In the passageway outside the grand ballroom where the wedding was being held. Two women similarly dressed to Adele were holding each arm of the nervous bride, guiding her through breathing exercises; they were the other two bridesmaids.
Brianna's grandmother was also there, reprimanding one of the groomsmen for getting a stain on his tuxedo.
Seated in a wheelchair was a white-haired older man, sleeping with his head hanging down amidst all the noise and chatter. He was Brianna's grandfather, the man giving her away since her father was away on business.
Adele stood isolated in a corner with a stainless steel hip flask filled with liquor at her lips. Her back faced everyone as she took quick gulps of the whiskey in the small bottle.
"Adele Ricci?" she heard a masculine, mature voice call and quickly swallowed as she closed the hip flask before pushing it into her diamond-encrusted purse.
Adele offered her best smile as she turned around, "Yes?"
Standing before her was a man that looked old enough to be her grandfather. He was bald with wrinkles on his face that looked to have been accumulating for years.
His lips spread into a smile, showing two rows of purely white dentures. "Governor Harold Finley," he introduced himself, extending his hand. "I have the great honor of walking with you down the aisle."
Adele took his hand, her smile faltering when she felt how sweaty his palms were. "Charmed," she responded as the elderly man kissed the top of her hand.
Adele subtly detached their hands and wiped her palm in her dress as she stared daggers at Brianna. 'Super cute governor, my ass!' she cursed the bride in her thoughts.
"I must say, Miss Ricci," the governor started. "It's quite hard to believe that a gorgeous woman like yourself is still unowned." His voice lowered, and a pleased smile spread across his face as he added, "And is even still a virgin."
'How much did Brianna tell this old creep?!' Adele slightly bowed as she stepped away from the smiling older man. "Do excuse me, your excellency."
She quickly walked away; if she had stayed a second longer, she might've stomped him to death with her Louis Vuitton heels!
In addition, she didn't want to cause a scene minutes before Brianna's wedding, though it was what everyone was anticipating.
Adele pushed passed the people crowding the bride, "Brie? A quick word?"
The other two bridesmaids latching to Brianna's arms like silverback tics stared daggers at the raven-haired beauty to whom they lost the maid-of-honor position.
They kept in mind that Brianna only chose Adele over them because she felt sorry for her, but it still irritated them, especially since she'd be able to walk with the super-rich and widowed governor.
"What's up?" Brianna cheerfully questioned, smiling teasingly as she nudged her cousin. "I saw you were talking to Governor Harold Finley," she said in a sing-song voice. "Now, tell me you love me."
"I'm gonna throw you off a balcony if you don't pair me with another guy," Adele threatened as she took the hip flask from her purse.
Brianna pouted, "But he's the best man, and you're the maid of honor; you must walk with him."
Adele drank only a tiny bit of the whiskey; she needed it to get through the wedding. "Hook him up with one of those sluts," she told her while staring at the two desperate bridesmaids shamelessly flirting with the elderly man.
Brianna sighed in defeat, then an idea came to mind, and a smile brightened her features. "I'm giving you two options," she started. "You can either drink during the wedding or walk down the aisle with someone else."
"Fuck," Adele cursed before sighing and marching over to the elderly man, not caring to hide her displeasure. "Move, leeches," she said to the two bridesmaids as she hooped her arm with Harold's.
Brianna chuckled in response before focusing on her grandmother, who had just walked up to her. With a smile, the elderly woman asked, "Are you ready, my dear?"
"I'm ready to be a duchess," Brianna responded, and her grandmother smiled pleasingly before putting the veil over her granddaughter's face.
The ceremony was beautiful.
Sniffles echoed through the silence as the bride and duke said their heartfelt vows while staring into each other's eyes with love and excitement.
At the end of the front row, Adele was crying as well, but not because of the fabricated words of the couple getting married; she was out of whiskey!
'Oh, God! I won't make it,' she thought, but a familiar scent reached her nostrils, ceasing her tears.
Adele whipped her head up, deeply inhaling the air. "Bourbon," she quietly muttered before looking around the crowded room for the person drinking.
'It's him,' she thought as she stared at a handsome man seated amongst the royals in attendance. A stainless steel hip flask, similar to hers, was in his hand.
He was dressed in a full black suit, impeccably designed and fit. Both sides of his head were shaved neatly into an undercut, and his lengthy black hair was in a small bun at the back of his head.
The women who weren't crying weren't paying any attention to the bride and groom; their eyes were focused on the youngest prince of the royal family. His looks were godlike...dangerously surreal; the women couldn't get enough of just staring at him from afar.
His silver eyes found Adele's blue ones, which were already focused on him. He slightly raised an arched brow ornamented by the piercing running through it as he stared at her while bringing the hip flask to his pink lips.
Adele's breath hitched in her throat as she watched him gulp the contents of the hip flask with ease. It all seemed to have been happening in slow motion as he removed it from his mouth before licking his bottom lip while holding her gaze.
Adele's heart hammered against her chest as she thought, 'I want that bourbon so bad.' She took a breath and averted her gaze, tightly clenching her fists as she encouraged herself, 'I must hold out a little longer. Mom would cut my head off if I got up.'
Her eyes momentarily landed on the prince again as she sighed, 'Besides, how would I even get over there without garnering attention?'
Adele focused her gaze on Brianna and Daniel, but a pair of silver eyes from across the room was still focused on her.