"Okay, the wedding gown is decided." Carlos smiled broadly. The CEO had been smiling a lot these days, probably because he was the groom-to-be and the happy father of two kids.
After that, Debbie picked out a few more dresses for their wedding photo shoot. Carlos proposed to go on a trip to take the wedding pictures, but Debbie decided against it. She was worried about her little baby, Terilynn. She suggested, "The sets in the studio look real and grand. Let's just take our wedding photos here."
Carlos didn't expect that she would turn down his idea. She liked traveling a lot. But anyway, he followed her idea and nodded, "Okay."
The preparations for their wedding were going on in an orderly and smooth manner. Before the car accident, Carlos had selected a six-star hotel as the venue to hold their wedding ceremony. But he changed the venue this time.
Their wedding was to be held on the desert island where they had stayed for a day after surviving from the shipwreck. Carlos had been developing that island since a year ago. The construction was almost done. It was a completely different place now, not the earlier deserted island anymore. They built a grand wedding hall there and a village with numerous houses for people to live in.
The day Debbie posted their wedding pictures, the Internet fell into utter chaos once again. It was such a hot topic that the Weibo app, along with some other social networking sites, crashed because too many netizens were clicking and commenting on the post at the same time. Unfortunately for the programmers of those apps, their National Day holiday was cut short because of that.
The couple received a ton of blessings from all kinds of people. Celebrities from different fields reposted their wedding photos and blessed them. Their wedding was the topic of conversation in every corner of the world.
The betrothal gifts that Carlos had given to Debbie's family included the Shining International Plaza, 900 million dollars and a few other real estates.
Ramona was greatly taken aback when she came to know about Carlos' gifts, so was Debbie. He did very much love her. It wasn't auspicious to turn down betrothal gifts, so Ramona opted to accept them for the moment. She decided to find a better time to talk about it and try to return some of them to him.
They had a rehearsal ceremony on the day before the wedding ceremony. It was only then that Debbie finally found out that the wedding venue was the desert island.
She felt moved when she set foot on the island again. Everywhere she went, green trees and varieties of flowers greeted her eyes. It looked like a bustling resort now.
Carlos had invited a myriad of guests to their wedding. On the wedding day, helicopters, cruise ships and yachts busily traveled back and forth, carrying their guests to the island. It was the biggest event of the city.
Debbie spent the night before the wedding in the East City Villa. Carlos had specifically arranged for the old housemaid—Julie, their old driver—Matan, and the retired steward—Philip, to come back and accompany Debbie at the villa.
The three of them were the ones who had taken care of Debbie when she was first married to Carlos. Seeing them by her side again, Debbie felt like she was back in those school years. Tears sprang to her eyes.
Julie hugged Debbie as she said between tears and laughter, "I'm so glad. Mr. Huo and you finally have a happy ending…"
Philip's eyes were red from tears as well. He sighed with emotions welling inside him, "Debbie, you silly kid. You're so lucky that you didn't divorce Mr. Huo at the very beginning!"
Debbie looked at the three elders who had always treated her like a granddaughter. She said with gratitude, "Thank you. I feel so blessed to have you all here to witness our wedding ceremony."
Ivan, Kasie, Dixon, Niles, Yates, Jared, Sasha, Xavier, Kinsley and his girlfriend, as well as some other friends all swarmed to East City Villa to spend the night with Debbie, instead of checking into the hotel rooms which Carlos had arranged beforehand.
There were only seven guest rooms in the villa, not enough to hold the large group of people. But they didn't mind making do with it and crowded together to have a happy night.
Kasie and Sasha decided to squeeze into the same bed with the bride-to-be. The three girls chatted chirpily until the wee hours and finally fell asleep. But Debbie had only gotten very little sleep as she was woken up to get dressed and do the makeup.
Eyes red with tears, Ramona helped her daughter put on the wedding gown. As she combed her long hair, she said in a sentimental voice, "Deb, you look so beautiful today. How time flies. In the blink of an eye, you've grown up and have become a wife and a mother. I'm glad to see you marry the man you love the most."
Debbie felt a pang of sadness in her heart. They had missed a lot of precious time. "Mom, you'll also see Decker marry someone and have kids too."
Ramona smiled. "I hope so. But your brother doesn't even have a girlfriend. I don't know how much longer I have to wait for that beautiful occasion."
"Don't worry. After my wedding, I'll arrange some blind dates for him. What do you think?" Debbie asked Ramona.
"I think it's a bad idea, Debbie Nian." Decker's voice came from the doorway.
Debbie wasn't expecting him to come so early. She was used to seeing him in casual clothes, but today, he was dressed in a set of grey Western suit. He looked handsome.
"How is it a bad idea? I'm doing it for your own good. I'm only 27, but you're reaching 30. It's high time for you to get married," Debbie retorted.
Decker sat on a chair nearby and replied, "Mind your own business. I have my own plans. I'll take care of myself."
"Your own plans? Is your plan to get married after 40?" Debbie looked at his reflection in the mirror.
"No." He stood up and went over to the dressing table. Looking at his mother, who was combing Debbie's hair, and the makeup artist applying cosmetic to her face, he reminded her again, "Little girl, you just be the happy bride today. Don't worry about your brother's affairs."
"Well big brother, this little girl is married and has two kids. What about you? You don't even have a girlfriend."
Decker smirked. "Whatever. You're the bride. I'm not going to argue with you today."
With that, he made his way to the door.
Debbie called out to him, "Hey, Decker. Where are you going? Are you pissed?"
"I'm not such a mean guy. I see many girls out there. I'm gonna try my luck and find a girlfriend." Then he left without looking back at them.
Ramona quietly watched the brother and sister banter. She smiled amiably. Such a warm scene had never crossed her mind in the past. Happiness filled her heart.
Carlos came to pick up his bride in a helicopter, with six other helicopters of the same model flying in tow. On the city road, dozens of red limos drove along in a long row. When the helicopters touched down outside the villa, the limos also reached the gate, and parked in an orderly line.
The spectacle was utterly indescribable. The photographers and reporters who had been following the whole wedding gala were all excited to the hilt.
As the brother, Decker needed to piggyback the bride out. The four bridesmaids in their pink dresses and the four groomsmen in their black suits stood at either side of the first helicopter.
The bridesmaids were Kasie, Kristina and two other pop singers who were friends with Debbie.
And the groomsmen were Kinsley, Xavier, Niles, and Wesley, who had come back from abroad for the wedding.
Carlos escorted Debbie into the first helicopter. The bridesmaids and groomsmen boarded the other six helicopters. With the rumbling sound of the engines, the helicopters rose up into the sky and flew to the island.
When they arrived at the venue, Debbie saw the sea of guests who had already assembled. Besides their relatives, there were also big shots from business or political circles. Gregory, Hayden and Emmett's parents were also invited.
Surprisingly, even Valerie, who was now living out her days in a Buddhist temple, was also brought to the island by Carlos.
