"Calling all the single, unmarried ladies in the crowd!" the party host called out enthusiastically. "Step forward and get ready to catch the bouquet from our beautiful bride!"
Laughter and excitement filled the air as the single women eagerly stood up and moved toward the center of the garden.
Cielo, however, leaned toward the host and whispered something.
"Ah... wait! Everyone must join... except for Ceres," the host announced with a playful smile.
"Mommy!" Ceres whined, already standing at the front, ready to catch her mother's bouquet. "You can't do that!"
It was Romos and Cielo's civil wedding... held just one day after Cielo's divorce with Narciso had been finalized.
Though it was a simple ceremony, they had invited all their family and close friends to celebrate.
"Sorry, sweetheart." Cielo laughed at her daughter's pout. "We have to give the other ladies a chance. If I let you participate, everyone will say I'm biased."
Ceres crossed her arms, sulking. "I even took off my stilettos just to catch your bouquet! This is so unfair!"
Her dramatics earned a round of laughter from the guests.
"Nothing you can do about it, girlfriend," Diana teased, flipping her hair. "This bouquet is mine."
"Go get it, babe!" Caspian cheered her on.
Grumbling, Ceres stomped back to her table, where Zeus and his friends were seated.
"My poor love," Zeus murmured, wrapping an arm around her as she sat down.
"I wanted to catch the bouquet," Ceres said, her voice filled with mock sorrow, nuzzling against her fiancé's shoulder.
Zeus chuckled. "Give them a chance, love."
Meanwhile, the host continued, "Alright, ladies! Are you ready?"
A chorus of yeses rang out.
Cielo moved to the center, turning her back toward the crowd.
"Okay! Everyone, count with me! On three, Ms. Cielo will throw her bouquet!"
The guests eagerly joined in.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
The bouquet flew through the air, and every woman in the center readied themselves, anticipation crackling in the air as they playfully nudged and jostled each other.
But before anyone could catch it...
A firm hand snatched it from behind.
"What the fuck, Falcon?!" Nikolai cursed in disbelief.
The entire crowd froze.
Because standing there, grinning like a damn king, was Zeus Falcon... holding the bouquet high above his head like a trophy.
The single ladies, who had been prepared to catch it, stared in stunned silence. Even the host looked momentarily speechless.
Then, Zeus let out a loud, triumphant cheer.
"YEAHHHH!!!"
Ceres, who had been watching, burst into laughter as Zeus turned toward her and proudly placed the bouquet in her hands.
He then cupped her chin, leaned down, and pressed a quick but firm kiss on her lips.
Diana groaned. "That does not count!"
"Are you insane?" Caspian shook his head, still looking at Zeus like he had lost his mind.
Zeus smirked. "What? My love wanted her mommy's bouquet."
As if that was all the explanation needed.
Diana turned toward Romos, who was still processing what had just happened.
"Uncle Romos," she said, shaking her head in amusement. "You know what? Just skip the garter toss and hand it straight to Zeus. Otherwise, he might threaten to get rid of any poor soul who dares to catch it."
Romos laughed at that.
"Wait!" Ceres suddenly piped up, stepping forward toward her parents. "I'll catch it!"
"They're both crazy," Gideon muttered, making everyone laugh.
Romos, still entertained, decided to indulge his daughter.
He knelt before Cielo, carefully removing the delicate wedding garter from her leg. Then, instead of tossing it into the crowd, he slowly threw it in Ceres's direction, making sure she would catch it.
Ceres smirked as she caught it effortlessly.
Then, with a knowing glint in her eyes, she slid the garter up her thigh... right there, in front of everyone.
As if that wasn't enough, she turned toward the single chair positioned at the center of the gathering.
She sat down, crossing her legs deliberately, allowing the high slit of her dress to reveal the garter resting perfectly on her smooth thigh.
Then, locking eyes with Zeus, she lifted her finger and curled it... beckoning him forward.
Zeus smirked.
He approached her, his strides confident, his eyes dark with amusement.
Once he was standing in front of her, Ceres signaled him to leaned in slightly and whispered just enough for only him to hear.
"Move the garter from one leg to the other... using your teeth."
A slow, wicked smile spread across Zeus's lips.
Ceres leaned back into the chair, a satisfied smirk on her face.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the event host announced, chuckling. "I have no idea what part of the program this is anymore, but... let me present to you... them."
The guests burst into laughter.
Zeus dropped to his knees before Ceres, his strong hands settling on her thighs.
Then, with a teasing glint in his golden eyes, he dipped his head.
And slowly... using nothing but his teeth... he began sliding the garter down her smooth, ivory skin.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
"Damn!" Damien hollered, making the other guests cheer them on.
"Let the newlyweds have their moment!" Xavier called out, laughing.
More laughter and applause erupted from the crowd.
But just as everyone thought the moment had passed, Ceres uncrossed her legs.
Without hesitation, Zeus took the garter in his mouth once more, sliding it up her other leg... still using only his teeth.
The guests erupted into wild laughter and cheers.
"Why is it suddenly so hot in here?" Diana fanned herself dramatically.
When the garter was finally in place, Zeus didn't stop there. He placed a soft kiss on the inside of Ceres's thigh before moving up to capture her lips.
But their kiss was not brief.
It was deep, slow, and consuming.
The host coughed awkwardly. "Uh… guests… I have a feeling we should stop them. They're kind of... stealing the groom and bride's moment?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"Ryzel, please..."
The laughter died instantly.
Ceres and Zeus froze mid-kiss, turning toward the voice... along with everyone else.
All eyes shifted to the back, where Ciena and Ryzel stood.
"Shut the fuck up!" Ryzel's voice boomed through the venue.
The sheer anger in his tone sent a ripple of tension across the crowd.
Even in the dim lighting of the evening, it was obvious from the way he swayed slightly... Ryzel was drunk out of his mind.
"We are DONE, Ciena!" he bellowed, cutting her off.
A collective gasp spread through the guests.
A week ago... at Ryzel's bachelor party... he had ended things with Ciena. A move that had shocked their entire circle of friends.
That night, Ceres and her group arrived past ten in the evening at Club Olympus.
By then, the venue was already packed. The music was loud, the lights flashed, and the alcohol flowed freely.
Ceres had invited every member of Ciena's bridal entourage, plus their plus-ones. The club was buzzing with energy, filled with beautiful people and flashing cameras.
But more importantly...
Ryzel's bachelor party had started as early as eight PM.
By the time Ceres arrived, most of his friends were already wasted.
And as she had planned... and expected... Rafael had done his part brilliantly.
There were plenty of women in attendance... some were strippers, others were gold diggers who had heard about the exclusive location and were more than willing to cozy up to Ryzel's group in hopes of benefiting from the connection.
When Ciena stepped into the venue, she froze.
Because right there, on the main VIP couch...
A half-naked woman was giving Ryzel a lap dance, moving her hips against him while the men around them cheered.
Ciena's hands curled into fists.
But what truly shattered whatever remaining dignity she had...
Was seeing another woman... on her knees in front of Ryzel... giving him a blowjob.
Right there. In public.
In front of everyone.
And the worst part?
Ryzel wasn't even stopping her.
Ciena snapped.
She stormed forward, grabbing the woman's hair and yanking her off Ryzel. The woman yelped in surprise as Ciena slapped her across the face, calling her a whore.
The chaos began.
Not one to back down, the woman fought back, grabbing Ciena's hair and returning the slap.
Within seconds, the two women were rolling on the club's dance floor... yanking at each other's hair, throwing wild slaps, scratching, and screaming.
And instead of stopping them...
Ryzel's drunken friends cheered them on, laughing and egging them to fight harder.
Some even pulled out their phones, recording the brawl and broadcasting it live on social media.
"Cuz, should we help Ciena?" Nissan asked Ceres worriedly, her concern evident in her tone.
"Girl, do you really think you can stop your sister?" Diana cut in, raising an eyebrow at Nissan. They had been introduced to each other earlier by Ceres before they entered the club. "You might just end up getting dragged into it yourself."
Ceres noticed the way Nissan bit her lip, clearly torn between stepping in and staying back.
"Dee's right, Cuz," Ceres turned to her cousin, her voice laced with faux concern as she glanced at Ciena. "I understand why she's furious, but she should know better. Everyone in Ryzel's party is already drunk. If we try to stop them, we'll just get dragged into the mess. But don't worry, the bouncers will take care of it."
She turned her attention to Zeus, who stood behind them with some of his friends, watching the scene unfold. Their expressions wavered between amusement and mild scandal, unsure whether to enjoy the show or be embarrassed by the chaos.
Ceres smirked at her fiancé, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Zeus immediately understood what she was implying.
His golden eyes scanned the club until he spotted the manager and the bouncers standing near the bar. The staff were watching the fight with uncertainty, their gazes flickering between Zeus and the scene unfolding before them.
If it were up to the manager, he would have stopped the brawl a long time ago and thrown the women out. But since Zeus was here... the owner of the club... he hadn't moved. Neither had the bouncers. They were all waiting for his signal.
That was how it had always been.
When Zeus and his inner circle were at the club, no one made a move without their say-so. Because more often than not, fights like these were entertainment for them.
Meanwhile, the woman who had given Ryzel a lap dance earlier made a feeble attempt to break up the fight, stepping between Ciena and her opponent.
But instead of calming down, Ciena turned her fury on her.
A loud smack echoed through the club as Ciena slapped the woman across the face and immediately grabbed a fistful of her hair.
The result?
Now Ciena had two enemies.
The two women ganged up on her, yanking at her hair, scratching at her arms. One of them even managed to tear her dress, exposing more skin than was appropriate in public.
But Ciena was beyond caring.
All the pent-up emotions she had bottled up for the past week erupted in an uncontrollable rage, and she took it all out on the two women. She didn't care about the crowd watching, didn't care about how she looked while nearly half-dressed... she just wanted to hurt them.
That was Zeus's cue.
With a subtle tilt of his head, he signaled the manager.
And as if well-trained for moments like this, the manager immediately sprang into action, swiftly directing the bouncers to intervene.
The moment the security team moved, the three women were forcibly separated.
"BOOOOOO!" The crowd erupted in protest, some whistling and jeering as if their entertainment had just been cut short.
But the fight had escalated so much that the bouncers had no choice but to physically restrain them. Each woman was lifted off the ground by a separate bouncer to stop them from lunging at each other again.
"Let go of me!" Ciena screamed, thrashing in the bouncer's grip. "You whores! Don't you know that Ryzel is already engaged?! You filthy sluts!"
One of the women... the one who had given Ryzel a blowjob just minutes ago... scoffed, and laughed mockingly.
"If you're the woman he's engaged to, no wonder he's looking for someone else!" she sneered. "It's obvious you're boring in bed!"
The second woman... the one who had given Ryzel a lap dance... cackled. "You better get used to Ryzel having other women! With your looks and personality? There's no way a man like him would stay loyal to you."
"Damn!" Some of the spectators whistled and hollered in amusement.
The first woman smirked, eyeing Ciena up and down. "You pretend to be all classy and elegant," she jeered, her voice dripping with condescension. "But bitch, you're no different from us! If anything, you're worse... because at least we don't pretend to be something we're not."
She wrinkled her nose. "I could smell your desperation from across the room."
"WOOOOOOH!" The crowd erupted in excitement again, enjoying the verbal brawl as much as the physical one.
Ciena saw red.
"You bitch!" she screamed, struggling violently against the bouncer's hold. She was ready to tear that woman apart.