Chapter 4

I didn't respond, just kept scrolling through my phone.

On social media, Vivian had just posted an update.

The photo showed a man's shirt and women's underwear scattered on the floor.

"Someone said he'd only come for ten minutes, but ended up not wanting to leave~"

She'd deliberately tagged the location--and it wasn't the county clerk’s office.

Mutual friends had already commented. "Vivian, who are you trying to piss off?"

Vivian replied. "Whoever's waiting in a wedding dress and can't find their man!"

I took a screenshot with an expressionless face.

"Gwen, stop waiting!" Harper snatched my phone away. "Look at this! What kind of person is this?"

"You came back from England after graduation just for him. Do you know how angry your parents were?"

"Back then, Lucas was nothing. And you still dared to make a ten-year bet with your parents! Now you've lost everything."

"If it weren't for you working day and night all these years, helping him with proposals, pulling in investments, and quietly using your connections as the shipping magnate's daughter to get his projects off the ground, could he have achieved what he has today?"

"And he turns around and gets cozy with the investor's daughter!"

"I really couldn't see it--he's so good at pretending! He waited until the night before the wedding to finally let you discover he was sleeping around with someone else."

"I can't believe he would stoop so low--deliberately showing you, making you see and hear exactly what he thinks of you with your own eyes and ears!"

Harper got more and more upset, her eyes reddening.

"Gwen, stop waiting. You should live for yourself for once!"

"Harper, thank you for coming today. As for Mom and Dad... after the wedding, I'll go back and admit I was wrong."

A bet is a bet.

Today was the day I accepted the price of losing.

After calming down my best friend and myself, I walked toward the terrace at the end of the hallway for some air.

Just as I was about to push the door, I heard several men's voices inside.

The groomsmen, hiding out here smoking.

"So Lucas really isn't coming back?"

"He said Vivian's glued to him and he can't get away. Told us to stall for him."

Brian exhaled smoke. "How long do you think Gwen will put up with this?"

"Look at her today--wedding dress on, red carpet walked, groom gone--and she didn't even frown."

"To have a wife like this, what more could a man ask for?" Jason sighed. "Lucas really doesn't know how good he has it."

"Lucas has no attention for that right now. Vivian's got him wrapped around her finger--the man's lost his soul."

The group laughed.

Then someone made a video call. "Lucas, you finally picked up. Gwen's still waiting. Isn't it inappropriate for you not to come back?"

Ambiguous sounds came through the phone.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Lucas's voice carried both impatience and the hoarseness of desire. "I can't make it back. Just take care of the relatives and friends."

"Okay, okay, Lucas, you do you." Brian said with a grin. "Gwen's much easier to handle anyway..."

Before he could finish, I pushed open the terrace door.

The smiles froze on their faces.

Brian hid his phone behind his back.

I looked at them. "The wedding starts in three minutes. What are you hiding out here for? There are over three hundred guests sitting out there. Are you going to make them wait? Or let them watch the joke?"

As soon as I finished speaking, the group burst out laughing.

"Gwen, stop it." Jason waved his hand while laughing. "Three minutes? Is that enough? Our Lucas doesn't finish that fast. He can't make it..."

"It's enough."

I calmly interrupted, then turned and left.