They arrived at the hotel, which was a branch of the Quirino family's hotel. Before leaving, they had a debate because Adaline forbade Altezza from driving herself. Eventually, feeling defeated, Altezza decided to hire a makeshift driver instead of using an online taxi service.
Letizia and her family, along with Altezza's parents, were already waiting for them in the hotel restaurant area. They were enjoying snacks while waiting for Antony's entourage and family to arrive. Gian immediately stood up and greeted Adaline with his annoying greeting in Altezza's eyes.
"My beauty, why do you look more and more like an angel every day?" He praised with sparkling eyes. He attempted to embrace Adaline with both hands, but Altezza quickly redirected Adaline behind him.
"Remember, cousin. She's my wife," he growled hoarsely.
"Yes, yes, I know, but just for a moment, let your little brother hug her," he pleaded with a pout.
"No, Gian!" Altezza shook his head. His actions only made his head spin.
"Gian! Altezza! Stop arguing!" Letizia snapped, starting to get annoyed. "Adaline, come here, dear," she said with a softer tone, coaxing. "I really miss you." Letizia hugged and kissed Adaline's cheek affectionately, making Gian grumble and Altezza roll his eyes.
"I wish I were Letizia..." Gian muttered. But Altezza ignored him and chose to join the rest of his family.
Ten minutes later, Antony's entourage arrived. Altezza and the rest of the Quirino family stood up and chose to stand behind the Brianna family's entourage.
They were all dressed alike, although with different styles and tailoring, except for the bride and groom and their parents, of course.
"Where's Flavia?" Adaline searched for the pretty girl but couldn't find her.
"She chose to join the Claire family," Altezza answered, his lips so close to Adaline's ear that she shivered. Because Adaline was wearing 4-inch heels, her height now reached at least Altezza's neck and was equal to Letizia's if only she wasn't wearing high heels.
The procession proceeded much like Altezza's wedding. The difference this time was that there were more family members present than at Altezza and Adaline's wedding, as the Claire family from both her father's and mother's side, as well as her siblings, and almost all of Antony's family from Arthur and Brianna's side, were in attendance. Their presence filled ninety percent of the guest seats provided, unlike Altezza's wedding. Since Delila had no siblings, and neither did Violet, only Altezza's paternal family was present, along with some of Adaline's neighbors and a few select guests.
Two hours after the marriage validation procession, the invited guests began to arrive. Some families had already started to leave as the photo session had concluded. Only the Quirino family remained seated at two round tables. Delila and Letizia didn't want to leave their seats as they were awaiting the entertainment that would be presented, so eventually, everyone else decided to stay.
"Are you okay?" Adaline gently rubbed Altezza's arm as she noticed him starting to break into a cold sweat.
"I'm fine. We'll be heading home soon," Altezza replied, taking another sip of his drink.
"Testing, testing, testing," the emcee said from the stage.
A somewhat overweight presenter stood in the middle of the stage in a neatly pressed navy suit.
"How's our special guest's performance this afternoon?" The applause of the hotel ballroom filled the air. The presenter, a familiar face from private television, turned to the guest of honor. It was a famous male solo singer known for his golden voice and, of course, his hit songs.
"This is a request from the bride," the presenter said, glancing at the guest of honor. "She wants you to sing a duet with someone she has chosen. Are you up for it?" he asked the male singer.
"With whom? The groom?" He inquired, glancing towards the stage where Claire shook her head in response.
"No, but with one of the guests here," the presenter replied again on behalf of Claire. "The bride wants you to duet with one of the guests and sing the song she wants to hear. Are you up for the challenge?"
"Why not, who's the guest of honor?" He asked, curious.
"Hmm, who could it be..." the presenter said, walking towards the bridal stage, ignoring the guest who requested a handshake. "Mrs. Quirino, who is the guest of honor you want to sing on this stage?" The male presenter extended his mic towards Claire.
"My sister-in-law, Adaline Quirino," Claire answered with a mischievous smile.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear that, Mrs. Adaline Quirino?" The male presenter asked loudly. "So, for anyone who claims to be Adaline Quirino, come up here quickly." He requested with a slightly commanding yet playful tone.
Meanwhile, those who knew her seemed to turn their heads and look towards the table occupied by the Quirino family, where Adaline wanted to hide her body, now feeling extremely embarrassed and her face as red as a ripe strawberry.
"Come on, no need to hide. I've already spotted you, Mrs. Adaline Quirino," the male presenter said mischievously.
Adaline shook her head, trying to refuse Claire and the male presenter's request. But it seemed the presenter wasn't backing down as he stepped down from the stage and walked towards their table.
"So, you're the newlyweds who didn't invite me to your wedding yesterday?" He exclaimed loudly through his mic.
"Come on, Madam, don't refuse the bride's request. Come with me, or else I'll drag you forcibly," he said in a humorous manner, causing some guests to laugh.
"Gian, can you sing?" Gian asked on behalf of Altezza. Seven pairs of Quirino family eyes turned towards him. Adaline shook her head, but her answer was completely disregarded by Gian Quirino. "Seems like your sister-in-law Claire intends to embarrass you," Gian continued with his mischievous smile.
"Come on, Madam, are you going to step forward yourself, or do I have to drag you up?" the presenter asked right in front of Adaline.
"Come on, Aunty, don't be shy," a shout came from Abigail's high-pitched voice, who was apparently standing not far from the buffet table. She even had a plate of food in her hand.
"Listen, your own niece is already cheering. Come on, Madam, what are you waiting for?" the presenter urged again.
Unexpectedly, Letizia pulled Adaline from her seat. "I'm also curious to hear your voice, come on, hurry up," she ordered, pushing Adaline towards the presenter.
"But my voice is terrible. It will only embarrass me and tarnish the Quirino name," Adaline tried to retreat.
"It's okay, everyone here is family," Letizia debated, pushing Adaline again.
Adaline couldn't resist. She felt truly lacking in confidence. How could Claire play such a prank on her like this? She felt like crying right then and there. Just you wait, Claire, I'll get back at you! Adaline threatened silently.
But it seemed Letizia and the presenter wouldn't accept any refusal. Adaline's arm was held, and then she was guided towards the stage. Even with courtesy, it was the guest star who reached out a hand to help her up onto the stage.
"Typical men, they move fast when they see a beautiful woman," commented the presenter, making the guests chuckle.
Adaline and the guest star exchanged introductions in hushed tones. They discussed the parts they would sing, and Adaline's palms were already sweaty from nerves. She had no idea how she looked right now. Probably a mess.
The presenter stood between Adaline and the guest star and spoke again. "Okay, everyone. Our guest star has now accepted the challenge from the bride. Now, does the bride's sister-in-law also accept her challenge?
"Of course, she accepts it already; otherwise, she would have run off this stage," the presenter answered his own question, eliciting laughter from the guests.
A stage assistant handed a mic to Adaline. Unexpectedly, the flamboyant man walked backward and chose to sit in the corner of the stage next to the musicians.
The intro began. Adaline glanced at Claire, who was smiling broadly and giving her two thumbs up. She also glanced towards her husband's family. Letizia, who had returned to her seat, did the same as Claire, as did Gian and Delila Altezza. Meanwhile, Benjamin Quirino seemed calm as usual. And Altezza? Adaline herself didn't know the meaning behind that man's gaze.
The guest star's melodious voice resounded:
I do swear, that I'll always be there
Adaline took a deep breath and began:
I give my hand to you with all my heart
I can't wait to life my life with you, I can't wait to start
"Shania Twain – From This Moment"
Thunderous applause filled the ballroom. Adaline, who had been so lost in the song, seemed to be drawn back to reality.
"Amazing. Turns out, Mrs. Quirino here has a very beautiful voice. It seems the Quirino family has a hidden gem," the presenter said, greeted with nods of agreement from the guests. Even Gian continued to whistle loudly in his seat. Adaline blushed again. "Are you interested in becoming a singer?" the presenter asked curiously.
"No," Adaline answered, shaking her head.
"Why? We can make a collaborative album together later," the guest star offered with his sincere smile, causing Adaline to blush in embarrassment.
"That discussion is behind the scenes," the presenter intervened. He would first need to ask permission from her husband. "So, bride, are you satisfied with their duet?" The presenter turned to Claire, who shook her head, pointing her index finger upward, requesting another song.
"It seems this Quirino daughter-in-law is a bit greedy," the presenter commented, inviting laughter again. "Don't let your sister-in-law take over the job of the original guest star. She'll end up with a blind paycheck," he added, eliciting more laughter. "Alright, one more song," the presenter said, turning to Adaline.
Claire mentioned another title, and then they sang again.
Adaline returned to her table with a face that felt extremely hot from embarrassment. Meanwhile, Gian seemed to gaze at her with sparkling eyes.
"I swear, I truly didn't know that Auntie's daughter-in-law is a woman with a golden voice. Where have you been hiding all this time? Why did Altezza find you first? Why wasn't I the one who married you?" Gian regretted, earning a smack on the head from Altezza.
"I really didn't expect your voice to be so beautiful. If you ever want to become a singer, tell me. I can be your sponsor. You can join Brianna Company," Delila persuaded, answered by enthusiastic nods from Letizia and Gian.
"No, Mom. I'm not interested," Adaline replied softly.
"Just think about it, if you change your mind later, just let me know. You can't imagine how proud I would be to have a singer daughter-in-law," Delila said enthusiastically.
"Adaline will never become a singer, Mom. I will never allow her to enter the entertainment world. I can still provide for her and buy her whatever she wants even if she doesn't work," Altezza's cold and curt tone made Adaline turn.
Her face hardened, unreadable. Adaline wondered if her performance on stage had angered him, or if there was something else. Because despite his sharp gaze, his face appeared noticeably pale.
Adaline reached for her husband's left hand and squeezed it gently. "Do you want to go home?" she asked softly.
Altezza returned the gentle squeeze and nodded. They both eventually bid farewell and left the party. Their parents wanted to ask, but seeing Altezza's expression, they refrained from doing so.
After Altezza left, Delila looked at her husband. "What do you think has gotten into our child? Jealousy?"
Benjamin shook his head. "He hasn't realized it yet, dear. I believe he's behaving like that because he doesn't want Adaline to become like 'that woman,'" Mrs. Delila nodded in understanding.
"So, how is 'that woman' doing?"
"I'm sure by now she has received the wedding photos of Altezza," Sir Benjamin replied in his usual flat tone.