A smile tugged at Cheriseâs lips as she caught sight of Blakeâs lovesick, goofy expression. Back during her memory-loss days, heâd been like a brother to her With her memories trickling back, she vividly remembered how utterly boring heâd been five years ago.
Seeing him like this now made her realize how much time had changed him.
Ponytailerella finished scribbling on a page and looked up, surprised to see Cherise standing by the stairs. She jumped up and blurted, âHi, Mr. and Mrs. Lenoir!â
A hush fell over the room as all eyes turned to Cherise and Damien.
Damien gave a small smile. âSorry we kept you waiting, folks.â He wrapped his arm around Cheriseâs waist and led her down the stairs. âReady to go?â
With Damienâs cue, the group was set for departure. Not many people joined them on this trip to Shawbury-just Mr. Hampson, Otto, Blake, two drivers, and two bodyguards.
Ariana leaned over to Cherise in the car and whispered curiously, âMrs. Lenoir, do you remember me?â
Cheriseâs smile was like sunshine. âOf course! Youâre Blakeâs âPonytailerella.â
The girl blushed at the playful nickname. âItâs Ariana Madix, actually. You can call me Ariana.â
She looked away shyly, trying to break the awkwardness. âUm, actually, itâs my cousinâs wedding today.
Thank you for letting me crash your ride⦠How about I invite you to the wedding?â
She beamed, her cheeks flushed pink. âBlake mentioned youâve been stuck inside lately, and maybe need a break from the routine. Itâd be awesome if you came and had some fun with us!â
Cherise had been bored out of her mind lately, with no exciting events to break the monotony. She readily agreed, âSounds like an idea!â
She turned to Damien in the passenger seat and asked, âHoney, what do you think?â
Damien folded his arms and stared out the window, his voice a low rumble of indulgence. âOf course, I still owe you a real wedding ceremony anyway. Attending one before ours could be a good inspiration.
You can see what you like and plan our wedding however you want when itâs our turn.â
Cherise stammered, flustered. âI, uh, I just thought it would be a fun outing, not forâ¦â
Following Arianaâs directions, they headed to the hotel where her cousinâs wedding was happening.
Stepping out of the car, Cherise scanned the names on the colorful archway. Her brows furrowed slightly as she mumbled, âSavannah Seagalâ¦brideâ¦the groomâ¦Steve Orbornâ¦â
Something about those names rang a bell, but she couldnât quite place them.
Just then, a harsh female voice cut through her thoughts. âHey, Ariana! You said you were coming back today; your uncle must be kicking rocks at the station waiting for you now. But hey, look at you rolling Cherise was lost in her own world until a shrill voice shapped her out. She frowned and followed the noise to see a woman in a red dress, around her age, gawking at their car.
The woman seemed to ignore Cherise entirely, focusing solely on Ariana. âYouâve been keeping a lot under wraps,â she remarked, her voice carrying across the room. I thought getting into Adania University would have you nose-deep in textbooks, but this? Seems like thereâs a whole other side to this new lifeâ that hasnât been shared. If it werenât for Savannahâs wedding, weâd all still be clueless about your fancy new life with some rich Adania boyfriend She pressed on, her tone dripping with curiosity. âThat must be his car, right?â
Her voice cut through the air, turning heads and igniting gossip around Ariana.