Chapter 8 Victoria's First Disappearance (Two)

• “Well, I don’t see what the big deal is. She obviously doesn’t want to get married to this guy, whoever he is. I don’t get why you are making such a big deal out of it. Just tell the guy the wedding has been called off because Victoria doesn’t want to get married to him. It’ll hurt, that is if he is in love with her, which I highly doubt, but at least they will not make the mistake of getting married to each other without love.” Carol said, applying some lotion to her body and putting on one of her old dresses which was in her wardrobe.
• “Just listen to yourself. You expect me to go and tell someone that his bride to be is no longer interested in marrying him. Do you know the sort of shame this will bring to both families? I have invited almost all my friends and even some of my enemies, mind you. After all, my daughter is supposed to be getting married to a billionaire, but what does the ungrateful twit do? Runs off, that’s what. Who doesn’t want to get married to a billionaire for chrissakes?”
• “Sensible people who know that marriage is not just about money.”
• “That’s bullshit. I married your father for his money, and he was not even worth up to ten million at the time. Love came later and now, we’ve been together for over twenty-seven years, still going strong.” Belinda said without a single shame.
• “That it worked for you doesn’t mean that it would work for her.”
• “Oh, please. Just say the word and I’ll look for a billionaire for you too. You sound so jealous.”
• “Have you tried calling her?” Carol asked, changing the topic.
• “Of course, I have. What do you take me for? I’m not a moron. I’ve called her several times, but she’s not picking up her calls.” Belinda scoffed and checked the wristwatch on her hand. “Oh, dear. I’ve kept them waiting for over thirty minutes and that is so rude. I’ll just go and make excuses then. Come, let’s go.”
• Carol followed her mother downstairs to the dining room where the guests were seated patiently and waiting for them. She averted her gaze as she walked stiffly to an empty chair, where she sat awkwardly and mumbled greetings to the table at large. It was only when she was alone with her immediate family that her mouth ran like a tap. With other people whom she did not know, she was as shy as a clam. She heard her mother and father whispering inaudibly and risked raising her gaze to quickly peek around the table. There were about ten people or less present and they were all looking at her parents who were arguing fiercely under their voices.
• She spotted the groom immediately and had to stifle a gasp of surprise. The man was looking straight at her in an appraising manner that Carol found somewhat unnerving, but not exactly unpleasant. From what Carol could see of him, she could tell that Victoria was right about him. He was very good-looking in a brooding kind of way, and he also looked well-built. He was sitting in a relaxed manner in a chair whose back was smaller than his wide shoulders and was surveying her with cool, lazy interest.
• Carol, who hated being stared at with a passion, felt the blush come straight from inside her and stain her cheeks before spreading to most of her face, causing her to hate herself with a passion. Why she always had to blush like a fool was beyond her. She did not know of any other twenty-eight-year-old who blushed as fiercely as she did and for silly reasons too. To worsen matters, she could see what could only be amusement in the man’s eyes, and she quickly averted her gaze. So he was amused by her? To hell with him. He was the one who was getting married to a stranger whom he had not met before all because his uncle wanted him to do so, so he was the real clown here. She heard her mother clear her throat after some more seconds of arguing with her father and she gratefully looked toward her, ignoring her sister’s fiancée.