Chapter 16
“Of course! I mean, look at me–handsome and dashing as ever. Do you really think I’d pick anyone less than amazing for you?” Sean said, brimming with confidence as he held the veil up to Yvette’s head.
Yvette gave him an enthusiastic thumbs–up, then leaned in and whispered, “Why would a brilliant guy like him want to marry me?”
As soon as the subject was mentioned, Sean arched an eyebrow and grew even more arrogant, saying, “Zephyr is notoriously known as the Aloof Academic. He’s been dedicated to medicine since he was a kid, and romance is the last thing on his mind.
“His family’s been on his case to get married, so we’ve been trying to set him up with dozens of people. Yet, he hasn’t shown any interest in any of them.
“I didn’t think of it until 1 invited him over for my birthday party and he saw the family photo. He stared at you for ages, so I thought there was hope and casually brought it up. And to my surprise, he actually took the bait and showed interest in you!
“It was then I thought of setting you two up. Yet, you were so stubborn and refused to even consider it! If he hadn’t been so patient, waiting half a year for you, there’s no way you’d have this kind of luck now!”
Upon reflection, Yvette realized that she had first been informed of the arranged marriage approximately half a year ago.
At that point, she had no idea about Charlotte’s existence, so she ignored her family’s attempts to persuade her and refused the arrangement.
Yvette was taken aback, wondering if Zephyr actually waited half a year for her, even though he knew she wasn’t interested in it.
Upon noticing her spacing out, Sean gently flicked her forehead and said, “Oh, right! Kade called before I left, saying he wanted to talk to you. You should get back to him.”
Although she nodded absentmindedly, Yvette had no intention of reaching out to him.
Upon seeing her expression, Sean’s doubts finally eased a little. “He has taken care of you for so long, so it’s only natural to have some sibling–like affection. I’ll invite him to the wedding for you.”
As soon as she heard that, Yvette was completely stunned. “You mean, he actually knows that I’m getting married?”
As he was lost in thought, recalling his words from earlier, Sean failed to notice the surprise on Yvette’s face.
“I didn’t specifically mention it being you, but he probably should have figured out that it’s your wedding. If I were the one getting married, I would have made sure he would be my best man, after all!”
Upon seeing the uncertainty on his face, Yvette was at a loss for words, realizing how unreliable Sean could be.
As he handed over the voice recorder to Kade, Wren had a troubled look on his face.
Yet, as Kade reached out to take it, Wren held on tightly to it, refusing to let go.
He then hesitated for a moment before trying to talk him out of it, saying, “Why not just let it go, Kay? You’ve been waiting for Charlotte for eight years without moving on, so you clearly care about her. It’s probably better for both of you if you don’t dig too deep into this.”
After hearing his best friend–someone who had practically grown up with him–say that, Kade immediately realized that the contents of this recording probably contained more than he had initially thought.
His already wavering heart sank further into despair as he forcefully snatched the voice recorder and pressed play.
“I still don’t get it, Lizzie. Why did Charlotte suddenly choose to end things and move abroad back then?”
“It was Mrs. Dormer who approached Charlotte back then. She told her that the Dormer family would never approve of their relationship before offering Charlotte a large sum of money. And Charlotte, being young and frightened, took the money and left.
“After finding out that all of Mr. Dormer’s former girlfriends resembled Charlotte, we teased Charlotte about it. After hearing this, she immediately returned. I guess she couldn’t get over him either.”
“I–mean, if she still liked him, why didn’t she just say so? You see, Kay clearly still has feelings for Charlotte as well. If she had told him about it, they could have easily gotten back together.”
“You clearly don’t get it–it’s called playing hard to get! Charlotte had told me that by creating some conflict and tension, she could remind Mr. Dormer of what happened eight years ago. It is only by doing so that he’d finally commit to staying by her side.”
