Chapter 4

A sentence was all it took to plant a thorn in Duncan's heart.

A mutual friend later told me that Duncan became paranoid after that. He kept suspecting things, but didn't dare confront Chelsea directly.

Instead, he secretly went through her phone.

That was when he discovered she had been following my account for a long time. Years ago, she had even been my top supporter during livestreams.

After that, things got ugly.

Duncan started fighting with Chelsea almost every day.

But the moment Samuel so much as frowned, Duncan immediately behaved again.

After telling me all that, my friend leaned closer and said curiously, "Leo, be honest with me. You've been hiding Irene so carefully, never bringing her out to meet anyone. Don't tell me she's actually…"

"The woman I'm marrying has always been Irene," I cut him off immediately.

Seeing how serious I looked, he didn't press the question any further.

I thought that after that, our lives would finally stop crossing paths.

But on the day of the wedding, I discovered something unbelievable.

We had booked the same hotel.

And when I saw the welcome boards at the entrance, both weddings displayed photos seemingly of the same bride.

Guests arriving at the venue started whispering to each other in confusion.

By the time I got there, my father was already tearing down my welcome sign.

He ripped the wedding photos into pieces, then took a blade and slashed a huge X across the bride's face in the remaining picture.

He must have really hated me to do all that.

"Leo, how did I end up with a son like you? If you still see me as your father, then leave right now!"

He seemed to be waiting for me to break down.

But his words no longer hurt me the way they once did.

I calmly asked my assistant, Kristy Hudson, to call the police.

"What, you think you're hot stuff now?" he snapped. "You don't even respect your own father anymore. Fine! Go ahead and make a scene. Let's see how you're going to fix it."

The situation had clearly become embarrassing.

Even the Trivetts looked displeased.

Duncan was only halfway through getting his hair done when he rushed out to stop Matthew.

"Leo, don't get cocky," he said coldly. "As long as Mr. Trivett is alive, someone like you will never enter the Trivetts. When your wedding has no bride, you're the only one who'll be embarrassed!"

What an idiot.

He still thought I was fighting him over the Trivetts.

Maybe just to intimidate me, Duncan finished his styling quickly and stood outside the hotel entrance to greet guests.

When Kristy told me about it, I saw that many confused guests had already been guided into the Trivetts' wedding hall instead.

"Most of them will realize the mistake and come back," I said. "But there's one guest I have to go greet personally."

Just as I finished speaking, a modest black state sedan pulled up outside.

Before I could reach it, Duncan rushed forward, straightening his suit.

However, the security staff stopped him about three feet away.

He stood there awkwardly.

"Mr. Day, you may not remember me," Duncan said quickly. "We met once at the city's Young Entrepreneurs Association event."

When the man didn't react, Duncan tried again.

"This might help jog your memory. I'm the Trivetts' future son-in-law."

Melvin Day, the mayor, remained silent.

Duncan grew anxious.

"I'm talking about the Trivetts from South Mistburg. In this city, who else could possibly invite someone like you except them?"

Out of politeness, Melvin finally spoke, "The Trivetts? I'm afraid I've never heard of them."

Then he walked straight past Duncan…and came directly toward me.

"Leo, congratulations on the wedding. Sorry, I'm a little late."

"No, you're right on time," I replied with a smile.

When people saw Melvin head into the ballroom next door, the sharper guests quickly realized they had been directed to the wrong wedding.

"I knew something felt off," someone muttered. "How could the Nelsons' wedding be held in such a small hall?"

"If the Nelsons were hosting, they would rent the entire top floor. The ten most expensive ballrooms, at least."

Even some guests who had originally come for the Trivetts' wedding quietly slipped upstairs with the crowd.

In less than half an hour, Duncan's wedding hall was nearly empty. Only a few of his drinking buddies were left behind.

He was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

"Leo, what did you do?" he demanded. "How did you get everyone to go along with this performance? I'm telling you, once the Trivetts arrive and everyone figures out what's really going on, they won't let you get away with this!"

Right then, a long Bentley limousine pulled up outside.

The moment Duncan saw who stepped out, all the frustration he had been holding in seemed to explode. Tears filled his eyes as he rushed forward and threw himself at her.

"Honey, you have to stand up for me!"

But the woman simply stepped aside. Duncan collapsed awkwardly at her feet.

She looked down at him and asked calmly, "Who are you?"