Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 29

Silverside was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. It was a city of silver concrete skyscraping buildings that practically touched the clouds. The roads were made from freshly paved cement and were filled with tons of rush-hour traffic.

I had never seen this many cars in my life; I’ve lived in the countryside my whole life that I almost forgot that cars existed. Except for Jonathan’s, but we don’t use it that often. Just as there were many cars on the roads, there were probably more people swarming the streets.

Looking over at Jonathan, he seemed to be just as amazed as I was.

Rolling down the window I was hit with the scent of street food from a nearby vendor. They seemed to be selling hot dogs and fried dough. I’ve never tasted fried dough before, but I knew Natalie at the bakery in Sabrebite, has been bragging about her fried dough recipe for a long time.

As we pulled up to the Conway Manor, my mouth dropped open. It sat on a hilltop of leafy green grass and blooming spring flowers, overlooking the city. The manor itself was a white building with golden pillars and matching golden frames around the dozens of windows.

Boris Conway stood outside his door, waiting for us.

“Jonathan,” Boris greeted as we approached. “Arina,” he said turning to me. “Thank you for coming.”

For a moment, I swore Boris was scanning me with his eyes. His eyes dropped down and stared at the camera I had around my neck.

“That’s an interesting camera,” he said, still staring at it intently. I frowned and held it close to my chest. It almost looked as though he recognized it.

“It was my mother’s,” I told him. His eyes shot up and met mine; there was something in them I didn’t recognize.

His reaction gave me an uneasy feeling.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

Without another word, he turned and went into his manor. We followed closely behind him.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the manor was the marble flooring; it was so clear it reflected my face like it was a mirror. A large-curved staircase, made from the same marble, sat in the center of the foyer.

We made our way to the end of the foyer until we reached a pair of red doors. Pushing open the doors, he revealed the open ranged ballroom. The flooring was made from dark granite. Across the ballroom was a stage where the DJ was setting up his equipment. Above the stage was a giant pink sign that said, “Happy Birthday Makenna”. Around the ballroom were pink and purple balloons and party streamers hanging down the walls.

I could smell the food from the kitchen roaming through the area and clouding my senses, making my mouth water for I haven’t eaten yet.

There were some women, dressed in elegant gowns placing name cards and silverware at certain tables. Looking down at my own dress, it was light pink and stretched down in ruffly waves down to my feet. It was noodle strapped and the top of the gown rested right above my cleavage to keep myself looking professional.

I left my hair down so my curly blonde ringlets draped over my shoulders and down my back; my side bangs covering over half my face.

I brushed my hair with my fingers nervously as I looked at all the other workers in their ball gowns, as though they were something from a fairytale. I felt a bit underdressed.

“We are still setting up for the party,” Boris explained, watching me as I scanned the room nervously. “Guests should be arriving soon though. Makenna is with Nikini getting ready upstairs and should be down soon. You can set your equipment up somewhere of your choosing for the photoshoot.” He paused. “I’m assuming your equipment is in your car?”

Equipment?

The only equipment I had was the camera I had around my neck. Of course, I didn’t tell him that. I politely smiled and said my thanks as he went off to check on the food.

My mind raced back to my mother; I couldn’t imagine her having an affair with a man who owns so much. A man who lives such an elegant lifestyle.

It all seemed so surreal.

Guests started to arrive in time for Makenna to appear with Nikini close behind her. Nikini was dressed in an elegant strapless black dress with gold decals down her sides. The dress hugged her torso, showing off her petite figure and expanding as it reached her waist, the lacy fabric falling to the floor around her. Her dark hair was tied back in an elegant bun with a diamond brooch holding together her curls.

Makenna had the same dark hair as Nikini; her hair was tied back and out of her face, but it fell around her shoulders and down her backside. She wore a red strapless gown that also hugged her torso, showing off her small figure. Much like Nikini’s dress, Makenna’s expanded around her waist and fell close to the ground. Except it wasn’t touching the ground; her dress ended above her feet, so her red heels and perfectly manicured toes were seen.

She had the same olive skin and facial features as Nikini. Her eyes being dark brown had ringlets of gold outlining her pupils; her nose had a slight sheer from her makeup and a light layer of pink blush on her upper cheekbones. Her lips were a natural pink shade, however, she glossed them over with a clear l*p-gloss.

Makenna and Nikini stood in the center of the ballroom, greeting each guest as they passed. It didn’t take long for the room to fill up and the DJ to begin playing music. A lot of the guests appeared to be around Makenna’s age. However, the majority were adults.

Once the guests have filled the spaces around the ballroom and found their tables; the music grew louder, and the food began getting served. The waitstaff wore white button-down shirts with black dress pants, so they were easily discoverable.

They brought out pans of chicken, steak, fish, fruits, vegetables, mac & cheese, salads, cheese & crackers, and a couple of different pasta dishes. Layering the food on buffet tables for the guests to grab.

Makenna had found her group of friends and was chuckling amongst them, gossiping.

It reminded me of Mallory and Lucille.

Meanwhile, Nikini was still standing in the center of the ballroom; she looked uncomfortable as a few guests tried to make small talk with her. She gave them fake smiles and answered a couple of their questions, but then it appeared she was giving them the cold shoulder until they walked away.

Scanning the ballroom, her eyes found mine. She sized me up with her eyes, scanning my outfit from my feet to my face and her frown deepened.

Now I really felt underdressed.

“Arina…” Nikini said as she approached me. “You look… uh… interesting.”

I felt the heat rising into my cheeks.

“Um… thanks,” I said in response.

“What a charming little camera,” she said, eyeing the camera around my neck with a frown.

“It was my mother’s,” I told her. I swear I saw a flash of something in her eyes as I said that.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

“Well,” she said, her smile hardening. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“That was weird,” I muttered to Jonathan. Looking over at him, he was eyeing the food from across the ballroom. I gave him a knowing smile and nudged him towards the table. “Can you get me a plate too?”

Smiling he kissed the side of my face before heading over to the buffet table.

Makenna was still with her friends when I approached her. I was able to take a few photos of the venue and some of the guests. A couple of them posed for my pictures.

As I got to Makenna, like Nikini, she sized me with her eyes.

It must run in the family.

“Hi, we haven’t met yet,” I said, reaching my hand out to shake hers. She stared at my hand and then back at me without moving.

“Were we supposed to?” She asked; she even sounded like Nikini with her velvety voice.

“I’m Arina,” I said.

She stared at me with a blank expression.

“Your mother hired me to be your photographer,” I told her.

Her frown only deepened.

“She hired you?” She asked, sizing me up again.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Fine. Take photos, just stay out of my way,” she said as she turned her back to me.

That wasn’t how I was planning on doing this but considering she won’t give me the time of day, I guess I had no choice.

I began taking pictures of Makenna talking amongst her friends; then I took pictures of her dancing, eating, and singing. There were some photos where she was laughing. I even managed to get some photos of Makenna with the birthday sign above the stage in the background.

Once I finished taking pictures, I joined Jonathan at an unmarked table and ate food. He had my plate prepared with my favorite foods: chicken, mac & cheese, and various vegetables. I hadn’t eaten all day, so I ate quickly.

After we ate, I decided to take a few photos of the ballroom layout and natural decorations. Paintings were hanging on the wall that I hadn’t noticed and wanted to take a few closer photos of them. Maybe I could get a couple of the guests to pose near them.

God knows I wouldn’t be able to get Makenna to pose for a photo.

One of the paintings was nothing but a beautiful swirl of colors with a darkened background reminding me of a galaxy. The one beside it was a painting of the ballroom itself with Boris Conway posing in the center. I realized up until now that I had never seen Boris actually smiling, but he was smiling in the photo. He was leaning against the stage with a mysterious twinkle in his eyes and a smile upon his face.

It almost felt like he was testing the devil himself; daring him to come out and play. He was wearing casual clothing; something else I had never seen from Boris. He wore a pair of jeans, that looked fairly old on him, and a plain blue t-shirt. It brightened up his dark exterior and brought a little more humanity to him.

“He looks different,” Jonathan said, following my gaze to the painting.

“Yeah…” I breathed. “He does.”

As my eyes continued to scan the painting, I noticed a small watermark in the bottom corner. I had to use my camera lens to enhance the marking to see it better. But once I saw what it said, I nearly dropped my camera and ran from the building.

I had to take a step back to readjust myself.

It said: Emlin.

“Jonathan?” I whispered to him.

He looked at me with curiosity in his eyes.

“I think my mother painted this.”