This Wedding Was A Good One To Take As An Example, On What To Do And What Not To Do. For Example She

Knowing how to handle herself in a public setting was something she had been taught at a young age, never losing her cool and keeping a mask of passive indifference even if her enotions were going haywire. She hadn't expected to run into Malcolm, they'd successfully managed to avoid each other for years and now here was right in front of her, thinking he could talk to her like nothing happened. How dare he? Sure the presents were nice and she was currently wearing a bracelet he'd sent to her a couple of months ago, but that didn't mean she'd forgiven him, it was not the jewellery's fault that he was a cheater. "I look good everywhere." She dismissed his compliment. "No one liked her anyways, so they're all over it by now." Serra crossed her arms, having to look up to keep eye contact, but not wavering. "What do you want?"

At first, Malcolm thought that he saw a ghost and when he realized it was really Serra, he opted for a ghost instead. It had been years since he saw her, doing his best to keep his distance and not cross paths. It was a moment of relief when he was told that she went to Paris. Malcolm would have done the same thing if he had a family member who dismantled the family name. He was glad to not have any siblings any only a few well-behaved cousins. Malcolm also thought that the Loire Valley would've been his choice if he were fleeing from domestic disputes. But it was because of Serra being in Paris that he was forced to readdress the first gift there and after that, he sent messages to French boutiques to send her locally designed jewelry and clothes. "Well, you look much better in London than in Paris," he commented, not shying from offering a compliment. It was only an innate reaction. "You're still saying her name? I can't help but feel sorry for the rest of the family. I hope they're well."

Serra liked feeling his eyes on her, the attention was all consuming and she enjoyed it, feeling like she deserved to have it fully. A smirk played at her lips when he spoke, enjoying being showered with compliment after compliment. It was the way to her heart, someone telling her how great she was was something she would never tire of. "I think we should dance first. Make an impression on everyone here." She was a great dancer and she wanted to show off, it was in her nature.

Antonin turned his great powers of observation and attention towards Serra and only her.  It was what she wanted and he didn’t mind blinding himself to observe her brilliance.  It was the duty of an accessory to add to the one who adorned it after all. "I bet you can. There isn't much you can't handle, is there? You are uncompromising, all encompassing, and it's something I admire about you greatly. It leaves me unsure whether I should help you or stack up obstacles in your way just to see you run through them.  Don’t doubt you will own this wedding and I’ll enjoy seeing what you leave in your wake. You must tell me about your experiences afterwards.  I enjoy pampering you while you tell me about yourself, but what should we do first?  Drink, dance, dine?  You deserve to be seen by others the way I see you, and I’ll make sure of it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She raised an eyebrow, haughty look on her face. As always, she wasn't too thrilled when she got to see her cousin. Alara was annoying and would no doubt hold it over her head that it was Leta attending this wedding at Antonin's side. "Parisians have much better taste. I cannot wait to leave the greyness of london behind."

There was rumours from her family when it came to her cousin and she was curious if they were true. She would not be sad to see Serra leave. "And here I thought you could do better." Alara smiled sweetly at the other. "I don't think Paris is ready for you."

"Well my parents insisted and who am I to say no to celebrating me?" She smiled, happy with all the attention she's been getting. In her mind, every day should be just like this. Her being the center of attention and being showered with gifts. "Are you flirting with me Mr. Rosier?" She raised an eyebrow in challenge, taking his offered arm. Patience had never been her strong suit. "Not at the moment. It's my birthday, tonight is about me."

A nod of his head, he agreed with her statement, raising his glass of brandy to prove the point before taking a large sip and savouring the drink in his mouth. "It is a wonderful party, fitting to the star of the show." Evan conceded as a smart grin settled on his lips, letting his eyes take in the witch before him. "I'd say it's best you open it later and when alone, I might have been bold with my gift to you." The wizard allowed with a suggestive look, offering his arm for her to take so they could have a chat without being bothered by those trying to congratulate her. "No wizard by your side tonight, love?"

"You should let me style you sometime. I could elevate your style. I would be really good at that." It sounded like fun, picking clothes for someone else and Mira was someone she liked so she wanted her to look good. "Plenty of people, you're right, but I heard that Malcolm's here.." She sighed. "I'm avoiding him."

Mira couldn't help the laugh that fell from her lips at the confidence in Serra's voice. She may not have agreed with her at times, but she had to admire her confidence. "Mm well on occasion I have my moments." She mused, taking another drink of her champagne. "I'm sure you can survive for one evening. Plenty of people here that are dressed and up to your standards to keep you busy after all. Have your eyes on anyone?''

She smiled, pleased when he agreed with her sentiment. Not that it surprised her, he was a smart man- that made a dumb mistake in choosing to get married to Alara, but luckily he got out of it unscathed. He could have suffered for years. "That is true, I look good in everything." Some colors and cuts suited her less than others, but that didn't mean she looked bad in anything she wore. Her eyes shined with excitement at the prospect of more presents, she was easy to please in that regard. "What kind of information? Gossip? About who?" She said having to look up when he put his arms around her waist. It was her birthday, she was allowed to indulge. "You patented it and everything? Must be worth something."

A chuckle went past his lips but found himself nodding amused at her words. "Yes, yes you are." He agreed, not one to shy away from complimenting pretty witches any chance he got, and finding her spirit quite appealing as he also believed himself to be that good. "There's no way you'd look bad in it." Evan settled with a sly grin, brazen eyes wandering down her body. "Ah multiple presents, that I can do. I've got two things you might enjoy, love." The wizard told her, his hands finding her waist loosely and having her look at him. "One is information, valuable one. The other is something I call the Rosier method, that one you really don't want to miss."

"Well I am not going to say no to that. We need to take Willa with us as well." She scanned the crowd for her friend, making a mental note to tell her too. "I'm partial to dancing but I'll need to change before that, this dress is more of a show stopper not made for dancing."

“Something with less of our old stuffy relatives around,” Lydia joked after making sure none of said relatives could hear her. “I bet we could sneak out and go dancing if you’d like. Or roller skating! I’ve been learning and it’s wicked fun.”

She started pacing around, not getting very far on the balcony with her - now inconvenient- large dress. The dress was meant to make a statement, to ensure that all eyes and all the attention would be on her. What she hadn't expected was her parents announcement, betrothed. She was betrothed to Malcolm and everyone knew it. It would hit the gossip magazines by morning, there was no way that this information would remain solely at the party, only a fool would believe that. In her mind, she understood that that is why her parents have done it this way, a further assurance that this couldn't be ignored or swept under the rug. "We have no choice. The damage is already done." Serra cared for her reputation, what people said mattered and she refused to be a laughing stock. She was surprised at his reasoning behind the many gifts he had sent her over the years but kept her expression blank on purpose, not wanting to show weakness in front of him. He must have thought about her quite a few times then, if her jewellery cabinet was any indication for it. Or the shoes and dresses she'd received. Serra wasn't going to tell him that, but she enjoyed his gifts, the first ones she planned to throw away, too angry back then to even consider wearing them, but in time her curiosity had won out. He knew what she liked, there hadn't been one thing that didn't suit her taste. Still, he didn't need to know how well he had her preferences down. "Clearly my parents do not listen to reason, they have made up their mind. If we back out of it now we look like fools and I will not be made a fool by you again. I expect a ring by tomorrow morning. If I don't like it, I'm sending it back and you're buying a new one. " She paused, thinking for a moment. "I want a big diamond."

Malcolm was known for many talents, but even he recognized his shortcomings with humor. "I wish I were," he sighed. Already, things weren't unfolding as planned, and he regretted her parents' public announcement. "There probably aren't many options, actually," he mumbled honestly. Lost in his thoughts since seeing the marriage contract, Malcolm hadn't considered Serra's perspective. While his own world felt like it was collapsing, the contract did mean being with her. The idea of happiness achieved through the wrong means felt deeply corrupt. They were adults and should have the autonomy to make their own choices. Yet, his answer to most things would always be Serra. "My guilt?" he echoed, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Perhaps initially, yes. I've done many things I regret, certainly, including what happened between us. But I assure you, the gifts weren't meant to revive a bad seed. I gave them to you knowing you would like them, every time I thought of you." Malcolm glanced around to ensure their privacy. "There was a marriage contract forged between our families when I was in school. I annulled the original, but that wasn't the end of it. None of it makes sense, I know. I wanted to discuss this with you or your parents properly."

"I don't see how I can believe you." Why should she believe anything he said? He said he wasn't with her again and in the same breath confessed that they had been seeing each other. She didn't understand why he kept going back to that woman. "What's so special about her?" Her curiosity got the better of her, unable to act like she didn't care even though that had been her plan a few minutes ago. "You didn't have to tell him. He saw you two together. He told me what he saw and I'm grateful he did. I don't think you would have said anything to me at all, would you? And then she would've once again thrown it into my face, getting the upper hand because she knew something I didn't. An apology doesn't make me feel better. If she's lying to people about you being together it makes me look like a fool- even if one person believes it. People talk. Gossip spreads quick."

Malcolm knew better than to interrupt her when she was talking so instead, he swallowed his words and let his brows dip lower as she went on. He wasn't having an affair and he wasn't even seeing Charity at the moment. "I'm not with her again," he finally said, shaking his head. "I would never do that to you. I was seeing her casually before I found out about the engagement. I have no intentions of even talking with her, you have my word." Malcolm wanted to reach out but thought better of it as it might do more harm than good. "Why is Evan telling you anything? He has it wrong then, something must've got lost in communication. I didn't tell him anything." He wondered if Charity was telling people lies and his facial expression must've given that thought away. "Even if I was still seeing her, I'm not anymore. She must be the one lying to people. I'm sorry you had to hear such slander."