Not long after, the engagement banquet officially began. The process was still going according to plan. The host first came on stage and said some formal words before inviting Albie up, followed by various pleasantries.
Aurora looked at the man shining brightly on stage and felt a bit excited herself. This was her brother, whom she had treated sincerely since childhood. He was about to get engaged and have his own family.
The idle talk on stage ended, and in everyone's expectant gaze, the emcee finally said those words: "Please welcome our bride-to-be for today, Miss Hayward!"
Karen appeared quickly wearing a white dress that seemed simple but had complex craftsmanship with sparkling diamonds shining brightly. She walked to the centre of the stage next to Albie. Her small face blushed slightly with obvious shyness remaining as if she were embarrassed.
Looking at it this way, this woman Karen wasn't as bad as Aurora imagined; she also had elegance and gracefulness while having a bit of girlish shyness and cuteness.
But Aurora regretted her thoughts before they even fully formed because Karen suddenly turned towards her direction during an interval, with a proud and arrogant look in her eyes like that of a victorious person's disdain.
Aurora didn't want to deal with her so she turned her head away, only to suddenly meet Sion's gaze. He had been staring at her, making her feel instantly flustered and embarrassed.
Sion wasn't embarrassed though; he smiled gently even feeling somewhat pleased inside. Aurora turned all attention towards him instead of Cameron because compared to Cameron she liked Sion more.
"Is it boring?" He asked softly.
Aurora forced out a smile,"... a little."
She looked up at Karen on stage whom she couldn't like no matter what and then turned around to meet eyes again with her ex-husband. He made it impossible for her not to cross paths today. It seemed destined not to be a comfortable day.
Just as Aurora thought grumpily about this situation, Sion's voice came from beside her again.
"There is an environmentally friendly music hall nearby where we can relax after everything ends later? Would you like me to take you there?" asked he. Sion's voice was light without giving any pressure.
Aurora hesitated looking back towards where everyone else sat, wondering if there were any other things planned after the engagement banquet ended. She thought she should congratulate Albie face-to-face first.
Cameron heard their conversation too.
He was a little impatient and interjected with a smirk, "Aurora, I envy your brother's engagement ceremony."
"Uh?"
Aurora didn't immediately understand the meaning behind Cameron's words.
Cameron glanced at the other man besides her and spoke in a strange tone, sounding somewhat resentful, "Look, your brother is already engaged. We don't have any reason to delay anymore. Shouldn't we schedule our engagement ceremony?"
What?
Aurora was taken aback, completely unexpected of him to say that. At that time, she told him that the engagement was just a joke and she said it to make Sion angry. Aurora's expression turned cold when she saw Sion's face, and for a moment she didn't know whether to speak or not.
What a self-made disaster!
Aurora bit her lip in embarrassment, the flickering lights shining on her face, revealing her inner turmoil and helplessness.
Exposed under their gazes, she wished there was a deep pit where she could hide.
As Sion heard Cameron's words, his eyes hooked like an eagle and stared straight at Aurora. "Aurora, do you want to marry him?"
His tone was inexplicably low, but there was also a hint of unwilling determination. Aurora was being stared at by Sion, and there was no way to deny it, otherwise, the whole thing would be exposed. The play went on to the end, and in order not to reveal any flaws, she had to nod her head reluctantly and say, "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Sion was completely heartbroken. The hole in his heart that had not yet healed seemed to ignite along the edges, spreading rapidly like oil on fire and threatening to consume him entirely.
This seemed to have become a fact. He should be superfluous to her now, shouldn't he? He lowered his gaze, with an indiscernible sense of loss in his eyes.
Cameron couldn't contain his excitement and said, "Then I'll go back and have people start preparing according to our customs, choosing an auspicious day."
After speaking, he glanced at Sion with a satisfied expression. Sion sensed his gaze and the pressure around him grew heavier. His eyes turned to the stage and he didn't speak again.
Aurora felt a moment of embarrassment, but seeing that Sion had already turned his head, she didn't say anything more. After forcing a smile, she also looked towards the bride-to-be and bridegroom-to-be on stage.
After the engagement ceremony, Albie and Karen raised their glasses to toast. Karen's face was adorned with a happy smile, tinged with a slight blush, while Albie's face showed no emotion, which was bland and expressionless. Karen glanced at the two men on either side of Aurora, with a hint of meaning. Aurora noticed her gaze. But on a day like today, she didn't want to argue with her. She raised her glass and smiled, "I know, and I hope you and my brother will be happy."
Albie's deep gaze stared at her for a while before he finally picked up his glass and drank it all in one go. Sion and Cameron had similar expressions when they saw this scene, calm enough that their emotions were unreadable. After exchanging some polite words, they took a drink.
Albie's eyes flickered with countless emotions as he said, "We'll go over there first." Seeing everyone nodding their heads in agreement, he turned around and left with Karen.
After this part was over, the engagement banquet soon came to an end. Before Aurora could say anything else, the man next to her stood up first.
"The banquet is over. I'm leaving." Sion's seemingly warm voice carried an oppressive feeling as he spoke these words before turning around quickly and leaving behind an inexplicable sense of desolation.
Aurora watched him leave until she felt choked up in her throat. She felt anxious inside but knew that there was no way for her to catch up with him now. If she could use this opportunity to make Sion give up on her completely and let go of all the mistakes they had made between each other, then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.
"Let's go," Aurora looked at Cameron before walking away side by side.
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