay asked, startled and worried.

"I can't pretend there's nothing wrong with this situation..." Eve shut her mouth.

Was it because she was planning a wedding with a man who wasn't even divorced yet? Her mother was a woman of faith... yet she also had an affair with a much older man. At least Thane wasn't married. Divorced, yes, but not married.

Was that it? Their eyes met and held; those blue orbs were more intense with added worry and strain than she'd ever seen them.

So, was this what you expected? Newest Version ©2014-2023 All rights reserved. If you find this on any other platform but Wattpad under @CSDreamer, please report it. No part of this book may be copied or reposted without the author's permission.