Chapter 19 The Wedding
In the past three days, several well-to-do families in Emerdale received anonymous wedding invitations.
Surprisingly, the Fords were also invited.
When they received theirs, everyone was shocked.
“Whose wedding is this? Why doesn’t it have a name?” Jonathan flipped the invitation over and again.
Rebecca stared at the invitation card with sparkling eyes and said, “I don’t know whose wedding this is, but it’s going to be held in Oceania, the most luxurious cruise restaurant in Emerdale. A table there costs around 15, 000 dollars. That couple must be some low-key billionaires if they’re holding their wedding in that venue!”
William snorted and said, “Humph. You’re still as short-sighted as ever. It may be true that this pair of newlyweds are no ordinary people, but why did they specifically invite us? Our family has been on the downturn until just recently.”
What William said burst some bubbles. They started wondering as well, “You’re right. The upper-class families in Emerdale would naturally be invited, but why did we receive one as well?”
An idea suddenly popped into Caroline’s head. She took out the newspaper from three days ago and asked, “Have you heard that a person spent 100 million on a ring called the ‘Tears of Venus’ three days ago?”
Everyone nodded, “Of course. News of him squandering 100 million on that fancy bauble made the rounds all over the city.”
Caroline made a guess. “I think that the man who’s getting married is the same one who bought that ring. As for the reason why he invited us, could it be that there is some connection between him and our family?”
The other members paused for a while, digesting that piece of information. Anticipation started to ferment.
Samuel exclaimed excitedly, “If that’s the case, then there is still hope for us to rise again! If we get familiar with these people, then along with our Atlas deal, we’ll be able to really turn things around.”
William also nodded and said, “If what Caroline said turns out to be the case.”
“If so, are we going to the wedding?” one asked.
William said with firm eyes, “Of course! Not only that, we have to foster a good relationship with this new couple! Get ready. Let’s head to Oceania straight away.”
Everyone departed one after another. Caroline and Rebecca also turned to get ready upstairs for the festivities.
William suddenly called out to them. “You two, wait a moment. Have you apologized to Leo yet?”
“…”
The smiles on their faces froze instantly.
“We wanted to apologize but he didn’t answer any of our calls…” Caroline said reluctantly.
William’s face also darkened. “It seems that he really is upset with us. Make sure you to apologize to him the next time you see him.”
“Okay…”
The Fords had received three invitation cards, so Rebecca and Caroline would be going with him.
That evening, the road to Emerdale Pier was filled with luxurious cars. This grand wedding and the earlier extravagant auction beforehand had drawn the attention of the city’s rich and powerful.
At the same time, Leo was standing before a huge, luxurious cruise ship at Emerdale Pier.
He looked at the time, then took out his phone and dialed a number.
“Hello?” As usual, Lydia’s voice was cool.
“Lydia, what are you doing now?” Leo asked in a soft voice.
“I just picked up Emilia from school,” Lydia answered after a brief pause.
“Great. Don’t go home just yet. Can you come to Oceania Restaurant now instead?”
“Why that place?” Lydia asked in a tone of confusion.
All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Lydia. “Leo… If you want to ask me out, we don’t have to go there. A meal at Oceania costs an arm and a leg, you know?”
“Don’t worry, about it, okay? Just go there first.”
After a moment of thought, Lydia relented with a sigh. “Alright, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
A smile spread across Leo’s face as he hung up the phone.
“Leo, what are you doing here?” Suddenly, a cry rang out from behind.
Leo turned around and saw William, Rebecca, and Caroline getting out of a car and walking over.
The person who spoke just now was Caroline.
William looked very happy, and especially excited to see Leo. He asked warmly, “Leo, what are you doing here?”
Something suddenly occurred to William and he turned around with a long face and shouted, “Why aren’t you apologizing?”
Caroline scowled. “Sorry,” she murmured, the words flowing out of her mouth as easily as burning acid.
Rebecca smiled. “Leo, please come home. I did everything for the sake of our family. Now that our financial troubles are finally getting sorted out, we’re willing to welcome you back into the fold.”
“Is that so?” Leo said noncommittally.
“…”
Rebecca and Caroline nearly lost it right there. What the hell was with that vague response? Was he going to play ball or not?
Leo turned to William. “Dad, I’ll focus on building my own career now, but I’ll come visit you as often as I can.”
The underlying meaning of his statement was clear: “I’m not returning to the family fold.”
Despite his disappointment, William patted Leo on the shoulder and said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Do what you need to do. Just don’t forget to pay me a visit every now and then.”
“Of course,” said Leo.
“Who cares if you come home or not!” Caroline snapped.
Rebecca quickly pulled her daughter aside and showed a pristine wedding invitation to Leo. “See? We’re here to attend a wedding in Oceania. How about you?”
“I’m just waiting for someone here,” he said with a smile.
Caroline gave a superior smile and sneered. “Waiting for someone at Oceania? Do you know what kind of place this is? Not just anyone can dine here. The reservation list is a week-long affair. And do you know how much it cost to have a meal here? At least 5, 000 dollars.”
Obviously, she saw Leo as a clueless country bumpkin who was trying every means to scam someone out of a meal here.
“Do you know who the bride and groom today are?” Leo asked suddenly.
This question instantly stunned Caroline and her mother, as they indeed did not know any of them.
“No matter what, it’s not a place for people like you. You don’t want to come back, right? Then wait for pigs to fly. Mom, don’t mind him. Let’s go.” After that, Caroline got on the Emerdale Odyssey with Rebecca, with her head in the air.
Leo stood there and kept waiting.
10 minutes later, a Mercedes pulled up at the pier.
A beautiful woman in a black business suit carried a cute little girl out of the car.
“Dad!” The little girl scampered toward Leo as soon as she saw him.
“Slow down, Emilia,” Lydia reminded her from behind. “You don’t want to fall and hurt yourself.”
The golden setting sun shone on her perfect face. She looked cold, elegant and full of maternal brilliance.
Leo’s heart melted at the sight of the two of them.
“Dad, hug me.” Emilia opened her arms.
Leo held up her daughter at once while Lydia walked over. “What are we doing here at Oceania?” she asked.
Leo smiled and said, “It’s a surprise.”
Lydia’s brow rose slightly. “A surprise? What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?”
Leo shook his head and said to Lydia while staring at her cold eyes, “I just want a chance to prove that I love you very much.”
“…”
Lydia was still unused to being stared at by a man in such close proximity, so she shoved him away. “Stop it. We’re in public.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
At this moment, a bespectacled man who looked like Oceania’s manager came up to Lydia. “Are you Miss Lydia Henderson?”
Lydia turned around. “Yes, I am. Who are you?”
The man was amazed by this beautiful woman but became humbler. “I’m Victor Sharp, manager of Oceania. At your service.”
Surprise flashed in Lydia’s eyes. “Nice to meet you, Victor. What can I do for you?”
“Please come with me, Miss Henderson,” Victor said in lieu of an explanation.
He led Lydia and Emilia to the VIP access.
Lydia gave Leo a questioning look.
Leo smiled at her reassuringly and gestured for her to go ahead. Lydia took Emilia into her arms and headed towards Oceania.
Inside the restaurant, a female staff member led Lydia into a luxury suite.
She was immediately taken aback when she walked through the door.
The room was adorned with various wedding dresses and beautiful jewelry.
Each of them was custom-made and limited-edition. It was obvious that they were the works of famous designers.
The three makeup artists and stylists rose to their feet the moment they saw Lydia. “Shall we begin, Miss Henderson?”
It was a long time before Lydia regained her senses, and when she did, her hands flew to her mouth.
She remembered the promise Leo made to her earlier: “I will give you a wedding that is five years late.”
Meanwhile, Victor bowed slightly to Leo. “Everything is ready now, Mr. Cohen.”
Leo nodded. “Thank you,” he said, a smile forming on his lips as he looked towards the huge cruise ship.
“Five years ago, you didn’t abandon me when I was completely down,” he thought. “And now, I’m going to give you a grand wedding, and the promise of a lifetime of peace.”