Chapter 21 Fine,
Dahlia.
It was the next day, after my conversation with my Mom and until the wedding day, we only had one day to go. I was in a Coffee shop near Dalton's Southside villa, and sitting across from me was Miss Green, my wedding planner. Or should I say, Sofia's wedding planner? Because obviously, the bride was already replaced, and I was no longer the one.
" How are the wedding preparations coming along?" My tone was strict and professional as I asked. And for reasons only known to her, the wedding planner seemed uncomfortable in reaction to my question...
" Is there anything you would like to share with me?" I asked, my tone steely, and yet, I wasn't even looking at her. My eyes were glued to a particular document on my phone.
" Today, you seem unusually quiet," I noted, wearing a meaningful look as I peeled my gaze from my phone, before turning to look at her.
Although I had only known Miss Green during the preparation period, I could confidently say that I knew her well enough to notice when something was off with her.
I had been working with her for over five months, after all. Yes. You heard me. You see, that wedding that Sofia was about to hijack, to proudly claim? I had spent almost six months working on it. From the guests to the decorations, all the way to meals, dress themes, desserts, and reception? From miner to key details? I had planned everything. And even with the professional wedding planner in the picture, of course, their work hadn't been a lot. She'd only been required to go through things and point out if anything was missing.
And now, someone was casually sitting, waiting to enjoy the final results, simply because he had chosen her, loved her, and again, because she was pregnant with his baby? And I was supposed to swallow that without complaining?
' Dahlia has a good temper.' A self-mocking smile stretched at the corners of my lips as his words repeated themselves in my heart. A good temper, so he could trample over me the way he wished? Well, he was in for a big surprise.
I had spent my time, money, and sweat trying to perfect it, trying to prove to Jason and his family that I was worthy of being his wife, if they thought they could take advantage of that and get away with it, then they should have thought harder!
Sofia was going to marry in the wedding of the century, the wedding that I had prepared, but there was a price to pay.
" So, Miss Green, is there something you need to tell me?" I asked, patiently, a gentle smile stretching at the corners of my lips.
I already knew what was happening, but for the sake of the trust I had in her, at least, in her professionalism, I was willing to give her a chance to come clean.
" The.." She tried to talk, but she hesitated. The room was enveloped by thick silence, and the tension that enveloped her entire being was hard to miss.
Well, I was in no hurry. I just gave her all the time she needed, but even then, even with the gentle smile that I had plastered on my lips to ease the tension for her, she was still breaking in cold sweat.
" Miss Dahlia? You used to be soft and easygoing. When did you become this cold and intimidating? You look like a different person. " After what felt like a decade, she finally spoke, and as her words sank in, I wore a displeased smile.
Easygoing? That was a glorified word for a fool, no? That girl that they all used and mocked for being too kind, at some point! The girl who had paid millions while she still did most of the work? That girl who had to force her to meet even though she was the client?
Well, she was right about one thing though, I was no longer that Dahlia that they all used to know.
" That's not what I wanted to hear, Miss Green. You are running out of time." I asserted, this time my voice steely. I was losing my patience with her.
" The, the wedding dress. There were slight changes... the size was enlarged..." Maybe she sensed my mood, because finally she revealed something, albeit unwillingly.
" Who did it?" I snapped, the anger in my voice barely contained. I might have been okay with everything, but that dress? That dress was not just a wedding dress to me. It held something deep, something far more sentimental, dreams that I couldn't bring to reality, dreams that I had to bury.
That gown had cost more than just money. And to be honest, money couldn't even buy such. Every fabric, was stitched with love and patience, delicately woven around hope, dreams...
The idea had been mine, the sketches, the fabric, the vision. I had come up with all of that.
From the very start, I had worked with the chief designer, making the first cut, all the way to the final part. I had wanted to design it myself, after all.
Ever since I was young, I had always wanted to become a designer, a fashion designer, to be specific.
It was the small-me dream that I had nursed since childhood, but then, Jason happened and before I knew it, my life only revolved around him.
From wanting to pursue my dreams, to only pursuing him, tailoring my life to the things that he liked, the things that sat well with his family and business.
In the past, I had only wanted to major in fashion and design. But to please Jason, to be more useful to him and his family business, I had decided to major in business, something that I had so little interest in.
And the outcome? I was stretched. Juggling between studies, taking care of him, his needs, especially when he was involved in an accident, I ended up being stretched and although I still graduated in all my majors, it was just a close call, and I had never felt the pride that should have come with it.
That being said, as the future Mrs Riggs, I wasn't allowed to work, Jason had made it clear from the very moment he had proposed to me.
According to their sick family traditions, my work was supposed to take care of my husband and home, just acting as a proper socialite wife, so, even with my degrees, they were pretty much useless, and the dreams that I had? I could only say goodbye to them.
And by designing the wedding dress, that was just me, living the life that I would have loved to, even if just for a day.
So, since it was probably the last time I was designing something, I had poured my heart and soul into it, into every stitch. And the result? The gown was the most beautiful, so beautiful that my heart had ached, from just thinking of wearing it. It was the likes that were only saved for display, history, and museums.
For presentation and storage, it was left in the designer shop. It was supposed to be delivered on the day before the wedding.
And now, to hear that it had been altered? That its size had been tampered with? How could I remain calm?
They could do everything. They could betray me, marry each other, fck, conceive, die, for all I cared, but that gown? That was where I drew the bottom line.
That wasn't just unforgivable. It was a death wish.
Clearly, Sofia was bigger than me. Yes. My frame was slim, model-like, at school, they had always teased me about the talent I was wasting by not being on the runways, I had even entertained it once, but in the next second, Jason had silenced that idea, so sternly he had me apologising for days.
' Don't even think about it. We Riggs value our reputation more than life itself. We won't have the future Mrs Riggs tarnishing our reputation by parading her nakedness to the entire nation.' He had mocked, and from that day on, I had never thought about it.
And now, to make the dress fit Sofia, they had gone ahead and altered it?
" Who changed it?" I questioned, once again, my gaze sharpened with so much fury she trembled.
"Miss Dahlia? I am just a wedding planner. Can you stop making things difficult for me?" She finally asked, sounding aggrieved, and from an outsider's perspective I looked like the bully.
" There are people I can't offend." She added, and even then, she couldn't master up the courage to face me.
"Fine."
" I guess we will have to do this the hard way, then, Miss Green?" I whispered, smiling gently, before I handed her a stack of papers.