Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

As the music started, the whole room burst into life. Trevon, Frank, and Hackett shrugged off their jackets and started moving to the beat, their hips swaying in sync with the music.

Rose even persuaded Edward to join the ballroom because she wanted to see Edward dance. Soon, everyone joined the dance, and the wedding party started.

The security guard at the staircase also swayed with the music. Natalie, well-versed in the art of dancing, seamlessly joined Trevon on the dance floor, intuitively picking up on Trevon's vibes and the rhythm of the music.

Jim was the only one dancing award. Chris seemed that he was holding his passion. Except for Jim and Chris, the others were having a great time.

Ava could not help but take out her phone to memorize this painting. She thought, 'l can't believe Frank dances so well. That waist. Those hands. He is amazing. He hides himself well." After one song ended, everyone gradually stopped. When Frank sat down, Ava leaned closer to Frank and whispered, praising him for being a good dancer. Then, Frank smiled.

Trevon held Natalie's hand, bent down, and whispered, "Honey, | think we can have one more activity in our life." Natalie thought, 'Does Trevon want to dance every day?’ The moment to unveil the answer arrived. Rose headed to her brother's closet, retrieving the concealed shoes nestled among the suits. Holding them aloft, she declared, "Here are the shoes you were searching for. Frank, there are Ava's pristine and untouched shoes. Just so you know, this was Ava's idea, not mine." Locking eyes with her brother, Rose deflected everything onto Ava. In truth, it was Rose who had conceived of the idea.

Ava did not admit or deny it, which made everyone think this was Ava's idea.

Alex chose one of the programs on the list to be the second program. It was jumping on a shiatsu board. Alex thought this should be able to calm everyone down.

When Rose took out the two large shiatsu boards she had bought from the room, Chris and Jim had cold feet.

They whispered, 'We are here to be best men, not to train ourselves to be soldiers." On the other hand, Edward seemed calm and unsurprised.

Chris looked at the shiatsu boards and was at a loss for words. Then, he pointed at them and asked, "Stella, is this your idea?" Stella shook her head to deny it. Ava covered her mouth and laughed. Trevon quietly approached Natalie and hugged her waist, whispering, "These are all Rose's ideas, right?" Natalie tiptoed and whispered, "Stella and Sherri also contribute to those. Hush." Natalie knew the girls did all those to light up the mood.

Seeing his sister shake her head, Chris aimed at Edward and said, "Damn it, Edward. | think Rose gets this to tyou." Edward neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply offered a subtle smile. Rose did not want Edward to be misunderstood or go through the pain of dancing on the shiatsu boards. Thus, Rose said proudly, "How is that possible? | adore Edward so much, and you know about it. | prepared these for today's party." Hearing this, Trevon began to gloat, thinking, ‘Luckily, | won't be a participant this tbecause I'm already married.' So, he casually put one hand in his pocket while the other held onto Natalie. He appeared completely relaxed, showing no concern about his son.

Jasper and Ruby were in Rose's room. Trevon was afraid the kids would see something inappropriate at the party, so he asked them to play in the next room. He planned to bring them to the wedding after the games ended.

Natalie asked, "You didn't even ask going to ask where your son went?" Trevon grinned and responded, "Where else would he go? He must be with Hackett's daughter." While Trevon initially intended to have his son stay at Frank's place, the boy insisted on accompanying his mother and expressed how much he missed Auntie Ava.

Glancing up at Trevon, Natalie pondered, "Hmm, he really understands his son." Just then, Chris was chosen to be the first to jump rope, with Alex appointed as the official counter. Before kicking off the game, Alex modestly admitted, "I'm not great at elementary school math, especially when it comes to addition and subtraction within 10.

Jim rolled his eyes and did not say a word.

Chris was stunned when he heard that, thinking, 'I'm doomed to suffer.' Then, speople covered their mouths and laughed. The bride and groom also laughed. Chris said, "Alright, you can count the way you want. I'm going all out today. Let's start now." Chris appeared as if he was about to face his demise. Jim glanced at Alex but quickly looked away. Chris began jumping, and with each leap, he felt thousands of needles piercing his toes. The pain was so intense that Chris's face contorted in agony.

People laughed so hard that they had tears in their eyes. Rose and Sherri fell to the ground and laughed.

Alex deliberately counted wrongly a few times. After it ended, she apologized innocently, "Sorry. It's easy forto make mistakes when I'm nervous." Chris sat on the ground and rubbed his toes. He raised his head and said to Alex, panting, "Alex. | was the one jumping, not you. Why were you nervous?" Alex shrugged her shoulders and explained, "I can't help it. | can easily feel what others feel." The group found amusement in Alex's statement, leaving Chris at a loss for words.

As Jim took the stage, he turned to Alex and implored, "Alex, be a little merciful, would you?" Sherri saw it and said, "Mr. Hawk, trying to use your connection, huh?" The laughter did not stop. Rose urged, "Hurry up. We have a few programs left." Accepting his fate, Jim removed his shoes. Frank steadied himself on the bed, using one hand for support and the other to hold Ava's waist. Frank's intense gaze focused on Jim's feet, and the moment Jim leaped, Frank noticed his toes curling up, a clear sign of the pain. The discomfort was evident to everyone, and a frown creased Frank's face as he observed it.

Jim thought Alex would go easy on him since he talked with her. On the contrary, Alex made more mistakes than she did to Chris.

Jim cried inside, 'Alex, the fact that you aren't good at subtraction and addition within 10 is not true. You know nothing about them! You're simply doing whatever you want without thinking." Ava was overjoyed. She held her belly and laughed hard. Frank was extremely nervous at the side and afraid that something would happen. Thus, he kept stroking Ava's back and gently advised, "Ava, take it easy." Alex knew her goal was achieved and laughed when she saw Ava laugh.

Trevon whispered to Natalie, "Better than Mel." Natalie did not understand what Trevon meant because she had been focused on watching the game. Therefore, she asked in confusion, "What?" Trevon replied, "Nothing. Just watching the show." The next gwas the bridesmaids applying lipstick for the best men. Stella held her lipstick and stood before Chris, saying, "Chris, don't be nervous. I'm even more nervous than you. My lipstick is new. | only used it once this morning." Chris thought, 'So, it turns out that Stella thinks her lipstick is more important than me. Con, I'm her brother." The groom had to participate in this game. However, considering the bride's situation, she did not have to stand up. The bride held a lipstick and whispered to Frank. Then, Frank smiled and replied, "It's fine. Feel free to have fun." Frank thought, 'l paid for the stylist and makeup artist downstairs. We can ask them to fix everything later.’ Alex held a lipstick, and her hand was trembling. She stood before Jim and said, "Jim, just for the heads up. This is my first tusing a lipstick. Please bear withif | get nervous and trembling hands." Jim was at a loss for words, feeling unprecedented frustration. He thought to himself, 'l've given so much for Mr.

Roberts's wedding." Jim accepted his fate and said, "It's okay, Alex. Do whatever you want." Alex nodded and praised, "Bro, you're straightforward." Rose was the referee. She raised her hand and slashed down, shouting, "The gstarts now! Close your eyes!" Sherri, as the supervisor, strolled around with her hands clasped behind her back. She issued a reminder, "Keep those eyes closed, Ava. No winking. And for those on your feet, make sure to spin around." Stella felt upset about her lipstick and did not want to waste it. She applied it carefully to Chris's face. However, she failed to draw it accurately because she felt dizzy after spinning around.

Alex's work was worse. She drew Jim's clothes after she spun around.

Jim thought, 'Does Alex have smisunderstanding about my height? Why does she think my mouth is on my chest?' When she opened his eyes, Stella almost laughed herself to death. She squatted on the ground with her brother's face hovering in her mind. Stella buried her head in her knees and laughed so hard that she could not stand up.

Despite the open cheating, everyone turned a blind eye because, in the end, Ava did a great job, and Frank's lips looked almost perfect. After all, they were the bride and groom.

Ava took the tissue from Natalie and wiped Frank's mouth patiently. Ava seemed to be very happy. She said, "Look at them. They're so fun." Ava laughed so hard that her hand trembled. Frank grew concerned, fearing that if Ava kept laughing like this, their baby might have complaints.

Trevon announced the games were over an hour later. As a brother-in-law, he was worried about Ava. He thought, 'It is fine to have sfun, but it is important to know when to stop.' Rose gave the prank lists to Stella and Jim and told them they could do whatever they wanted.

Before the guests left, Frank gave Jim a brand-new white shirt because the lipstick on Jim's chest and collar was too eye-catching.

The group of people went to Hotel Athana under Trevon's arrangement.

The parking lot far away delivered the wedding atmosphere. There were arches, balloons, and flowers. Everyone who entered the hotel had to go through a checkup, just like boarding a plane. Two guards stood at the entrance and scanned everyone with instruments. They would give the guest a corsage if the guest passed the scanning.

In the middle of the hall, a stage was constructed, giving the impression of stepping into a fairytale world at first glance. The white castle, crafted from special materials, the princess's carriage, the pink diamond hanging chair, the dazzling lights, and the champagne-colored castle-themed wedding decoration collectively created a dreamy and romantic atmosphere.

At the top of the stage was a cloud made of champagne-colored yarn, scattered and arranged in an orderly fashion.

The air was saturated with romance and sweet love as the wedding unfolded luxuriously and dreamily. Each step felt like turning the pages of a fairytale picture book, with every part brimming with surprises and heartfelt moments.