All Chapters of After the Rich Groom Broke My Ribs: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Thomas Gardner came to greet me personally at the entrance, making small talk as he kept one eye on the stream of arriving guests. That day was his daughter's wedding day, and he was clearly stretched thin. I told him not to fuss over me and made my way to the reception table on my own.I pulled out my gift and was about to hand it to the groom, Daniel Pearce, when he glanced at me and muttered under his breath, "What kind of knockoff is that? And he has the nerve to show up wearing it."His voice was low, but it reached me clearly.I assumed at first that the stress of the day had put him in a foul mood. But when he took my gift and gave it a testing squeeze, he looked up, smirking. "Who dragged this charity case in here?"Fake belt, low-effort gift. And he still has the cheek to show up for a free meal?"Our reception costs two thousand dollars a head. This isn't the kind of place people like you belong."The groomsmen nearby stifled their laughter. "Probably some nobody with n

Chapter 2

I had no patience for Daniel, so I didn't even look up. "The Gardner family arranged this seating. Do you have a problem with that?""The Gardner family arranged it?" Daniel's face flushed red. He grabbed my arm and dropped his voice to a furious hiss."I've seen the guest list. Your name isn't on it. Who the hell are you?""Have you been obsessing over Isabelle this whole time? Is that why you're here, to make a move on her at her own wedding?"You think pulling some stunt is going to get her attention? Keep dreaming."His voice was shaking. He was furious.I had no interest in making a scene on their wedding day, so I kept my tone even. "I'm nobody to Isabelle. I'm not interested in her either. You've got the wrong idea."But he still had my arm and wouldn't let go. "Get up and get out. Now. Do you hear me?"I glanced around. Thomas and his daughter were nowhere in sight. "If you want me gone, I'll go. But whatever comes of it, that's on you."I pulled my arm free and walked

Chapter 3

Before I could react, Johnny had already grabbed a pair of tongs from the utility shelf and pinched up a wad of soiled tissue, moving to shove it into my mouth. He dangled it in front of my face. The smell was sharp enough to make my eyes water.My heart hammered, and my throat tightened. "Get away from me! Don't touch me!"I fought to shake them off, but my hands were pinned, and I couldn't move.Daniel was doubled over laughing. "I love watching trash like you squirm."He snatched the tongs from Johnny and drove them toward my mouth. I clamped my jaw shut on instinct, but the tip caught the corner of my mouth and tore it open. The taste of blood spread across my tongue.That seemed to delight him even more. "Pry his mouth open. Anyone who helps me out tonight gets a car. One each."The groomsmen needed no further convincing. They crowded around me, wrenching at my jaw. "You had the nerve to cross Danny? You've got a death wish."In desperation, I bit down hard on one of their

Chapter 4

Daniel stared for a moment, then let out a short laugh. "Dad, what are you talking about? Mr. Jarvis? Him?"He looked me up and down, his shoulders shaking with amusement. "Dad, look at the state of him. Mr. Jarvis? You must have the wrong person."Then he held up the diamond and emerald watch he had torn off my wrist earlier. "Everyone knows Mr. Jarvis is sharp and decisive. Does any part of him look like that to you? I think he just crashed the wedding to cause trouble."And I went through his bag earlier. Every single thing in it is a fake. There's no way this is Mr. Jarvis."The groomsmen were quick to pile on. "Exactly. Head-to-toe knockoffs, and his gift was basically pocket change. He probably stole someone's invitation to get in here.""I'll tell you what he is. He's here to chase after Isabelle, trying to steal the bride at her own wedding."I almost laughed. I had dressed down on purpose that day, kept things understated, and somehow that was being used against me. And

Chapter 5

The room erupted into chaos.Daniel spun toward Thomas, his face crumpling. "Dad, what do you mean it's off? Because of him? You can't be serious!"The Pearce family broke into an uproar all at once. Frank was the first to step forward, pointing to me and raising his voice at Thomas."That's completely out of line. What does this guy have that Danny doesn't? You'd throw everything away for someone who looks like he crawled out of a dumpster?"Thomas looked like he was about to lose his mind entirely. He turned on Frank and the others and shouted, "Are you people not listening to me? This is Mr. Jarvis, the Hans Jarvis! Do you have any idea what you've done?"The murmuring around the room surged. "I saw Mr. Gardner walk him in personally when I arrived. I had no idea he was actually Mr. Jarvis.""I can't believe Daniel put Mr. Jarvis in that state. If the Gardners don't distance themselves from this fast, they can kiss everything goodbye.""From the looks of it, he's in bad shape

Chapter 6

Daniel shifted reluctantly, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at me. "I genuinely didn't know you were Mr. Jarvis. Surely someone of your standing wouldn't hold a grudge against someone as young and inexperienced as me."I laughed quietly and said nothing.Thomas stepped forward immediately, placing himself between us. "Daniel, back off. Stop making a fool of yourself in front of Mr. Jarvis. You made a mistake, and now you want to play the victim? Do you really think he's that easy to manipulate?"Daniel flinched at Thomas' tone and turned his eyes toward Isabelle, who was standing to one side, his expression pitiful. "Honey, I didn't mean for any of this to happen."Isabelle's expression stayed cold, and when she spoke, there was nothing but contempt in her voice. "Don't call me that. Did you not receive the divorce papers I sent you?"That knocked the last of the composure out of him. He dropped to his knees in front of me. "Mr. Jarvis, I'm begging you. I'll do anyth

Chapter 7

Thomas stared at the torn pieces on the floor, visibly shaking. "Mr. Jarvis, the Gardner family will have absolutely nothing to do with the Pearces going forward. We only hope you won't—"I knew what he was trying to say, and I wasn't unreasonable about it. I cut him off. "I'll continue doing business with the Gardners. But the terms are changing."Thomas let out a breath. "Thank you, Mr. Jarvis. You have my word. Daniel, Frank, all of them—we're done with every last one of them."Isabelle added quietly, "I've already drawn up the divorce papers and sent them over. If they push back, I'll take it to court.""Alright. You can all go." I rubbed my temple and waved them off.Daniel looked like he wanted to say something, but Frank grabbed him by the arm. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Let's go."The whole group filed out of the room. As he left, Daniel shot me a look over his shoulder, full of something bitter and unfinished.I didn't give him the satisfaction of a react

Chapter 8

My jaw tightened, and my hands shook with the effort of keeping it together. Daniel had brought every single bit of this on himself, and now he had the nerve to turn it around on me.I took a slow breath and looked straight at him. "Daniel, did you think what happened last time wasn't enough? Are you really looking for a repeat of that?"He flinched under my stare, but then straightened up with the energy of someone who had decided he had nothing left to lose. "I've already lost everything! What exactly are you going to do to me?"If he wanted to throw away what little dignity he had left, I wasn't going to stop him.I stepped directly in front of him. "You've got a lot of nerve pulling this stunt out here. Don't forget that you were the one who brought people to corner me, beat me in public, and nearly ruptured my spleen."Daniel's head snapped up. "Don't stand there playing innocent! If you hadn't gone after my wife, none of that would have happened!"I took another breath and

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