Chapter 27
Ani
Ani woke up in Kami’s Napa house to many, many texts. This was never a good sign, and before Ani had read anything, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
She decided to read Talar’s text first. What the hell? Is this true? There was a link, and it was from the Daily Mail. God help her.
Ani clicked it and held her breath.
The title read, Grace Zhang Pre-Wedding Drama—EX-GIRLFRIEND Wedding Planner to Blame?
Oh no, no, no, no. Ani read quickly.
No one’s star has been rising faster than Hollywood’s latest darling, Grace Zhang (27).
The stunning actress has captivated audiences worldwide, with her viral video alongside legendary co-star Robert De Niro making waves across social media.
And now, the world has been watching with bated breath as she prepares to tie the knot with entrepreneur Kami Mardian (30).
As fans eagerly await every detail of Grace and Kami’s upcoming nuptials, they were excited to catch a glimpse of the first major event: a traditional Armenian pre-wedding ceremony.
This intimate gathering, honoring Kami’s Armenian roots, was held last night at the picturesque ? winery in Napa.
But what was supposed to be a night of cultural celebration and elegance quickly turned into a soggy disaster.
In a shocking turn of events, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that the wedding planner is none other than Kami Mardian’s ex-girlfriend, Ani Avakian (30). Yes, you read that right—Grace Zhang’s picture-perfect wedding has been orchestrated by the very woman who once held Kami’s heart!
Nothing could have prepared guests for the unexpected drama that unfolded.
Just as the guests sat down for dinner, a rogue water hose suddenly burst to life, drenching the exquisitely dressed attendees in a torrent of water.
What was meant to be a serene celebration turned into an unplanned—and very unwelcome—water fight.
Was this just an unfortunate accident, or something more sinister?
Guests were left whispering in dampened disbelief, with many speculating that this could have been a deliberate act of sabotage.
Could Ani Avakian have used her position as the planner to exact revenge on her former flame, spoiling her special day with Grace?
While the soaking incident left everyone in a state of shock, Grace, ever the poised starlet, laughed it off with a grace befitting her name.
But behind the scenes, tensions are said to be at an all-time high, with Grace and Kami reportedly questioning the decision to involve Ani in their wedding plans.
Will Grace and Kami’s wedding day be as star-studded and flawless as we all hope, or is there more drama on the horizon? One thing’s for sure—this is one Hollywood romance that’s anything but boring.
Stay tuned for more exclusive updates as we keep you in the loop on all the latest developments in this unfolding saga!
Reporting by Basil Wentworth.
Ani set down her phone and stared blankly in front of her, at a white antique wardrobe, for about ten minutes straight.
Ani had never been written about before. She’d never had any press, never been in any paper—not even the high school newspaper—never been talked about in any way. She’d had no desire for fame, and now she saw she was right for thinking that.
The main thing she was worried about was whether or not Grace and Kami were indeed questioning firing Ani.
The rest, she could take. Because she knew the hose wasn’t her fault.
It was some kind of freak accident that she in no way could have predicted.
There wasn’t a checklist item for “secure the fountain hoses.” So she wasn’t upset at herself for that.
But that Grace and Kami might believe this gossip rag, that she’d done it on purpose, and that now they’d sack her? That would be bad.
She had to woman up, walk over to Kami, call a meeting with her and Grace, and talk things through transparently.
Okay. One step at a time.
It was nine a.m., and she heard voices outside, so she hoped she could find Kami there. Ani took a deep breath, her fingers trembling slightly as she buttoned her blouse and smoothed her hair. She put on a brave face and walked out the door.
She rounded the corner and froze. The entire family was there—Kami’s parents, sister, uncles, and aunts—seated around the table, their plates piled high with eggs, pastries, and fruit. The moment Ani appeared, the room fell silent.
Oh God.
She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, her pulse quickening as she forced herself to take another step forward.
“Good morning, I—” Ani said, her voice about as steady as a dinghy in a storm.
“I just wanted to apologize for last night. Have you, by any chance, seen any articles about it? Because I’d like to, um, refute them. ”
Kami caught Ani’s eyes for a second, then looked back down at a piece of mango she was cutting and kept going at it. Oh no, Kami was clearly pissed and blamed her. She believed the article. Dear God, this was it. She was going to be fired.
Kami’s mother narrowed her eyes at Ani. “Oh, we read it. I hadn’t put it together until they reported it. Ani…how could you?”
“I—I didn’t—” Ani began, her vision clouding with sudden tears. How could she convince them? There was no way. They’d already made up their minds.
The silence in the room was the loudest sound she’d ever heard.
Then, suddenly she felt arms attack her from the side, and Ani startled, shocked that she was going to be dragged into a physical fight. But then she realized the arms were a desperate, hard hug, and someone was crying onto her shoulder. Galia?
Galia stared up at Ani, her usual sparkle gone and tears streaming down her face. She pulled away, wrapping her arms tightly around herself like she was trying to hold herself together. “Ani, I am so, so sorry,” Galia choked out.
Ani blinked, her mind struggling to catch up.
“It was me,” Galia said, at first to Ani, and then to the rest of the room, her words spilling out in a rush. “It was me! I cut the hose. With scissors. I didn’t know it would go crazy like that! I just thought maybe I could get it to spray Kami when she walked by. I’m so sorry.”
Ani froze. What the…Galia? No way. Galia was so fun, and yes, she was a little mischievous, but this?
She wasn’t prone to full-on destruction.
Ani tried to reconcile her ex’s younger sister, sarcastic and fun, seemingly carefree, with the one standing in front of her now, tears streaming down her face, shoulders hunched under the weight of her confession.
Ani didn’t appear to be the only one shocked by this. Kami and Galia’s entire family started talking at once, but Ani ignored them all, keeping her eyes only on Galia, who seemed to want to say more.
“Why?” Ani asked in a low voice.
“Because,” Galia said, suddenly angry, “Kami gets everything. She’s the prettiest; she’s the golden child. I’m the ugly one no one cares about. She bats her eyelashes, and whatever she wants, she gets. I just needed her…I just needed something to not be perfect for her, for once.”
Ani couldn’t speak. Galia was young, only seventeen, but this was still so wildly immature.
And yet there was something in her words Ani could relate to.
Talar, too, was the golden sister—effortlessly smart and successful, while Ani had felt like an afterthought, the one who had to work twice as hard for half the recognition.
She understood that ache, that desperate need to be seen, to matter.
But where Galia had lashed out, Ani had turned inward.
She never would have resorted to sabotage.
Hell, she planned her own sister’s wedding, even though the event had been painful for her in some ways.
She felt more like she was losing a sister than gaining a brother.
She felt she was behind and would never find love.
But she gave Talar the best wedding possible despite everything.
“I didn’t think about you—” Galia said, her voice trembling as she fought back tears. “I didn’t think they’d blame you for it. I swear, it didn’t even cross my mind.”
That, Ani could believe. No one in the Mardian family seemed to think about anyone else but themselves. There was a lot of noise and talking among all the relatives, so Ani took a chance to ask Galia now, in a lower voice. “The flowers, the dress, the menus—was that you, too?”
Galia nodded her head sadly.
Fuck. “Galia.” Ani closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing herself to breathe through the frustration clawing its way up her throat.
She was still the wedding planner, still a professional.
And Galia was seventeen after all. “What you did weren’t harmless pranks—they were reckless and made a lot of people’s jobs harder.
So much time and effort spent to undo them.
I really, really wish you had thought twice before pulling something like this. ”
Galia started to stammer something, when Kami brought over her phone. She seemed to have Grace on speaker. Ani held her breath. Hopefully Grace believed Galia? Or was Ani about to be fired anyway?
“Ani,” Grace said, seemingly calm except for a slight hint of irritation in her voice.
“Sorry about that story this morning. I didn’t think about how the press would spin the whole ex-girlfriend thing when we hired you.
I mean, I’ve never had press like this in my life, so I wasn’t thinking it was a possibility. ”
“That’s, um, that’s okay,” Ani said. She wasn’t getting fired? It didn’t seem like it.
“I’m going to call them myself,” Grace said. “The Daily Mail. And tell them it wasn’t you, and that the wedding is going on as scheduled, with you continuing to plan it.”
Ani let out a huge breath. She felt lightheaded with relief. “You’d do that? Thank you, that’s really generous of you.”
When Grace hung up, Kami threw her arms around Ani. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
Ani wrestled out of Kami’s grasp quickly. “It’s fine.”
“And you, Galia,” Kami said pointedly, “are in so much trouble.”
Kami’s mom also rounded on Galia, and Ani actually found herself feeling sorry for the little sister, who was clearly acting out based on some family dynamics.
“Hey,” Ani said to Kami and her mom. “I know it’s not my place, but go easy on her, okay? She’s still in high school. And maybe, I don’t know, she has a point?”
Ani walked away without waiting for a response. She didn’t want to have to elaborate. Let them figure out what she meant.
She needed Raffi. Now. Needed to talk to him—hell, needed to see him.
When she picked up her phone, she knew Raffi had seen the article, because there were three missed calls from him and a bunch of texts.
Baby, oh my God, I’m sorry. You okay? Let’s talk.
Call me back when you can.
I’m thinking of you.
And I want to murder that reporter at the Daily Mail. I hope this isn’t evidence.
Let me know you’re okay?
Please.
She called him back right away.
“Ani,” he said, sounding out of breath.
“I’m fine, I—thank you for your texts. It’s, it’s—”
She wanted to tell him it was all cleared up now, but she burst into tears instead.
“Shit, okay. I’m going to get you. Now. Give me the address.”
She sniffed. “There are paparazzi everywhere out there.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I’m coming. Address?”
She could hear his front door slam and then his car beep.
“I’m texting you.” She really did need him, too. Then she had a thought. “Put the top on, on your car. I don’t want them getting a clear shot of you, or us.”
“Whatever you want,” he said, and she heard clanks and clunks from the background as he was no doubt doing as Ani asked.
“Drive safely, okay? Seriously. I’m okay, I’m okay.”
“I’ll do my best,” Raffi grunted.
Ani sat on her bed, her mind reeling. Thank God she’d be with Raffi soon. She’d be safe and comforted and okay.
Just the mere thought of Raffi’s arms around her, his voice low in her ear, telling her it was going to be fine, that he had her? It sent a sharp tug low in her belly, a warmth curling under her skin.
And suddenly, she didn’t just want to be comforted. She wanted to feel wanted.
Ani tore through her closet, ditching comfort for something less family-friendly, sleek, and slinky, with far skimpier undergarments than strictly necessary. She ran a brush through her hair, swiped on some lipstick, then grabbed her bag.
Just then, the door between her and Kami’s rooms opened and Kami stepped in while saying, “Knock, knock.”
Ani’s cheeks flared. Kami hadn’t actually knocked. What if Ani was still undressed? Her ex felt so entitled, she didn’t even think it’d be a problem. Ani simply stared at her.
“Oh my God, I just wanted to give you a real apology. I am so, so sorry I ever doubted you for even a second. You’ve been, like, crucial to this whole thing. I can’t believe I thought you might have done that. You’re the best.”
Kami threw her arms around Ani and nuzzled her neck. “Also, wow, you changed and someone looks pretty hot.” Ani froze, a sharp current of anger spiking through her. This was it. A step too damn far, and she wasn’t going to have it anymore.
Ani pried Kami’s hands off her and stepped back.
She folded her arms. “Listen, Kami, hugging me like that, touching me in the many intimate ways you have been, speaking to me the way you have been—it’s not okay, and I don’t like it.
I’m not your friend, and I’m not your girlfriend. So please, you have to stop that.”
Kami stared at her, open-mouthed. She started to speak, but Ani interrupted her.
“I am, however, your wedding planner. And I’m going to create, for you and Grace, the most flawless goddamn wedding you could have ever imagined.
Utter perfection. And you are going to love it and cherish the memories for the rest of your life.
But our relationship, you and me? It has to be strictly professional.
You broke my heart, which you seem to be unaware of, and honestly that’s fine, you’re allowed that.
I even got over it, finally. But you’re not allowed to act like we’re best buddies anymore.
Because we’re not. I hope—I hope you can understand that. ”
Kami stood there in dumbstruck silence, nodding.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Ani said. “I have to go. My boyfriend is coming to pick me up. Call me if there’s a wedding-related matter.”
And as Kami’s jaw dropped for the second time this conversation, Ani walked out the door.