Prince Charming

'Should I just let them pour the punch on me and then walk out of here gracefully?' Adele thought. 'Or should I make a run for it now?' Her blue eyes quickly traveled the faces of the crowd, and a sigh left her lips when she realized there was no way out.

Adele was quick to admit defeat, but it couldn't be helped; she was surrounded by reporters and Brianna's hostile family and friends, not to mention the two glaring bridesmaids in front of her with a huge metal punch bowl in their hands.

The raven-haired beauty closed her eyes as she spoke, "If you're going to do it, just do it." However, suddenly, the place got silent for a moment before whispering ensued.

"Put the bowl on the table," Adele heard a smooth, deep voice command, and her eyes shot open.

Elliot stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets and a calm expression on his handsome face. The two bridesmaids' knees bucked under his intense and alluring gaze, their hearts racing and mouths drying as they stared at the most beautiful man they had ever seen.

Adele rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her damp chest as her eyes fell on the lovesick expressions of the women who were just now showering her with hostility.

'What is with these women?' she thought irritatedly. 'He's just a fucking guy.'

'A very handsome guy,' her inner voice dared to add, but she refuted it by thinking, 'Nope, just a guy.'

"D-Didn't you see what she did to Brianna?" one of the blushing, red-faced bridesmaids questioned. "You're a guy, so you may not know this, your highness, but a woman's wedding day is the most important day of her life! S-She can't get away with this!"

"What if she apologized?" Elliot tried to compromise. He smiled, revealing a dimple on his left cheek. "A heartfelt apology is much more satisfying than bitter revenge, wouldn't you agree?"

Elliot's smile was small, but to the people staring at him, it was the most beautiful smile they had ever seen. It melted their hearts to goo and filled them with an unfamiliar warmth and butterflies in the pits of their stomach.

"He has the body and face of a sexy devil but the smile of an angel," a middle-aged woman swooned. "If I were some years younger..."

The similarly aged woman beside her looked at her with brows furrowed in confusion as she asked, "Isn't he your nephew?"

The bridesmaids couldn't refuse Elliot's smile; they felt saying no to someone so blatantly favored by God would be a sin. "F-Fine," one of the bridesmaids started. "I'll go get Brianna."

"I'd truly appreciate that," Elliot responded with another small smile, and the women almost fainted from their faces getting too hot.

Elliot turned to face a frowning Adele with arms behind his back and a perfectly arched brow raised.

She looked at him with a blank expression as she asked, "What?" Her pink lips formed a pout as she hmphed. "If you're waiting for a thank you, you will be waiting for a long time."

Elliot sighed as he muttered while averting his gaze, "How can someone so cute be so vicious?"

"What?" Adele questioned; she didn't hear what he said.

Elliot shook his head, "It's nothing." He stepped closer to the much shorter woman. "Have you figured out what you're going to say?"

Adele raised a brow as she feigned obliviousness, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Elliot rolled his eyes, "It's just an apology."

Adele met his silver eyes with her round blue ones, "I didn't ask for your help, Prince Charming." She averted her gaze, crossing her arms defiantly as she continued, "I would've been perfectly fine if they poured the damn punch on me."

Elliot looked at her with a puzzled expression. "You'd rather have that red, sticky liquid all over you than apologize?"

"I did nothing wrong!" Adele whisper-yelled. "That bitch spilled water on me, then dared to slap me. I'm not bloody apologizing; she's the one who should apologize!"

"Adele," Elliot lowered his tone as he lessened the distance between them. "You're acting like a child."

"And you're acting like my mother," Adele argued. She met his stare with a stern glare as she spat, "Back the fuck off."

"E-Elliot?" Brianna called in a weak voice, interrupting the whispered argument that was being had between Elliot and Adele.

Brianna was still in the soaked wedding dress stained red by wine. Her eyes were red, and her face puffy. She had been crying the entire time in the arms of her grandmother. She didn't marry Daniel out of love, but she still wanted the perfect fairytale wedding.

One of her bridesmaids came rushing to her room, out of breath and with her face red. Her grandmother addressed the heavily breathing woman since she was too sad to speak.

"What is it?" her grandmother questioned, still irritated by what Adele did to her granddaughter.

"Adele wants to apologize," the bridesmaid said between pants.

This time, Brianna stopped crying and withdrew her face from her grandmother's neck warmth. "What?" she questioned. "Adele wants to...what?" Brianna couldn't believe it.

Her grandmother hmphed, "I bet her mother knocked some sense into that empty skull of hers."

Brianna pursed her lips as she thought, 'It must be some trick; when since does she listen to anything her mother says?'

"Actually," the bridesmaid started. "It was Elliot who said she'd apologize."

Brianna's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Elliot's name, but she then felt irritated. "She listens to him?" she asked almost in a whisper.

"I guess so," the bridesmaid responded with a shrug.

'Haven't they just met?' Brianna thought with a frown. She tightly clenched her fists. 'Why does he care about her so much?'

"You don't have to hear anything from her," her grandmother said while offering a reassuring smile.

Brianna got out of her grandmother's loving embrace. "Adele never apologizes to anyone for anything," the smiling bride started. "I'll never forgive her for what she did to me, but her apologizing on camera in front of the world is more than enough payback."

"You're not gonna change or at least redo your makeup first?" the bridesmaid questioned. "All the cameras will be on you too."

"No," Brianna responded as she looked in the small mirror on the wall. "I'll get the entire world on my side looking like this."

Returning to her wedding, Brianna replaced her excited smile with a pitiful expression. Her stomach churned when she saw Adele and Elliot standing so closely, whispering.

'Why is he so into that rotten apple?' Brianna thought. Her heart was jealous; she wanted to interrupt them, so she did.

"E-Elliot?" she called in a weak voice.