The familiar buzz of New York City brought a smile to Harriett’s face as they drove to the Edward Mansion. It had been four years but nothing had change.
She hated how normal it felt to her. Almost like she never left.
Addison and Adrian on the other hand had never been to New York and for some strange reason, they already loved it.
“I like how tall the buildings are… look at that. There are people everywhere, mummy.” Addison said, pointing out the window with a wide grin.
“There are people in Paris too, Addy. You’re just being dramatic.” Harriett’s mother said, making everyone in the car laugh.
Harriett looked back to see Tony’s car following behind them. It wasn’t his first time in New York and he could easily get a hotel to stay in but her parents wouldn’t have it.
“You’re family now, Tony. Family stays together.” Her mother had told him. Harriett couldn’t understand why her parents liked him that much. As much as he was her best friend, she was uncomfortable with the way they secretly shipped them together.
She wasn’t ready to settle down with any man.
Not yet.
When they got to the mansion, the rooms had already been prepared for them so they didn’t have to waste any time in settling down.
Harriett smiled widely as he entered her old room. It was filled with lots of memories from her teenage years.
Damien took a huge part of those memories as she would always sit in her room and dream about him falling in love with her.
A dream that never came into existence.
A knock on the door brought her out of her daze and she quickly hid some of her old pictures that she had been staring at.
“It’s open.” She announced and the door knob turned, opening to reveal Tony.
“Tony. Do you like it here?” She asked, welcoming him in. He looked around her room and smiled before walking over to the bed where she sat.
“Of course, I like it here. You’re here, Addy and Adrian are here. Jake and Ha young are here too. How can I not like it here?” He said and Harriett chuckled, hitting his arm.
“That’s not what I mean.” She said, still laughing.
“New York. How does it feel to be back here after ten years?” She asked, remembering what he said about his past. She didn’t want to bring it up but seeing how comfortable he looked her, she felt that it was okay to talk about it.
“Oh.” He raised his brows and his expression changed slightly.
“I must confess, it feels really strange but like you, I want to move on from my past. It will do me no good to hold on to that memory.” He confessed, using the exact same words she had used when
she revealed her past with Damien to him.
Then, she remembered that she had not said anything about the wedding to him. All he knew was that they were returning to New York for her parent’s company. She felt that it would be unfair to keep it away from him so, she decided to tell him.
“There’s something you need to know, Tony.” She started and he turned to her, giving her his full attention as his dark brown eyes stared directly into hers with an emotion that was foreign to her.
There was something about the way Tony looked at her that suggested that he didn’t want to be just friends with her but she didn’t want to give it a second thought, so, she pretended to not see it.
“I’ll be attending Eric’s wedding in four days.” She said and Tony nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue.
“Eric is Damien’s best friend.” She finished and bit her lower lip as she awaited his response.
There was an eerie silence for a few seconds before Tony finally cleared his throat and reached out to take Harriett’s hand, rubbing it lightly.
“As long as you’ll be alright. Besides, I’ll be at the wedding with you. I won’t let that coward come close to you.” He assured with gritted teeth and Harriett nodded.
“Thank you.” She whispered even though she knew Damien won’t even spare her two glances.
He never loved her so he wouldn’t really care if she was back to new York.
*
*
“Mummy, hurry up. We’re going to be late for the wedding!” She heard Adrian’s voice from the living room accompanied by a groan from his sister.
“You’re making daddy wait!” Adrian continued, his voice increasing with every new word.
From the day she announced that they would be going for Eric’s wedding, the Children have been jittery and couldn’t stay a minute without asking her if it was time for the wedding.
“Okay, okay. I’m done.” She announced as she finally left her room and hurried down the stairs.
“Woowww… you’re so pretty, mummy!” She heard Addison’s voice as she walked down the stairs.
The children were waiting alongside Eric who had a blank expression on his face.
He looked like he had just seen a ghost. Tony couldn’t believe how beautiful his friend was.
Of course, he had always known that she was extremely beautiful but seeing her all glammed up made her look different.
He could sense that she put in extra work since she would be seeing her ex-husband.
He was damn right.
Harriett wanted Damien to see that she was doing better without him so she deliberately put in extra work on her makeup and dress.
She wore a long red dress to go with the wedding theme. It hugged all her curves and had a high slit that rose up to her thighs.
During the last four years, she enrolled in a gym and took her diet seriously so her body had experienced a drastic change. Her hips were bigger and her waist, thinner.
She was different in a beautiful and classy way.
“How do I look?” She asked her children, doing a mini twirl for them and they both clapped their hands happily.
“Mummy is the most beautiful woman in the whole world.” Adrian said, his eyes gleaming with pride.
“What do you think, Daddy? Isn’t she beautiful?” Addison ran up to Tiny and asked, shaking his legs.
“Y-yes. She is.” Tony stuttered and cleared his throat before announcing that they should be on their way.
When they got to the venue, the wedding hadn’t begun yet but most of the guests were already seated. Since they were invited specially by the groom, they had their seat reserved at the front of the hall.
Harriett walked gracefully with her children and Tony to the front before taking a seat as they waited for the ceremony to begin.
Less than ten minutes later, they commenced the ceremony and announced the groom’s entry. They all turned to watch him move to the alter and that was when she saw him, walking beside Eric.
He was smiling from ear to ear and she clenched her hands angrily as she struggled to comport herself. She turned to look away when she caught sight of a familiar face smiling like a lost puppy at Damien.
Her face twisted in disgust as she immediately recognized the woman.
It was none other than Evelyn James.
Harriett looked at her children and suddenly, her expression changed as she remembered the second reason why she was here.
Her lips curled up into a wicked smile as she looked at Tony.
“Let the show begin.”