A chapel full of guests was holding a pamphlet of wedding events.
The richest people of M city were seated.
Everyone was here to watch the greatest social telenovela in live action.
Why?
Because everyone knew that the Ravenwoods always had three granddaughters, not four.
Everyone knew that Juliette Ravenwood had no twin older sister who had a weird constitution.
After all, they had seen Juliette since her birth.
The couple had poured every single energy in raising Juliette to their desired version.
If they really had twins, at least once they would have mentioned her existence to the world in the past twenty three years.
But not only did they not mention her anywhere, but they never had a picture of her.
The high society knew this was a switcheroo in real life.
Everyone just came to see the drama and experience the hospitality of the Ravenwood and Lawrence family for free.
The older generation just looked at each other and talked in hushed voices about the alliance.
“Why do you think the Lawrence family is marrying a girl from the Ravenwood family?
The last I knew, the Lawrence family is an old money.”
“It’s probably because of the friendship the two patriarchs have?
Otherwise, who would marry that boy?”
“Well, Adrian is not a bad boy, he is just…
wild.”
“I mean, getting paralysed after getting into a car crash is insane.
Imagine how reckless he must have been.”
“Yes.
Yes.
You are right.”
As for the younger generation, they drank in the drinking bar and made bets.
“I bet you, the marriage would last only one year.”
“No, listen to me.
It will last like three years.”
“What?
No!
What makes you say that?”
“Yeah, you idiot.”
“You guys aren’t using your brains here.
They will probably make a contract marriage to manage their interests and keep it for three years so that it doesn’t look suspicious to the press.
Don’t you see how many news reporters are lurking outside the chapel?”
“Bro, this sounds like the craziest plan the two families are plotting.”
Lily Lawrence was listening to all the types of conversations that were buzzing around her.
She couldn’t bear listening to the crap the people were speaking.
“Each and every one of them talks about being from a high-class society.
Look at them gossiping like a bunch of cronies in the street,” Lily thought.
“They have no right to talk about others’ family business when their own houses are made of glass with cracks.”
Suddenly two young women approached her.
They were in a hurry, moving about in the church as if they were looking for something.
“Ma’am, do you have something old to borrow?
Like a handkerchief or a broach?” One with freakles asked.
“I do, but it’s a handkerchief, and it’s really embarrassing.
It’s a handkerchief my older son embroidered for me when he was a kid, is that ok?”
“It works perfectly, ma’am.
Thank you so much.
The bride needed ‘something to borrow’, according to the traditions,” the other one with a hairbun said.
They both took the handkerchief and left hurriedly.
“The bride, as in…?
Is she almost ready?
There is still a half hour left.” Lily looked at her watch.
*****
Exactly at 10 am, the orchestra started to play ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’.
The whole room turned to look at the disabled groom to enter.
Cristina eagerly waited to look at the wheelchair-dressed groom.
She had already found her daughter to sit next to a very rich financial investor.
She was really satisfied with this person as her prospect future son in law.
Lily was holding Issac’s hand in worry.
“What if he pulled some stunt?
I can’t take anything crazy today.” She thought.
“Nothing will happen.
Don’t worry,” Simon whispered to his mother.
Adrian entered right on cue, flanked by Ethan and Daniel beside him as his groomsmen.
Adrian wore a sharply tailored three-piece black suit with a fitted long jacket and broad peaked satin lapels.
It had a matching buttoned waistcoat, a crisp white high-collar shirt, and a black silk ascot cravat.
He wore matching slim black trousers and polished black shoes.
With his pale skin, he looked as if he were Satan himself.
But people were least interested in his looks.
They were interested in his legs.
Whispers and murmurs filled the room when he entered and stood in front of the altar.
“Wasn’t he rumoured to be a blind, handicapped man who cannot even take care of himself?
Then how is he walking perfectly?”
“What if it’s prosthetics?”
“Maybe.
Maybe.
The Lawrence are rich.”
“Looks like silencing the gossip magazines wasn’t enough.
I should have silenced some voices as well.”
Adrian said loudly in a cold, frosty tone.
His piercing eyes glanced at everyone at the church.
The room shuddered in fear and turned pin-drop silent.
Even the orchestra stopped playing in an unknown fear.
“What happened, orchestra?” he said.
My future husband better wear something fashionable and head turning.