Convincing her

The four girls chatted all the way until they got to the salon. They found that Leanna and Nancy had already arrived and were waiting for them in the VIP lounge. The four girls walked in and greeted their two friends very enthusiastically. 

After the girls calmed down, they all sat down and sipped on the lemonade that had been served earlier.

"How come you were late?" Nancy asked as she eyed the snacks on the table.

"Jen and her fiancé missed each other, so they were catching up. She was the one that caused the delay," Laura blamed with no hesitation, and Jen looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. They were the ones that were late to come and pick her up, okay? If anything, she did not take over ten minutes to go downstairs, but Laura was so ready to push the blame to her.

"I wonder who was the one who was really catching up," Jen, who hadn't even gotten laid the previous night, said as she stood up and helped Leanna up before walking out of the room. Laura felt some embarrassment internally as she had seduced James into sleeping with her that morning, hence why she was late but did not show it on her face.

The girls went through the whole spa experience except for Leanna, who could only do what was convenient for her. She was going to have her baby in around two weeks, so she was feeling very heavy. If Ethan had his way, he would have her on bed rest 24/7, but she protested and resisted and he was weak against her so he could only let her do what she wanted while vigilantly looking after her.

At noon, Jen's dress was delivered, and they were having their hair done. After doing their hair, they went through the whole makeup process. Since Jen was the protagonist that night, it took almost twice as long to achieve the look she was going for.

After they finished with their makeup, they all went to get dressed and asked the staff to take photos of them before departing. They all drove to the venue, still split up in the two cars, and once they arrived, they escorted Jen to the lounge that was exclusively reserved for the protagonists that night. 

The girls chatted a bit before leaving to join everyone else at the large decorated hall. Jen sat alone in the lounge and stared off into nothing as she got lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't believe that today was actually happening. The off-shoulder royal blue dress she was wearing complimented her complexion and with the perfect makeup she was wearing an elaborate hairstyle, she looked like she was there for coronation rather than an engagement party. 

She was waiting for Lucas to come and fetch her so that they could go to the hall together. Fortunately, he did not keep her waiting for too long and he soon opened the door of the lounge. Jen looked up when she heard the door open and her brown eyes met a pair of hazel eyes. 

Lucas's eyes narrowed as he looked at her elegantly dressed figure and he stood in place in stunned silence. Jen stood up and Lucas snapped out of his reverie as he looked at her.

"Do I look that good?" Jen asked as she too studied his handsome figure.

"You look amazing," Lucas said honestly as he walked inside while closing the door behind him. Jen smiled as her cheeks turned slightly pink.

"You also look very handsome," she said as she continued to look at him, and Lucas felt proud of himself for some reason.

"Thank you," Lucas said with a sincere smile, his dimples making an appearance. Jen smiled bashfully when she saw his besotted expression and looked at her perfectly manicured fingers, making him walk towards her.

"Should we go first or do you want to rest for a bit longer?" Lucas asked as he held her hands in his. Jen looked up at him and a beautiful smile adorned her lips. 

"I missed you today, can we stay here for a couple of more minutes?" Jen asked and Lucas's eyes dilated. How can he refuse such a request? He could only join her on the loveseat that she had been sitting on and dazedly looked at her.

"Do I look that different?" Jen asked when she noticed that he was abnormally silent. He was always teasing her, so she was not used to seeing him seriously look at her like this.

"Not really, just prettier than usual, is it because we'll be formally recognizing each other as a couple?" Lucas asked as his eyes strayed from her own down to her lips. Her lips looked even more enticing than usual today. He was really holding himself back from kissing her.

"Don't even think about it, you'll ruin my makeup," Jen said as she placed a slim finger on the lips that were about to descend on hers. The makeup artist who did her makeup was very professional. To get the shade of lipstick she had on, she had dallied with three types of lipsticks. There was no way for her to replicate the look if he ruined her makeup.

"You became irresistible," Lucas said as he held her hand and kissed the finger she placed on his lip, before kissing her soft palm, and even folded her fingers to kiss the back of her hand. Jen sighed as she asked herself why was this so difficult. His actions almost made her give in to him.

In her silence, he kissed the inside of her wrist while hotly looking at her. She swallowed nervously before withdrawing her hand.

"Let's go to the party," Jen said with flushed cheeks. She suddenly felt like prey that was facing her predator, and if she did not make any attempts at fleeing now, she might as well forget about it in a few minutes.

"Mmmh," Lucas replied and stood up before giving her a hand. Once she gathered herself together and picked up the diamond-studded clutch she had with her, the two of them left the room for the reception hall.

Once they arrived at the entrance, they were announced as they walked in. Something that startled Jen into grasping Lucas's strong-arm even tighter. Lucas patted her hand and smiled at her, calming her nerves almost immediately, making her smile back at him.

At the sight of the two, both of their mothers became emotional. Hellen felt like her son was so lucky to meet someone special to him so early in his life, while Diane held on tighter to Jake's arm as she remembered her deceased husband. He would have loved to be here and watch his baby girl find someone she wants to be with for the rest of her life. 

Jake saw his mother's melancholic gaze and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in comfort. What can he do? He was the man of the house now. He thought to himself as he looked at his sister, who was descending the stairs with his brother-in-law.