Chapter 2

At half past nine the next morning, I parked in the hotel's underground garage.

The moment I stepped out of the elevator, a giant digital screen came into view.

It cycled through Gina and Mike Fletcher's wedding photos.

Gina smiled elegantly in her wedding gown while Mike stood beside her with one arm wrapped around her waist.

"Good morning, Sir. Are you here for the wedding rehearsal?"

A hotel staff member approached me.

She checked the guest list in her hand before looking back at me.

"You're the bride's brother, correct? The bride asked us to escort you directly to the Purple Gold Ballroom on the second floor once you arrived."

I glanced at the guest list. It clearly showed I was the bride's brother.

"Thank you."

Without another word, I headed upstairs.

I pushed open the ballroom doors to the brightly lit interior.

The wedding march was playing through the speakers as they tested the sound system.

The emcee stood onstage with a microphone and the ceremony rundown.

"Has the bride's brother arrived yet?" he called out.

"Please come to the start of the aisle so that we can rehearse escorting the bride."

Katie and Zac were chatting around the main table.

The moment Katie spotted me, she waved enthusiastically.

"Ian! Over here!"

I walked toward them and then looked at the emcee.

"I'm not her brother."

The ballroom instantly fell silent. Even the music stopped.

Katie's expression changed. She immediately stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Oh, come on. Ian's just joking."

Lowering her voice, she whispered, "What are you doing? The Fletcher family is watching."

Ignoring her, I looked past the aisle toward the backstage entrance.

Just then, Gina emerged from behind the curtain in her rehearsal dress.

The moment she saw me, she frowned.

She hurried over, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me behind a pillar in the corner of the ballroom.

"Ian, have you lost your mind? Everyone in the Fletcher family is here today. Do you have to humiliate me like this?"

I looked at her flushed face.

"You want me to stand out there as your brother. Doesn't that embarrass you?"

She avoided my gaze.

"It's just part of the ceremony rundown. No one's really treating you like an outsider. Once my faculty position is secured, I'll make it up to you."

"Make it up to me how?" I asked. "Will you repay the seven years of tuition I covered? Or the dissertation I wrote for you?"

"Ian!" She grew agitated. "Do you really have to make it sound so ugly?"

"Mr. Jefferson." A man's voice came from the other side of the pillar.

Mike, dressed in a tailored suit, walked over slowly.

He was holding an envelope.

"Gina, don't speak to Mr. Jefferson like that."

Standing beside her, he rested a hand on her shoulder before extending the envelope toward me.

"Mr. Jefferson, this is a small token of appreciation."

He looked at me steadily.

"Gina considers you family, so we'll treat you with the respect family deserves. All adults should understand that sometimes, appearances matter more than emotions."

At some point, Zac had wandered over as well.

"Exactly, Ian. Mike's already being incredibly generous. We're all adults here. Let's keep this dignified."

I looked at the envelope in Mike's hand but didn't take it immediately.

Instead, I turned to face Gina.

"Was this also your idea?"

She was silent for two seconds.

"Mike means well." She lifted her head, and her expression showed a hint of grievance. "Why do you always assume the worst about people?"

I nodded and finally accepted the envelope.

The corners of Mike's mouth had just begun to lift when I loosened my grip. The envelope dropped onto the registration table beside us.

"I don't need your money."

I looked straight at Gina.

"You wrote this script. You can perform it yourself."

That was when the emcee called out again. "Bride and groom, please take your positions for the walk down the aisle."

Gina linked arms with Mike, and Katie hurried over with the boutonniere.

"Ian, that's your cue."

She held the boutonniere out to me.

I didn't take it. Instead, I turned around and walked step by step down the aisle and out of the ballroom.