It was finally the day of the wedding.
The ceremony was being held at the Devereaux family mansion, which belonged to Matteo’s father.
They didn’t trust that their enemies wouldn’t try to attack them in a church, so they were left with no choice but to hold the ceremony in an environment where they were sure no one would enter without their invitation being confirmed first.
Despite it being a holy ceremony held inside a huge mansion, it didn’t feel like one.
Everyone wore fake smiles and laughed as if they were all being held at gunpoint.
Most of the guests weren’t happy because all the sons of the Devereaux family were about to get married, leaving them with no opportunity to slide into the family, get their daughters married off, and secure some business deals.
In one of the many rooms, Vanessa sat in the corner as she watched Noelle get ready for her big day.
The makeup artist carefully worked on her face, making her look even more beautiful.
Noelle admired herself in the mirror with a big smile that revealed her pearly white teeth.
“You look very beautiful,” the makeup artist complimented, satisfied with her work.
“I know,” Noelle replied proudly.
Vanessa couldn’t help but snort from where she was sitting.
According to her father, the Devereaux family had arranged for both weddings to be held on the same day, but Noelle and Tristan would be going first since Matteo hadn’t arrived yet.
It was still 8 a.m., which was quite early, but Vanessa could already feel exhaustion weighing down on her shoulders like boulders.
Noelle suddenly turned toward Vanessa, her gaze filled with mockery.
“Little sis,” she called, gaining Vanessa’s attention.
“Hopefully, if Matteo shows up, you two can get married.”
She then checked herself out in the mirror once again, as if she couldn’t get enough of how gorgeous she looked.
“And if he doesn’t show up, you’ll not only have to carry the shame of drinking my foot water, but also the shame of your husband not showing up at his own wedding.”
The makeup artist looked at Vanessa for a moment, wondering if she had heard correctly.
Deciding it was none of her business, she carried on with her work.
Vanessa parted her lips but didn’t say anything.
After her father had finally paid her grandmother’s hospital fees and her treatment continued, Vanessa had decided to follow through with their demands discreetly.
Getting easily aggravated by Noelle’s childish shenanigans was something she needed to learn to control.
“Excuse me, I have to use the restroom,” she said before stepping out of the room.
“Ma’am, what did you mean when you said she drank your foot water?” the makeup artist asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Noelle’s lips stretched into an evil smile, clearly eager to spill the details.
“Well, what can I say?
My little sister washed my feet and drank the water.
Can you believe that?”
“Impossible.
That’s disgusting.”
Noelle smirked, her ego shooting through the roof as if she had just been made president of the city of New York.
Downstairs…
Vanessa tried to stay away from as many people as possible until it was her turn for the makeup artist to work on her face.
Whether Matteo was coming or not, she couldn’t care less.
That wasn’t her problem at all.
Her father had forced her to agree to this marriage, so he would have to figure out a way to make it work.
All she needed to do was get married to Matteo, go to his house, be a good mother to his daughter, and prepare for her revenge.
After everything her family had made her go through just to get her grandmother’s hospital fees paid, she wasn’t going to let them get away with it.
Unfortunately for Vanessa, her peace was immediately broken when Tristan spotted her.
Everyone was already in the garden, patiently waiting for the bride and groom to make their appearance, leaving only a few servants and guests strolling around.
As soon as Vanessa spotted Tristan walking toward her, she turned in the opposite direction, but he quickly grabbed her arm before she could get away.
“Have you been avoiding me?” He asked, his face a mix of disappointment and anger.
Emotions he had no right to show her anymore.
“Why wouldn’t I?
You’re about to get married to my sister, Tristan, and I don’t want any trouble.
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I don’t care what you mean,” Vanessa snapped, glaring at him.
Her blue eyes met those green ones she once believed would always look at her with love, not deceit or betrayal.
Now, as she looked at Tristan, she wondered if anything between them had ever been real.
Was their relationship even real to him?
Did he ever love her?
She might have acted tough, as though she didn’t care, but her mind was flooded with questions she desperately wanted answers to.
However, sharing them with Tristan would only boost his ego, and she would rather mop an entire ocean than lose the little dignity she had left.
“Just go away…”
“Don’t get married to Matteo.
Let’s fix this.
I only cheated once.
I promise.
If you want, I’ll call off the wedding now.
Just don’t get married to my brother.
I can’t watch you being married off to another man.”
“Well, it sucks to be you, Tristan, and I don’t care.
You have a lot of audacity coming to me and making such demands.
I’m not your toy that you can order around, so leave me alone before I cause a scene.”
Her eyes burned with a fury he had never seen before, and every bit of it was directed at him.
With his fists clenched and his jaw tightened, Tristan took a step back, thinking about leaving her alone, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He reached out and held her hand again, his eyes pleading this time.
Before he could say anything, Noelle yelled from the stairs.
“Vanessa!”
She screamed her name, her eyes filled with anger and an urge to kill.