Before Linsey could reply, a sneering voice echoed from the front.
“Collin, why are you so late?” Huntley strode confidently up to Collin, fixing him with a mocking stare. “Oh, right. I almost forgot. You can’t move around easily, so of course you’d be late. My mistake for overthinking-I almost thought you were too embarrassed to show up.”
Collin met Huntley’s gaze with a detached expression. “What do I have to be afraid of?”
Fernanda, who was trailing gracefully behind, overheard Huntley’s comments and couldn’t suppress her smugness.
She looked at Collin’s wheelchair and put on a show of sympathy. “Huntley, that’s enough. Collin is already coping with his disability. Don’t make it harder for him.”
Huntley gave a cold snort, then turned to the gathering crowd of guests and announced loudly, “Everyone in town knows that not long ago, Collin’s original fiancee ran away as soon as she saw his wheelchair. Left with no choice, he had to quickly find another woman to marry.”
Huntley laughed and then turned back to Collin. “Look at you, Collin. It’s been days since your wedding, and yet you’re still hiding your wife. Mom and I are both so curious-we really want to see what your new bride looks like. Although your legs are useless, you’re still part of this family. Surely someone of your status wouldn’t just marry anyone.”
As he finished, Huntley’s eyes roamed around Collin.
His gaze suddenly fixed on Linsey, who stood quietly behind Collin. A look of surprise crossed his face. Who was this woman?
Huntley had never even thought of Linsey as Collin’s wife. He assumed she was just another guest there to watch the event unfold.
“Collin, where’s your wife? Why don’t you introduce her to everyone?”
While he said this, Huntley’s eyes boldly scanned Linsey.
Who was this woman? Why hadn’t he seen her around before? She was unlike the overly adorned women Huntley was used to. Her features were fine, her manner even finer. He reminded himself to find out who she was later.
Just as Huntley was lost in thought, he noticed Linsey move gracefully forward and take Collin’s hand gently.
Collin looked at her, and his stern expression softened. Turning to Fernanda, he introduced her. “This is my wife.”
Huntley was taken aback. He couldn’t believe such a stunning woman was married to Collin.
Before Fernanda could reply, Huntley exclaimed, “Collin, are you serious? She’s your wife?”
“Yes,” Collin answered without missing a beat.
A theory formed in Huntley’s mind, and with a mocking smile, he teased, “Collin, you didn’t hire an actress to boost your image, did you?”
Laughing, he turned to Linsey. “So, how much is Collin paying you to make an appearance here? I’ll double it.”
Linsey’s grip on Collin’s hand tightened. Before Collin could speak, she addressed Huntley in a cold but commanding tone. “I am not an actress. Collin and I are truly married. Your insinuations insult not just him, but me as well. An apology is due.”
Her boldness stirred the crowd.
“Who does she think she is? She’s quite bold.”
“Does she know she’s talking to Huntley?”
“How dare she demand an apology from him?”
Huntley was visibly shocked by Linsey’s boldness. He laughed harshly and looked her over with disdain. “Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you speak to me this way?”
“I know exactly who you are,” Linsey replied, her face unflinching. “You’re Collin’s younger brother, which makes me your sister-in-law. As a younger brother, is this how you should behave toward your elder brother and sister-in-law?”
Linsey paused, then let out a soft, meaningful laugh. “It seems your parents didn’t raise you right. What exactly have you been teaching your son, Mrs. Riley? To raise him to act like this?”
The room fell into a heavy silence at her words.
Everyone stared at Linsey, shocked, her calm only making them think she might be out of her mind.
Fernanda and Huntley were both stunned by Linsey’s sharp words.
Huntley’s face turned a deep red with anger. He pointed at Linsey, his voice shaking. “You wretched woman! Say that again if you dare!”
He stormed toward her, his anger boiling over.
This sharp-tongued woman-he was determined to put her in her place and show her who was in charge.
But before he could reach her, his raised hand was caught mid-air by Collin.
The grip was so tight that Huntley thought his hand might snap.
“Ah!” Huntley cried out, his face going pale. “Collin, let go of me!”
Fernanda’s complexion drained of color as she exclaimed, “Collin, have you completely lost it? This is insane!”
Her hand shot up, ready to call for help. “Somebody-“
A shadow passed over Collin’s face, his tone razor-sharp as he commanded the room. “Who dares challenge me?”
A stunned hush settled over the crowd. For too long, they had dismissed Collin as nothing more than a powerless man bound to a wheelchair-someone easy to overlook.
Now, the air itself seemed to chill under his icy presence.
His every movement, every glance, carried the weight of absolute dominance-the kind that made even the boldest hesitate. A flicker of defiance in the guests’ eyes was swiftly extinguished, replaced by a cold sweat of unease.
Huntley’s wrist pulsated with pain, beads of sweat rolling down his face. His carefully chosen banquet attire now hung in wrinkled disarray, a pitiful contrast to his earlier arrogance.
“Let me go! What do you want from me, Collin?” he ground out, voice shaking with a mix of pain and frustration.
Disdain curled at the corner of Collin’s lips. “You should be asking yourself that question. I’ve tolerated your antics for years. But now, you dare lay a hand on my wife? Did you truly believe I would remain silent?”
A few feet away, Linsey stood motionless, her wide eyes fixed on the unfolding scene.
Only now did she grasp the reason behind Collin’s actions-he was standing up for her.
Huntley, unwilling to yield, retorted, “She was the one being disrespectful! I was just planning to teach her a lesson!”
The words had barely left his mouth before Collin’s grip tightened. A strangled scream tore from Huntley’s throat. “Ah! Stop! It hurts! Let go of me!”
Collin was unmoved by his agony, his voice calm yet unyielding. “Apologize. Now.”
Desperation overtook Huntley, his pride crumbling under the unbearable pain. “I was wrong! I’m sorry! I never should have disrespected you! Please, I was wrong!”
Only now did the truth sink in-Collin wasn’t the man Huntley had believed him to be.
Before this moment, he had never seen Collin truly angry.
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.