All Chapters of A Mask at the Wedding: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Do you take this woman to be your wife, to stand by her through thick and thin?""I do," the man said, his voice muffled by the mask.The guests whispered in awe. Howard Larson, the Larson family's big shot, was so in love with me that he would not let a bad cold stop our big day. He did not want to disappoint me."Wait a second."The man's eyes darted around, and his forehead was dotted with sweat.I smiled and asked, "Howard, you're looking a bit pale. Too busy with the wedding to remember your medicine?"He coughed nervously. "Yes, I..."I signaled the officiant to pause and led the groom to a quiet room.Just then, my phone buzzed on the table. A bunch of unread texts from Joyce Charlton.[Bet you didn't know your groom's a phony, huh? Surprise! Howard and I are watching your wedding live. ]There was a photo too: Howard had his arms around her, his chin resting on her head.[Forgot to mention, it was my idea. This wedding's just a game to cheer me up.]I quickly repli

Chapter 2

Howard's mom, Noelle Collins, snapped out of it first. She ran up to the stage, not caring how she looked: "What... what's happening! Who are you?"Howard's dad, Andrew Larson, was pale with anger. He shouted at the noisy crowd of guests and reporters:"Everyone, be quiet! The wedding hit a little snag, but we'll fix it in no time!"Wow, what a scene.In my previous life, I was the one panicking on stage, but then it was Howard's parents.My own mom stood up, shocked, and looked at me worriedly. "Darcy, what's going on?"I turned and gave my parents a calming look.In front of everyone's surprised faces, I took Elias's hand. "Thanks for coming to our wedding today. We had a little mix-up with the wedding poster and the rings."I stopped for a second, then said: "However, it's no big deal, the wedding will go on."Elias, next to me, stood up straight and proud, like he was claiming his place.Noelle was shaking with anger as she looked at me. "Darcy, are you crazy! Do you know

Chapter 3

The news of my marriage to Elias did not get out fast.The Larson family kept it quiet to protect their stock prices.After the wedding, Elias and I got our marriage license in a flash, and then he said he had to go abroad for a few days.On the other side, Howard, who had no clue, had a great two days at the villa with Joyce before he finally sensed something was off.Normally, I would have caused a big fuss by then, making him come back, but this time, there was complete silence.Howard was distractedly swiping on his phone, not even looking up when Joyce called his name."No, she's definitely playing games," he thought to himself.Thinking that, Howard's lips twisted into a smile. He had let her get away with too much.I never thought I would run into two troublemakers at my dad's business dinner.Right away, Howard spotted me, but he looked like a storm cloud when he saw me chatting with another guy.Joyce, after spotting me, pretended to be casual as she rubbed her belly

Chapter 4

Howard's smile froze on his face, and he just stood there, his eyebrows knotted up."What are you talking about!"He stepped closer, all high and mighty: "You say you're married, then where's your husband?"I smirked. "My husband is on a business trip, not like some people who can't do anything without a woman."Before he could say anything, Joyce's eyes filled with tears. "Darcy, how can you be so mean to Howard."She stopped on purpose, making Howard look at me with disappointment and anger."Darcy, look at how mean you are now, who else would want you but me.”"I'm telling you, quit playing games. It just makes me respect you less!"I was totally out of patience. "Security! Are you deaf?”"Get these two out of here!" I commanded.The security guards sprang into action, grabbing one on each side.Howard writhed like a wild animal, glaring at me as he yelled: "Darcy! How could you do this to me? You're going to be sorry!"Later that night, a weird text popped up on my phon

Chapter 5

Once Howard saw who it was, his attitude flipped. "Darcy, you think I'm stupid?"He pointed at Elias. "Isn't this the double I paid 15 thousand dollars for? What, the wedding act wasn't enough, now you're still pretending to be a devoted couple?"Joyce clapped a hand over her mouth, feigning shock as she looked at me, but her eyes were full of scorn."Darcy, how could you be like this? Howard is already stressed out with the business, and instead of helping, you bring in an actor to needle him, that's really insensitive."She turned to Howard, soothingly trying to calm him down."Please, Howard, don't be mad anymore. Darcy just loves you so much that she did something silly to get your attention," Joyce pleaded.Howard's frown softened as he listened."Darcy, I didn't give you enough credit. To make me come back, you'd stoop to such low tricks!"I could not hold back any longer. "Howard, are you out of your mind?"Howard just waved his hand, clearly annoyed but willing to make

Chapter 6

Howard had outdone himself, the wedding was even more lavish than before.He had invited every news outlet in town and had even made sure the wedding was the talk of the town on social media.The headlines all said the same thing: [The Larson Group's President, Howard, loves deeply and has no regrets. He's making up for lost time by throwing a grand wedding for the Smith Group's daughter].My parents were so upset they nearly went to the Larsons to give them a piece of their mind, but I convinced them to stay calm."Dad, Mom, let's just watch what happens," I told them, with my own plan already in mind.On the wedding day, I picked out a sleek black dress that was both classy and serious.Elias matched me in a dark suit, and we walked hand in hand to the ceremony.By the time we got there, the place was buzzing with guests and camera flashes lit up the room.Howard was at the end of the red carpet in a white suit, smiling like he had already won.He froze for just a second whe

Chapter 7

Howard was stunned. He watched Joyce walk toward him, his face turning pale. "Joyce? What are you doing here?" he whispered, his voice filled with panic. Joyce reached him and lovingly linked her arm with his. "Howard, today's our wedding day," she said sweetly. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "Did you forget our plan? If we marry today, I can help you out, for real.”"My uncle's a big-time investor in Solstice City. If he steps in, won't that fix the Larson Group's problems?" Howard felt a jolt. He remembered Joyce mentioning a few days back that she had a rich uncle who could invest in the Larson Group if they got married. However, he had been too busy trying to win me back to really listen. Then, with all the cameras and whispering guests, Howard felt trapped. If today's wedding went wrong, he would be the joke of the town with no way to recover. He clenched his jaw, his eyes on Joyce, filled with mixed feelings. Joyce seemed not to notice his t

Chapter 8

The clapping was scattered and half-hearted, as most people were just there for the drama.I stood at the edge of the stage, amused by the chaos.Elias squeezed my hand and whispered, "Do you want me to take you out of here?"I shook my head, a mischievous smile playing on my lips. "No, the real fun is just starting. Why would we leave now?"I grabbed the microphone and stepped up to the stage with ease.Every eye in the room turned to me.Howard watched me anxiously, worried about what bombshell I might drop next.I smiled politely at the crowd and the cameras."First off, congratulations to Mr. Larson and Ms. Charlton on their marriage. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness."I paused, then pulled out a marriage certificate from my bag and held it up for all to see."Also, I'd like to make it clear that my husband Elias and I got married half a month ago.”"I'm here today simply as a guest, to share in the joy."My eyes then landed on the envelope I had left at the sig

Chapter 9

One night, Howard, completely wasted, showed up at my house and started banging on the door like crazy."Darcy! Open up! Come out here!”"You cruel woman! How can you be so heartless? Don't you remember all the years we've shared?”"My dad's on his last legs! The company's going down! Do you really want to see me dead?"I stood by the second-floor window, watching him make a fool of himself down there.Elias came up behind me, wrapped his arms around me gently, and rested my head on his chest. He did not want me to watch that sad display."Don't look anymore, it's not worth it," he whispered. "I'll have security handle him."I shook my head. "It's not necessary."I stepped out onto the balcony and looked down at Howard, who used to be on top of the world but was then a mess."Howard, do you see what you've done now?"When he heard my voice, he jerked his head up, his eyes red and wild."Darcy... I was wrong, I really was wrong..."He lay on the ground, crying his eyes out,

Chapter 10

I wrapped my arms around my belly without thinking, and Elias quickly stepped in front of me, giving Howard an icy stare."Mr. Larson, stay away from my wife, please.""Why..." Howard ignored Elias, his gaze fixed on me, filled with anger and hurt."Why do you get to be so happy? You wrecked everything, wrecked the Larson family, how can you still be living so happily!""I wrecked you?" I could not help but laugh at how lost in his own world he was."Howard, it's always been just you. You're the one who wrecked yourself.”"You ruined everything with your own arrogance, selfishness, and stupidity.”"And the reason I'm so happy..." I turned to Elias, who stood beside me, gazing at me with such warmth in his eyes.I smiled back at him, then faced Howard again and said clearly. "It's because I chose the right person."Those words were too much for Howard.He charged at me, yelling, "I'll get you for this! You meanie!"Elias's face turned serious, and before Howard could reach me

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