Chapter 7

At five in the afternoon, my plane touched down in Bimern. My parents were already waiting for me at the airport.

Next to them was a handsome man in a wheelchair. He appeared to be of mixed heritage, with refined features and a gaze that conveyed striking depth. It was the kind of face that was both elegant and impossible to look away from.

The moment I saw him, I was stunned. On the second glance, something felt strangely familiar. It was as if I had seen him somewhere before, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Lizzy, this is William," my dad introduced.

William was the heir to the Coleman family and my future husband.

As soon as my dad finished speaking, my mom leaned in and whispered, "Right after you agreed to the marriage, Mrs. Coleman told William about it. And would you believe it? He woke up that same day. It was like a miracle. I only found out this morning.

"He insisted on coming along to pick you up when he heard that you were arriving."

It really did feel unbelievable. When I made the decision to marry, I had prepared myself for a husband in a vegetative state. Now, face to face with a living, breathing fiance, I honestly felt a little dazed and nervous.

"Nice to meet you, Lizzy," William said, offering a handshake.

I quickly took his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Coleman."

"Just call me William," he said gently.

"Okay…" I couldn't tell if I was imagining it, but his handshake lingered a beat too long. Plus, what was with the way he kept looking at me? Was there something on my face?

I discreetly checked my reflection in the car mirror. There was nothing.

He sat beside me in the car. After being micromanaged by Frederick and Lennon for so long, I wasn't used to sitting this close to another man. It made me feel awkward and fidgety.

However, since he was my future husband, I figured that I should explain the hotel scandal. "William, about the video that's circulating online…"

"Are you planning to sue them for defamation? Before I had the trending post taken down, I made sure to preserve the evidence. It's enough to press charges," William said.

I froze and pulled out my phone. As he had said, the trending tag was gone. All the disgusting comments under my name had vanished. I had braced myself for anger and hadn't expected him to believe me outright.

For a moment, my emotions tangled into something tight and complicated. "We'll deal with it after the wedding," he added.

He then changed the topic. "I heard that you majored in jewelry design at Axsin University, right?"

"Yeah," I said. He didn't push the scandal topic any further, which helped me relax a bit.

"I've seen some of your designs. Your very first piece, if I remember correctly, was the crown your best friend wore at her coming-of-age party, right?" he asked.

"How do you know that?" I was genuinely shocked.

By then, I was already somewhat well-known in the jewelry industry. However, most people only knew the work that made me famous. Even Frederick and Lennon had no clue what my first design was.

William smiled and said, "I saw it by chance and liked it enough to dig around for more information about that piece."

I wasn't the chatty type, but I could talk endlessly about my work. Especially with someone who clearly appreciated it and wasn't faking it.

By the time we arrived, I felt like we had at least broken the ice.

That night, I met the Coleman family for the first time at dinner.

Our marriage was technically a union between our two families, but everyone knew that it was the Johnson family that had sought help from the Colemans. If William hadn't been in a coma back then, this match never would've landed on me.

I expected the Coleman family to be condescending, but they were surprisingly welcoming.

My future father-in-law, Andrew Coleman, pulled Dad aside and said, "Benjamin, was the recent investment enough? If it's not, just say the word. Don't hold back. We're family now!"

My future mother-in-law, Kelly Clarke, gripped my hand and smiled radiantly at me. "Look at this face! You're so beautiful. I'm sure you'll bring good luck. Here's your 1% stake in the company. You may now sign the documents. It's yours as a premarital asset.

"And take a look at these heirloom pieces. If you don't like them, we'll go shopping for new ones!"

That 1% stake alone paid out at least 50 million dollars a year. Even William only held 10%. Moreover, the heirloom pieces were easily valued in the billions of dollars.

I stared at the share transfer contract, then at the trays of jewelry the attendant had laid out. My hands were literally shaking. It was all too much. I couldn't accept it.

However, before I could voice my refusal, William quietly flipped to the signature page and leaned in close, saying, "Sign it before they change their minds."

Honestly, with his cool and sharp expression, the way he whispered and schemed beside me felt so out of character. He handed me a pen, along with a black card. "Here, this is for you."

"You're giving me too much," I muttered, already feeling guilty.

William's smile was gentle as he said, "It's because you're worth it."

The Colemans all seemed kind and genuine, so I finally felt relieved.

Three days flew by in the blink of an eye. I never heard a single word from Frederick or Lennon during that entire time. Perhaps this was for the best. I didn't need them crashing my wedding.

Naturally, I was being too optimistic.

Half an hour before the ceremony began, I stood behind the doors in my gown, waiting for my cue to walk in, when my phone suddenly started buzzing nonstop.

That's when I saw two missed calls from Frederick and one from Lennon. It seemed that they had also sent me text messages.

Lennon: "Elizabeth, pick up your phone!"

Frederick: "Lizzy, can you please answer my call?"

I had no idea what they'd found out, but they were blowing up my phone like crazy. When I didn't reply or pick up, they started calling me every 30 seconds, as if they were desperate for me to answer.

I frowned in annoyance, then turned off my phone.

The ceremony began. I walked down the aisle on Dad's arm and watched as he solemnly handed me over to William.

Just as we were about to exchange rings, Frederick and Lennon barged into the venue.

"Lizzy!"

"Elizabeth!"

Their eyes locked on me in my white gown, their faces pallid. They appeared stunned as if I had betrayed them.