Chapter 125: The wedding dress

Alina:

“I am not wearing this for my wedding.” I  announced as soon as I stepped in front of the mirror.

I didn’t even bother lowering my voice, fingers gripping the edge of the dress pretty much clenching it. The fabric clung in all the wrong ways, or maybe not wrong at all, just… too much. Too fitted, too bold, and too revealing, only covering what was really necessary with a so-called lining .

I turned slightly, studying my reflection from another angle, then immediately frowned deeper.

“It’s barely there,” I added, looking at Kieran through the mirror. “Even if I heaved a sigh, this entire thing might give up on me.”

Kieran stood a few steps behind me, arms folded, gaze steady on me with those twinkling eyes, holding admiration. “It fits you perfectly.” he shrugged.

“That’s the problem,” I shot back, turning toward him. “It fits too perfectly.”

Behind me, Hoseok let out an amused snort. “This man is just being kinky at this point honestly.” He passed a whole look at my dress with a mocking smile, “As for me, I would not like my woman showing this much skin honestly…..nope! At least not at our wedding!” Emma blushed at his comment, my brows furrowed.

“Exactly! See??” I ignored that and shot a look at Kieran, “He is right. This is not a wedding dress, it's just…..a tethered piece hanging on a hanger!” I complained tugging at the dress from the waist in a useless attempt to make it loose.

“Fine then. Try something else.” Kieran signalled the staff and she rushed to grab another dress with a smile.

“We’ve been at this since morning,” I continued, my voice turning more tired than annoyed now. “Do you realize how many dresses I’ve tried today? I have lost count. At this point, I’m convinced nothing is going to work.”

Emma stepped closer, her expression soft but observant, her eyes moving over the dress like she was actually thinking about it instead of reacting. “It’s not bad,” she said gently. “It’s just… not you….it's too much while you're too soft.”

“Exactly,” I said quickly, latching onto that. “It’s not me. Finally, someone understands.” I rolled my eyes.

Kieran’s gaze didn’t shift. “You decide what is you. Not the dress by the way.”

“That sounds very wise, awwww” I replied with an unamused smile on my face, crossing my arms. “But it doesn’t help me pick one, does it?”

From the side, Vocenzo spoke without moving from his position near the door. “You have rejected twelve options madam. At this rate, we will require a different strategy.”

I turned my head slowly toward him. “I am not a failed mission, Vocenzo.” I deadpanned.

“You are becoming one.”

Hoseok laughed openly this time, clapping once. “He’s not wrong.”

Emma pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh, while I dragged a hand over my face, exhaling sharply.

“This is what happens when someone decides to get married in two days,” I said, turning back toward Kieran. “Normal people take months to plan this. Months!!! Or even years!! They think about it, they prepare, they don’t walk into a boutique and argue about fabric like it’s a life decision.”

Kieran stepped closer, closing the distance without making it feel forced. “We are not normal people Alina…we have never been normal.”

“That still doesn't solve the problem that we have been trying to shop since morning and everything is still pending.”

“I will manage everything,” he said calmly.

“Huh, manage my ass.” Hoseok grunted.

“He would make us run the shit off with the workload while barking orders. That's exactly why he is so calm right now, you need to ask us how we are feeling!” He complained further. Kieran passed him an unamused look.

I stared at him for a second, trying to hold onto my frustration, but it kept slipping around the edges because of how steady he was, how annoyingly certain.

“You’re the only calm person here, and we all are panicking” I said finally.

Hoseok leaned against the wall, watching us like this was his favorite form of entertainment. “I think what she means is that you don’t look like a man who decided to get married in forty-eight hours.”

Kieran just chuckled.

By the time I stepped out again, I had lost the energy to argue immediately.

I walked toward the mirror slowly, my fingers brushing lightly over the laced fabric as if I needed to confirm it was real.

For a moment, I didn’t say anything….I was looking like a fairy, wrapped in a net and crystal fabric making it look unreal.

And that alone was enough to shift the room.

Emma’s smile softened as she stepped a little closer. “This one,” she said quietly.

Hoseok nodded, surprisingly serious for once.

“That’s it.”

Even Vocenzo passed a smile, which was definitely approving. But my eyes went towards Kieran, who stood frozen in his place, his mouth agape, his eyes shinier than before.

My cheeks burned as I turned and met my own eyes in the mirror, tilting my head slightly as I took in the details again.

The dress was body hugging, yes. But it was beautifully designed with the embroidery, laces and twinkling crystals all over. The dress was off shoulder with a slight dip from the chest and a little train at the back, my glass figure was even more prominent in it, and I loved the whole look already.

I turned slowly toward Kieran.

“Well?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral even though something in me had already decided.

He walked toward me slowly, stopping just close enough that I could feel his presence without him touching me.

“I….I could marry you right now,” he muttered, his voice quieter now, but certain. My cheeks flushed as Emma and Hoseok awed at the same time and the staff started clapping of excitement.

I exhaled slowly.

By the time we returned to the mansion, the day had already blurred into evening.

The moment I stepped inside, I stopped.

The entire place looked like it had been taken over.

People moved across the hall with purpose, carrying arrangements, adjusting lighting, setting up tables that hadn’t been there before. The air smelled faintly of fresh flowers, but it did nothing to calm the sudden rush of thoughts hitting me all at once.

“This is too much,” I said under my breath, turning to look at Kieran.

“It’s necessary,” he replied.

“It’s not,” I insisted, walking further inside as my eyes moved over everything. “This was supposed to be simple. You said simple.”

“This is simple,” he pressed on his words, looking around with pride.

I let out a short, disbelieving breath. “This is not simple. This looks like an entire event.”

“Becauss it is an event Alina.” He argued.

“It’s a wedding,” I corrected, turning to face him properly. “A small one.”

“It will be small, there will only be confidential people invited and no media for now, nothing like that."

“This still does not feel small,” I said, gesturing around us. “You could have only decorated a room, Kieran, why are you covering the whole mansion in roses and lavenders?”

Behind us, Hoseok had already inserted himself into the situation, holding two different decoration samples and comparing them like his opinion mattered more than it should have.

“This one is better.”

“It is not,” Vocenzo replied immediately.

“It has personality.”

“It has no structure. Boss likes skulls not monkeys.”

Emma stepped in between them, trying to mediate. “We can balance both—”

“No,” they both said at the same time.

I closed my eyes for a second, pressing my fingers lightly against my temple. “This is exactly what I was afraid of…pure chaos!”

“You worry too much,” Kieran said, taking off his coat and mask that he wore outside. “I'm getting married to the love of my life Alina, I feel like heaven.” He stepped closer holding my hands, his eyes softening. “So my home should feel like heaven too.”

I looked at him, searching for something in his expression, something that would either confirm or challenge that certainty.

All I found was calm.

And that alone, eased every thought that was rushing me.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was dinner time now, I sat across from him, my fingers wrapped loosely around the edge of the plate, my thoughts finally catching up now that the noise had settled.

“Kieran,” I said after a moment.

He looked at me immediately.

“What happens when dad finds out?"

The question hung between us, heavier than everything else we had argued about today.

“He won’t take it well,” I continued, my voice quieter now. “You know that.”

“I do.” He nodded.

“He’s not just going to be angry,” I added, my fingers tightening slightly. “He’s going to make this difficult.”

“I’ll handle it,” he said.

I shook my head. “You say that like it’s so simple.”

“It is,” he replied, intertwining his left hand with mine.

“It’s not,” I insisted, meeting his gaze. “You know how far he can go. You know how he is with you.”

Something shifted in his expression then, subtle but real.

“I know,” he said, his voice lower now.

The way he said it made something cold move through my chest.

I looked away, exhaling slowly, trying to steady myself again.

Across the table, Hoseok had gone unusually quiet, while Emma watched us with soft concern. Vocenzo, as always, remained composed, though his attention hadn’t left us either.

“You’re thinking too far ahead, I have thought enough already…. whatever comes, we both will handle it okay?” Kieran murmured, his thumb brushing lightly against my hand resting on the table.

I glanced at him, something in my chest burning again, but this time for a different reason.

Before I could respond, a soft voice broke through the moment.

“Sir…”

We both turned.

The maid stood a few steps away, her posture careful, her expression hesitant in a way that immediately pulled my attention.

“Yes?” Kieran asked.

She glanced at me briefly, then back at him.

“Mr. Mark has arrived.”