"She is MINE "

The wedding has been finished, avoiding procrastination. The guests are excusing themselves after congratulating the newlyweds on their happy marriage. Most of the guests look satisfied with the wedding since it was wholesome, seeing the bride and groom in beautiful collaboration, as if they were lovebirds who would never let go of each other's hands.

Charlotte is standing, clutching her dress a little tightly. From the crowd, she can see her husband, who looks charming and classy in his gorgeous, expensive suit. It would be a lie if she denied that he captivated her so badly. His soft expression, devoid of ruthlessness, and his deep voice with a distinct flirtatious tone can shake her wounded heart, which needs to heal.

"He is handsome. Sadly, he won't be able to make you happy. I feel sorry for you, Sister!" Charlotte snaps out of her thoughts when Rachel whispers mockingly. She sounds envious yet condescending.

"But it's fine. Control him. He is nothing but a crippled man who has nothing. His parents may have—"

*Slap!*

Rachel touches her face when the slap lands soundly. Her face is filled with anger, her hostility raging uncontrollably.

"How dare you!!" she shouts, making everyone look at them.

"I was fine with you seducing my fiancé and stealing him, but you have no right to say a single bad thing about my husband now. Rachel! You are my little sister. Behave properly." Charlotte spoke calmly, but her hostile voice was akin to thin ice cracking on the surface. She could barely forget how much her family had hurt her. Now, she hated being manipulated any longer.

"What's going on here? Charlotte! Did you forget that it's your wedding? Everyone is still here!" Her mother discreetly rushes toward them. Rachel fakely wails and hugs their mother.

"Mom! Sister hates me and refused to come back to *our* wedding. I know Brian loves me, not her, so she hates that!"

The guests start gossiping about Charlotte, thinking she may have someone else but still married the Young Master of Rodriguez. As the situation escalates, falsely accusing and looking down on Charlotte, someone’s eyes sharpen.

Edward, who has been listening, signals his assistant to take him to the stage. As he reaches the stage, he greets everyone with a sharp falsetto voice.

"Good evening, everyone!"

All attention, including Charlotte's, shifts to Edward, whose face remains unreadable. Surprisingly, she finds that his cold and treacherous voice captivates her heart.

"Since the wedding is done, the girl in front of me is my wife. I respect her, and I want everyone to respect her. I think you don’t want to offend the Mistress of Rodriguez on her most important day. If you spread nonsense against my wife and create rumors, I will see you in court. She is mine. I don’t want anyone, even her family, to offend her. Remember—she is MINE!"

Everyone’s face turns pale. No matter what, this man is harder to deal with than anyone in the Rodriguez family. It would be sheer stupidity to mess with him. The guests immediately excuse themselves at that precise moment. Charlotte's parents look a little scared. They immediately urge Rachel to apologize, but—

"Ugh! My stomach hurts. Mom, I am dying!"

She groans, clutching her tummy. Her parents can't let anyone know about her pregnancy before marriage.

"Please excuse us. She is sick. We need to take her home. Charlotte, forgive your sister. She is naive and still a child. Don’t mind her words. Honey, let’s go!"

Her mother leaves immediately, seeing that the situation could take a different turn.

Edward sighs, straightening his back. He is sure he hated seeing Charlotte’s pale expression earlier. Now, he feels someone staring at him. His wavering gaze sweeps over the person.

It’s Charlotte, staring at him profoundly. She looks dazzling and beautiful, her eyes filled with tears, beaming with happiness.

He slowly wheels his chair toward her. Charlotte snaps out of her thoughts upon seeing him approaching. She lifts her dress slightly and walks toward him.

"Are you okay?" he whispers.

Charlotte nods slightly, blushing. This man in front of her shakes her entire world from their first meeting. She wants to move on to her new life with him.

In the meantime, Edward smiles proudly, knowing that she is blushing. She doesn’t despise him for being crippled. She respects him and has accepted him as he is. To him, she is like an admirably enthusiastic star shining independently.

"We should leave now, Boss. The Elder Master has arrived home," Jay, Edward’s assistant, informs.

Edward nods. When the wedding was done, his mother had excused herself to go to the airport to receive his father, who had surgery. So, they need to go back as soon as possible.

"Shall we go, wifey?"

*Boom!*

Charlotte flushes as he kisses the back of her palm. She nods while touching her face shyly.

Edward smiles, seeing how adorably and cutely she reacts to every touch of his.

Meanwhile…

Rachel throws a vase on the floor angrily. She shouts at her parents, who are looking at her in confusion.

"Dad! You did this for *your* daughter, didn’t you? Why did you let her marry into such a rich family? She is higher than me now. She looked down on me right after getting married! I deserve that family! Why did you tell me to go with Brian instead of them?"

She bursts out in rage. She can’t accept that she doesn’t have any power like Charlotte does now. She saw how Charlotte was being doted on by that crippled man.

"Daughter! It was for your own good. That guy is crippled. He has nothing. How could we let you marry someone like him? Also, you love Brian, right?" Mrs. Milestones sweetly tries to calm her down.

But Rachel growls at her.

"So what? It’s okay to marry him! He has money, and most importantly, I could have divorced him as soon as I got what I wanted! But now I have to spend my life in disgrace, watching her spend millions on her dress! Did you see her wedding dress? We had ordered it for *our* wedding! Now I have to cancel the order. How can I wear the same dress she wore today?"

She shouts, breaking everything in the room. Her parents look worried about her health.

"We are sorry. We thought you loved Brian. Now, sweetheart, let’s calm down, okay? You are pregnant. You should take care of yourself…"

They try to convince her, but she refuses to listen. However, the three of them fall silent when a servant informs them that Brian is here to meet Rachel.

Rachel immediately wipes her face and applies some lipstick before elegantly opening the door.

"Hi, love!"

Brian holds a bouquet of tulips in front of her with a bright smile.

"Brian!! I missed you! Why didn’t you call me before coming?"

Her expression drastically changes into a shy and cute one. Brian kisses her lips and says, "I missed you too. That’s why I’m here. Also, I think I need to meet Charlotte."

Rachel’s face turns red with fury. Her expression twists with anger, but she keeps her composure.

"Why? Why do you need to meet Sister?"

"Rachel! Let our son-in-law come inside first, silly girl!" Mrs. Milestones says, holding a tray of coffee and snacks.

"Oh yes! Please, come inside."

Rachel ushers him in. Brian sits on the couch, accompanied by Rachel, who slowly takes her seat.

"I can’t wait to marry you, Rachel. Our baby needs a family soon!" Brian says, gently stroking her tummy.

"I know. We should get married." Rachel smiles half-heartedly. She hates the fact that Brian is less wealthy than her sister’s in-laws.

"Anyway! Auntie, can I meet Charlotte? I think I owe her an apology. No matter what, we were supposed to get married. She might be mad at me."

"NO. YOU CAN’T!!!"

Rachel suddenly shouts. Her face drastically pales.

"What’s wrong? Why can’t I?" Brian raises an eyebrow. Rachel gulps nervously.

"I mean… Sister knows about us. She forgave us, and she got married."

She can’t let Brian meet Charlotte. The Charlotte he knows is completely different from her actual self. If he finds out, he might hate Rachel and break up with her.

"She got married? Why didn’t you tell me? At least I could have sent her a gift as an apology."

"No need. Charlotte is a sweet girl. She doesn’t hold grudges," Mrs. Milestones adds.

Brian frowns. That’s not what Rachel told him about Charlotte.

Sweet girl? According to his knowledge, Rachel had clearly explained how disgusting-minded Charlotte was.

"Let's stop talking about my sister. Are you going to stay over tonight, Brian?" Rachel hugs his arm, showing her seductive charm.

Brian smiles, flicking her forehead. "How can I stay over when we aren't married yet?"

"It's okay. We don't mind. We have accepted you for a long time. Make yourself at home!"

Mrs. Milestones stands up, leaving the couple alone.

Brian shyly smiles, touching her thighs lightly. "It's gonna be my first night in your house. I want to make it more thrilling..."

Rachel smirks, kissing him. But she feels even prouder knowing that her sister won't be able to have a wedding night like she is going to have.