I finally found Barry, Britney and Max, and we were chatting about random things when Jessica and Nate joined us.
"So where is Emma? Did she bail? I knew she wouldn't be able to face Nate again." Jessica stated in a sarcastic annoying tone.
"Sorry to break your illusion Jessica, but she will be here any minute." I was controlling my urge to break her nose and not create a scene.
"Or rather! There she is." Britney pointed at the entrance as we all turned in her direction.
There she was. Wearing the simplest yet most elegant plain burgundy gown, with her arm wrapped around the arm of one of the most handsome guys I had ever seen, dressed to perfection in a black suit.
They looked regal. Like royalty. I felt so happy seeing them together, straight out of a fairytale.
Emma didn't need a Ralph Lauren gown to look good, even though Jake could buy her any freaking thing in the world. Her beauty was in her simplicity.
Britney and I went ahead to meet them, but before I did, I stopped to see Nate and Jessica's reaction. Nate was numb as if he was hit by a bus, and Jessica, well her jaw almost dropped to the floor.
"You can close your mouth. I see a drool." I whispered in her ear before leaving to attend Jake and Emma.
"You guys are here finally. Welcome." I hugged them both.
"Sorry I made your friend late, Niki. The party and decor look beautiful!" Jake smiled at me with apologetic eyes.
"Thank you, Jake. Come on in. Emma, your parents are waiting for you both." I made them walk towards the center where I could see our parents laughing and chatting.
"They are?" Emma asked nervously.
"Yes, come, let's go meet them."
We walked through the crowd of people and trust me. There was not even a single person who didn't turn around to look at Jake. Their glares were fixed on him, while he had eyes only for my best friend, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
He was Jacob Richmond after all. The Big bad boy of the corporate world.
"Hey, you guys. See Emma and Jake are here." I announced excitedly making all four of them turn around.
"Sir, pleasure to meet you." Jake said respectfully as he extended first to shake hands with Mr. Carter and then my dad, "Congratulations Sir on your Anniversary today."
He then nodded at our mothers who were staring at him. I am sure like every other person present; they were in awe of him too.
"Mom, dad. This is Jake. Umm... which is short for umm... Jacob Richmond. He is the CEO of Richmond Corporation." Emma stuttered nervously at his introduction. She looked adorable fumbling on the fact that any other girl would love to boast about.
I could have paid to watch this tonight. Firstly, Emma was all awkward and anxious in a tight spot; and on top of it, the priceless reaction our parents had on their face. Epic was an understatement.
After the longest and most awkward pause of our lives, and a minute after the piece of information must have sunk in, my dad finally broke the silence,
"It's our pleasure to meet you son. We have heard the greatest things about you and your company. You have made a lot of headlines for your hard work. I am so glad that we could meet you in person, come, let's grab a drink." The men went ahead to the bar, leaving our moms and us behind.
"Emma, you are dating the CEO of Richmond Corp? Why didn't you tell us before?" Mrs. Carter whispered loud enough for all of us to hear. She was utterly in shock.
"Mom... I just wanted to…"
"Come on, Samantha. Give her a break. Emma, my darling, that boy is a keeper. He is gorgeous and powerful. A hard to find combo. And he looks so sincere. Both our girls found such amazing guys. Come here, you two!" My mother interrupted before Emma could complete, and in a quick gesture, she hugged us both.
We all chatted a bit after that, and Emma also calmed down as she saw Jake mingling with our dads. Everything was going well. Britney joined us too, and we all were enjoying the soft music, which was now playing in the background.
Suddenly, the lights went dim, and it got dark. I couldn't figure out what the hell was happening. I frantically looked around for Nate, and that was when only the center light was turned on, focusing on someone standing right in the middle of the hall.
I was trying hard to see the face of the person, there were many people in between, and it got a bit chaotic as everybody was as clueless as me.
"Who could that be? What the hell is happening?" I almost said it loud making a few heads turn in my direction.2
I went ahead to see, and my feet froze the moment I reached the center.
Oh, my freaking god!
Chapter 37
Taken
Emma
I woke up by the sound of my alarm clock, blaring in the far corner of the room. I saw the time. It was almost eight am.1
Crap! I might get late if I don't rush.
I quickly got out of bed and saw Jake was not around. He might have gone down already. He wasn't a lazy ass like me.
I swiftly got ready and rushed downstairs, hoping to see Jake in the dining area. As soon as I entered, it was empty. I started looking around; that's when Aunt Olivia walked in.
"Hi, dear? Looking for someone?"
"Umm yes, do you know where Jake is? Is he in the study?"
"No, he left a bit early. He
