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بيت / He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy / Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

مؤلف: Chelsea
I didn't touch the gift box again. Instead, I went straight back to the main house for my father's documents.

In the study's wastebasket were a few torn-up printouts, and at the very bottom lay a payment receipt.

The payee was an audio studio.

I stared at the receipt as a chill ran down my spine.

Just as I'd suspected, Livia hadn't taken the voice recorder for any memorial video.

She wanted my father's voice to vouch for her at tomorrow night's engagement ceremony.

I snapped a photo and sent it to my father's lawyer.

I wrote: [She's doctoring my father's recordings.]

The lawyer replied at once: [I have the original audio. If we get hold of the file they play at the ceremony, we can have it authenticated.]

I sent him the address of the engagement ceremony.

Me: [Bring your people tomorrow night.]

He replied: [Understood.]

Me: [Don't tip them off.]

I put the torn paper back where I had found it.

Just as I was about to leave, my mother pushed the door open.

She handed me a program. "You'll be giving the witness speech tomorrow night. Livia says that as long as the ceremony goes smoothly, she won't upset your grandmother again."

I took the program.

My anger had reached its limit, but my face showed nothing at all. "Don't worry. I'll be there."

My mother left, satisfied. At the same moment, my phone screen lit up.

[The forensic examiners will be there tomorrow night.]

Only after reading that message did I slowly fold up the program.

They wanted me to be their witness.

Fine.

I would make sure everyone heard loud and clear exactly which engagement I was there to bear witness to.

…

The next evening, the Rossi Estate was packed with guests.

The Trust Board, the Lamberto family, and the Rossi branch families had all come.

Livia wore my dress, with my father's family heirloom pinned to her chest.

Adrian stood beside her.

When he saw me, his expression relaxed a little. He probably thought I had finally learned to do as I was told.

My mother shoved the witness speech into my hands. "Read it exactly as written."

I walked up onto the stage and looked down at Adrian and Livia.

In that moment, I wasn't angry at all anymore.

I'd used up all my anger yesterday. Now my head was perfectly clear.

I set the speech aside. "Good evening, everyone. I'm Selena Rossi. Tonight was supposed to be the engagement ceremony for Adrian Lamberto and me."

The banquet hall fell silent. Adrian's face changed abruptly.

I went on, "But yesterday, to help my sister Livia secure her trust fund, Adrian got engaged to her at the last minute."

The Trust Board members began murmuring among themselves.

Livia clutched her skirt.

My mother shot to her feet. "Selena!"

I didn't stop. "Since they asked me to be their witness, naturally I have to tell the whole truth. As of this moment, my seven-year engagement to Adrian Lamberto is over."

Right on cue, footsteps sounded at the entrance. Matteo's father made his way through the crowd and stopped in front of the stage.

I looked out at everyone and said solemnly, "At the same time, I accept the marriage alliance with the Cassano family."

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  • He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy   Chapter 10

    The Lamberto family had lost three shipping lines and was under investigation by the Trust Board for engagement fraud.Adrian was busy cleaning up the mess.But the busier he got, the more clearly he could see where that mess had come from.He had thought I was the one who couldn't live without the Lambertos.In reality, for the past seven years, I had been the one holding together the Lamberto family's relationship with the Rossis.After I left, the Rossi old guard stopped doing him any favors.The Cassanos took over the docks, and even a few middlemen who had once relied on the Lambertos quietly switched allegiances.A month later, Adrian met Matteo at Cassano headquarters.He had grown noticeably thinner. His suit was as expensive as ever, but it couldn't hide the exhaustion left by night after sleepless night.In the conference room, Matteo didn't offer him a seat.Adrian placed a file on the table. "A partnership on the West Docks is still on the table. The Lamberto fami

  • He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy   Chapter 9

    The only people in attendance were the Cassano family's inner circle, a few of the Rossi family's old guard, and representatives from the Trust Board.Grandma's surgery had gone smoothly. She was still weak, but she had insisted that a nurse wheel her to the estate's small chapel."I have to be here to see you."She held my hand. "Your father isn't here, so I'll sit in his place."I crouched in front of her wheelchair and straightened her shawl. "You just had surgery. You shouldn't be running around.""It's one of the biggest days of your life. If I don't come, who will?"She unpinned the Rossi family heirloom and fastened it to my dress. "This time, nobody gets to borrow it."A commotion broke out at the chapel entrance.Adrian had come. He wore a black overcoat, the engagement ring pinched between his fingers.Several Cassano bodyguards stopped him. "Mr. Lamberto, you're not on the guest list."His voice was hoarse. "I'm here to see Selena."Matteo stepped out of the chape

  • He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy   Chapter 8

    Livia was sitting in the living room, still in her gown.The moment Adrian walked in, she jumped to her feet. "Adrian, I waited up for you all night."He said nothing.The butler handed over an investigation report: the audio studio, the payment records, the heirloom restoration order, the engagement ceremony authorization.Every item bore Livia's name in black and white.Adrian slammed the file onto the table. "Explain."Tears spilled down Livia's cheeks. "I was just so afraid of losing you."Selena is better than me at everything. Everyone thinks she's the right one to inherit the Rossi family, and even you were engaged to her for seven years."If I hadn't done something, you really would have married her."Her voice trembled, and she choked out, "Besides, you're the one who agreed to the engagement."Adrian, the only reason you're blaming me now is that she really doesn't want you anymore."But you're not innocent either."The words drove straight into his heart like a n

  • He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy   Chapter 7

    Outside the car window, the lights of the engagement ceremony faded bit by bit into the distance.Matteo sat beside me and handed me a file. "Your grandmother has been transferred to Cassano Medical Center. The lead surgeon arrived half an hour ago, and the deposit has been paid in full."I took the file, my fingers pausing on my grandmother's name. "Thank you.""It's part of the marriage alliance agreement."He said it in a strictly businesslike tone. I turned my head to look at him. "Matteo, you don't have to tiptoe around my feelings like this. You agreed to this alliance because you want control of the Rossi docks. I understand that."Matteo looked at me for a few seconds. "Interests are one reason. But I have no intention of letting my fiancée be humiliated while she's engaged to me."He was so blunt that, for a moment, I didn't know how to respond.When the car pulled up to the medical center, the bodyguards had already cleared the back entrance.Grandma was sitting up

  • He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy   Chapter 6

    Livia moped, "Selena, all I wanted was the trust fund. You already have everything. Why do you have to fight me for this too?"I stopped in my tracks. "What exactly do I have?"Livia's eyes were red, as if she'd suffered the greatest injustice in the world. "You have the right to inherit the Rossi family. You have Adrian. You have Grandma's favor."I've been sickly since I was little. That trust is the only thing I have to live on."My mother hurried over to steady her. "Selena, is Livia wrong? The whole Rossi family will be yours someday. All she wants is the money your grandfather left."I looked at them and folded my arms. "Then why did you fake my father's recording?"My mother's face changed, and Livia's sobbing stopped short.At the entrance to the banquet hall, my late father's lawyer walked in with two forensic examiners.He handed a sealed evidence bag to the chairman of the Trust Board. "This is the audio file that was going to be played at tonight's engagement ceremo

  • He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy   Chapter 5

    It was as if every sound in the banquet hall had been cut off at once.Livia clung to Adrian's arm, her face pale. "Selena, what kind of joke is this?"My mother's face darkened too. "Selena, today is Livia's engagement ceremony. Do you really have to make a scene now of all times?"I stood on the stage and looked at her. "Weren't you the ones who asked me to be the witness? Since you want me to bear witness, of course I'm going to lay this engagement out clearly."The Trust Board members exchanged glances and whispered to one another.Grim-faced, the Lamberto family's lawyer leaned in and quietly reminded Adrian, "The public confirmation has to be completed before ten o'clock. Otherwise, Livia's eligibility will be reviewed again."As if he had only just snapped out of it, Adrian strode to the front of the stage. "Selena, come down."He kept his voice low. "Do you have any idea what kind of man Matteo is? You'd agree to a marriage like that just to spite me?"I looked at him a

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