Chapter 2 The After Party

Serena slowly rose up from the arm chair on which she slumped on and looked up to see the sea of faces of her wedding guests, with a cold smile on her lips.

Her guests stared back at her, expecting her to breakdown...maybe a show of sorts but were amazed when she smiled an addressed them coolly. "Well the deed has already been done, no need to cry about it now."

"You all shouldn't feel disturbed about what has happened after all this could have easily have happened to anyone, I just happened to be one of the unlucky ones. You all should please relax and enjoy yourselves as there's more than enough food and drinks to go around, I mean I should know after all I paid for it." She said with a dry laugh before lowering herself back onto the chair to rest on.

The guests breathed a sigh of relief and within a minute the whole place was set alive with music and vibrant laughter.

Serena gave the room a once over before grabbing a glass of champagne from the waiter that passed by. She pretended to take a sip before feeling a touch on her shoulder. It was her assistant Vicky who whispered softly into her ears. "Are you alright dear?"

Serena nodded calmly. "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"Maybe it's because your groom who is a miserable excuse for a human being was a no show for the wedding which you planned for six months?" Vicky asked genuinely concerned.

"I'm pretty sure I'm fine Victoria. Now do go on and enjoy the party. I'm sure that fine gentleman in the corner over there wouldn't appreciate me taking up your time." Serena said nudging her head in direction of young dapper man that stood in the corner.

"Are you sure that you're really okay?"

"Yes...now go." Serena said as she gave Vicky a push in the direction of the man.

On Serena's insistence, Vicky left. Not to the direction of the man in question but to give Serena a little privacy.

"Hey Serena!" a guest called out to Serena amidst all the noise

"What is it?" Serena said turning to face the guest with a small smile pasted on her cold lips

"At least the wedding went off without a hitch!" the guest replied her before laughing at his own joke.

Serena smiled back at the guest coolly and even complemented the joke but only Vicky knew how badly Serena was hurting as she watched her completely lost in thought.

****

It was a cool and breezy morning. The sun hidden amongst the clouds did nothing to prevent the cold she was feeling. A strong gust of wind breezed against the window as Serena rose up from her bed.

Today was her wedding day....

A day which she had been waiting for ever since she was a little girl. Today she was going to be Mrs. Smith soon and she couldn't wait.

Serena walked up to her wedding gown hung on the mannequin with happiness clear in her eyes. Her wedding gown was intimidating as well as exciting and she was sure that it was made exclusively for her. It was a beautiful mermaid dress which was fitted all the way through until it hit her knees where it flared out to resemble a mermaid's tail. The sleeves were long and fitted to highlight the curve of her shoulders. The neckline was a sweetheart one and it did a great job highlighting her cleavage. The fabric itself was made out of lace material and was adorned with pearls of different sizes. It was truly the most beautiful white dress that Serena had ever seen. All in all the dress had cost her quite a fortune but it was her wedding and Serena didn't care. Serena quickly took her shower and wore her wedding gown looking every bit a fairy.

Someone knocked softly on the door before entering. It was her assistant Vicky.

"You have to start preparing quickly or you are going to be late for your own wedding." Vicky said smiling cheekily at her boss.

Vicky looked at the wedding gown and was sure that Serena was one of the most beautiful brides that she had ever seen. Vicky had always admired her boss for being self determined and hardworking, always moving ahead of her peers in their business which was the reason why Empire events remained at the top.

"Have you heard from Bebe?" Serena asked Vicky as she smoothened the lines on the dress out with her hands.

"No." Vickie replied.

"I just hope that she won't be late for the wedding" Serena said as she picked up her phone to dial Bebe's number. It was unreachable.

Serena had tried Bebe's number several times the night before but was unable to get a hold of her so she left her a message stating that Bebe should be punctual for the wedding on her answering machine,

Bebe was always late for everything so little reminder wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

The wedding ceremony was set to take place at the way field villa in the heart of the city. The venue was filled with lots of lights, candles and flowers. It was truly beautiful and one could easily tell that it had been well thought of and organized. It was truly going to be the wedding of the year.

Serena had just finished having her makeup done and looked completely stunning in her white gown. Her face was covered with a beautiful lace veil to seal the look.

The guests soon started to arrive in quick successions and soon they were already seated waiting for her to grace them with her presence.

Serena closed her eyes, took a deep breath and walked out of her dressing room in hopes of walking down the aisle but sadly that hope was short lived because her groom and maid of honor were nowhere to be found.

****

Now Serena was faced with the hard truth that a clear rejection was always better than a fake promise.

'Now nothing will ever be the same' thought Serena as the feeling of emptiness engulfed her from deep within.