Chapter 9

After returning the three boxes, Rebecca felt a weight lift from her shoulders. A smile of genuine relief spread across her face as she swept her gaze across everyone present. She declared with unwavering conviction, "Since all of you here today are prominent figures in our social circle, I ask you to bear witness to this moment. "From this day forward, I will stop pursuing the three Shaw brothers, nor will I ever come looking for them. Whatever connection I had with these three ends here." With that, she turned to leave. Brandon, Yves, and Harvey finally snapped out of their shock. One of them grabbed her arm and growled, "Rebecca, stop playing games. Aren't you afraid we'll skip your wedding tomorrow?" His tone was sharp, but it couldn't hide the unease underneath. She turned around and said calmly, "Neither of you is the groom. You're invited as guests, but your presence doesn't matter to me either way." She didn't bother watching their reactions and walked off without hesitation. … On Rebecca's wedding day, Brandon, Yves, and Harvey arrived at the banquet hall with Sally and several friends. The venue was a vision of elegance, adorned with flowers at every turn and luxury decor carefully placed throughout, creating a truly stunning atmosphere. Even the place cards on each table had been meticulously designed, exuding refined charm. One of their friends felt uneasy and voiced his doubts. "This wedding looks legit. If Rebecca were just playing hard to get, would she go this far? Are you sure she's not marrying one of you?" That question made the three Shaw brothers tense up. But their faces hardened as they flatly denied it. "No way. This arranged marriage is between our family and the Underwoods. If it's not one of us, who else could she possibly marry?" Brandon said. Yves chimed in, "Exactly. She's putting on this whole show just to pressure us into going through with it. Just wait and watch her humiliate herself." Harvey added, "The more extravagant the setup, the harder she's going to fall." Despite their harsh remarks, Sally noticed how much they cared about Rebecca and how rattled they were, which made her stomach drop. She felt like everything had changed since Rebecca returned those boxes to the three brothers the day before. She anxiously wondered if her lie about taking credit for Rebecca saving them during the earthquake might be exposed. She forced a strained smile and said, "Ms. Underwood just values her reputation too much. After pursuing you three for so long, how could she possibly give up just like that? She's probably just bluffing and putting on a brave front." Brandon, Yves, and Harvey nodded absentmindedly. As soft, romantic piano music filled the air, the officiant announced, "Let's welcome the bride and her parents to the stage." The doors opened grandly, and Rebecca walked forward gracefully with her parents on either side. Her layered white wedding dress made her appear ethereally beautiful, perfectly showcasing her exceptional features. The moment she stepped into view, everyone's heart seemed to skip a beat. Brandon, Yves, and Harvey were taken aback by how stunning she looked, though they hid it almost instantly. After Rebecca took her place, the officiant said, "Now let's welcome the groom." Seconds stretched into what felt like minutes with no sign of the groom, and the three Shaw brothers couldn't hide their relief. Brandon let out a mocking laugh. "Come on, Rebecca. How much longer are you going to keep up this act?" Yves smiled coldly, clapped his hands, and motioned for several bodyguards to come forward. "Since you're dead set on this, Rebecca, then don't expect us to play nice. Remember what I told you before? If you insisted on having a wedding, I promised to ruin every single one." Amid the rising murmurs, Victor Shaw and Kate Presley, parents of the Shaw brothers, exchanged sharp glances as their expressions turned grim. They stood up, and one of them snapped, "Why are you three making a scene instead of behaving like proper guests? How dare you threaten to ruin the wedding! Don't you realize that Rebecca is marrying your unc—" Yves interrupted, "Mom, Dad, it's not that we refuse to marry her. We made our stance clear long ago that we could accept an arranged marriage on paper only, without any wedding ceremony. "Our hearts belong exclusively to Sally. Since Rebecca refuses to accept this arrangement, she has no one to blame but herself." Brandon, Yves, and Harvey gestured to the bodyguards behind them. "Smash everything and don't leave anything behind." Before the words settled, the wedding venue doors burst open with a thunderous crash, and a cold, commanding voice rang out. "Don't even think about it."