With a determined lift of her chin, Lena spoke up. “I’ve heard Whitney say more than once that she wanted to cancel the wedding.”
She continued, her voice steady and unwavering, “She told me you kept stalling, saying Grandpa wasn’t well and she should wait. Just a couple of days ago, her dad even had someone drug her and drag her home, just to ensure she’d show up at the wedding.”
Turning her gaze to James, she added, “If Patricia hadn’t gotten sick, Whitney would have definitely told you herself, Grandpa.”
“So you all kept pushing her, and now you’re acting like it’s all her fault?” Lena shot back, her tone sharp and unyielding.
Lena was fiercely protective of what was right, refusing to allow anyone to tarnish her best friend’s name in front of her.
“Lena, you can’t just speak like that. I understand that you and Whitney share a close bond, but we’re your family, you know,” Sabrina interjected, desperation creeping into her voice.
Lena pursed her lips, her disapproval evident. James, with his keen eyes, noticed her defiance.
“Enough,” he commanded, turning his cold gaze back to Sabrina. “Whitney wanted to cancel the wedding before. Why did you keep that from me?”
“Did you hide it because you thought I was too sick to handle the truth?” he pressed, his voice rising.
“Or did you want to create a scene today, knowing I wasn’t well?”
Any trace of dissatisfaction James had felt toward Whitney evaporated in that moment.
‘So she wanted to be honest from the start, but they kept concealing it and trying to gloss over the truth,’ he thought, frustration boiling within him.
“Do you think marriage is just a game?” James snapped, his voice sharp. “If Whitney has already given up on Carter, do you expect me to force her into a marriage with him?”
He demanded, “Don’t tell me you actually threatened her and made Samuel kidnap Whitney back home?”
Sabrina rushed to defend herself, her voice rising in indignation. “Seriously, we’d never do something like that! Why would you think we’re capable of such cruelty?”
James let out a heavy snort, his skepticism evident. “Don’t blame me for thinking that way. Just look at what your son has been up to!”
The more James mulled over the situation, the angrier he became, until he suddenly realized someone was missing from the house.
“Lena, where’s Klein?” he asked, his tone shifting to one of concern.
Lena blinked her wide, sparkling eyes in surprise. “Grandpa, you asked him to take Whitney to the hospital. Don’t you remember?”
It finally dawned on James, the pieces falling into place.
“Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to visit Patricia,” James declared. “She was always the closest to your mother.”
George and Sabrina exchanged glances, knowing they had no choice but to comply. “Yes, of course,” they replied in unison, their voices tinged with resignation.
*****
After Carter whisked Emily away from the wedding, his expression darkened, knuckles turning white as they gripped the steering wheel with tension.
The car surged forward, the dashboard beeping warnings that he was far exceeding the speed limit, but he paid no mind.
Emily clutched her seatbelt, her face as pale as a ghost. “Carter, please, slow down,” she pleaded, her voice trembling slightly.
But her words only seemed to stoke the flames of his anger. It took a solid ten minutes and a red light before Carter finally began to calm down, the adrenaline slowly ebbing away.
He cast a sideways glance at Emily, his gaze softening just a fraction. “Sorry, Emily. Did I scare you just now?”
Emily forced a stiff smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “No, Carter. I just knew you were upset.”
If Whitney were sitting beside him at that moment, she would have certainly said something different.
She would have shot him a serious look and lectured him about traffic laws and the consequences of his reckless driving.
Carter used to find her lectures tedious, but now, for reasons he couldn’t quite understand, he found himself missing her just a little.
“Are you hungry? Want to grab something to eat?” he asked, his tone distracted, as if he were still lost in thought.
Emily felt herself finally beginning to relax. “Yeah, Carter, I’d love to,” she replied, her voice steadier now.
Even though she had just gotten engaged to Carter after that chaotic scene earlier, at least she wouldn’t have to endure those annoying family matchmaking efforts anymore.
In a strange twist of fate, she felt a sense of gratitude toward Whitney for this upheaval. She had never anticipated that Whitney would orchestrate a stunt that would blow up in everyone’s faces, including her own.
Sure, the socialites would gossip for a while, but it would all fade into obscurity once she and Carter tied the knot. After a few days, no one would care about the drama that had unfolded.
Whitney would be effectively removed from their social circle.
After all, Whitney was merely the overlooked daughter from a second-rate family. How could she ever hope to compare?
Unbeknownst to Carter, Emily’s expression flickered with a hint of triumph. Out of nowhere, he asked, “Hey, about what Whitney said today, did you go see Patricia?”
Emily’s heart skipped a beat. “Carter, I honestly have no idea why Whitney would say that, but I swear to God, I never went to see Patricia,” she insisted, her voice earnest.
“Maybe Patricia got sick, and Whitney just needed someone to take her frustrations out on,” Emily added, attempting to sound casual, though her mind raced with the implications.
Carter’s brow furrowed in confusion.
While he trusted Emily implicitly, he couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Whitney would go out of her way to frame Emily with such a blatant lie.
The confusion gnawed at him, but honestly, Carter didn’t want to dwell on it any longer.
While everyone else was stressed and miserable, one person was barely able to conceal their smug satisfaction.
At the Royal Crest Club, Dustin Reed struggled to keep his eyes open. He had been in surgery until the wee hours of the morning, and it felt as if he had barely blinked before Klein dragged him out to this gathering.
Klein’s private room was filled with familiar faces, the atmosphere buzzing with lively conversation.
Eric Campbell, the heir to the Campbell family fortune, flicked his lighter absentmindedly, his tone casual. “Klein, is this an all-male hangout tonight?”
With only single guys present, Eric couldn’t help but wonder, ‘What’s even the point of a get-together like this?’
“Seriously, Klein, I know you never have any women around, so maybe next time, just let me set things up,” Dustin joked, a smirk playing on his lips.
Eric snorted in response. “Please, you talk like you’ve got women lining up for you.”
Dustin’s expression darkened. “Who do you think you’re looking down on?”
Oliver Grant raised an eyebrow, a smirk dancing across his face. “Looks like I’m the only one here who actually has a girlfriend.”
While Dustin and Eric might have had their fair share of dates, no one had ever seen either of them with a real girlfriend.
As for Klein, he preferred solitude and spent most of his time with the guys, so he was often excluded from the usual banter about women.
“Hey, Klein,” Oliver teased, “your nephew just got engaged, and here you are throwing a party? Shouldn’t you be sulking or something?”
Dustin perked up, surprise evident on his face. “Engaged? Wasn’t it supposed to be Carter’s wedding today?”
Eric shot Dustin a bewildered look. “Wow, I guess all those surgeries really scrambled your brain. Did you seriously miss the biggest news online today?”
Oliver pulled out his phone, reading aloud, “Here, the headline says, ‘Foster Daughter Becomes Daughter-in-Law in Shocking Twist. A Forbidden Romance.’
“Oh, and here’s another one, ‘Official Fiancée Dumped, Bride Replaced at the Ceremony, High Society Drama.’ Seriously, these headlines are outrageous. And that Moore girl who got left at the altar? Things are only going to get worse for her from here.”
He had just finished sharing the gossip when he suddenly caught a deadly glare from Klein, who was sprawled on the couch, his demeanor icy.
Oliver blinked, completely taken aback. “Dude, what’s with the look?”
Klein’s voice was cold as he replied, “Oliver, has dating that little starlet fried your brain or something? Who told you she was left at the altar? Get your facts straight. She called off the wedding today.”
“I’m out,” Klein declared, shoving the trash can out of his way. “Not wasting my time with morons.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.