CHAPTER 1 – The Bride Who Thought She Owned Everyone
The entire city had been talking about Isabella Carter's wedding for months.
The ceremony wasn't just a wedding—it was a spectacle.
Thousands of white roses covered every corner of the luxury ballroom. Crystal chandeliers sparkled like stars above marble floors polished to perfection. A live orchestra rehearsed quietly while photographers rushed around capturing every expensive detail.
Everything had to be flawless.
Everything had to revolve around Isabella.
She stood in front of a full-length mirror wearing a custom-made designer gown worth more than most families earned in a year. Diamonds glittered around her neck while makeup artists made tiny adjustments.
"If one thing goes wrong today," she warned the staff, "someone will lose their job."
No one dared answer.
Everyone knew Isabella came from one of the wealthiest families in the state.
Money had taught her that people existed only to obey.
Meanwhile, outside the ballroom, dozens of employees hurried to finish the last decorations before guests arrived.
Among them was seventy-two-year-old Margaret.
She wasn't a professional event planner.
She simply worked for the company that maintained the gardens surrounding the venue.
Despite her age, she insisted on helping move the final flower arrangements because one of the younger workers had injured his back earlier that morning.
Her faded uniform contrasted sharply with the luxury surrounding her.
Some guests barely looked at her.
Others pretended she didn't exist.
Margaret quietly smiled anyway.
She loved flowers.
She believed beautiful celebrations deserved beautiful gardens.
As the ceremony prepared to begin, she carefully carried one final ceramic pot filled with rare white orchids toward the entrance.
Then everything happened in a single second.
A young photographer accidentally stepped backward.
His shoulder brushed Margaret's arm.
The heavy flower pot slipped.
CRASH!
The ceramic shattered across the marble floor.
Water splashed everywhere.
Mud stained the edge of Isabella's priceless wedding dress.
Silence swallowed the ballroom.
Margaret froze.
"I'm... I'm so sorry," she whispered.
Before anyone could react—
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the entire hall.
Isabella had struck the elderly woman across the face with all her strength.
Guests gasped.
Margaret stumbled backward, nearly falling.
"You stupid old woman!" Isabella screamed.
"Do you even know how much this dress costs?"
"You people ruin everything you touch!"
Tears filled Margaret's eyes.
She tried apologizing again.
"I'm terribly sorry... It was an accident..."
But Isabella wasn't finished.
"Someone get this disgusting woman out of my wedding before she contaminates everything!"
Security hesitated.
The guests exchanged nervous glances.
Some wanted to intervene.
No one dared challenge the bride.
Margaret bent down slowly, despite her shaking hands, trying to pick up the broken ceramic pieces herself.
Blood appeared on one finger after a sharp edge sliced her skin.
Still...
No one moved to help.
No one...
Except one person standing quietly at the entrance.
The groom.
Ethan Brooks had just witnessed everything.
Every single second.
Without saying a word, he began walking toward the trembling old woman.
May you like
And suddenly...
The smile disappeared from his face forever.
