The carpet led towards the foyer but not to it.
It took a detour to the left just a few paces away from the foyer.
Reyona looked up at Maxwell's grinning face and decided not to ask.
She was sure he wouldn't tell her anyway.
Soon enough, she saw where it led.
It led straight through the door of the ballroom she had once marvelled at when he first gave her the tour of the house.
The door was locked though.
Yet he kept walking towards it.
She chuckled as she began "Don't tell me you are about to show me your superpower of walking through…"
The door suddenly burst open with a chorus of "Surprise!"
Everyone seemed to be in the glorious ballroom!
In Reyona's excited shock, the first thing that popped into her mind was that everything…. glowed.
There was no other way to describe the enchanting, magical ambience created in the ballroom with soft, warm lighting that complemented the chandeliers described.
Fairy lights are draped across the ceiling and around the tables, adding a sparkling effect.
Then uplighting in pastel shades of pink, blue, and gold cast a warm, inviting glow throughout the room, highlighting the elegant decor and floral arrangements.
Reyona's smile bloomed when she saw the throne-like chair at the further end of the room, which seemed to be the main area.
From there to the centre of the room, seating arrangements were made so that whoever was sitting at any of the rounded tables could look directly at the person on the throne.
Reyona grinned as her dad came forward in his spiffy clothes and put out his other arm for her to take.
Grinning from ear to ear, she let the man she loved and the man who birthed her guide her past the fairy-light-draped tables towards the chair tagged "Mommy Throne".
Everyone kept clapping as they gradually led her towards the throne.
Wondering if they had decided to throw her an unexpected baby shower, Reyona took in the opulent, high-backed chair upholstered in plush pastel velvet, with an intricately carved frame finished in silver leaf.
"When had they had the time to do all this?" she wondered at how it was adorned with delicate throw pillows and a flowing canopy.
"Where is your chair?" she whispered to Maxwell, and he winked in return.
Just before they got to the chair, the stunning backdrop behind it twinkled and popped before revealing, "Welcome to our reveal, Mommy."
"What?" Reyona looked at her dad's pleasant smile and Maxwell's grin.
"Okay, someone needs to explain what is going on," she said with a confused look.
"Calm down, babe. All in a good time," Maxwell whispered to her as he helped her to her "throne" after Carlisle let go of her arm.
"Dad?"
"There you go, Rey. Always impatient," Toria said with a long-suffering sigh, and everyone laughed.
Everyone, including the well-dressed staff, was at the gathering.
Almost immediately, two of the staff came forward with an already laden cart that held platters of roast beef and turkey, pasta with toppings, stuffed portobello mushrooms and Mediterranean salad.
Athena squealed as Reyona looked around at her family and Toria merely winked at her instead of giving anything away.
Two other staff brought a table before Reyona that was as gilded as the chair she was in, just as two other staff brought along appetisers of mini quiches, bruschetta, and shrimp cocktail.
Reyona chuckled as she wondered if they intended to feed her so much that she would hardly be able to get off the chair.
She could almost imagine herself waddling off the chair later after they had made her eat all the tantalising treats that were the choicest pick of the buffet area that was on one side of the room.
She shook her head with an exasperated sigh when she saw another staff member heading to the desserts of mini pastries, a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit, and a selection of baby-themed cupcakes and cookies.
"Guys, come on. What is this conspiracy? Someone needed to start talking now before I started giving Athena a run for her money with a squealing competition.
Athena let out another squeal when she heard her name.
"See? I bet I can do better than that." Reyona threatened.
"Alright. Alright. Calm your nerves, feisty. Just sit back, eat, and enjoy the show." Celia said as she switched the hem of her pink and blue maxi gown dramatically before stepping out of their table.
Then she came forward like a master of ceremony as she said "Everybody, give it up one more time for the celebrant!"
Athena was the first to let out a squeal, which caused another round of laughter while everyone clapped.
"Thank you, princess. You are a natural at this." Celia said, causing more chuckles as the girl gave a two-teethed grin and clapped her hands.
Reyona was distracted by the girl for a moment, which took her mind off what she was thinking.
"What do they mean by baby reveal? Unless they performed a scan on her when she was asleep, she was sure she had not done any scan. Did they not know that she did not want to know the gender yet?
Of course, Maxwell knew.
Just as almost everyone in the room at the moment did.
When a frown wanted to mar her face, she simply smoothed it and laughed gaily when Celia attempted to do a fan dance with Athena's handkerchief.
Celia wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead as she said "Phew, now that the entertainment is over, we can proceed to the next agenda."
She clapped her hands and the door flung open immediately.
Regally dressed like a princess, Allysyn zoomed in on a smart wheelchair.
She had a stunning document on her lap as she waltzed in.
"Hey, you are sitting," Reyona said as she stood immediately.
"Andrea said I could for a few minutes. I will get off my butt after this." Allysyn answered proudly.
"After what?" Reyona asked."
"You need to sit down so that I can read it," Allysyn said as she lifted the beautifully bound document.
"Oh, oh, okay," Reyona said with a smile as she quickly sat down.
Her hand fluttered towards her face when she felt some wetness.
Maxwell automatically passed his handkerchief to her.
Celia gave the floor to Allysyn and the latter opened the document with flair.
Reyona could see the artistic arrangement and some images on the inside of the document when the girl opened it.
Then Allysyn started reading it in her clear, sonorous voice.
"Dear Mommy, we know you wanted our existence to be a surprise to you…"
We?
".... but oops, the doctor let the cat out of the bag." Allysyn continued before she paused dramatically and beamed up at Reyona's brimming eyes. "Or in this case, should we say, he let the babies out?"
Reyona's tears were free-falling as she looked at Maxwell. "Babies?" she whispered tremulously as she reached for him.