'Wedding Preparation'

"Whoa... Those reporters," Eliza whispered in astonishment as she peeked from the window blinds and saw the press corps outside the hotel. She was inside her hotel room and was currently waiting for her hair to be done.

"They'll be here in a minute." Eliza looked in Vasquez's direction as he spoke and entered her room. 

She then sat on the bed, slightly struggling with her wedding gown. "Who?"

"Your hairdressers," Vasquez said, glanced at Eliza, and let out a long sigh. "You know, I'm starting to feel like you're really getting married."

"I'm literally getting married, Lor." Eliza showed a confused look to her best friend, which made him chuckle. "What's funny?"

Vasquez sat on one of the couches. "Nothing. I'm just amused. You looked so calm." 

"Yeah, I just look like it, but I'm actually dying inside. My stomach hurts." Eliza massaged her tummy with her hand. "I thought I was ready, but seeing those reporters in real life, God, I felt lightheaded."

"Well, you're marrying an Aversin." Vasquez walked towards the window and slightly split the venetian blinds to peek. "There are more of them now than before."

"So? How do I get out?" Eliza asked, which he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Vasquez untied the curtains and completely covered the window. "Jeffrey will be driving your bridal car. Maybe he knew how."

They both looked at the door as someone knocked and twisted the doorknob. A beautiful young lady in her mid-20s entered the room with a full smile on her lips. "Good morning. I'm the hairdresser."

Vasquez's brows knitted in confusion. "You're alone?"

"Ah, yes. My assistant fell sick, so she can't accompany me today." The woman replied softly while walking towards the table and placing the stuff she needed on top of it.

Vasquez, who was still doubting, politely approached the hairdresser and asked for her identification card. She immediately gave a wallet-size card to Vasquez, and then he compared it to the picture Jalil sent—the hairdresser's picture, which he received from Jalil, and the woman standing in front of him were different people. He looked at the woman with his left brow raised, showing an expression of ambivalence.

"What's your name?" Vasquez asked to double check the I.D. she gave. The woman was now slightly displaying signs of nervousness.

"Uh, Lilybeth R-Reyes," the woman replied with a shaky tone. She couldn't look directly at Vasquez's eyes, and she started fidgetting with her fingers, which caused Vasquez's doubt to increase.

Eliza approached them and tapped Vasquez's shoulder while she smiled at the hairdresser. "Lor, it's okay. She seemed harmless."

"We shouldn't trust easily. Remember, you're Jalil's bride." Vasquez directed his attention to the woman. "You're new?"

The woman bit her lip in anxiety and nodded in response. "The one who was assigned to Mr. Aversin's bride got an emergency, so I was sent here as her replacement."

Vasquez attempted to ask more questions, but Eliza tapped his shoulder once again. "You're scaring her. Also, it's already 11:45 am. The wedding will start at 3:00 pm. Let her do my hair. You can watch us if you still have doubts or anything."

Vasquez took a deep thought about the situation and just agreed after. Eliza was right. They were running out of time. 

He glanced at the woman once again and nodded, signaling to her that he had given his permission. Although he let her, Vasquez didn't stop investigating the hairdresser through his phone. 

He sat on the same couch where he was sitting earlier and sent a message to Jeffrey. He knew Jalil had no time for anything since he was also busy preparing. Jeffrey was the convenient choice to trust in situations like this.

"Do you want your hair down, ma'am?" The hairdresser asked politely. Eliza shook her head as a response. "A bun?"

"Yes. But I want it to look like a huge rose on my head. My mother requested it. Can you do it?" Eliza smiled. The hairdresser nodded and started selecting the hairpins, hair spray, and combs she needed. 

While the hairdresser was carefully doing Eliza's hair, Vasquez was busy investigating her with the help of Jeffrey. He couldn't leave the room since he was securing Eliza's safety.

[From: Jeffrey

I called them. She said Sheena Moran was replaced with Lilybeth Reyes. Sheena's sister got into an accident, so she abruptly passed the job to Lily this morning.

Vasquez was relieved after reading the text message he received. He once again looked at the woman, who was now layering Eliza's hair like petals. Though Jeffrey confirmed it, the feeling of doubt resurfaced in Vasquez as he examined the woman with his gaze. He knew his gut had never failed him, but there was still room for mistakes. He was hoping it would fail today.

Around 2:00 pm, Eliza was patiently waiting for Jeffrey to come pick her up in her room. She was alone inside since Vasquez left the room together with the hairdresser.

Some bodyguards were standing outside the room, but Eliza was unaware of it because she had been inside the room since 3 a.m. She even took the final pictures inside with her hair and makeup done. The room was big enough to have space for her bridal photoshoots.

Eliza processed everything in her mind while reminiscing about the fast happenings in her life. Not to mention the sudden prenup they did last night until 2:00 am. They came up with the theme of moonlight lovers as they captured their prenup during the night. 

She didn't feel like Jalil was a stranger to her because of the way he held her, although she could only count in her fingers the words they exchanged with each other. He was professional with what he was doing, and you would literally feel at ease around him even though his face was screaming with seriousness. Their prenup omitted the kissing poses just like the usual pictures of the couple in a prenup photoshoot—they both refused it. 

A moment later, Jeffrey entered the room and greeted Eliza with a sweet smile. Eliza smiled back as she stood up. "We're leaving?"

"Yes. We will go out in front of the hotel. The back exit is useless; reporters are all over the place. It's better to wear your veil to hide your face if you're uncomfortable with them taking pictures. They are not allowed to enter the church, so you can relax," Jeffrey said.

Eliza just nodded. "How many visitors do we have?"

Jeffrey looked up, counting in his mind. "I don't know. Probably a hundred? Or two?"

Eliza's mouth hung in disbelief. "Wow. I could really relax. Thank you."

Jeffrey just chuckled at Eliza's sarcasm and walked towards her to assist her in walking with her heavy gown. "Well, you signed up for this, so you have to relax."

With the help of hotel staff, Eliza and Jeffrey safely got inside the bridal car. Reporters were like ants gathered around the car, wanting to get pictures and statements from her. It was chaotic and loud, which made Eliza feel a little suffocated. She never imagined it would be like this.

"How did celebrities deal with crowds like this?" Eliza exclaimed, trying to catch her breath. "I hope it won't be like this every day. I will definitely resign."

Jeffrey laughed. "Just give it a week or more; everything will calm down after. But I won't guarantee there won't be paparazzi here and there in the future. Expect to be in the headlines or viral on the internet at least once or twice a month at most."

Eliza just rested her back in her seat and let out a long sigh. "Well, it's fine. I'll make sure I won't be in the headlines as a runaway bride."

Jeffrey paused for a moment and then laughed his lungs out after Eliza's joke sank in. "Damn. You're so funny. You know, we probably should hang out during free time. I think we'll get along."

Eliza formed a wide smile on her face and said, "Sure!"