Chapter 22
Lexi picked up right away.
A raspy voice came from the other end. “You’re still up at such an hour. Are you that excited just because you’re marrying me tomorrow?”
Hearing the teasing in Henry’s voice, her nerves eased. “Henry, did you see the stuff online?”
“I did.”
Her palms were damp with sweat. “Do you have anything you want to ask me? Or any second thoughts?”
There was a long pause on his end. Then he said, “Yeah.”
Her heart sank. Of course. Men always cared about this kind of thing.
“If you’re having second thoughts about the wedding, just tell me. I won’t hold it against you. But-”
Before she could finish, Henry cut her off, “Lexi, what nonsense are you spouting? Are you seriously backing out over something this minor? Do you plan to give up on me again?”
She froze for a second, her voice faltering. “I… I never said I didn’t want you. I was just scared you’d mind.”
“Mind what? You were hurt so badly by Jeremy. I feel awful for you. Why would I care about that?
“Lexi, you’re the one who came after me first. Since you started this, don’t even think about running. The wedding’s still happening tomorrow. And if you try to run away, I swear I’ll drag you there myself.”
His words were blunt and domineering, but somehow they gave her a strange sense of peace.
“Don’t worry. I’m not running. I’ll be the most beautiful bride in Juville tomorrow.”
After that, she started getting sleepy pretty quickly. But Henry didn’t hang up. He stayed on the line until she drifted off before he ended the call.
Then, he called in his assistant.
“Mr. Garner, we’ve cleared all the online posts. We’re monitoring everything closely. Nothing negative about Ms. Shaw will get out again.”
Henry took a deep drag of his cigarette. “What about Jeremy? Have you located him?”
The assistant lowered his head, clearly ashamed. “We tracked him right away, but he got away. He went back to Tenby.”
Henry narrowed his dark eyes and let out a cold chuckle. “Back to Tenby? That doesn’t sound like him. Keep an eye on tomorrow’s wedding. If he dares show up, take him down without mercy.”
The assistant shivered. Henry was usually calm, and it was rare to see him this harsh.
Chapter
2/2
The next day, the wedding went ahead as planned.
Lexi had always loved the ocean, so Henry rented out the whole beach for their wedding.
Guests arrived dressed to the nines, mingling as both families greeted them.
Henry stood under the sun in an all-white suit, the light casting a golden glow around him.
“Mr. Garner, we’ve checked the whole perimeter. There’s no sign of Jeremy.”
Henry gave a slight nod as he listened to his assistant’s report. “Good. Let’s proceed.”
Once the guests were all seated, the wedding march began. Henry stood center stage, holding a bouquet, waiting for Lexi.
She stepped out in a stunning white gown, lit beautifully by the surrounding lights.
Luke walked her down the aisle, holding her arm and slowly bringing her closer to Henry. The closer she
got, the brighter her smile became. She looked genuinely happy.
But just as she was about to reach him, Tricia came out of nowhere. She shoved Luke aside and pressed
a knife to Lexi’s neck.
The blade quickly broke her skin, and bright red blood began to stain her dress.
“Tricia, even if you kill me, you’re not getting away with this!”
Lexi had braced herself for Jeremy to stir up drama, but Tricia showing up caught her off guard.
Tricia laughed maniacally. “My life’s already been ruined because of you. If I can’t live in peace, then we’ll go down together!”
The whole place exploded into chaos. The guests stumbled back, too scared to intervene.
Henry slowly stepped forward and said in a cold voice, “Tricia, let her go. Whatever it is you want, I’ll give it to you.”
Tricia let out a deranged laugh. “Lexi, what the hell is so great about you? Why do men go crazy over you? If you died, would they finally choose me instead?”
The knife was way too close to Lexi’s neck. She didn’t dare say a word, afraid even a whisper would cause it to cut deeper.
“What the hell do you even want, Tricia?”
