The Wedding People: A Novel Reviews Novels & Stories

"So, it really is your wedding today?" I looked him dead in the eye, calm and composed. "You think I'm like you? Always playing with people like they're pawns in your little games? "The wedding dress was custom-made, and Gavin brought the ring back from overseas. Neither of them was rented." Easton looked like he'd just been stabbed. "Then, the e-invite..." I opened my phone and shoved my feed in front of his face.

James growls at the exact moment that I say, “It is.” “You will not do this to our family,” my mother shakes her head as if this isn’t my life we’re talking about. “To our family?” my voice shakes as tears blur my vision, “This has nothing to do with our family.” “It has everything to do with our family!” my mother’s voice sounds manic, “You two getting married was monumental to the Red name. Two of the most influential rivals, merging the richest families in the country. Do you know how much our net worth grew the day following your wedding?”

He asked Grace about the details of her wedding, hoping to get some inspiration for theirs. The wedding had been nearly two years ago, and most of it was a blur to Grace now. She only vaguely remembered it taking place at a private estate on the Côte d'Azur, with the whole venue locked down. The guest list was filled with top names from finance, art, and fashion. Honestly, everything had been handled by a team—decor, planning, logistics. Her family’s only request had been for her to show up on time. Even the photos had been pre-selected by PR before being sent to the press.

"They just texted me. There's some traffic, so they'll be a few minutes late. It's fine. We can go ahead as planned." The emcee relaxed and signaled for the wedding march to begin. As the music played, the grand doors in front of me slowly opened. Before all our guests, I stepped onto the red carpet and walked toward Bernard, who stood at the altar in his finest suit. This was the wedding I had longed for—the carefully arranged venue, the enchanting color scheme, and the man who had promised to love me for a lifetime. Amid the roaring applause, I placed my hand in Bernard's. His fingers trembled with excitement as he revealed that exquisite, one-of-a-kind ring. Gently, he slid it onto my fin

The name sounded familiar like something I had heard from someone close to me but it wasn't important enough to remember. "So how's wedding life like?" Josephine had not said anything throughout the drive and then the first thing she wanted to ask was a question about my wedding life. I gave her a small smile "Everyone seems to be asking me this question" I joked. She chuckled a bit, the rosy sheen she normally have coming back to her face. "Well you are a newly wedded so of course everyone wants to know how it is" She let out a sigh "So singles like us can have a little bit of insight."

Too… flashy, too showy, too loud and too bloody unnecessary if you ask me. I'd been standing near the edge of the garden for the past twenty minutes pretending to admire the rose bushes while actually just trying to avoid making small talk with people I didn't know. The bride was some distant cousin of the Grecos and the groom was from another family I'd never heard of, but apparently this wedding was important enough that both the Torrisis and Corsinis had to show up and smile and act like we were all one big happy alliance. "You look like you want to murder someone."

My hazy mind slowly grasped back on reality and I jerked up to see several women, young and old, smiling silly at me. I blink. Then I blink some more. ...Did I have a memory lapse or did I get amnesia? That too on my wedding day because I clearly can't remember knowing these ladies, wearing this 90ish ruffly white dress or this awfully flashy room. The women were observing me with shy giggles and whispering things like 'she's pretty.' 'New Luna...' and 'the girl…' I shook my head to clear my head then tapped my temple for good measure.

] [Jared Jamison, answer your phone right now! When I still didn't reply, she started reaching out to people I knew and having them call me nonstop. [Jared, Yvonne's completely lost it. She keeps bothering everyone. She even tried to get me to talk you out of this. I almost laughed when she called.] [I've never seen anything this ridiculous. After what happened at the wedding, she didn't treat you like a human being.] [I honestly thought you'd swallow your pride and let it go.] [Jared, good for you!]

Claudia announced with mock cheer, “isn’t this cozy? A beggar’s wedding with barely a soul to witness it.” Vanessa snorted, covering her mouth as though she couldn’t contain her delight. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “Elena, in her dirty apron, is marrying a man dressed like a vagrant. Perfect!” Heat rushed to my cheeks. My fists clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms. I wanted to vanish, but Adrian only pulled out the chair beside him at the registrar’s desk and said firmly, “Sit.”

If this poor girl married him, her life would be over. Some people called BS, figuring it was just clickbait. The poster had no other activity or likes, like it was a brand-new account. The guy didn't respond to any comments, except to pin one with thousands of likes: "Keep your mouth shut. Tell her, and it's over. Just rush the wedding, let her pop out a few kids. By the time she figures it out, she'll be stuck." That comment made my skin crawl. Just as I was about to fire off an angry reply, my phone buzzed.