Cassandra's heart would almost jump right out of her chest knowing that they were coming closer and closer to the Secret Tavern. She was breathing in and out continuously as she was holding her chest trying to calm herself down.
"Hey, chill out, will you? You look like you're glued to your seat." Greyson told her in a teasing tone of voice with a sly grin on his face.
She scoffed as she gave him a death glance. "I'm fine all right, can't you see? I'm not even nervous," Cassandra answered, attempting to be normal in front of him, but her anxiousness was noticeable.
"Then you should sit down properly, don't be so stiff, Cassandra. We're just attending a food tasting for the wedding." Greyson chuckled softly and she found it really cute and interesting.
His eyes were sparkling as he laughed and Cassandra couldn't help but smile since it was so contagious. Greyson had the most amusing laugh and she didn't notice that she was now strangely staring at him.
She cleared her throat and focused on the mission given to her. "Ahem, we're finally here. I know Eleanor and the others will be so surprised to see me. I might also be the talk inside the restaurant after this." She told him with a low tone while looking outside the building of the Secret Tavern.
Cassandra was a bit startled by the warm hands holding both of her arms. She looked to her left and saw Greyson leaning on her. "I'll be right there as your backup. I won't let something happen that is not in your favor." He said almost in a whisper, making Cassandra feel his breath which tickled her stomach.
"O-Okay. If you say so." She said, then she looked away from Greyson. Cassandra didn't notice her face turned flaming red with the fact that Greyson was so close to her until they got into the building.
A bodyguard got out of the car to open the door for Cassandra and Greyson. She was about to get out of the limousine when Greyson pulled her arm back inside the car. "Wait, what are you doing? Can't you at least be more gentle?" She nagged at him, and her eyes were glaring once again.
Greyson looked unbothered; he was only staring at her and he seemed so serious which made Cassandra feel so uncomfortable. "What now?" She asked,
He didn't talk for a while and just stared at her little face. "Nothing, I just want to say thank you for doing your part… acting as my fiancee and everything."
Cassandra's eyebrows gradually arched upward, finding him a bit weird. "Well, isn't that my job? To act as your fiancee and in return, you will pay me large enough so I can continue my studies in college."
"Yes, of course. I just want to thank you because not anyone would just say yes, right? And as a thank you gift, I will let you redecorate the wedding. Do everything to your liking and preference so you can at least feel like it." Greyson sounded too serious and neutral, but he knew to himself that he was really sincere about it.
She waited for a few seconds to consider it. "Are you sure this isn't a trap?" She inquired, but Greyson only shook his head left and right. "Well, if that's what you really want, then okay. I'm going to alter a few of the designs, so don't take it back. " Her mood shifted abruptly, and she became overjoyed at the prospect of redecorating the wedding venue.
At that time, Greyson wasn't sure if he made a good decision just by looking at how happy Cassandra was. After a while, they finally got out of the limousine to attend the food tasting.
'Phew. Okay, Cassandra, this will only take a while. Don't act too suspicious and draw the attention of the people.' She urged herself as she stood meditating in front of the hotel's entrance.
They finally began to go up the stairs while people were now waiting for them at the grand entrance of the Secret Tavern. Greyson felt that she had stiffened, so he took her hand and clung it to his arm. Cassandra let out a deep sigh to help her calm down.
All of the staff members were expecting Greyson's arrival, but not together with his "fiancee". She could imagine how her co-workers were talking about her now that they had seen her together with Greyson Avery.
"Good day, Mr. Avery. It's really good to finally meet you. Please come in, welcome to the Secret Tavern." Mr. Horace Sergey, the owner of the building, greeted the man wearing a black suit.
Everyone's eyes were on him and they were in awe of how high-class and dashing he looked. Their gaze was suddenly averted to the woman beside her which was Cassandra who also looked so elegant and classy at the same time.
"Whoa, is that the bride-to-be? She's looking so splendid!" One of her co-workers said in shock. It was the first time that they would be seeing Greyson Avery's bride since no one knew about her.
"Yeah, you're right about that, but somehow I feel like she looks so familiar to me. Hm, where have I seen her?" Cassandra heard a woman comment on the side and she was sure that it was Eleanor, gazing at her thoroughly with her eyes squinting and her hand was on her chin.
'I told myself I'd do my best to not draw attention, but I forgot I am with the billionaire, Greyson Avery. A facepalm indeed. Argh!' Cassandra thought to herself, annoyed, but she was gracefully smiling on the outside.
On the other hand, she was ascertained now that her co-workers weren't able to notice that it was her. At least for the time being, she could feel at ease for just being Greyson's fiancee and nothing more.
"It's great to finally meet you, too, Mr. Sergey. What a pleasant surprise for the owner of the Secret Tavern to assist us today." Greyson greeted him with due respect, bowing his head gently.
Mr. Horace also bowed his head to pay respect to the billionaire and it seemed like he was also nervous about his presence. "It's my pleasure, Mr. Avery. For the GA Technologies' CEO and founder to be here is more than an honor. Would you mind introducing to us this very stunning and beautiful woman beside you, Mr. Avery?" He asked in an excited manner.
Everyone's attention was now focused on her, even April and Eleanor were watching. The murmurs from the crowd became even louder.
Greyson began to nod his head incessantly, then his sight was drawn to Cassandra, who was on the verge of passing out. He put his arm around her waist and gripped her tightly. She grimaced a little because of his hold, but she did her best not to act obviously.
Greyson scoffed at Mr. Sergey, then looked at Cassandra who had her cheeks blushing. "Oh, I'm sorry for being rude, by the way, this very lovely lady before you is my fiancee, Cassandra Harper. Both of us will be here today to look at the menu." He uttered bluntly as if it was nothing to him, but it almost had Eleanor pass out.
All of her co-workers who knew her were left dumbfounded knowing that she was the lucky bride-to-be who will marry Greyson Avery, a handsome billionaire. Eleanor was trying to get her attention on the side without causing any fuss, but Cassandra was too shy to sneak a glance at her.
"So, this is the most awaited revelation of the bride. Oh, what a lovely lady indeed. It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Cassandra. I'm Horace Sergey, the owner of the Secret Tavern." Mr. Sergey introduced himself politely, bowing his head.
Cassandra didn't know what to do, but she just also bowed her head and smiled. "N-Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Sergey." She sounded too awkward, but it seemed like they didn't notice it.
"I see that she's a very shy person. Anyway, our executive chef, Chef Arvee, is waiting for the both of you inside the restaurant to start the food tasting. Please come over this way." Mr. Sergey uttered, gesturing his hand to follow him in the direction of the restaurant.
Two of the waiters opened the door for them and when they got inside, there was a lot of food served to them. It looked like they were holding a feast for having too many choices of food placed on the table.
"Mr. Avery, here is the final set of menus for the wedding day. This one right here is our own version of Prosciutto and Freshly Shaved Parmesan and Caviar-Topped Canapes which is perfect as an appetizer. The guests will surely love it." Chef Arvee said while presenting the whole menu for the upcoming wedding. She was staring at Cassandra every now and then, but she didn't ask irrelevant questions.
"Babe, you should try this, it's really good." Greyson took one caviar-topped canape and attempted to feed her by hand. Cassandra didn't have that much of a choice but to eat it.
An instant soft curve on her lips was shown, and she couldn't help but say, "Hmm, it's really yummy." She commented, but then her face showed disappointment after. Chef Arvee and Greyson just let it pass and didn't say a word about her reaction.
They moved on to the next course which was the main course. "For your main course, we have a lot of options. Lamb Meatballs With Rosemary Yogurt Appetizers, Shrimp Cocktail Shooters, Lobster, and Mashed Potatoes, Fresh On-the-Vine Roasted Tomatoes, Maple Bacon, Seared Tuna with Wasabi Seaweed Salad, and a lot more." Chef Arvee said while opening the lids of the containers.
They looked so extravagant to Cassandra and she couldn't follow how expensive the dishes were. The aroma coming from the excellent and quality ingredients used had spread all over the room and it unmistakably made Cassandra's stomach growl. Chef Arvee couldn't help but laugh when she heard it, but she was doing her best to hide it.
"Hm, let me see." Greyson looked at all the dishes in front of him and gazed at that one dish. "Oh, this maple bacon piqued my interest, it looks different than any other maple bacon I have seen." He took one bacon which was pierced with thin wood and was classily decorated.
"Yes, I'm quite proud of it. Maple bacon is very American, so I have to revise the recipe and make one exceptional maple bacon." Chef Arvee proudly said with a smile on her lips.
He tasted it and it sure changed his mood. "I must say, this is one of the best maple bacon I have tasted. I have to commend this. It combines the smoky-salty taste of bacon with the smoky-sweet flavor of maple syrup for a decadent sweet and savory breakfast." Greyson commented while nodding continuously. "I like it, babe. You should taste it, too." He said, then he took one to give it to Cassandra.
She chewed for a few seconds and just like the first one she tasted, her face also showed disappointment.
"Why, babe? Is there something wrong with how it tasted? It's really good though." Greyson asked, pretending to be concerned with her.
"Well, yes, it's really good and I won't argue with that, however," Cassandra just stared at Greyson with a bothered facial expression, then she pulled him to the side to talk to him in private. "This is not the kind of menu I want for our wedding. Can we change it to something else? This is really too expensive."
"Change with what?" Greyson asked hastily with his forehead creased.
She shrugged her shoulders and said, "We can just at least have an oven-fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, mac and cheese, or even cornbread."
"What?!" Greyson protested in a whisper. "Why would you do that? Great food is very important for our guests since they will be too hungry after the ceremony. We can't change it to some cornbread and cheap oven-fried chicken."
Cassandra rolled her eyes heavenwards as she let out a deep breath. "That is what we call practicability, Greyson. I don't want that kind of stuff. And one more thing, we should reduce the 500 guests you had on your list. I want our guests to be limited only to 70." She added which made him hysterical even more.
"Eh?! Why?" This time, Greyson was acting aggressively, but still trying to be on a low tone.
"Who on earth would have a wedding guest of 500? Can you mingle with all of them at the same time? No, right? Let's make the wedding to be intimate and a little secret since this is just a fake marriage, shall we?" Cassandra continued to say.
"Stop doing thi–"
"Stop it, Greyson. You told me that I can alter the marriage, right?" She told him firmly, cutting his line.
"I said the wedding decorations. This is not included. Tsk."
"Then let's settle it together with the food and guests." Cassandra winked at him, then she went back to Chef Arvee and Mr. Sergey.
Greyson couldn't do anything about it anymore since Cassandra was a bit hard-headed at times. The day went on and they began to argue as well with the decorations in the venue. They just had different tastes since they also have a wide gap in terms of their social class.
Cassandra believed that a lavish wedding was unnecessary, especially if they were on a tight budget. Every wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the couple. However, this does not imply that one must spend excessively on their wedding.