Luna

Wednesday morning was my wedding gown fitting schedule. I was in the biggest bridal boutique in New York, where they have the widest selection of luxury bridal dresses from famous designers all over the world.

The anticipation of choosing the perfect wedding dress was an incredibly exciting and emotional experience. Having Mom, Sweet, my two grandmas and best friends by my side during this momentous occasion made the process even more special.

"OMG, there are so many styles, fabrics, and designs!" Dulcie was super excited when she saw the racks of gowns.

"Amazing, right? This is gonna be fun!" Sage exclaimed happily. "Are we going to see the entourage gowns, too?"

"Yeah, of course." The sales manager who assisted us said, "and we'll take all of your measurements as well."

My two besties were over the moon, as they were part of the entourage.

"Having no daughter of my own, I never experienced this kind of thing before. I wasn't even invited to join Adonis' tuxedo fitting." Grandma Pia said.

Grandma Celine waved her hand. "I have a daughter, but I wasn't there to help her pick a wedding dress. I wouldn't have allowed her to pick a black wedding dress if I were there."

"Mom, that was a long time ago. Besides, you were there for our second wedding. That's the most important occasion, because Adonis and I were truly in love and got married in our own free will." Mom defended herself from her own mother.

"Totally agree," I said. "Enough about the past. Let's get to my gown fitting, okay?"

I tried way too many wedding dresses and stood on the podium while the ladies checked them out. They were all gorgeous, but I wasn't completely sure which one to pick. I was still trying to find the perfect one that would go with my personality, my style, and make me feel stunning.

I was exhausted and started getting bored. I left it up to the ladies to decide on my wedding dress. I was already hungry because it was almost lunchtime. I was pretty sure the ladies felt the same.

"Choose an outfit you adore, dear. Forget about our suggestions. It's your wedding." Grandma Pia said.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Colton.

I couldn't believe it because he contacted me for the first time. Yeah, I saved his number when he gave me his card, obviously for business reasons.

I didn't know why my heart was racing. I saw him last Sunday, and not seeing his handsome face and hearing his deep velvety voice for three days felt like forever.

"Who's that?" Mom asked, making me look at her, and mouthed 'Colton.'

I hit the answer button and turned on the loudspeaker.

"Hey, how's it going?" I asked, and saw the ladies' eyes grew round, looking very interested. They were listening to my conversation with Colton.

"I'm calling to give you a head's up. I'll be sending you some confidential documents. Keep them to yourself."

"Wait, does that mean I can't tell Barry either?"

"Exactly. Check it out and tell me your thoughts." He said, then asked. "Are you in your office right now?"

"Nope. I'm in the middle of trying on my wedding dress."

"I see." He sounded very distant suddenly. "I won't take up too much of your time."

He was gonna hang up, and I wasn't ready to let him go yet.

"So, when are you gonna be back in New York?"

"Ha! I knew it all along. You're already missing me." Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught the ladies giggling.

"You wish," I chuckled back.

"No worries, we'll hang out more next week."

"You're crazy, you know."

"Am I, though? I know you're dying to spend time with me." He chuckled aloud. "Oh, and by the way, don't forget to bake me a chocolate cake. Mmm... I can't stop thinking about it."

"Stop. I'm on speaker, just so you know. Everyone can totally hear you."

"Oh, crap." He said, and I laughed aloud. "Who's with you?"

"The ladies in my family, including Sweet. And my two BFFs."

"Whew!" I heard him sigh aloud, and said hi to everyone. They were talking, exchanging pleasantries when grandma Celine said.

"We're kinda hungry right now. Luna takes forever to choose a wedding dress. She still hasn't found the right dress."

"Really? I think it would be easy for her." Colton said. "I bet she'd be into anything that looks like Bella's wedding dress from Twilight."

Yeah, Colton was totally right. It's insane that he knew what I liked after just two months of sharing a room. I actually wanted Bella Swan's wedding dress, but I wasn't sure since Barry wouldn't be thrilled. He wanted me to look like a total Barbie - blondie with a fancy ballgown and lots of sparkling gems.

Colton ended the call, and we got back to my wedding dress.

"We've got a complete collection of wedding dresses that are just like Bella Swan's. You'll definitely find what you're looking for." The sales manager said, and she was absolutely right. I found the perfect one.

"That is so beautiful. It fits you perfectly." Sweet gasped when she saw me, got out from the dressing room and stood on a round podium stage. It was a simple long sleeves satin dress with laces, pearls and diamonds.

"I agree. It also fits her actual personality." Mom was teary-eyed as she looked at me. "You look so stunning, Luna. Oh God, I can't believe my daughter is getting married."

"Elena, stop crying. It's making me emotional." Grandma Pia said and quickly wiped her eyes with her hand.

It was an emotional day, with laughter and tears. Trying on wedding dresses was such a memorable experience. I found the perfect dress that made me feel so beautiful and happy. And my family and friends make this journey special and unforgettable.

We checked out this fancy Asian joint for lunch after the wedding dress fitting and then went our separate ways. It was almost 2PM when I showed up at my office.

"Oh, good afternoon, Miss Stavrakos. You're here!" Sally looked surprised when she saw me.

"Yeah, I'm here." My eyebrows rose. "You seemed really shocked. Why?"

"Um, nothing really." She followed me inside my office, then put some documents on my table. "Mr. Cox already has a new secretary. She showed up at his office this morning."

"Really? That's good news!" My eyebrows shot up, and I grinned, glad the HR manager took quick action. "I should call Gwen to thank her."

"Nope. She didn't get interviewed by the HR manager. Mr. Cox hired her himself."

My eyes went wide in surprise. Most probably, Barry hired her because she's really efficient and her qualifications were impressive. I was curious about where Barry found her.

I was really relieved he found a new secretary. He always leaned on Lydia for office stuff, and now he'd do the same with this new secretary. With someone handling his office duties, he can go on more business trips.

I made sure not to forget the date and circled it on my calendar. We got lucky today. I found the perfect wedding dress and Barry got a new secretary. It made me smile and motivated me to work. Alright, let's get down to business. First, check out what Colton sent in the email.

I opened my laptop and Colton's message.

CONFIDENTIAL.

That's what he wrote in his email. There were two documents attached, and I downloaded them on my laptop.

The first document was the receipt for my engagement ring. I couldn't believe how expensive it was. Sebastian was totally right. It cost almost the same as Sweet's engagement ring. One million dollars.

My initial response was feeling super flattered. Barry must've saved a ton of money to get me this fancy ring. But wait — how could he possibly save that much money? He bought a new car, rented a fancy apartment, and splurged on a bunch of fancy stuff.

I was like, "What?" and opened the other document. We had a company voucher for one million-dollar payable to XYZ Corporation. The description of payment was for investment.

My heart throbbed so fast. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Investment? What the hell! Barry didn't even check with me before putting our company's money into this. And I've never heard of XYZ Corporation."

Colton highlighted the check number in the voucher. And guess what? It was the same as the one on my engagement ring receipt!

"Oh, shit!" I cursed out loud. There was absolutely no XYZ Corporation and investment. Barry faked the payee on the voucher and actually used the check to buy my engagement ring.

I was super mad and needed to talk to Barry ASAP. But no. I have to cool off. I made a promise to Colton that I would keep the information confidential.

To alleviate my anger, I got up from my seat and started pacing around the room.

Barry messed up big time. He was robbing our own company. Can you believe it? He knew I'd be fine with whatever ring he gave me, even if it was super cheap. The important thing is that we love each other.

But why'd he do that? I think he'd be embarrassed if he gave me a cheap ring, especially since our wedding is going to be super fancy. Naturally, everyone wants to see our engagement ring, snap a pic and share it on socials.

It totally made sense. He did it so people wouldn't laugh at him. But seriously, it was still stealing. He should've talked to me first.

I couldn't help but wonder how many vouchers he used to swipe cash from our company?

I shook my head vigorously. No way he'd do that to me. He's been true and honest with me from the start.

I sat in my chair, then leaned back and pondered what Sebastian said yesterday. Barry stole $100,000 dollars from Harvey's Clothing Company. There was no chance Harvey Springsteen would randomly accuse him. He's highly respected.

Feeling upset about what I found, I figured I'd talk to Barry. I decided to play Nancy Drew and see if I could catch him.

I went to his office and was totally surprised by his new secretary. A very attractive, petite young woman with a voluptuous body. She had natural blond hair and tan skin — just like Barry's type.

I didn't know how I was feeling anymore. I went from angry to like, super shocked and jealous.

The girl saw me and smiled, which made her look even prettier. She had this angelic face, so naïve and innocent, like she wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Hello Ma'am, good afternoon. You must be Miss Stavrakos." She stood up and bowed her head slightly. "I'm Venus Packer. Mr. Cox's new secretary."