Chapter 1

I'd just hung up the phone when the wedding officiant came running over, drenched in sweat and out of breath.

"Mr. Orion Blaze, what are we supposed to do about the wedding?" he asked.

I looked at how panicked he was and calmed him down. "It's fine. Just tell the guests to enjoy the food and drinks, and the wedding ends here today. You'll still get paid in full."

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sprinted off to pacify the gusts, while I took off my suit and headed backstage.

The moment I got there, my phone started buzzing nonstop. When I checked, it was a video call from my wife, Adella Marlowe.

I thought she was finally calling to apologize, so after a brief hesitation, I felt my resolve soften and picked up.

But the face on the screen belonged to a man, Raiden Chase, the new recruit on her shooting team.

"I'm really sorry, Orion. I completely forgot today was the big day for you and Adella. That post on my feed was just a joke, so please don't take it seriously."

Though my expression stayed calm, an uncontrollable fire of rage roared in my chest. This wasn't an apology; it was a blatant victory lap and a taunt!

I could feel my blood boil as I stared at his innocent expression. Behind him, the entire shooting team I'd hired was sitting around, eating and laughing.

Adella stood right next to Raiden. Her expression was icy, and her eyes were even colder than her voice.

"Are you done?" she snapped. "Raiden has apologized, so why must you keep pushing?

"You're a veteran of the team, so aren't you embarrassed that you're throwing a jealous tantrum at a new kid? Have you got no shame?"

Pushing it? All I did was stay on the video call.

Before I could even refute, the team members in the background started whispering among themselves.

"What's Orion's problem? The kid just came home to help his grandma out, so why is he making such a big deal out of it?

"He's so petty. I wonder what Captain Marlowe ever saw in him."

As I listened to the team members I'd heavily funded take an outsider's side in smearing my name, the anger in my chest boiled over.

I hung up in a fit of rage.

I couldn't believe what Adella had turned them into. Under her leadership, they'd become a pack of elitist snobs with zero sense of sportsmanship.

I forced myself to swallow my rage while wrapping up the wreckage of the wedding. It was late by the time I finally made it home.

Once I opened the door, I saw Adella sitting on the couch, waiting for me. When she saw me, she immediately stood up and walked over.

I frowned and was about to speak when a stinging slap landed hard on my face.

"You were an absolute disappointment today, Orion. I was just helping a new recruit with some family matters, so why did you have to blow it out of proportion and make such a scene?

"Raiden is sitting at home right now, feeling incredibly guilty. Not only did you not apologize, but you're also here acting as if nothing happened. Do you even have a conscience?

"You're so petty, vindictive, and narrow-minded. I had no idea you were someone like that."

As Adella spoke, she shoved her phone in my face. On the screen, Raiden was sitting with his head in his hands and seemingly sobbing.

When I looked at the pain on his face and spotted the faint, hidden smirk at the corner of his lips, I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. This was such a clumsy act that anything could see through his thoughts, except Adella.

Completely unaware of my fury, she had the nerve to lecture me with total self-righteousness.

"Raiden grew up in a rural town with a struggling family, so I'm just trying to give him a hand. You're usually the first person to volunteer for a charity, so why are you acting so jealous and petty now?

"Besides, it's just a wedding, and it's not like we can't afford another. You've got plenty of money in your bank account to do it all over again. It isn't a big deal away."

That was the breaking point. I lunged to my feet and snapped, "So, you do realize that this was our wedding, don't you? Do you think my money grows on trees?

"You know how much time and energy I poured into this wedding, only for you to dump me at the altar over and over again. What's the point of a lavish ceremony if the bride never shows up?

"How many times have you stood me up in just two years, Adella? Every single time, it's because Raiden called you for this or that.

"And now, it's worse. A wild boar trampled his family's crops, so you took the entire shooting club on a hunting trip to shoot it down on our wedding day, yet you call it a small favor!"

Adella knew she was partly in the wrong, so her tone softened a little. "Fine…

"It was just an emergency, honey, so don't get mad. Next time, I promise I'll stay with you for the entire wedding ceremony.

"But first, you need to apologize to Raiden. You went way too far this time…"

Next time?

It was shocking; did that mean I had to apologize to Raiden to get a next wedding?

My expression went dark and cold with fury. Without saying another word, I turned and walked straight into the bedroom.