Unexpected Bride

My father, Marvin Yates, and my mother, Anna Carter, froze for a second before standing up, disbelief written all over their faces.

"Hayden Yates, are you pulling our leg?"

I looked at them, my voice steady. "I'm serious. I like Larissa."

I glanced over at the small, delicate figure tucked away in the corner, and my heart missed a beat.

In my previous life, Holly Smith had shattered my heart with her fake death. It was Larissa Shaw who had been there, slowly helping me piece it back together.

Larissa stayed by my side through it all, right up until my last breath. In those final moments, through the haze, I saw her holding me, weeping as if her world was ending.

That was when I knew she was in love with me all along.

"Hayden!" Marvin hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

"You've always had a thing for Holly from the Smiths, right? If not her, there's the Gibsons and the Stewarts!

"You grew up with those girls, you know them through and through, but Larissa… She's just a maid's kid..."

I could not help but smile, leaned in close, and whispered something that made them go stone-still.

Marvin's voice trembled as he asked, "You're telling the truth?"

I nodded, hard.

My parents looked at each other, a wave of relief washing over them. "Alright, then. We'll have the family host your wedding in three days."

With that settled, I turned to Larissa, took her hand, and said, "Come on. Let's get you some jewelry."

She just laughed, clueless but happy to follow my lead.

However, the moment we stepped into the upscale boutique, my eyes landed on the trio swooning around Jack Ferguson.

Holly was slipping a diamond bracelet onto his wrist, Wren Gibson crouched down to tie his shoes, and Tracy Stewart, black card in hand, was all set to foot the bill.

Jack jumped to his feet the moment he caught sight of me. "Hayden, you've got it all wrong. I swear I wasn't trying to keep Holly from going back and getting hitched with you."

Holly yanked him back and fixed me with an icy stare. "Hayden, I've already told my family that I'm not marrying you. I'm in love with Jack, and he's the only one for me. Period."

Wren and Tracy quickly stepped in front of him, shielding him.

"You're the richest guy in the city. You could have any woman you want. Why go after Jack?"

"Exactly. You're just a spoiled rich kid, only looking out for yourself. You're nothing compared to Jack."

Their words were like a punchline to a bad joke, and I could not help but laugh.

Jack was nothing more than a poor college kid I had taken under my wing.

I felt sorry for his rough past, so I brought him to the big city and even asked him to be my best man. Little did I know, he had been charming my three potential brides right under my nose.

However, I had my wake-up call.

Before I could get a word in, Larissa cut in with a hard edge to her voice. "So, the Smiths are out. What about the Gibsons and the Stewarts?"

Wren and Tracy snickered.

"We'd never marry Hayden and break Jack's heart, even if we can't be with him."

"He's like a brother to us. Betray him? Not in a million years."

Holly's eyes were wary as she locked her gaze on me. "As long as Jack stays safe and doesn't forget me, I'll have no regrets."

I stared back at Holly, a flicker of surprise crossing my face.

'Could she also have been reborn?' I thought.

Holly, growing impatient with my silence, yanked at my wrist.

"You're so set on this marriage alliance, but isn't it all for the business dealings between the Smiths and the Yates?

"If you just apologize to Jack now and agree that our marriage is in name only, we'll live separate lives after the wedding. You can't object to me being with Jack, and as long as he stops his foolishness and doesn't hurt himself, I'm in."

Before I could even respond, Larissa's fist flew, connecting with Holly's face. "Who do you think you are, talking to Hayden like that?"

'Exactly. The Yates are the top dogs in the capital. How dare you challenge us?' I seethed internally.