Chapter 4

All the Green family relatives stared at me with predatory, mocking eyes, expecting me to bow my head and apologize just as I had always done.

I clenched my hands tightly at my side, then looked past Everett's shoulder at the intersection just outside the hotel.

"Are you sure you're calling the wedding off?" I asked.

Everett assumed I was terrified. He lifted his chin and let out a cold laugh. "That's right! And if you don't apologize, you can stay here alone and make a fool of yourself today!"

The words had barely left his mouth before a limited-edition luxury car pulled up with a suffocating presence and glided to a stop in front of Everett's car. The luxury car's body had a cold, metallic sheen under the sunlight.

The moment it pulled up, Everett's vehicle instantly looked like a mere toy.

Annoyance was written all over Everett's face as he frowned. "Whose car is that? Are they blind?

"Don't they know the Green family booked the entire venue for the wedding today? Get that thing out of the way right now!"

His ignorant arrogance made him look downright ridiculous.

The driver's door of the luxury car opened before a chauffeur in a black suit and white gloves quickly stepped out.

Ignoring Everett's shouting, he walked up to the back passenger door, bowed slightly, and pulled it open. "We've arrived, Mr. Hathaway."

Someone with long legs stepped out of the car.

Ashton was dressed in a tailored black suit. The subtle pattern on his tie radiated an undisguised air of nobility. Standing over six feet tall, he carried himself with such commanding presence that the surrounding air fell dead silent for a brief second.

He ignored the stares of the crowd and walked over to my side before looking down at me. There was a trace of gentleness in his gaze.

"My apologies. Traffic was a little heavy.

"I'm not too late, am I?"

Standing just a few paces away, Everett was completely frozen. He fixed Ashton with a dead, lethal stare as his eyes slowly widened. The arrogant attitude he had just moments ago dissolved into thin air, replaced by undisguisable panic.

"M-Mr. Hathaway?" he stammered, his voice practically trembling now. "W-What brings you here?"

Ashton was the largest investor in Everett's company and a top-tier titan whom Everett had to queue just to catch a distant glimpse of.

Della clearly didn't recognize Ashton, but she could easily tell that he had an extraordinary status.

Her eyes lit up. She instinctively straightened her posture, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and flashed what she believed to be the perfect smile.

"Who's this, Everett?"

She even took a step forward in an attempt to draw Ashton's attention, but he didn't spare her so much as a glance.

Susanne, however, had yet to grasp the situation. The way I ignored her, and seeing Everett bow and scrap to a stranger, only fueled her rage.

She took a step forward, pointed at me, and loudly snapped, "What are you just standing there for, Madeline? Hurry up and apologize to Della!

"Don't embarrass yourself in front of our honored guests. You've made enough of a fool of the Greens!"

I didn't bother looking at Susanne or Everett. Instead, I lifted my arm, slid it through Ashton's, and linked our arms together.

Ashton's body tensed slightly before he smoothly tightened his grip to shield me against his side.

I looked up into his eyes. "You came at the perfect time."

Then, I turned around to face the stunned Green family relatives down the hotel steps and the passersby recording on their phones.

Taking over a megaphone from Clifton, I announced in a clear, calm voice that carried across the entire ballroom, "Today's wedding will proceed as scheduled, everyone, but we have a different groom."