The Heiress Gambit-Chapter 97‐ The dressing room

PAIGE

The air in the bridal suite was thick with the scent of hairspray and happiness. I sat in front of the large, well-lit mirror, watching Suzume’s skilled hands carefully arrange the final pins in my hair. My reflection looked like a stranger—a calmer, more radiant version of myself.

"You know," Leon’s voice came from behind me, where he was lounging on a plush chaise, already dressed in his deep grey bridesman suit. "I knew you’d look stunning, but you literally made that dress look a thousand times more awesome just by putting it on. It’s not fair."

I met his eyes in the reflection, a smile tugging at my carefully painted lips. "It’s the CEO power, Leon. It adds a certain glow."

Suzume chuckled, securing a final, tiny white flower near my temple. "It’s the ’I’m-about-to-marry-a-devastatingly-handsome-billionaire’ glow, but sure, let’s call it CEO power."

We all laughed, the sound light and easy. The makeup artist, a quiet woman with a magical touch, dusted a final bit of shimmer high on my cheekbones and stepped back.

"All done, Ms. Rimestone. You’re perfect."

She slipped out of the room, leaving the three of us alone. For a moment, I just stared at myself. The woman in the mirror was a queen. She was a victor. And she was utterly, completely calm.

"It’s weird," I said, my voice quiet in the sudden hush. "I thought I’d be a nervous wreck. Tearing up, second-guessing, full-blown cold feet. But... I don’t have any. Not a single one."

Leon popped up and came to stand beside Suzume, both of them framing me in the mirror. He put a hand on my shoulder, his expression turning uncharacteristically serious for a second.

"That’s how you know it’s right, P," he said, his voice soft. "When it’s the one thing in your crazy, dramatic life that feels like the most simple, obvious decision in the world. You’ve already fought all the hard battles with him. This? This is the victory party."

Suzume nodded, her eyes warm. "He’s right. Cold feet are for people marrying strangers or settling for less. You’re not marrying a stranger; you’re marrying the man who knows every single part of you—the sarcastic CEO, the vengeful heiress, the blushing fiancée—and loves all of it. You’re not settling; you’re claiming your equal."

Tears did prick my eyes then, but they were happy ones, the kind that felt like they were washing away the last remnants of dust from the old wars. I blinked them back carefully, not wanting to ruin the makeup artist’s masterpiece.

"He is my equal," I whispered, the truth of it settling deep in my soul. "In every way."

Leon squeezed my shoulder, his grin returning. "Damn right he is. Now, no more deep stuff. You’re gonna go out there, make that smug bastard the happiest man on the planet, and then we’re going to eat our body weight in that stupidly expensive cake. Deal?"

I laughed, the sound clear and full of joy. "Deal."

Looking at my friends’ proud, happy faces reflected behind me, I felt a surge of pure, unshakable certainty. This wasn’t an ending. It was the best kind of beginning.

A comfortable silence had settled over us, filled only with the rustle of my dress and the quiet hum of the venue. I was taking a slow, deep breath, centering myself, when a very familiar, very impatient voice cut through the door.

"This is ridiculous, Kenji. It’s my wedding. I should be able to see my own fiancée. I just want a five-second peek. A tactical assessment."

My heart did a little flip, part exasperation, part sheer affection. That was Reomen. My soon-to-be husband, who treated everything in life like a business negotiation he was on the verge of winning.

Before I could even react, Suzume was on her feet. "Oh, for heaven’s sake," she muttered, storming toward the door with the force of a small hurricane. She yanked it open.

"Reomen Daki, you get away from this door right now!" she scolded, her voice sharp but laced with amusement. "It is bad luck! The worst luck! You do not get a ’tactical assessment’ of the bride before the ceremony!"

I could just imagine him standing there, probably with his hands in his pockets, looking smug and utterly unrepentant.

"Bad luck is a statistical improbability, Suzume. I make my own luck," his voice drifted in, laced with that infuriating logic I loved so much.

"Your luck today involves not seeing the woman you love in her wedding dress until she’s walking toward you down the aisle," Suzume fired back, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "It’s called tradition, and it’s romantic. Now, go away! Kenji, take your... ward... and get him a drink or something to distract him."

There was a low rumble that was probably Kenji’s laughter, followed by the sound of shuffling feet and a dramatically heavy sigh from Reomen. "Fine. But this is an inefficient use of my time."

A moment later, Suzume slammed the door shut and leaned against it, a look of pure, comical exhaustion on her face. She fanned herself with her hand.

"I swear," she announced to the room, "these men are utterly insufferable. No offense, Leon."

Leon, who was adjusting his boutonniere in the mirror, just waved a hand. "None taken. I’m a delight. But he’s right, they’re a handful. A ’tactical assessment’? Who says that?"

I started laughing, the sound a little wobbly with emotion. I wasn’t nervous anymore. I was just... filled with a bubbling, giddy love for the impossible man waiting for me.

"He’s just impatient," I said, my cheeks hurting from smiling. "He hates waiting for anything he’s decided he wants."

"He’s been waiting for you his whole life, Paige," Leon said softly, coming over to squeeze my hand. "I think he can handle another twenty minutes."

Suzume pushed off the door and walked back over to me, her expression softening. "He just can’t stand the idea of you being out of his sight for even a second longer than necessary. It’s actually kind of sweet, in his own massively controlling and irritating way."

I looked at my two friends, at my reflection in the mirror—a woman so loved, so sure of her path—and I knew they were right. The impatience, the sarcasm, the sheer force of his will... it was all just his way of loving me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

"Okay," I said, taking another deep, steadying breath. "Twenty more minutes. Let’s make him wait."