The Royal Contract

Mostly, she thought of it when she was young and still believed in fairy tales. Then, the last time was when she found love. But unfortunately, she lost it and had to shut down that nonsense.

“I only want a simple dress,” She heard Amelia explain, slightly exasperated with the designer that kept shoving those glamorous, extra fabulous, and glittery dresses she created.

Quickly, she moved toward her, checking on the commotion. She could see that despite her frustration, her friend maintained a smile on her lips and practiced maximum tolerance toward the other woman who was assisting her with the dress.

“I think you will look great in anything you choose here,” Eida said to her friend, who seemed lost in the white sea of wedding gowns surrounding her. “Wait here.” She told her friend.

She left Amelia in front of the large mirror with her voluptuous gown that made her look like Cinderella, who was about to attend the ball. Even she would not wear that hideous dress. Others might find that dress enchanting, but to her and her friend, it was a nightmare.

But she understood what her friend wanted. And she would help her find it, even if she had to scour this store from top to bottom to find the perfect dress for her friend’s wedding.

“Thanks, Sarah.” Her friend called her by her new name, which was becoming more and more natural. It was hard, but she was starting to get used to it.

Some were lucky to get the dream wedding and the man they would spend the rest of their lives with wrapped in a beautiful package. Then, some had to settle to be alone for the rest of their lives.

.....

At least she had Luisa and her friends to keep her company, to love and cherish. She believed that was good enough. She did not need a man to make her whole again. She just wanted them.

“It is your wedding. I want it to be perfect.” And she would not settle for anything less. She might not marry anytime soon or ever, but at least she would be part of her friend’s special day.

Moreover, she was very happy for her friend, who found everything she wanted in her life. But she knew Amelia deserved everything she got because her friend was the best person she had ever met, so much better than her.

She was off to look for the dress that would suit her friend’s personality. Of course, she also had to find the cutie dress for the little bridesmaid, Luisa, and the groom’s grandmother, Angela. She would look for hers later.

After rummaging through rack after rack of white clothes, she thought she had finally found the one. She quickly brought the dress to her friend. She knew when Amelia saw it. She did a good job.

Amelia’s eyes lit up when she saw the turtle neck, open back with long lacy sleeves, and silky white gown. She knew she would look fabulous in it. It might be a Vegas wedding, but it would be one memorable one.

“Maybe I should start a career in fashion.” She jokingly said to her friend since she was good at it.

But her first love would always be telling the news and getting to the bottom of a story. She could never leave that life behind. But she knew she had to avoid the limelight. However, she believed she could live without that part of her previous life.

But if it failed and she needed a fallback, maybe she could work as a publicist for a celebrity or something. She could manage that. But that would be her last resort.

“You certainly have the talent for it,” Amelia said while the designer had no choice but to agree with them. After all, they were the clients. She could not upset a valuable client, not her, but the bride.

“Now, go fit it and let us see.” She encouraged her friend as the assistants helped her.

In the meantime, she searched the store for the rest of their clothes. After a few more minutes of roaming around, she found a pretty pink dress for Luisa, a yellowish-gold dress for Angela, and a creamy, simple dress with a one-sided sleeve just for her.

That was not that hard as Amelia finally emerged from the dressing room to show off her beautiful gown. It needed a few tweaks here and there to fit her perfectly, but the designer promised she would have it delivered in just an hour tops.

“I guess we are through here,” Sarah announced as she took Luisa back into her arms. “Shall we check in to the hotel and have some beauty rest before the event.” She suggested, seeing that Angela looked tired from the long flight and the dress shopping.

Soon, they were inside their respective rooms for a light nap before the stylists arrived to do their nails, hair, and makeup. Well, Evan said that he would handle the rest.

She just had to make sure the bride and everyone else arrived at the church on time. She believed she could do that. As far as she was concerned, no one could stop this wedding.

“Aren’t you tired, my little princess?” As if to answer her question, Luisa yawned. “I guess you are.” She said as she placed her on the bed beside her pretty dress.

“Did you like your dress?” Eida showed her baby, which she ignored as she closed her eyes.

Luisa did not sleep much on the flight, so she better make sure her baby had a good nap now, or she would be cranky at the ceremony later. She left her to sleep peacefully. Then, she moved toward the nearby table.

She believed she could still work for an hour while waiting. She was not sleepy after all. She started scanning the news, trying to find interesting that could trigger an idea in her head.

She needed fresh, new stories that would wow her bosses. A story that was explosive and would blow their minds away. However, as her fingers slid through her pad, she accidentally stumbled on a story.

It was what she would die to do in the old days, but not now, as a tear dropped down her cheeks. But she could not stop picturing herself as the one wearing that beautiful white dress, posing in front of the cameras with the man she loved as they had their wedding photos.