A mischievous smile played on Linsey’s lips. “Who told you Felix was the one I married? I ended up with someone else entirely.”
Shock flashed across Dolores’s face, rendering her momentarily speechless.
Linsey, noticing her friend’s astonishment, continued in a serene, composed voice, “I was indeed supposed to marry Felix. But right before our ceremony, he received a call from Joanna. He didn’t hesitate; he just left me standing there, all alone. That was the moment I snapped out of it and saw the truth-Felix was never someone I could trust with my future.”
Her eyes sparkled with a hint of unexpected joy as she shared the twist in her story. “Coincidentally, there was another wedding nearby. The bride there got cold feet and bolted, leaving her groom stranded at the altar. So, in a spur of the moment decision, I married him instead.”
Dolores’s eyes bulged with disbelief. She swiftly reached over and gave Linsey a sharp smack on the arm.
“Linsey, have you lost your mind? Who in their right mind marries a complete stranger?”
Linsey, unfazed, flashed her a mischievous smile. “Well, he’s quite the looker.”
Dolores’s frown softened slightly. “Oh, that does make it a bit better, I guess.”
Her irritation quickly dissolved, replaced by a simmering indignation as she shifted the topic to Felix. “That Felix guy is an absolute scumbag. What the hell took you so long to dump that loser? And Linsey, you better not go getting all sentimental over him again.”
With a newfound firmness in her eyes, Linsey shook her head decisively. “Absolutely not. I’m married now. There’s no way I’m betraying my husband.”
Dolores cast a curious glance at Linsey, took a demure sip of her coffee, and ventured, “So, who is this dashing husband of yours?”
“Collin Riley.”
The name hit Dolores like a bolt from the blue, causing her to spit out her coffee in a spectacular spray across the table.
Linsey jumped up, a mix of concern and amusement on her face, as she hurried to dab at the mess with napkins. “Did you just choke? Take it easy and drink slower.”
Dolores had been stunned by Linsey’s revelations so often today that she had lost count. Each new shock felt like a blow to her chest, and now she braced herself as another wave of disbelief hit her hard.
“Linsey, you can’t mean that Collin Riley-the one ousted from the Riley family, the one confined to a wheelchair?” Dolores’s eyes widened in shock, her voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and concern.
Linsey met her gaze steadily, her nod resolute. “Indeed, that’s him. He’s never been romantically involved with anyone before, and despite what you might think, he’s definitely healthy.”
“You’re out of your mind!” Dolores’s voice rose, her face reddening with anger. “You finally free yourself from Felix, and now you’ve tied yourself to a man who can’t even walk? And you dare claim Collin is healthy? Are you blind to the fact he’s in a wheelchair?”
Linsey flinched, taken aback for a moment, but her voice was calm when she replied, “I am well aware of his condition.”
Dolores was seething. She took a deep, steadying breath, her tone becoming grave. “Listen, once you come to your senses and divorce him, I’m taking you straight to a psychiatrist. You need professional help.”
Linsey stood there, dumbstruck by Dolores’s harsh words.
“Linsey, you have to end this marriage with Collin,” Dolores demanded, her voice sharp with finality.
Linsey’s jaw dropped, a mixture of shock and disbelief spreading across her face as Dolores vehemently expressed her disapproval of Linsey’s marriage to Collin. Just moments earlier, Dolores had mistakenly believed Linsey was wed to Felix, and her anger had seemed overwhelming then. But now, as she was confronted with the reality of Linsey and Collin’s union, her fury intensified even further. Yet Linsey understood that beneath Dolores’s fierce exterior lay a deep concern for her wellbeing.
“Dolores, listen,” Linsey implored, her voice earnest and soothing. “Collin has been nothing but kind to me. For now, at least, I see no reason to even consider ending things with him.”
Dolores, massaging her temples with a pained expression, shot back, her tone laced with frustration. “Collin is just the overlooked son of the Riley family, Linsey. He can’t even shield himself from his own family. How can you expect him to look after you properly?”
She then sighed heavily, her frown deepening. “I was hoping you’d come to your senses by now, but it seems you’re still as naive as ever.”
Linsey offered her a weak, resigned smile. “And you’re as blunt as ever, Dolores,” she said, feeling utterly at a loss about how to make Dolores understand how amazing Collin was.
After a moment of contemplative silence, a spark of inspiration struck her. Hastily, she reached inside her clothing and delicately extracted a gleaming gemstone necklace, handling it with utmost care.
“Dolores, please, just look at this,” Linsey insisted, her eyes brightening as she displayed the necklace proudly. “Collin gave me this as a sign of his commitment.”
Dolores’s initial astonishment quickly gave way to skepticism, her eyes narrowing shrewdly as she studied the luxurious piece. “This necklace? It looks outrageously lavish. He just handed it to you, just like that? Well, I’ll be…”
Her suspicion mounted as she leaned in closer. “Hold on a second. This looks familiar. Wasn’t there something about a necklace like this in the news recently? Isn’t this the legendary piece worth a whole damn billion?”
As Dolores’ declaration echoed in her ears, Linsey’s heart skipped a beat, her hand quivering from the shock, the gemstone dangling precariously between her fingers.
“What did you just say? A billion?” Linsey echoed, her voice dipping to a whisper, laden with disbelief and a trace of unease.
She almost laughed in disbelief. A gemstone necklace worth a billion dollars? That was straight-up ridiculous.
Doubt clouded her thoughts, but the earnest look in Dolores’ eyes suggested she wasn’t kidding.
Dolores, for her part, appeared just as baffled, quickly scrolling through her phone to pull up a recent article. “Check it out-it’s from last night’s charity auction in town,” she insisted, handing the phone to Linsey.
Linsey snatched up the phone and peered at the article. It was only then she realized that at the charity auction last night, the enigmatic founder of CR Corporation had bid a breathtaking one billion dollars for a gemstone necklace.
The necklace in the photo glistened with an intense brilliance, its appearance strikingly similar to the one she wore around her neck.
“Something doesn’t add up here. How in the world did this end up with you?” Dolores leaned in, her brow furrowed in thought.
Linsey’s brow furrowed, a mix of confusion and suspicion swirling within her. “It’s strange, isn’t it? People say the founder of CR Corporation is a mysterious figure. And yet, this necklace was auctioned last night by him, only to end up with Collin, who then gave it to me…”
Her voice trailed off as she exchanged a glance with Dolores, her thoughts tangling into a single, startling possibility.
Could Collin actually be the elusive founder of CR Corporation?
Just as the question hung in the air, Dolores’s eyes stretched wide in shock. “Oh my! Are you suggesting Collin handed you a counterfeit?” Her voice was tinged with incredulity.
Linsey momentarily stiffened, the implication taking her by surprise. After a brief pause, she shook her head vigorously. “No, that can’t be right. Collin wouldn’t do such a thing,” she asserted firmly, her faith in him unshaken.
Dolores, still skeptical, tilted her head thoughtfully. “But Linsey, think about it. Are you really saying that Collin might be the man behind CR Corporation? That sounds like pure madness. Not too long ago, I attended a business gathering and got a rare sighting of the CR Corporation’s founder. Though it was just his silhouette, the commanding presence he projected was unmistakable. There was nothing wrong with his legs, which means there’s no way he was Collin-the crippled man confined to a wheelchair.”
She paused to scrutinize the sparkling gemstone at Linsey’s neck once more. “Yet, looking at the vibrant hue and the exquisite cut of this gem, it doesn’t look like a fake at all.”
Now that she thought about it, Linsey felt silly. Why did she keep connecting Collin to the CR Corporation’s mysterious founder?
Linsey traced her fingers over the necklace and remarked, “I know I’m not an expert, but from what little I understand about gemstones, this necklace seems genuine.”
Their gazes locked briefly before they leaned closer, scrutinizing the necklace that dangled elegantly from Linsey’s neck alongside the photo from the auction.
“Linsey, look closer. See how the facets on the gemstone are subtly different?” Dolores pointed out, her voice a mixture of intrigue and scrutiny.
Linsey examined it, and a wave of relief washed over her. “You’re right. They just bear a resemblance. It’s definitely not the same necklace.”
After all, considering Collin’s staggering debt of a hundred million dollars, the idea of him splurging a billion on a necklace for her was far-fetched. Moreover, he would have discarded it this very morning had she not intervened.
Dolores frowned slightly, her lips tightening in a thoughtful pout. “Alright, perhaps I misjudged Collin,” she conceded, her tone laced with frustration and concern.
She fixed Linsey with a stern look. “But honestly, Linsey, your trust sometimes blinds you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt because of it.”
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.