Aaron's eyes darkened even more at her words, a dangerous glint flickering. "You want kids?" he asked quietly.Selena blinked her large eyes innocently. "Don’t you? Aveline's having two at once! She’s amazing. We could just take one, right?"Suddenly, she felt his arm tighten around her waist, and she gasped, instinctively straightening her back. "Aaron, what are you doing?"His hand gripped her waist, and though his lips curved in a faint smile, there was a trace of menace in his gaze. "Why would we need someone else’s child? Can’t we have our own?"It took a moment for Selena to realize something was off with Aaron today. Hesitantly, she asked, "What’s gotten into you?"Aaron gave a cold laugh, his eyes narrowing. "I heard you’ve been telling others I’m not… capable.""I never said that!" Selena shot back immediately. "I know perfectly well that you are. Why would I ever say such a thing?"But Aaron didn’t seem convinced. Without warning, he stood up and scooped her into his arms,
Selena's face immediately fell, her lips pouting. "What kind of feast are we talking about?"While loosening the ties at the back of her dress, Maria said, "Whatever feast it was, you’re not eating it. Hold out for a few days, and I’ll make it up to you."Selena looked even more dejected. "Fine."Aveline continued snacking on fruit and said, "Join me with some fruit instead."After much effort, Selena finally managed to get out of the wedding dress. She then opened another box with a smile. "This is the traditional outfit I’ll wear when Aaron comes to pick me up."Aveline stood up and walked over for a closer look, her eyes lighting up immediately. "It’s beautiful!"The vibrant white gown was adorned with intricate embroidery, each stitch exquisitely crafted with great attention to detail.Even Maria couldn’t help but be impressed. She quickly pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. "I’m posting this on social media."Selena glanced at her with a playful look. "What, seeing the wed
"Say what?" Aveline blinked, clearly confused as she looked at Selena.Selena sighed and rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit exasperated. But maybe it wasn’t the right moment to push the subject too far?Before she could decide, Maria spoke up. "There’s really nothing much to say. Sidney used to have feelings for Aveline, but she’s always been in love with Lucas. Now, he’s interested in me, although I suspect there might be other factors at play. But that’s all in the past now."Hearing this, Selena paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I guess I was reading too much into it."She knew Maria wasn’t the type to hold grudges. Besides, Maria was Lucas’ subordinate, and if she had any ill will toward Aveline, she wouldn’t have been so dedicated to helping her. Plus, Aveline really wasn’t involved in any of it—it was Sidney who couldn’t seem to make up his mind.Aveline, realizing what Selena had been hinting at, smiled wryly. "You really are overthinking things. Sidney and I never
The cold tension in the air began to spread, but Selena acted as if she didn’t notice a thing. "You should head home," she said casually. "I’m about to go to bed myself.""Move," Lucas said suddenly, his voice low and commanding.Selena let out a mocking laugh. "And who do you think you are? You tell me to move, and I’m supposed to just step aside?"Lucas’ expression darkened, his gaze cold as it locked onto her. But Selena wasn’t intimidated in the slightest—in fact, she boldly stared right back at him.Lucas stayed quiet, his frustration evident. This was the kind of boldness that only family could get away with, pushing boundaries just because they could.Exhaling a heavy breath, he said, "I just want to see her for a moment. After that, I’ll leave.""Nope," Selena replied briskly, shutting the door in his face without hesitation.Lucas closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he reopened them, they were filled with icy resolve. Yet after standing there for a few seconds, he si
"Uh... yeah, that's true." Selena nodded, agreeing with Maria's reasoning.Maria continued, "And you'll need to find the right moment to bring it up, to minimize the risk as much as possible."Selena, now visibly nervous, stammered, "I-is it really that serious?"Maria, looking completely serious, said, "Trust me, take this seriously.""Got it," Selena muttered, running a hand through her hair in frustration.Maria smiled slightly. "Get some sleep. You need to take care of yourself these next few days, so you’ll be at your best for the wedding. You want to be the most stunning bride, don’t you?"At the mention of the wedding, Selena’s excitement dimmed. Her mind kept spinning with thoughts of how Aaron would react if he found out she’d been pretending to be Snow this whole time.What should she do? Would he be furious? Would he lose his temper?This was such a mess!If she’d known it would be this complicated, she would’ve confessed much sooner....The night before the wedding.After
Maria stepped aside, allowing Gernard to enter first, followed by Gavin. Gavin, hands casually in his pockets, glanced at Selena and asked, "Why aren’t you asleep yet?"Selena grinned. "I’m too excited! I’m getting married tomorrow, and I can’t sleep."Gavin snorted softly. "Ridiculous."Selena pouted in response. "You’ll eat those words, brother. When it’s your turn to get married, you’ll be too excited to sleep, too!"Gavin scoffed at the idea, dismissing her words entirely. The thought of being too excited to sleep before a wedding? Impossible.Selena, not wanting to argue further, turned away and brought two glasses of water over to them. "Where’s Mr. Cooper?" she asked Gernard."Dad’s abroad at an important meeting," Gernard explained. "He’ll probably only make it back tomorrow."Selena nodded understandingly. "If it’s too rushed, he doesn’t need to come. I don’t want him to overexert himself."Gernard smiled softly. "I’ll let him know."Selena was genuinely happy—her family had
Gernard casually pulled out one of the slips and said, "Let’s see what tasks we’ve got here."Unfolding the paper, he saw the words "sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy." Looking puzzled, Gernard asked, "What does that mean?"Maria explained, "As the name suggests, the groom has to experience all the flavors of life—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. No skipping any."With that, she headed into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with a collection of ingredients. "I’ve got lemon juice for sour, sugar for sweet, bitter melon for bitter, and mustard for spicy.""This is great!" Gernard chuckled, clearly enjoying the idea."But I suggest swapping the vinegar for lemon juice—it’ll be even more fun," he added.Maria nodded in agreement. "That works."Turning to Gavin, Gernard said, "There’s one more task. Go ahead, open yours and see what it is."Gavin, clearly less enthusiastic about the whole thing, reluctantly took the other slip of paper and opened it. It read: "Love toast."Gernard p
Aaron entered the room, holding a bouquet in his hands, followed closely by Lance and Lucas."Sweetheart, I’m here to get you!" Aaron shouted as soon as he stepped through the door, his handsome face full of excitement."Hold on a second." Gernard raised his hand, stopping him in his tracks.Aaron paused and looked at him. "I know the drill. What do you have for me? Bring it on!"Gernard chuckled and stepped aside, revealing a table behind him covered with a red cloth. Four red strings dangled from the edge. Maria, standing nearby, explained, "Mr. Fletcher, if you pass the first challenge, you can move forward."Aaron raised an eyebrow. "And what’s the first challenge?"Maria pointed to the red strings. "Pick one and eat whatever it’s attached to. No reactions allowed—if you stay stone-faced, you pass."Aaron grinned and immediately turned to Lance, pulling him forward. "Buddy, it’s your time to shine."Lance remained calm and casually pulled one of the strings. At the end of it was a