Raymond and Ariel walked in, earning stares from everyone present.
Nowadays, Wedding ceremonies aren't carried out in churches but the venue the couple picks out. But as long as the priest was available to make it official and witness them say their vows, then it was a wedding for sure.
Majestically, they walked in and found the dimly lit venue to be quite appropriate to the eye. And speaking of eyes, all eyes had fallen on them. Why? Because they were coming in when the wedding vows were being taken.
Purposely coming late without remorse tagged them as arrogant and it was also a way to attract the attention of every single one in the hall, including the priest.
"Ahem." The priest cleared his throat. "We will now unveil the bride." Though the priest said this, there were still a lot who were murmuring.
'Isn't that the Stein bastard?'
'He is still that handsome devil.'
'Who's that walking next to him?'
'Could be a call girl. She's young. Look at that smug.'
'She is pretty though.'
'The Albert family must've hit big to be able to invite a Stein. He might be a bastard but he's still way out of their league.'
'Hey, don't talk too loudly. You might get on his bad side.'
'I was just stating the truth.'
Ariel walked with her head held high. This was the first time she was hearing something about Raymond. She usually didn't ask and knew she shouldn't ask but she can't deny that she was a bit curious.
'Stein.' Ariel called in her mind but she did not turn to look at him, neither did she drop her head.
They were taken to a table and there, they sat together comfortably folding their legs.
"We just got here and I'm already bored." Raymond complained and Ariel giggled.
"You may now kiss the bride." The priest announced and Marco went in for the kiss.
But throughout the quiet hall, a certain chuckle was heard and it caught everyone's attention.
"Oh my, I guess I was too loud." Ariel said with no single remorse on her face.
Her aim wasn't to ruin the wedding though but she wouldn't be satisfied if she didn't make a little mess at least.
Marco glanced at the Ariel and their eyes met. Her gaze immediately became fierce and she glared at him. He instantly looked away and faced the bride, leaning in for their kiss.
Ariel frowned. Did he not recognize her? Maybe it was because she was too far away.
"That's boring." She muttered.
She couldn't deny that the moment she walked in, she felt an inkling in her chest, just seeing him standing next to Clara.
There was a time when she loved him with all her heart and hoped they would be together forever. There were countless times where she imagined herself in a white wedding dress standing next to Marco who would wear a fine suit.
They were her lifelong dream.
A dream that fell into a pit and never came true, of course.
Now, all she had was deep hatred towards him. Such hatred, she would not let show yet. But she could do well venting her hostility in a different way that would definitely impact negatively on him.
Everyone clapped as the bride and groom shared their couple's kiss and so did Ariel. Her one at a time clapping looked to most like she was mocking the sheer existence of the couple.
'Really, who is she?' The topic had moved from why Raymond was present to who Ariel was.
The reception flowed smoothly with everyone congratulating the newlyweds. Of course, she wouldn't miss this chance to give out her most 'sincere' wishes.
But surprisingly, Raymond stopped her.
"Stay by my side a little longer." He said and though she wondered why he said that, smiled and agreed.
"Sure thing, hubby. Anything for you."
Ariel and Raymond stood together right next to the wine table, sipping on red wine and practically showing off their relationship.
"You shouldn't drink too much." Raymond said to Ariel.
"Awn, are you worried that I'd get drunk?" She asked.
"You definitely can not hold your liquor." Raymond said and drank from his glass.
Ariel went silent and she looked at her glass, swriling gently. She didn't know her alcohol capacity. Maybe it was because she never drank in the past.
She hated alcohol because of what it made Marco do to her. Drinking was out of her dictionary.
But this expensive wine was so sweet that she almost forgot it had alcohol in it.
"Hm, alcohol makes people crazy." She said and Raymond nodded. She lifted her gaze towards him for a bit and smirked. "You wanna know how crazy I can get when drunk?"
"Alcohol doesn't just make people crazy, Ariel." He said, taking the glass of wine from her. "It makes people emotional as well. So, do you want to test to see if you become the crazy type when drunk or the emotional type?"