Epilogue

Today was the big day.

I looked at myself in a full length mirror as I adored my floor length gown. It was
a long sleeved dress that was made of lace. The lace had a floral pattern which was
intricately designed with glittered embellishments to make it sparkle from afar.
The dress fit comfortably as it flowed snugly onto my legs where I could still walk
properly. From my waist down, the lace was then layered with soft tulle from the
outside which made the dress look flowy and light. The tulle fabric puffed the
dress up to proportion the fit on my body. The lace neckline was in a shape of a V
that showed a bit of cleavage.

My neck was adorned with the personalized necklace that Pierce had given me. Hugh
was kind of skeptical when I told him that I wanted to wear it for the event.
However, when he saw that it went quite well with the dress he gave it a go. My
hair was tied into a messy low side bun with a dramatic side sweep over my right
eye. Hugh then attached a mix of fresh white and light pink Ranunculus onto my hair
to create a flower crown. Attached to the crown was my veil that flowed freely on
my back down to the ground.

The make-up artist who was now working on my face gave me a fresh all-natural look.
He worked on my eyes since he wanted to define and make my eye color pop. He then
smeared a coral colored lipstick onto my lips then applied a bit of lip gloss to
give it a glossy finish.

"All done!" He told me enthusiastically. I smiled gratefully and applauded his

work. He definitely knew how to satisfy a client! The expected look that I wanted
was beyond my expectations.

"You are phenomenal." I grinned as inspected my face on the mirror.

"Thank you." He gave me a curtsy and walked off to work on the others. I looked at
myself again and never thought that I could look this pretty. What would Pierce
think of my look? I giggled to myself as I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

"Vee!" Hugh squealed in delight as he entered the room. He sprinted towards me and
halted abruptly in front of me. "I sure am a genius. You look gorgeous, babe."

I flushed as he commented on how I looked. He was the one and only designer of this
magnificent dress that I was wearing right now. This was the last piece from Hugh's
collection and he wanted me to wear it for this occasion. The dress was really
special to him as he told me that it was his most favorite one since he was truly
inspired by it. I felt completely honored wearing his creation.

Over the years, Hugh had made a name for himself in the fashion industry. He never
expected that he would make it to the top. He was just that blessed with such
talent. I couldn't be more proud of him. He had come a long way and it was nice to
see him in his element.

"Five more minutes before show time!" A woman shouted from the entrance. She was
the organizer for this event. Hugh then looked at me with a serious expression. He
grabbed my cold hands as he took a deep breath.

"You remembered what to do, right?" He asked.

"Walk with poise and avoid letting my face fall flat onto the ground. Yes, I got
it." I squeezed his hands to assure him that I could do this.
Hugh took a deep breath

and released it. He closed his eyes and chanted something in a low voice that he
could only understand. I gave him a puzzled look. He was more nervous than I was
which earned a low chuckle from me. He opened his eyes and sighed.

"Not helping, Vee." He playfully glared at me as I gave him a grin.

"Hugh, it's going to be perfect."

"You know events like these make me a nervous wreck." He sighed to calm himself
down.

I chuckled as I found Hugh's distress amusing. He didn't give himself enough credit
that he had been doing a splendid job with his art. I patted his back and kissed
him on the cheek to reassure him that I was fine. The dress was fine and that the
event was definitely going perfectly.

This was it. It was show time.

I walked up to the end of the line when the girls started to take their places. I
was the last to walk down the runway since I was the highlight of the event. As the
girls went behind the curtain, I began to feel uneasy. A lot of people were waiting
for me outside. What if something bad would happen? Or worse! What if he wasn't
there to see me today?

I gulped as the girl in front of me went through the curtain. I was next. A girl
with an earpiece who was standing by the curtain was the one telling them the
signal that it was their turn. She was waiting for a 'go' signal from someone who
was watching from the outside. When it was my turn, she turned her attention to me
and smiled. "Good luck out there."

Her words just made me feel ten times worse. She then touched her earpiece as she
listened to someone from the other line.

She nodded in response as if the other person who she was talking could see her.
She now turned to me and smiled again. I was momentarily blinded when the curtain
opened up completely. Bright lights met my sensitive eyes and it took a few seconds
for me to adjust to my surroundings. I scanned the crowd and saw a lot of people.
Their eyes were all on me. I inhaled as I took in everyone's gaze. This was
definitely a bad idea!

The aisle was white and it was longer than expected. Just don't trip, Olivia. I
chanted to myself as I started gliding through the floor since my dress was very
long. It felt like walking on a cloud. My eyes had been darting everywhere that I
forgot to look straight.

I looked up and there he was. Pierce was standing in an upright posture with his
right hand on his pocket while his other hand was focused on fixing his tie. Pierce
then locked his gaze with mine when he saw me. I could see that he was stunned with
what he was seeing. His mouth fell agape while he looked at me adoringly.

Our eyes were transfixed with one another. The crowd suddenly disappeared from my
peripheral view. All I could make out was him standing in front of me. It was as if
everything began to move in slow motion. I wanted to hurry my steps just to get
near him but I had to stop and turn back around.

He then gave me a boyish smile and waved.

For a moment there, it felt like walking towards the altar. Pierce was eagerly
waiting to get to where he wanted me to be - beside him forever.

I forced myself to turn around because today wasn't my dream wedding. It was

Hugh's ostentatious fashion show where he showcased his spring bridal collection.
He had begged me a few months ago to be his model. He wanted me to wear his most
important piece from his collection. Of course, I declined at first because I could
never live up to be a perfect runway model. He told me that he didn't care. Hugh
wanted me to represent his collection because he wanted it to look like a real
bride was walking down the aisle to her husband-to-be.

Unfortunately, I wasn't married to Pierce. Not yet. We wanted to wait until I had
graduated from university which already occurred last year. But then, I got busy
working with Hugh after graduation. We decided to open up our own business
together. It was a small boutique that was located in Central New York. Hugh was in
charge of designing and making the clothes as I was assigned to manage the shop and
its finances. I got a degree from a business course after all. It worked well with
us and in just a few months a lot of people were calling in to get an appointment.
We never thought that we would be expanding in just a year. Now, Hugh had made a
name into the fashion industry by word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied clients.

As for Evan, he still modeled and sometimes Hugh would call him for a photoshoot to
be made into posters that would be displayed in our store if he was in town. Sadly,
they were no longer together. Their break-up wasn't messy like his last
relationship. They decided upon mutual understanding that it was just not working
out since Evan had been traveling all over the world for modeling gigs. They
couldn't

handle the long distance thing which really saddened me. They were both willing to
wait for each other but right now maybe the distance was for the better. They held
onto a promise which Hugh intended to keep. We were still the best of friends.
Nothing was ever going to change that.

It had been four years since Pierce and I went back together. We had only been
enjoying each other's company. When school started in the fall, I was forced to
move out of my apartment. Pierce wanted me closer and I couldn't agree more with
him. I was busy with school and at the same time Pierce was busy managing Alexander
Corporation. It was a tough year at first but we'd made it. It amazed me that
Pierce really made great effort to take the time off from work to be together. He
had been amazing to me. Every day was always special. He rarely showered me with
flowers and presents but how he still managed to make my heart flutter with these
simple acts of love were undeniably more gratifying.

I entered backstage and I could see Hugh was giddy as he watched me not embarrass
myself in front of more or less a thousand people. "Oh Vee! You were a natural." He
fanned himself trying to contain his excitement.

"Time for the finale. Now, go!" He pushed me towards the line of girls that were
fast approaching the curtain exit. It was the last part of the show whereas
everyone would walk in a straight line to showcase Hugh's collection. We did a U-
turn and when I reached the end of the runway, Hugh emerged from the curtain and
everyone applauded louder. He immediately grabbed my hand and gave me a playful
twirl. I laughed

when I tried my hardest not to trip over my dress. I looked over at Hugh and saw
him really happy. I couldn't help but smile proudly. People gave Hugh a standing
ovation then eventually another curtain came sliding down to put an end to the
show.

Both of us squealed excitedly. "Hugh, you did it! I'm so proud of you." I hugged
him as I felt him squeeze me harder. We let go after a few seconds and he mouthed a
thank you. I just smiled when I noticed someone lingering from behind Hugh. I
tilted my head to the side to get a better view. My initial reaction was a
surprised one then happiness. Evan was standing awkwardly holding a bouquet of red
roses.

"Evan!" I shouted his name and ran up to him. "Oh my god! I didn't think you'd make
it." I gave him a side way hug since the bouquet was in the way.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He smiled brightly down at me. Then, his gaze
flickered over to Hugh who was still standing in an overwhelmed state. His lips
lifted up to a shy smile as he slowly walked over to Hugh.

Hugh had no idea that I called Evan a few weeks ago about his upcoming show. I told
him to mark the date of Hugh's fashion debut and he happily agreed to come back
home for a short while. They both needed a little push. As I looked at them right
now, they still had that spark whenever they saw each other. They were just holding
back because of the distance they had right now. I secretly smiled to myself when I
saw Hugh accepted the flowers. He was a bit reserved with his reaction but I could
tell that his heart just flew off the roof.

I proceeded to get back

to my dressing room so I could change into my own clothes. As much as I wanted to

keep this dress, I knew people outside were already bidding for their favorite. I
neatly placed the dress and veil back onto the rack. I also placed the shoes beside
it. I sighed dreamily as I looked at it one last time. There will be a perfect one
for you someday. I thought to myself.

I changed into a form fitting black dress. It had a square neckline and the sleeves
were a bit long that just reached my elbow. I untied my hair and removed all the
flowers that were attached. It formed into some loose curls so I intended to keep
them down. I no longer retouched my make-up. I grabbed my purse and got out of the
dressing room.

We were celebrating out tonight. We would be dining in a fancy restaurant and

afterwards we would probably get some drinks. I searched for Hugh and Evan but I
couldn't locate them anywhere. I decided to get a glass of water from the mini
buffet station they had set up backstage. It only offered a few pastries and some
refreshments like coffee and water. I was filling my cup with water when I heard
Pierce call out my name from behind me.

"Olive." His voice didn't sound authoritative rather he sounded breathless as if

seeing we were each other again for the first time. I smiled, my back still turned
away from him. I slowly rotated to face him and I couldn't hold my grin when I saw
him.

"Pierce!" I ran up to him and crushed him with a hug. I knocked him out of his
breath from the impact but I knew he was just as happy to see me. "I thought you
were going to come back in a few

days." I looked up and I saw him smirk at me.

"I finished work early in London so I decided to come home immediately." My heart
soared when he finally liked calling New York City his home.
"You just wanted to surprise me, right?" I fluttered my eyelashes at him teasingly.
I heard him chuckle as I felt him grip my waist a bit tighter.

"Maybe." He teased. "You looked beautiful in a wedding dress but seeing you without
it still pleases me as well."

I smacked his chest playfully. "Don't. Not here." I whispered. I immediately saw
his eyes darken with desire. He leaned closer until his lips touched mine. He
didn't have to seek for entrance when I welcomed his taste in haste.

Pierce had been gone for two weeks to handle some issues back in London. His
absence made me miss him a lot. At times, it became unbearable sleeping alone in
our bed at night. His kisses were like an addiction. It still felt as good as he
kissed me the first time. My hands were wrapped around his neck. I was about to
deepen the kiss when I heard little footsteps approaching us.

"Aunt Olive!"

I let go of Pierce still a bit breathless from the kiss, smiling when I knew who
that adorable voice was. I turned around to see a little blonde girl wearing a cute
frilly dress running towards me. Crouching down as I opened my arms to catch her.
She immediately grabbed me and gave me a tight hug which caused the both of us to
fall from losing my balance.

"Corrine! You've certainly grown heavier the last time I saw you." I laughed as
Pierce tried to help us up.

"Daddy said that I needed

to grow taller to become a princess like Aunt Olive." She gave me a toothy grin.

"Well, you'll always be a princess to me. Where's your dad anyway?" I looked behind
Corrine to see any sign of Charles. No luck.

She pointed to the direction where the changing rooms were. I shook my head as I
knew he was probably trying to play the hot dad card to get the ladies. "He said he
was going to get some water."

I mentally rolled my eyes at that. The water dispenser was here. I really didn't
expect Charles to come to Hugh's show tonight. I knew he was also busy running his
own company back in London and at the same time taking care of Corrine. If you
remembered four years ago, Charles went to New York for a visit. When I found out
that he was having a hard time, I didn't think it would be that bad. He told me a
few months after that he was battling a losing case to earn full custody of
Corrine. His ex-wife had made up stories how badly he was treating his own
daughter. He was about to lose when a concrete evidence appeared out of nowhere. It
turned out that his ex-wife ran off with a rich junkie while they were still
together and supplied her with drugs. Basically, she cheated on him. It wasn't
because they fell out of love. He only told us that because that bit just deflated
his ego. He straightaway won full custody because of her ex-wife's substance abuse.
The divorce was finalized and he was free to live happily with his lovely daughter.

"I'm glad that you're here." Corrine smiled and pulled something out from her
backpack.

She handed me a small tiara and said, "This is for you.

I also have one. We can be princesses together."

I chuckled and pinched her rosy cheeks. "I love it. Thank you."

Pierce knelt beside me then ruffled Corrine's hair. "Anything for Uncle Pie?" He
asked while he playfully pouted.

Corrine giggled and shook her head, "A prince should be the one to buy his princess
a present."

Pierce chuckled with amusement. Our gazes met and we smiled at each other. Corrine
was such a sweetheart. We did have a conversation about having kids. We wanted to
wait after we get married. I felt that I was ready to take a step forward with
Pierce but he hadn't proposed yet.

"There you guys are."

I looked up and saw Charles walking our way. I stood up and ran up to him. I had a
big smile on and when he saw me he gave me a lopsided smile. "Charlie!" I hugged
him as I welcomed him back. I hadn't seen Charles and Corrine since last year.

"You looked good out there." He remarked.

"Thanks. You never told me you'd be watching the show." I punched him lightly on
his arm.

He chuckled, "Pierce wanted it to be a surprise. So, surprise!"

"Idiot." I smiled and he just laughed.

"Alright. I think that's enough." Pierce protectively wrapped his arm around my
waist and pulled me gently to his side.

"I don't know how you keep up with this guy." Charles looked at me seriously as he
pointed Pierce with his thumb.

I giggled then looked up to Pierce. His eyebrows were scrunched together and he had
a frown on his face. "I don't know why you're still best friends." I retorted.

I heard Pierce scoff from beside me while

Charles just laughed. I knew he was jealous of Charles. He always had been. Yet, he
also knew that we'd become good friends over the past few years. Sometimes he just
didn't like how close we were. I elbowed Pierce and gave him a reassuring smile.
His face softened and felt him squeeze me tighter on my waist.

"Vee! Guess who went to see the show as well." Hugh yelled excitedly as he entered
the room with a group of people including Evan. When my eyes scanned their faces my
happy mood had lifted tremendously. The whole family was here! I squealed and ran
towards them. Gran was holding Mr. Henderson's hand. Deb smiled as she went beside
Charles and Corrine. Caroline together with Hank, Hunter, Katie and Emma were
smiling brightly at me.

"Oh and guess what? Someone just made a huge bid on my dress! Can you imagine? That
someone is willing to buy it for a hundred thousand dollars!" Hugh jumped
excitedly.

"That sounds great, Hugh." I smiled, genuinely proud of my best friend.

They began to praise how beautiful I looked in Hugh's masterpiece. They also
mentioned Hugh's whole collection in general. Our family was proud with how far
we'd come to realize our accomplishments. I never expected we would be this
successful. Hard work had certainly paid off but it wouldn't be possible without
the people who had helped us along the way.

I tried to catch up with everybody but we were cut off when we heard Pierce
clearing his throat rather loudly for everyone to hear. We looked at his direction
and he had a nervous face on. I looked at him in confusion as he just stared at me
with so much intensity.

"Now that I've gathered everyone, I think this would be the perfect time for me to
say something important."

"I wanted this special moment to be private between us but then I realized it would
be most happy when this was shared with family."

Pierce started to walk towards me while I saw everyone had a stupid smile plastered
on their faces. Something was going on and I wasn't in on the planning. I looked
back at Pierce when I felt his cold hand wrapped around mine. He was nervous about
something. He gave me a boyish smile then suddenly started to get down on one knee.
I started to panic. Was he finally proposing?

"Olivia Bailey, you made me into a man that wanted everything for you. You taught
me how to forgive. You taught me how to always keep both of my feet on the ground.
And you most certainly taught me how to love. That's how special you are to me."

"I gathered our families today because I wanted them to see how serious I am when
it comes to you. I also wanted to celebrate with them as they would be a huge part
of our never ending journey together."

He pulled a small black velvet box off from his pocket. I gasped when I realized it
was really happening. My hands started to tremble nervously as Pierce opened the
box. It was a princess cut two carat diamond ring. I loved how simple and elegant
it looked.

"I would be honored if you would spend the rest of forever with me." Pierce said in
a hopeful tone.

I was immobilized, couldn't speak since I was too overwhelmed. I had wanted this to
happen for so long and here he was proposing today! I

probably just made a blank expression when Pierce's smile started to falter. He
started to stand from his position, realizing that he probably thought I was going
to say no.

"Pierce..." I was breathless. He looked down at me with a wounded expression. "I'm

sorry. I was in a state of shock. That's all."

I paused for a bit then a smile broke off from my face. "Of course I'm saying yes!"
He immediately let out a breath that he was holding. He couldn't help himself as he
grabbed my face and kissed me.

"I thought you were having second thoughts about me." He whispered as he pulled
away slightly.

"It never crossed my mind." I cupped his cheek and caressed it with my thumb.

"I can't wait to call you Mrs. Alexander." I saw him smirk and backed away a bit to
grab my left hand. He slowly slid the ring on my finger then sealed it officially
as he kissed it.
Everyone started to cheer and I couldn't help but smile that I was sharing this
with moment with everyone. I may not have mom, dad and Wilson beside me but these
people around right now were the closest thing I had as a family.

I finally had the life I wanted. Everything was finally on track and I couldn't be
more thankful that I'd been privileged to have more. Money was a plus but that was
not I was talking about. I meant friendship, family and love. These were important
to me and now I had it.

"One last thing..." Pierce turned to the side to look at Hugh. "I need that dress
in two months' time." He looked back at me and had a mischievous smirk on.

"You didn't? Did you?" I asked baffled by the fact that he bought the wedding dress
that I wore.

He just winked and walked off as if he just didn't spend a hundred thousand dollars
on a wedding dress.

To think I was going to spend the rest of my life with this man. Was he worth it?

I didn't have to think twice.

Definitely.

~THE END~

Hello!

I wanted to thank everyone for giving my book a chance. It took me a year but I
made it! (yay) I wouldn't be able to achieve this without your support. I really
can't explain how much I love you guys. I'm really overwhelmed by this. Thank you
so much from the bottom of my heart. You're all awesome. I really appreciate all
your votes, messages and comments.

This isn't goodbye rather I'll see you all later ;)

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x Jovi