We arrive at work the next day and the staff applaud us as we enter. June races towards us with the newspaper and reads out the reviews.‘Ace Brightly has done it again! His designs were outstanding and they outshined everyone else’s.’June continues to read them all out as she follows us into the elevator and into our office. She smiles and puts the newspaper on Ace’s desk.‘Congratulations, Mr Brightly, on the great reviews,’ she says, and leaves the room. Ace pulls some parchment from his drawer and begins sketching, and I open the laptop and begin editing. Before we know it, it’s lunchtime.‘I’m going downstairs and having lunch with the ladies today,’ I smile. Ace nods and I give him a kiss on the cheek before leaving. I find Carol, Lana, Cleo and the rest of the girls in the breakroom.‘Hey girls,’ I say as I enter. They hug me and give me air kisses. Cleo pulls up a chair beside her.‘Thanks.’ I sit down in the chair beside her.‘I’m glad you’re here. I was going to ask the lad
We have another busy week at work, and I find myself going to bed a little bit early each night. I’m constantly tired. I get into my nighty and sit on the bed.‘Do you want to watch a movie before we go to sleep? It’s only eight o’clock.′ I nod, and close my eyes for a moment.‘I feel a bit woozy.’ Ace races towards me before I collapse.'I'm fine. I’ll just get a glass of water from the bathroom.' I slowly stand up and take a few steps forward, and a bout of nausea washes over me. I run to the bathroom and vomit into the toilet. Ace follows me, ties my hair up into a ponytail and rubs my back.'I’m sorry,' I sob, as he passes me a glass of water and a face washer to wipe my mouth.'Don’t be sorry babe. You’ve been under pressure at work and the wedding is two weeks away. You’re under a lot of stress,' he reassures me. I sip the glass of water and begin to feel better.'I'm so tired. I feel like I haven’t slept in months.'He takes my empty glass, sits it on the vanity and slowly lift
Hailey and I have a kick-ass self-defence session. We high-five each other at how far we’ve come in the last few months of classes. Hailey's confidence has grown.'Wait till I see Zayne. He won't know what has hit him when I elbow him in the face and heel palm him in the nose!’ Hailey laughs, demonstrating the moves in the air.'Take that Zayne! And that! And that! Hoya!' She yells, kicking the air. We laugh and I admire her determination to one day kick Zayne’s ass.Every day at work this week, I’ve either had hot flushes or nausea, all while feeling incredibly emotional. My boobs are tender. I discreetly rub them at my desk.‘What are you doing?’ He asks, smirking. ′Nothing. Shouldn’t you be sketching?’‘Well, I was, until you got my full attention, doing whatever you’re doing over there.’My face feels hot again. I fan my face and unbutton the top of my blouse. Ace gives me a strange look.‘Are you okay?’‘I’m feeling hot all the time and my boobs hurt. I need to take this bra off
With two days until the wedding, the house is abuzz with people setting up, decorating the grand hall and glamorising the garden outside. I laugh and shake my head at the large vintage carousel being set up. I thought Ace was joking about that.Jack and Hailey arrive as a two-metre chocolate fountain is carried in by two bulky men. Hailey squeals in delight at everything being carried inside, or in the process of being set up.‘You must be so excited,’ she squeals.‘I am, but I’m also nervous.’‘Everyone is nervous before their wedding. You will be fine.’ She smiles.‘You are staying with me, at the hotel, the night before the wedding, and we’ll get ready together. Cleo and Lana will help me into the dress.’‘Have you seen your wedding dress yet?’‘Ace wants me to see it, but I’m determined to wait till the day of the wedding.’‘Well, good to know you have put your full trust in him as you’re about to marry him.’ She giggles.‘I trust him with my whole heart, hence why I’m content wit
We arrive at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, and pace back and forth in the waiting room for a few hours until a doctor comes out.'We were able to revive him. We removed two bullets. Nolan is a very lucky man. The CPR and the pressure on the wounds reduced his blood loss. It helped save his life.' Ace thanks the doctor and we all cry with happiness and hug each other.'Can we see him?' Ace asks.'He really needs to rest. You should go home and come back tomorrow.' Ace nods, and we wipe our tears, and leave the hospital. Hailey and I sit in the back seat holding hands and Ace sits next to me while Mason sits in the passenger seat next to Jack, in disbelief. We arrive at our house in Sandringham twenty minutes later.'I'll drop Mason home. See you tomorrow. Stay safe,' Jack says, waving goodbye to us. We go inside and go straight to the bathroom to remove our bloody clothes. Ace turns the shower on and I put our clothes in the bin.We get into the shower and I stare down at the red water
We return home where a media storm waits outside the gates. They've heard about the attempted murder, on Ace, last night. Five security guards try their best to block them from entering and try to let people who are setting up the wedding in. I have a text from Hailey.'Hey. I need to talk to you about something serious. Jack and I will be over soon. I want to tell you in person.Sure! Just don’t vomit on me this time. Ignore the media out the front. Don’t answer any questions.Okay. I can’t promise I won’t vomit on you again, but I can promise I’ll try not to.Why? Is everything okay? Are you okay?Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’ll talk to you about it when I see you.Okay. See you soon.'Jack and Hailey are coming over shortly. Hailey needs to talk to me about something important. And we can tell Jack and Hailey our baby news.'‘After everything that has happened, it will be good to give them some good news for a change.’‘Yeah. Exactly. I can’t wait to see Hailey's reaction.’Thirty minutes
Hailey, Cleo and Lana jump on my bed and scream, excitedly.'It's your wedding day!' I have the biggest smirk on my face and my body is buzzing with excitement. I wrap my arms around the girls and hug them.A beautiful breakfast banquet has been set up, and the table is heavily decorated with bouquets of flowers.We sit at the table giggling, talking and slowly devouring the food. After breakfast, I shower, shave my legs, pluck any last minute hairs from my eyebrows, and put my bridal dressing gown on. Mason and Tim are standing outside keeping watch.Hailey paints my toenails and the hair stylist arrives. She sprays my hair and wraps pieces of my blonde hair around a curling wand, creating soft waves. Half of my hair stays down while a braid drapes the back of my head. She adds final touches, pinning dusty-pink and champagne roses in the braid. The roses are the same colours as my bouquet, and the flowers that decorate the wedding ceremony and reception areas.We enjoy a light lu
Lana and Cleo get into the limo and Mason drives them to my house, and the Savage Snakes, Hailey and I follow. I feel like I'm in a royal parade.Police cars have blocked off roads and stopped the traffic to let us through. A few police cars follow behind the Savage Snakes with their lights on. The helicopter flies above us and follows us, as do the media vans. It's exciting to see; the fact that it’s because I’m marrying a billionaire.We arrive at my house, and my large black gates open. We all pull up under the porte-cochere. The rest of the Savage Snakes park their bikes on the front lawn.The ladies help me off the bike. I turn and look up at the sky; it's almost nightfall.Fairy lights decorating the front and back garden begin to light up, giving it fairy tale vibes. The Savage Snakes walk around my mansion and take their seats at the ceremony with the rest of my guests.Ace and Jack are standing there, waiting patiently for me to arrive. Lana and Cleo attach my train to my dre