ABANDONED AT THE ALTAR, MARRIED TO A BILLIONAIRE

The room echoed with laughter as Jade waved her engagement ring for the umpteenth time.

" We've all seen it, Jade," Mia laughed, reaching for her hand.

"Unless you intentionally want to blind us with it, put it down."

" I'm allowed to be excited." Jade pulled her hand back, laughing.

" You've waved the ring at least twenty times today "

"Twenty-one now", Jade added and waved her hand again, laughing out loud.

" Sorry," She muttered quietly to the makeup artist, drawing her eyebrows.

" Honestly, I'm happy for you," Mia said, her eyes beaming with joy as she caressed the edge of the invitation card she grabbed earlier.

" I mean, the Popular Relationship Consultant, Jade Monroe, is finally getting married." She waved the card slightly.

"Despite all those stereotypes that relationship consultants have the worst relationships "

Jade laughed, her heart fluttering at the thought of finally becoming a wife.

" Don't remind me of that crazy interview." She chuckled.

" You are about to prove everyone wrong. I'm glad.” Mia stated, her smile softening.

" Especially after that company rejected you because you weren't married. As if having a husband was supposed to validate your career"

The room gradually quieted as everyone returned to their own little tasks, leaving Jade alone with her thoughts.

“ I pray everything goes well”, Jade murmured, interlocked her fingers and closed her eyes. Please let this be the beginning of everything I've dreamed about.

“ All done”, the make-up artist stated, moving back to give enough space for lighting on Jade's face.

“ Oh my goodness!”

“ You look so beautiful- like a royal bride!” Mia giggled. She picked up her phone and took several pictures and videos, her eyes beaming with joy.

Jade smiled uncontrollably as she watched Mia fuss over her. Somehow, she had gotten lucky enough to have a supportive and lovely friend like Mia.

“ I'm glad I trusted her despite my doubts”, she thought, posing for the camera.

Mia, on the other hand, was still taking a lot of pictures when her eyes caught a glimpse of the time.

“ Goodness gracious”, she hollered, pulling attention towards her. She raised her head and opened her mouth.

The pinging notification sound that erupted from Jade's phone shut her up as it vibrated hard on the table.

Jade picked up the phone, which began ringing at the same time; a wide smile spread across her face as she swiped the green button upward.

“ Hi baby,” Max called.

“Hiii, " she cooed, pulling the hem of her dress gently.

“I just wanted to check in on you,” he stated. Jade could swear that she almost heard the smile in his voice.

Her mind raced slowly as she reminisced about their first meeting.

He was the coolest and the most manly gentleman she'd ever met; his sharp features complemented his actions so much, which made her attracted at first sight. It wasn't surprising that she offered to sponsor her whole wedding with joy deep in her soul.

“ I love you, Max”, she said, swirling her tongue. Her heartbeat was loud across the room despite the amount of talk going on in the room.

Max took in a deep breath and giggled, “ I love you too, Mi mujer”

The call disconnected immediately, and Jade looked up with a warm expression only to meet Mia's blank stare.

Her face flattened; the smile lingered for a second before slipping away. Jade's fingers curled around her phone as she shifted in her seat, staring back at Mia.

“ Why are you staring?” She asked, forcing a small smile.

" Why did he hesitate before replying?" Mia questioned.

" Maybe he was distracted by his friends," Jade laughed, her shoulders relaxed as she heaved a sigh.

"You don't have to act suspicious every time," she added.

" I will.. especially when it's about you.." Mia replied, standing.

" We are running late, Bridee," she teased, easing the tension that had begun to settle over the room and drawing the attention of the other bridesmaids and everyone else in the room.

Jade glanced at herself in the mirror one last time.

The white gown hugged her figure perfectly, its carefully attached details catching the light whenever she moved. Her veil fell softly behind her as the door opened, revealing a straight-down hallway.

The music from the hall drifted faintly.

She smiled and increased her grip on the bouquet of red roses.

" Ready?" Mia's voice came from behind her.

She turned around slowly and nodded, taking one slow breath.

" I think so." She muttered, her chest tightening.

She walked slowly, her eyes scanning everywhere, the cold breeze blowing her veil and gown as she got closer to the door.

The doors opened wide, and waves of music and hushed voices escaped. Her fingers tightened around her bouquet as she looked toward the aisle.

Hundreds of flowers lined the path ahead of her, their petals glowing under the warm lights. Her eyes caught sight of her favourite flower, and a small smile spread across her lips.

Familiar faces turned toward the entrance: her mother, Friends, Family, security, some of her fans and reporters.

Cameras flashed from every direction as she walked towards the aisle.

At the end of the aisle, she lifted her chin as she stepped up and looked at the priest, who had a wide smile on his face. Her heart pounded loudly.

Her eyes moved past him and scanned the space beside the empty altar.

She blinked; her gaze swept across the hall, searching.

" Maybe something came up", she whispered.

Her eyes moved toward the entrance again.

Perhaps he was stuck somewhere, or maybe there had been a problem with the transportation, even though he was meant to arrive before the bride. He's on his way, maybe. There had to be an explanation....

Jade's smile remained even though it became difficult to hold any longer.

She glanced toward her mother, whose eyes were filled with obvious worry. Her mother rubbed her palms together before forcing a bright smile, as if she could somehow calm her daughter.

Jade then looked towards Mia, whose expression had changed; her fingers tightened around the bouquet, fidgeting.

Mia's grip tightened on her bag's shoulder. She looked down and pulled Jade's phone from her bag.

There was no new message whatsoever.

She took a deep breath and unlocked it; Jade's chat with Max was wide open.

Her last message, " I'm ready, baby", remained unanswered.

She stared at it for a few seconds, her head beginning to throb as she locked the screen. She looked up to Jade, who stood in the middle of the aisle and stared around like a lost puppy, the camera flashes almost blinding her.

She flashed Jade a warm smile, hoping to give her the smallest glint of hope.

Jade tore her gaze off the crowd.

" He'll be here," she whispered, flashing the priest a soft smile, which he returned.

Jade's heart pounded hard against her ribs. Her chest was tightening hard, and her mind raced with different thoughts.

The music continued playing softly as she stood there and battled with the uncertainty catching up with her.

The murmurs in the crowd increased rapidly, different speculations flying around.

The priest looked over and spotted one of Max's groomsmen; he flagged his hand and called him over.

" Have you tried calling him?" He inquired.

" Yes, it rang at first, but it's not going through anymore. "

Jade's fingers went still instantly; for a moment, she couldn't hear the music or the murmurs anymore.

Her eyes remained fixed on the groomsman, waiting for him to laugh or say it was a prank; her heart raced fast, but nothing came.

Her gaze dropped to the space beside her, completely numb.

" Maybe his phone died," Someone whispered from the crowd. Jade swallowed hard, wanting to mend the hole of doubt in her chest by holding onto what-ifs.

" He'll be here," she repeated, clutching the flower bouquet against her chest.

A phone suddenly vibrated, causing her to jerk up her head and scan around. Her eyes flashed with hope; she turned to see the groomsman and the priest, staring intently at a phone screen.

" Priest?" She called, striding quickly toward them.

Before any of them could react, she yanked the phone from the groomsman's hand; her bouquet slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a thud.

The camera flashed uncontrollably as everyone seemed to refocus their attention on the aisle.

Her eyes widened in terror, and her legs went jelly; she stumbled back.

Her fingers trembled around the phone as she read the message.

" I can't do this anymore "

Her hands still trembling, another notification appeared; her heart skipped a beat as she saw Max's name.

She tapped it open, her heart beating rapidly.

"Bro, you actually went through with it?"

" After everything she did for you?" Jared, one of Max's groomsmen, typed.

" You guys knew this was coming. Don't act surprised." Max responded.

" What about your special reporters? Are they still running the stories?"

Jade froze; her throat dried up as she blankly stared at the text, the word reporters echoing in her head. She batted her lashes, perplexed.

" They're already posting. I made sure that she wouldn't be able to spin this in her favour." Max sent.