Chapter 21

"Damn it!" Rachel cursed under her breath, her face twisted with envy.

Evelyn had no intention of engaging in a petty argument at someone else’s wedding. She turned away and headed toward the restroom.

When she stepped back out, her gaze inadvertently caught movement at the end of the hallway. A man and a woman were whispering, their heads close together. Moments later, they slipped into a storage room.

If her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, that man was none other than Sophia’s groom, Adrian. And the woman? Rachel—wearing the same blue bridesmaid dress as Evelyn.

What exactly was a groom doing with a bridesmaid on his wedding day?

Inside the storage room, the air was thick with tension.

"You’re a heartless bastard, Adrian! How could you marry someone else behind my back?"

Rachel’s voice was sharp, laced with betrayal.

Adrian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What are you even doing here, Rachel?"

"I’m one of the bridesmaids! I had no idea the groom would be you! No wonder you’ve been ghosting me!"

He pulled out a card from his pocket and shoved it toward her. "There’s thirty thousand in here. Consider it our breakup fee. Once the wedding’s over, leave quietly. Don’t make a scene."

Rachel snatched the card, scoffing. "Thirty thousand? You think that’s enough? If you want to end this, you’re giving me at least a hundred and fifty grand!"

Adrian’s patience snapped. "You’re pushing your luck. Take the thirty or get nothing. And if you cause trouble, I’ll have security drag you out."

Evelyn lingered outside, listening to the heated exchange. Suddenly, it clicked why Adrian had seemed familiar.

He’d once picked Rachel up from Silver Peaks Enterprises. Rachel, ever the show-off, had paraded him around the office, flaunting her "handsome boyfriend."

Yet Sophia had claimed she and Adrian had been together for three years, deeply in love.

Beneath that charming facade was just another cheater. Poor Sophia had no idea.

Evelyn’s expression remained blank as she turned away.

Sophia was Nathaniel’s niece. This wasn’t Evelyn’s business to interfere.

The ceremony began with the soft, romantic notes of the Wedding March.

Sophia glided down the aisle, radiant in her gown, her eyes fixed on the man she believed would be her forever.

In the audience, Dominic nudged Nathaniel with a smirk. "Where’s that wife of yours? Didn’t bring her along?"

Nathaniel didn’t answer. His gaze was locked on the stage—specifically, on Evelyn in her blue bridesmaid dress.

Lucas leaned in. "She’s here, Mister Prescott."

Dominic scanned the crowd. "Where? I don’t see her."

Lucas pointed toward the stage. "Up there."

Dominic squinted. Aside from the bride, there were only four bridesmaids. "Which one?"

He’d only ever seen Evelyn either caked in makeup or veiled.

The large screen above the stage displayed sweet moments of Sophia and Adrian’s relationship. The officiant was mid-sentence, asking Sophia to recite her vows—

Then, without warning, the screen flickered.

The romantic montage vanished, replaced by grainy surveillance footage.

Adrian, dragging a bridesmaid into a storage room.

The entire venue erupted into chaos.