Chapter 3
Just then, my phone rang again. It was a video call from Lambert.
When I answered, I saw him wearing my custom-made suit and fixing his hair with my makeup artist behind him.
“Michael, does it look good?”
“Don’t misunderstand. Ms. Orfanel said you might not make it in time and she was worried about missing the auspicious time, so she asked me to stand in for you and complete the ceremony.”
“You don’t need to rush over. I’ll live-stream the entire wedding for you.”
“I’ll talk to you later. The wedding is about to begin.”
I silently got back into the car, watching the wedding that was supposed to be mine proceed smoothly.
Every detail of the wedding venue, down to each flower used for decoration, had been carefully selected by me.
Yet now, it was someone else standing there.
As the wedding reached the climax, the host announced loudly, “The groom may now kiss the bride!”
Lambert hesitated for only a moment before leaning in to kiss Karina.
The camera zoomed in on their kiss and their lips were still slightly parted when they parted.
I felt a wave of nausea and opened the car door, unable to stop myself from vomiting.
Jeanne quickly patted my back.
“Why did you suddenly vomit? I’ll take you to the hospital.”
I quickly waved her off and took the water she handed me to rinse my mouth.
The suit I was wearing felt even more uncomfortable and I just wanted to take it off.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a bag on the backseat. I picked it up and saw that it contained a new set of men’s clothes that Jeanne had bought.
I messed up the big pompadour I had styled in the morning and changed into the clothes from Jeanne’s bag.
Surprisingly, it fit perfectly. Only then did I notice that this outfit seemed to be a matching set with the one Jeanne was wearing.
At that moment, my phone rang.
“Michael, how’s the wedding going? I’m about to go with Ms. Orfanel to toast the guests.”
“Your in-laws don’t seem to care much about you. They didn’t even notice the groom was replaced.”
“I won’t live stream the toasting part. It’s too battery draining. I’ll hang up.”
Jeanne returned to the car.
“That guy is acting like a lunatic. I’m not going to argue with him. Let my assistant handle it.”
When she saw my drastic change, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“What’s going on?”
“Can I borrow your clothes? I’ll buy you a new set afterward.”
Jeanne was speechless. “No, it’s fine. This suit was meant to be a gift for you anyway.”
“Are you not planning to get married?”
“Karina and Lambert have already gone through the wedding ceremony.”
“Jeanne, you said you didn’t want me to marry someone else. Are we going to register our marriage now?”
Jeanne was utterly dumbfounded.
“You mean the two of us getting married?”
I nodded. “If you don’t want to, then forget it.”
Jeanne immediately perked up and said, “I’ll take you there!”
“Why wouldn’t I want to? I’ve been waiting for this!”
Jeanne stepped on the gas pedal and drove straight to the City Hall. Then the two of us ended up getting married in a whirlwind.
“Let’s go to the hotel.”
Jeanne blushed bright red.
“Is this happening so fast? We haven’t even held hands yet.”
“What are you thinking about? I want you to take me to the hotel where my wedding was supposed to be. The banquet should still be going on. Let’s go give Karina and Lambert some wedding gifts.”
“Alright!”
When we arrived at the hotel, I picked up a red envelope and stuffed 38 dollars inside it.
Then I found an inconspicuous corner and sat down with Jeanne.
After waiting for a long time, Karina and Lambert finally came to our table to toast.
At first, they didn’t recognize me, but Karina finally noticed me when it was my turn to be toasted.
Chapter 4
“Michael, when did you get here? Whose clothes are you wearing?”
“The groom has been replaced and I’m still wearing that outfit, isn’t that ironic?”
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not because you had an accident on the way and couldn’t make it. I just asked Lambert to help me finish the ceremony.”
“Otherwise, not only would we have missed the auspicious time, but it wouldn’t be nice to have so many friends and family waiting for you.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
Isodore and Helena came over.
“Hey, Michael. What are you wearing? On such a joyous occasion, how can you wear a couple’s outfit with someone else? Is that appropriate?”
“Michael, isn’t that what I am saying? Just because Karina didn’t let you ride in the first car, you deliberately didn’t come to the wedding. And now you’re wearing a couple’s outfit with someone else, just to embarrass Karina!”
“You’re so inconsiderate. If it weren’t for Lambert saving the day, our entire family would have been humiliated. You must never do this again. If it happens once more, even if Karina spoils you, I will never forgive you!”
“You didn’t tell your mom about the car accident, did you? By the way, the car that hit me was driven by Lambert’s brother. He intentionally collided with us and has been detained by the police. He will definitely face criminal charges.”
Lambert looked panicked and Karina immediately defended him.
“What’s Lambert’s brother? You’re making it sound like Lambert deliberately asked his brother to hit you.”
“Isn’t that what happened?”
“That’s impossible! I know Lambert better than anyone. He’s so kind and considerate, with no ulterior motives. How could he possibly ask his brother to hit your car!”
Lambert’s tears welled up in his eyes. “Ms. Orfanel, thank you for believing me. Otherwise, I’d be as good as dead.”
“Don’t worry. Some people just like to bite the hand that feeds them!”
“Karina, are you calling me a dog?”
“I just want you to understand that Lambert did you a huge favor today! You should be grateful to him, not slander him!”
“Apologize to him immediately. I was planning to arrange another wedding for you, but if you don’t apologize, the wedding is off!”
I snorted derisively. “If you won’t arrange it, someone else will. Right, my wife?”
Jeanne kissed my cheek. “Yeah, of course.”
Karina thought she had heard wrong. “What did you just call her?”
“My wife. She’s my wife, legally.”
“Thank you for not marrying me. I’m now the son-in-law of the Thouret Family.”