Never Judge

Ayanna had already finished trying her wedding gown and was waiting for her friends and sister-in-law to step out of the dressing room when her phone began ringing non-stop. When she saw it was Cedric she suddenly became nervous, she had asked Mae the previous night to give Cedric the bill. She didn't even dare take a look, she knew what she asked for and she knew that the bill was going to be astronomical.

"Aren't you going to pick that up?" Her sister-in-law, Adrianna, asked as she stepped out in a lilac colored gown.

"Sister-in-law you look gorgeous!" Ayanna gasped as she looked at Adrianna. 

"You're in trouble, aren't you?" Adrianna said with a laugh as she watched Ayanna's face turn sour.

"Yup, with my brother." Ayanna said as she showed Adrianna her phone's screen, Cedric was still calling her.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Adrianna said as she smiled sweetly.

"Thank you sister-in-law." Ayanna said excitedly as she picked up the call.

"Older brother, what can I do for you?" Ayanna said in the sweetest tone she could.

"Ayanna Reyes - Laurence, what kind of a bill is this!?" Cedric asked angrily over the phone.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Cedric." Ayanna said innocently.

"Ayanna, don't play stupid. It doesn't suit you." Cedric said in a cold tone that scared Ayanna a little bit.

"You said you would foot the bill." Ayanna said confidently as Adrianna nodded at her.

"Cedric saw the bill?" Veronica asked as she walked out of the dressing room.

"Yup, he's furious." Ayanna said with a giggle as she moved the phone away, she wasn't listening to her brother, she knew he would lose this discussion. She had her sister-in-law on her side, and her brother would never win against Adrianna.

"Brother, you promised." Ayanna whined. "Don't you want to see sister-in-law in her matron of honor gown?" Ayanna threatened.

"Ayanna, don't you dare use your sister-in-law to threaten me." Cedric said angrily.

Ayanna looked up as she saw Adrianna stretch a hand out towards her, she was asking for the phone. Ayanna smiled and handed the phone over.

"Cedric, why are you being so harsh on your sister?" Adrianna asked Cedric in a scolding tone. 

"Honey, darling, I'm just telling my sister to be more considerate about the costs." Cedric's tone suddenly shifted, it sounded like he was begging for his wife to go easy on him.

"Cedric Reyes, tell me, if we had a formal ceremony, wouldn't you go overboard like this too?" Adrianna asked her husband.

"I would but -" Cedric began to say when his wife quickly cut him off.

"Ayanna also worked hard to make that money, don't give me the whole value of money excuse!" Adrianna said quite harshly.

"Yes honey, sorry honey." Cedric suddenly said, his ego clearly wounded by his wife.

Ayanna grinned as she heard her brother apologize. 

"Now, speak nicely to Ayanna." Adrianna said as she handed the phone back to her sister-in-law.

"Ayanna, I know I promised to foot the bill, but next time be more conscious about your spending. I don't want people thinking we are too over the top." Cedric told Ayanna calmly.

"But, Cedric, you should see how the others spend. Mine isn't even that bad. I kept it simple. I just want everything to be of the best quality." Ayanna explained. "I already saved a lot by having Selina and Mau do a collab for the gowns and tuxes. And I know you saved a lot on the venue since we're having it at Constellations."

"Alright, alright." Cedric said with a sigh, he would never win against the women in his family. "Send me photos of your sister-in-law in her gown. I'll see you both at dinner tonight." Cedric finally said.

"Alright big brother. Bye." Ayanna said excitedly as she dropped the call.

"Sister-in-law you are the only one that can defeat the devil!" Ayanna said excitedly as she hugged Adrianna tightly.

"Calm down, your brother isn't as bad as you think! People will think he is truly evil!" Adrianna laughed as she tried to pry Ayanna off of her.

"You didn't see him before Adrianna." Katerina said as she came out of the dressing room with Nicole and Natalia. "Back before he was allowed to come home. He was always nice, but he was also cold and constantly in pain."

"Not only was he apart from his family, but he was also lying to you." Ayanna added. "He hated it. It was like he was constantly being tortured. He isn't a monster, but he can still be very cold."

"He went through a lot." Adrianna said with a sigh as she placed a hand on Ayanna's. 

"We know." Ayanna said with a frown. "I was honestly so afraid that I would get married before he came back. Did you know that when he left I cried so hard that I refused to eat? Mom and dad were so worried about me that they were tempted to call him back. I wanted them to call him back, and they did eventually. But my older brother sat me down and explained to me why he had to leave. I didn't like it, but as a kid I understood that we always did things differently."

"I remember that time, auntie Priscilla also cried a lot. She was so mad at their grandparents for the tradition. She was always worried and would have her driver take her as close as possible to Cedric's school and apartment. She would watch him from afar." Katerina explained.

"How did you know that?" Ayanna asked.

"She would visit and talk to mom. At the time they thought I didn't understand what they were talking about, but I did, and I still remember the pain and worry in her eyes." Katerina said with a sigh.

"It's a dangerous tradition." Nicole said. "I can't imagine being separated from Tristan like that."

"It used to be worse." Ayanna said. "Grandpa changed it. He thought that what his father and grandfather made him go through was too much." 

""Why did the Reyeses even start that tradition? I mean it seems to work well, but it's such a gamble." Veronica said.

"Well, it was because there was once a son of the Reyes Family that almost drove us bankrupt." Ayanna said with a frown. "He spent his money, women, alcohol, and gambling. He was the eldest son, the only son, and they couldn't do anything about him being the heir. The Reyeses are sticklers for tradition, they are very stubborn. So this heir almost spent everything. Luckily his sister stepped up and took over the company and the family funds." 

"So the Reyes family's last name isn't Reyes?" Adrianna asked. 

"Oh it is." Ayanna said with a laugh. "That daughter couldn't have children. So she took her elder brother's children and trained them. She sent her nephew to live among the slums and sent his other children to be educated. When the eldest son came back after ten years she saw how much he valued hard work and how he understood what the family needed to grow, so she sent him to be educated in Europe. When he came back she taught him how to manage the company and the family. Eventually his siblings began to help out, they appreciated what he went through and they saw how well he managed everything, so they didn't fight for power."

"I guess each family has its own pains." Nicole said with a frown.

"Yep, no one is perfect." Veronica said with a nod. "Do you think Cedric will make Emilio go through poverty training?"

"I'm not sure." Ayanna said, shaking her head. "Have you discussed it with my brother?" Ayanna asked Adrianna.

"Not yet. I'm also afraid of the poverty training part. I don't think I can be as strong as your mom." Adrianna said with a sigh.

"Yeah, mom was my pillar through that." Ayanna said. "I hope my brother makes the right choice." She said as she took out her phone and sent Adrianna's photos to Cedric.