Billionaire Boss Reunion Epilogue
She looked into the mirror, standing with her mouth agape as she refused to remove her eyes. So much had happened over the past two years that life had barely a fleeting moment to catch up. Her friends had all grown up with her and their relationships had grown more complex and bountiful. However, the most important relationship was the one with the man she was choosing to spend the rest of her life with. Their courtship was just as frantic and perfect as their first meeting in the coffee shop in Sydney.
“Your hair is gorgeous,” said Alexis, weaving her hands through Hannah’s long blonde locks. “I really think you should do this to your hair more often.”
Hannah chuckled as she looked into the mirror an averted her eyes toward Alexis’s reflection. “Absolutely not,” she replied quickly. “I’m giving in to this today because this is how Russell wanted my hair, but unless there is something in it for me, I will never again wear my hair down.”
Alexis laughed. “I understand,” she said. “Seeing you all dolled up is something that I will never become accustomed to.”
“And you shouldn’t,” she quipped back sarcastically. “I swear, why couldn’t we have done a wedding where I could’ve worn pants, a tank top, and kept my hair pinned back?”
“Because the man you’re wearing is a traditionalist,” answered Alexis.
“But isn’t the wedding supposed to be about me?”
Alexis chuckled. “Well, yes, but it’s also the start of a great marriage if you give in to some of his requests.”
Hannah shook her head. “He gets a cake!”
“Yes, he does get a cake, but he also can have a few other things,” continued Alexis. “Marriage is a union between two people and giving in to one of his requests today will make for a lifetime of happiness.” Hannah huffed while Alexis doted over her, making sure her hair was immaculate. “Besides, haven’t you already had the conversation with him that you would never dress up like this again?”
“Yes ma’am,” said Hannah quickly. “That’s one of my wedding presents: to never have to dress up like this ever again.”
Alexis laughed again. “You look beautiful.”
Hannah smirked out of the side of her mouth. “Thanks,” she replied.
“You’re welcome,” replied Alexis as she stepped back to admire the total package. Hannah’s white dress exposed her muscular shoulders but wrapped tightly around her hips. It was very flattering and complimented her physique. “That dress is perfect,” she said as she admired the lace along the side and the complex sewing.
“It’s nowhere close to as perfect as yours was,” she said humbly. “Your wedding on the sands of Dubai was incredible.”
Alexis smiled. “Your wedding in this old church in Cardiff is perfect.”
Hannah turned in her chair and stood up. “I know, and I know that I’m marrying the perfect man for me. I just loved your wedding a year ago and really want to have something equally as great.”
“It will be,” said Alexis. “You’re marrying the greatest man that you have ever met, next to Nathanial,” she joked.
“Oh, please,” said Hannah as she stepped forward. “He and I would have killed each other after the first date. I don’t think I could handle very long with that man.”
“He’s perfect for me,” defended Alexis.
“And I’m glad he is,” said Hannah as they walked toward the door. “I guess now is the time.”
“Are you ready?” asked Alexis as she placed her hand on the door knob. “Are you ready to take the next step?”
She looked down at the old wooden floor while she composed herself and thought about her answer. “Yes,” she said softly as she looked up at her best friend. “I’m very ready for this.”
Alexis smiled as she nodded and twisted the door knob. “I’ll see you out there,” she said as she opened the door and walked into the hallway, leaving Hannah to wait for a few moments before walking out on her own. She exhaled while she thought about what was happening before smiling to herself and confirming that now was the time to take the plunge.
She walked out of her changing room and looked out into the small, wooden room. The stained glass window was reflecting onto the ground in front of Hannah as she walked through it, looking straight ahead into the cathedral. “Are you ready?” asked her father, a much older man, as he stood in front of her.
“Are you?” she asked in a snarky tone.
“A father is never ready for this,” he said as he shook his head slowly, looking happy for his daughter though noticeably distraught at what was happening. “You will always be my baby girl, Hannah.”
Hannah smiled as she leaned forward and hugged him. “And nothing will ever change that,” she whispered into his ear. “Now, tell me something dad,” she said as she backed up. “Does my future husband look hot?”
He laughed as she blurted out that statement. “Hannah!” he exclaimed. “You’re in a church!”
“That doesn’t mean that he isn’t hot,” she explained.
“Hannah,” he said again as he turned his head and looked down the aisle to see Russell standing alone next to the priest. “He looks very handsome, but that is as far as I’m going.”
Hannah nodded. “I’ll take that,” she said. “At least you didn’t say he looks like a disheveled piece of work.”
“It’s your wedding day and your mother told me I had to be nice,” he said with a coy grin.
“And the truth shall set you free,” she continued as she listened in as the organ began to play the wedding march. “It’s time.”
Her father looked back at her as he wrapped his arm around hers. With a soft sigh between them, allowing them to compose themselves, they stepped out onto the hardwood floors of the cathedral with all of her friends and family looking on. Her white dress drug behind her as she glided slowly down the aisle. She looked across the massive church to find those who meant the most to her with every step. “There are far too many people here,” she thought to herself as her eyes widened. “This is ridiculous.”
Her first glance was to the twins she grew up with, Jonathan and Jennifer Sansby. “So good to see them here,” she thought to herself as she looked over and smiled at them. “I really didn’t think they’d make the trek across the Atlantic for this.” She looked forward and saw Russell looking down the aisle at her, standing still as he looked on in amazement. “Wow, he is hot today.”
Hannah shook her head to bring herself back into reality, once again looking down the aisle to see Russell staring at her. She felt fortunate to have him in her life and she felt that he was worth giving up her past life from. With one foot in front of the other, she glided across the old wooden floor with her father’s arm wrapped around hers. “All these people that have had a profound and wonderful impact on my life are here to see me. This is way too surreal,” she thought to herself as she continued to walk, looking at Jennifer and Jonathan as she smiled at them. “There is so much that I wish I could say to all of these people but I don’t think I’ll get the chance.”
“Oh, they made it,” she thought as she looked to her right to see Robert Acostis and his beautiful fiancée, Camille, standing beside him. “Robert Acostis, I have mixed feelings about you,” she said as she looked at the salt and pepper businessman staring at her walking down the aisle. “The fact that you preyed on a weaker company to get what you wanted is almost deplorable, but you did what you said you would and now we are all benefiting from it. I’m happy that you allowed someone into your life that gave you balance and allowed you the opportunity to free yourself from the bondage of wealth. Camille is perfect for you and I’m really glad she convinced you to sell, with the blessing of Sulagna and the rest of the consortium. I know you were reluctant, but taking over the family’s winery full time was the best thing for you to do and I can tell that you are much happier because of it.”
She continued her walk forward to see Dillon and Marisol standing in the pew, looking at her walk down the aisle. “Dillon Flannigan, you are still one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever met and I’m glad I get to talk to you at least once a week,” she said as she looked at the red haired wonder standing next to his Spanish beauty, Marisol. “The things that you have taught me about business and the lessons I have learned from you about life are second to none. You only have a few years on me, but I’m really glad to have met you and I’m really glad to have gotten to know you. The fact that you purchased all of Robert’s shares in the company out of New Zealand and consolidated it with the company out of Australia proved how shrewd of a businessman you are and I’m glad that I’ve been able to help you. I can’t wait to work with you more.”
“Marisol, you are a beautiful woman and I’m very happy that you and Dillon make each other happy,” she thought to herself as she walked past the two of them. “You’ve stepped out of your father’s shadow in Valencia, Spain, and allowed yourself to blossom. The charity work that you’re doing is second to none and you’re helping to bring clean water to those in need in various third world countries. Knowing you and what you stand for is makes be a better person, and I thank you for it.”
She continued her walk down the aisle as she reached the front of the church. The wooden pews were filled with more of her friends from New York as well as her professional colleagues from around the world. She continued her march to the front to find Trish standing at the edge of the pew waiting to watch her walk down the aisle. She wore her customary black dress that accented her hips with heals to give her a few extra inches on her short frame. Her makeup was well done as she eyed Hannah closely as she came up close to her.
“Trish, I’m glad you’re doing much better now that you’ve settled down in New York,” she continued as she walked beside Trish standing at the edge of the pew. “I hate that it didn’t work out between you and Davis, but I’m still happy that you came back into mine and Alexis’s life. The work that you do with those kids is great and you’re shaping them into becoming more productive members of society; and now that Alexis is about to have a child, maybe you can help her out with it.”
Hannah continued to walk down the aisle with only one row remaining. On the aisle with her family sat two people who were very close to her: Alexis Matthews Jenkins and her husband, Nathanial. “I still can’t get over your last name,” she said at first as she looked ahead to see Alexis looking back at her with a smile. “Jenkins suits you though, though I’m really glad you decided to keep your maiden name. It really sounds proper.”
She exhaled as she moved closer to the alter while keeping her eyes trained on her best friend. “Alexis, words cannot describe how much you have meant to me and what all you have done for me in my life,” she said in her mind as she looked on at her pregnant best friend. “You’ve been there for me since we were little. We grew up together and you’re the reason that I’m here today. You’re the reason that I eventually became comfortable enough to branch out and take this plunge.
“I watched you fall in love with a man that is perfect for you. Nathanial is dashing, intelligent, charming, and a great person. He offers so much to make you a better person just like you offer so much to him. You compliment his flaws while he covers yours. He makes you less self conscious and more confident. He makes you sure of yourself, something that you’ve always struggled with. To see the woman you’ve become since you’ve met him is something that I’m thankful for everyday. I’ve watched you become a stronger woman, which I never believed could happen.”
“Nathanial is incredibly good for you and I’m happy that it worked out. Your wedding was beautiful and I’m glad that you’ve found someone that makes you happy. I can’t wait to meet little Harrison too in a few weeks.
She passed Alexis and Nathanial in the front row and looked at the only two men in front of her: the priest and her fiancé. Russell was dressed in a sharp tuxedo and looked handsome and dapper. Her eyes met his and they remained locked as she looked up at him with awe. “How could I have possibly been so lucky to find a man like you,” she thought to herself as her father released her arm so she could walk up the stairs to meet her future husband. She looked at him in his blue eyes as she smiled warmly, thinking about how they crossed paths and how their relationship blossomed. “It took one man’s loss to create the situation that allowed us to come together. I don’t know what’s to be in our future. I don’t know whether or not we will spend our days walking along the beaches of Dubai or spending time in wineries around the world. I don’t know if we will end up having children or starting a family. I don’t know if we’ll settle down in New York, Cardiff, or some other port of call. I don’t know anything after what’s going to happen right now. All I can do is hope.”
She turned her head and looked at the priest before looking back at Russell. “I hope we are able to spend the rest of our lives together in peace, without the stress and weight of the world constantly resting on our shoulders. I hope that we’re able to look into each other’s eyes ten years from now and still possess the same feelings for each other that we do today. I hope that one day, we are holding each other in our final, fleeting moments. I hope that the last words that come off of my dying breaths are I love you.”
The priest looked at Hannah and smiled as she placed her hands in Russell’s hands. He exhaled slowly and looked on at the two as they smiled at one another. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
THE END