oOooooo

THE PARTIES

Candy's engagement party with Neal was such a happy event. Albert began his speech with a joke.

"Ladies and gentleman, how many of you when receiving the engagement invitation card thought 'Gee, I think we received their engagement invitation in the past, I remembered these names.' They try to prove the second time is a charm, Ladies and Gentleman, Candice White Ardlay and Neal Reagan."

Everyone was laughing, and Candy was very happy back then. A few months later, they attended Albert and Melinda's wedding. She thought about the past when she often dreamed to be in Melinda's position. She felt discontented briefly when seeing Albert kissed Melinda passionately. As though her fiance could read her mind, at that almost same moment she saw a pair of his brown eyes staring at her with a funny grimace and teasing twinkle in the eyes. She forgot the pain instantly. She looked back at him with a wide smile. Since then on she knew that Albert indeed belonged to the past. The future was for her to be with Neal.

But not everyone was without suspicion about her wedding plan with Neal. Terry was very skeptical about the plan. Before the wedding, he especially came to visit her in Chicago.

"Candy dear, tell me again with whom you will marry to," said Terry opening the conversation.

"Neal. You know him."

"That's what I thought, remind me again, is he Eliza's brother?" asked him to confirm.

"Precisely," said Candy beaming only to be put off quickly like fire poured over by cold water with Terry's next sentence.

"Are you out of your mind? I know him, you hated him so much, didn't you? That's the guy who always bullied you and caused you so much trouble, isn't he?" said Terry in his usual directness.

"You are not that desperate to get married, are you? You can ask Albert to introduce you to a better guy," continued Terry.

Candy was shocked briefly to hear the response but then she remembered, well, he's Terry. He always be direct and to the point. She remembered their past conversation about Anthony when he said openly all rude things about him and referred to him as a "dead person". At that time the first conversation ended with a big fight and the second one ended with both of them slapped one another (1).

"He changed," said Candy and told him all about it *. She ended that by saying, "He did love me. He said that many times too."

"He's in love obviously he said that. I can do it too."

Then Terry suddenly changed his complexion and said believably, "I love you." He even moved forward as though he wanted to kiss her. He's such a supreme Hollywood actor!

Candy laughed and pushed him back.

"Where is he now? Let me meet and see him," said Terry.

"He's in New York." Candy told him about his work with Albert *.

"I see." He paused briefly then continued, "If even Albert accepted him, then, probably he did change as what you said he was. Look, in case you had problems to find guys, contact me, okay. As I always say many times, all I want is for you to be happy."

Candy nodded appreciated his concerns. When waving good bye to Terry, she thought how much she loved him in the past, then Albert. The two were the biggest loves of her life before she finally found her true love. Her heart broke so much when they left her. They seemed were indeed the ones, who would have believed that at the end they slipped away from her hands. It took her years to finally accept the facts. Being a positive woman, she tried to move on. But, the disappointments were so serious that it damaged her heart so much. The dismaying memories non stopped haunted her. She found it hard to be undaunted and peaceful in the following relationships... until she found him, Neal.

How the road turned really was very unpredictable. Her sigh soon turned to smile as she remembered her fiance whom she adored so much. She felt lucky she had him. Although he'd been there throughout those turbulent times, at that time she had seen him as the worst enemy that she had hated so much until only recently. Ever since they were together in friendly terms, he had brought her so much joy and wiped away the past sorrows. His sincere assurance not to ever leave her really gave her so much peace that she had sought all her life. Unlike with past lovers, she finally could find love that she could wholeheartedly trust and depend on. Unconsciously, she reached out to his engagement ring and pressed it hard with so much peace, love, and gratitude.

During the wedding party preparation, Eliza helped Candy to design the wedding gown. In the process the two became fast friends. Since her fiance was so impatient to get over with it so she could move to New York and live together immediately, they planned a simple and quick wedding celebration... until Albert came along...

One day Albert met his cousin, Sarah.

"Hi Sarah," said Albert cordially.

"William, our family relation will soon be even closer," she said with a big smile.

In contrast to their past meetings, this time both laughed cordially, genuinely happy. From her, he learned that Candy and Neal planned a simple and quick wedding party.

"Why is that?" asked Albert.

"I don't know, I guess Neal wants Candy to move to New York as soon as possible," said Sarah with a twinkle in her eyes. Seeing her eyes made Albert laugh, he knew what she meant.

So Albert talked to Candy and confirmed that with her. "Why in such a rush, Candy?" asked Albert.

"We think it's better so I can move to New York and be with him quicker," she gave an honest open book reply.

"But, this event is once in a lifetime. Look Candy, you are my precious daughter, I want to hold a proper wedding celebration for you," said Albert seriously.

"I will wear a wedding gown, we will have a wedding cake, and all that. It's really fine, I won't miss anything," insisted Candy.

"This event is for you and Neal. It's really up to both of you. But if possible, I really want to send you off more properly. Please discuss it with him," urged Albert.

When Albert called Neal for their usual business talk, he brought up the wedding subject personally. "Why in such a rush?"

Neal replied shortly, "Nothing."

He said it lightly as though there was really no important reason behind it. Of course, he didn't mention the real reasons which were he really missed Candy, he couldn't wait to be with her, to hug her and to kiss her as soon as possible.

But Albert, of course, knew the real answer behind the short "nothing."

He said, "If that's okay with both of you, I want to send her off with a special wedding party, the one that she'll treasure for the rest of her life."

Albert gave lengthy explanation on how precious she was as his daughter and that she deserved a wedding party of her lifetime and so on.

"In addition there's something else."

Albert continued to explain what he thought a well planed wedding party could offer.

"Recently, I was thinking, since you are well known in New York business society, I want to use the wedding party as a venue to invite and build good relationship with New York business elites. I plan to invite them trough you to the wedding party to make good relations with them."

He carefully and diplomatically explained that at his current position, it's hard not to intertwine business and private affairs. But it didn't mean that he tried to take business advantage from the private affairs nor undermine the importance of the latter.

Albert ended his explanation by saying, "But, again my primary objective is for her to feel special. It really depends on what you and Candy decide. If both of you are really against it, then I will not say anything anymore."

Neal finally understood what Albert was trying to say. Albert sincerely wanted to throw a party for his precious Candy, in addition the party could bring some additional value for the company. He said it carefully so not to offend them for taking advantage of their wedding. Now that it's pointed out, he too saw the business gain that his future father- in-law, who also happened to be his chairman, meant. He agreed how valuable the party could be for the future of the company. In addition, Albert got a better point, Candy deserved a dreamed wedding party to treasure for the rest of her life. The more he thought about it, the more he thought he should have let Candy make her own decision carefully instead of rushing her into one.

She might love it, he thought.

Even if he personally preferred not to go trough the endless process to say "I do" which seemed to never end, he decided to talk about Albert's offer with her.

After talking with Albert, Candy too started to think more about the wedding plan. Like many other girls, she also had a special dreamed wedding in mind, to have the opportunity to realize the idea made her feel extra excited. Candy told her fiance that. He also told her his conversation with Albert. Seeing how excited she was with Albert's grand wedding plan, he finally yielded to reality.

Neal said with a grimace, "I really miss you day and night. I can't wait for you to be here with me. But I have been waiting for years, I can wait for a few more months."

Candy couldn't see him but could imagine how his face looked. So both agreed to Albert's plan to have a grand wedding party although it'd take more months to prepare and countless of etiquette to follow.

When Candy told that to Eliza, both stared to one another before finally laughed about it. They right away discarded the original dress design and started a more spectacular one appropriate for the grander occasion.

Together with her closed girl friends, Candy worked eagerly for her dreamed wedding party. Not only that she felt excited to produce the party of her life, but she also realized how important the party was for Albert. She determined to make it perfect. Eliza came to visit her often in Chicago to help her with the dress designs she'd wear on the big day.

-To Be Continued-

Note:

1. These events are taken from the manga when Terry asked Candy who Anthony was.

** Taken from manga.

* Discussed in "Because of Her"