The night went by quickly, and the morning sun stood brightly in the sky, as if happy the day was here. Olivia opened her eyes, and it dawned on her that she was going to see her mysterious husband that very day.
She rose from her bed and prepared for the day. The banquet hall had been organized and decorated the day before, and the only thing remaining was the arrival of the food, which was going to happen that afternoon.
Olivia had a very important lecture that day, so she went to college first. Aside from going for the lecture that morning, Olivia wanted to get a dress suitable for the banquet. She most definitely couldn't wear the dress Vivian had gotten for her.
After the lecture, Olivia went to a mall with Tommie, who also wanted to get herself a dress for the banquet, since her family had been invited too. On getting to the mall, Olivia checked out a series of clothes; however, she wasn't impressed until she saw a beautiful royal blue gown. The gown had a long fishtail and was embedded with diamonds at the tips. The little slit up to the knee made it even better.
Olivia was drawn to that gown instantly. Seeing her sparkling eyes, the attendant quickly introduced the dress to her.
"This is one of our newest collections. It was made by X designer, and we only have two of this in the country." After saying this, she also told Olivia the price.
Hearing the price, Olivia wasn't shocked, because she knew X designer's clothes were always that expensive, but in her current state, she couldn't afford it. Her step-father hadn't credited her card since she got married into the Bradford family, and she wasn't planning on collecting a dime from the Bradfords either. She was going to manage her savings until she finished college and found a decent job.
"I will look for something else," she smiled as she told the attendant.
"Why are you looking for something else? This dress will suit you well," Tommie said. Without waiting for her to continue, she told the attendant to pack the dress for Olivia.
"I can't afford to buy this dress, Tommie," Olivia pulled her friend's hand.
"I'm buying it for you as your wedding gift. I didn't give you one before," Tommie said, knowing Olivia wouldn't accept the dress from her unless she was given a genuine reason. "Besides, don't forget my mother loves you like her own daughter. She'd gladly get this dress for you if I told her you loved it."
"I will accept your generous gift, then," Olivia said, knowing nothing she said was going to change Tommie's mind. She decided to accept the dress, making a mental note to pay her back in the future.
After getting the dress, Olivia and Tommie went their separate ways, since Olivia still had something to do that afternoon.
Arriving at the mansion, Olivia went to the hall, which was already decorated, to meet the chef who had brought the dishes. She also helped the others finish the preparations for the banquet. By the time they were done with everything, it was just an hour away from the banquet starting.
Olivia went back to the mansion to bathe and get dressed. When she was done with everything, she rushed back to the hall in a car to give instructions to the workers hired for the day.
At 5 p.m. sharp, different vehicles began to stop in front of the Bradford family hall, and the exclusive media companies hired for the event began taking pictures that would make their headlines.
Various prominent businessmen and government officials came into the hall one after another with their partners or families. The Bradford family members also arrived one after the other. The first to arrive was the second branch of the Bradford family. Although they were the second branch, they were still considered influential in the country, and a lot of businessmen walked up to them to strike up conversation. After the second branch had arrived, Skyler came in with Vivian and her daughter, Tasse Bradford, who had arrived that morning with her father. Tasse Bradford was a very beautiful and charming young lady with blond hair and blue eyes. Walking beside her mother, she looked like a princess while her mother looked every bit the queen. She was the perfect female replica of Matthew Bradford.
After Skyler's arrival, the Great Elder walked in with his only son, Olivia's father-in-law, Timothy Bradford . At that point, the banquet was already at its peak. The hall was very lively, with people's laughter echoing through it. As soon as it was 6 p.m., everyone was already waiting for the arrival of second Bradford.
"Good evening, everybody. Thank you for coming to the banquet organized for second Bradford," the Great Elder said after getting onto the stage.
"Second Bradford just landed and is on his way to the hall, but before he arrives, I want us to enjoy the banquet. Thank you." After his last word, everyone applauded him and continued their conversations.
Thirty minutes later, the door opened, and a man walked inside. All the socialites in the hall gasped as soon as he appeared. To them, he looked like an angel they could only glimpse once in a while. He carried a charming yet formidable aura, even while smiling.
As soon as Matthew entered, he saw his mother sitting with his sister and walked up to them.
"Good evening, Mother," he said as soon as he reached her side.
"Good evening, son."
"Good evening, Brother Matthew," Tasse greeted her brother in a calm voice.
"Good evening, Tasse. How was your journey ?" he asked, looking at her. He had never really been close to his sister, even from her younger years, because she'd always preferred talking to second Bradford instead of him.
"Good." After replying to Matthew, Tasse continued talking to Vivian, who was beside her.
Matthew went ahead to greet his father and the Great Elder after speaking with his mother for a while. The ladies in the hall were very excited and begged their fathers to introduce them to Matthew. Matthew kept receiving glances from a lot of ladies, something he was used to, but he had not yet seen the one he was looking for that night.