Chapter 10 Wedding Day

Thinking back at all the horrible things that had happened in the past few days, Christine felt that she deserve to relax and enjoy her freedom.

She exchanged currencies at the airport and went to the nearest public park. It was a huge area teeming with flowers and trees, the park trails were neatly paved, and various signs and benches were placed neatly along the course. She welcomed the soft and warm rays of the sun as she crossed a magnificent stone bridge that cut through a gentle river. She felt peaceful and contented in both mind and body.

But these blissful moments were always so short because the world was always cruel to her.

Christine was confident that she could be free from Nathan's control once she left the country, but she underestimated the Helian family's power and influence. While she was resting on a bench, feeling the cool breeze on her face, several men appeared out of nowhere and spoke to her in Chinese. They identified themselves as agents of the Helian family.

What bad luck! She thought she did a clever job of ditching her wedding to Wesley, but it turned out to be just a dream. Christine had no way of escaping from the bunch of men surrounding her. All along, the Helian family was in control and they just gave her a brief moment to relax and have fun.

The trip back to the airport was uneventful. She sat in between two able-bodied men like an escaped prisoner; neither of them spoke throughout the trip.

A bitter smile crossed her pretty face as the reality of her situation dawned on her. Everything she did to escape seemed like a joke; it was as if she was purposefully lead to believe that she was free, only for her wings to be clipped mid-flight. These people were really merciless.

Instead of taking a regular flight back, the men escorted her to a private plane. It was not as conspicuous as she thought it would be. It only had a huge "Wesley" inscribed across in gold. Not only did the clean and minimalist design made the plane look classy, but it made clear to everyone who owned it. Christine was blown away by Wesley's narcissism.

They arrived on time as if her trip was part of the wedding plan all along.

All the preparations for the wedding were completed on the plane.

As she boarded the plane, she was greeted by a horde of make-up artists and hair stylist. She saw her wedding dress at the back of the cabin, neatly propped up as if mocking her futile escape. The staff gave her a sponge bath, tucked her in the dress, and began to perform their job.

While the plane was preparing for touchdown, the last brush struck her fair skin and the artists brought a human-sized mirror in front of her. She was looking at a young woman with a clear and fair complexion, her lips as red as cherries, and her dark hair curled softly like the gentle waves of the sea. She was looking at a princess in one of those fairy tales.

Everyone else on the plane admired her looks, thinking to themselves that Wesley must be lucky in romance for finding such a beauty for a bride.

The chief make-up artist was also extremely proud of her own work. She was grinning from ear to ear as Christine slowly twirled in place; this was indeed the pinnacle of her makeup skills, and everything was done on a plane to boot.

The plane landed on a narrow tarmac near the venue for the wedding and minutes later, she found herself standing by the entrance just in time for the ceremonies to start, as though she never ran away at all.

Despite all that happened, Christine was still confused. Why was Wesley doing everything to make the wedding possible?

It was a well-known secret in S City that Wesley loved Jessica.

Therefore, everyone would assume that Wesley did not like Christine and despised marrying her. But oddly enough, he seemed to care about this wedding very much.

Christine found his character very mysterious and confusing. She had no inkling as to what the shrewd Wesley was thinking about. She assumed it might be the best for them if she took the initiative to run away and cancel the wedding.

But now, it was obvious that Wesley took pains just to bring her back for this occasion.

Her attempt at breaking free was a total disaster and other people might just brush it off as a farce, or even an attempt to hype up the wedding.

But Nathan did not share everyone else's opinion.

After Christine escaped, Nathan promptly informed Wesley and he was mocked hard for his incompetence. It was only because he feared this young man's power and wealth that he gnashed his teeth and held back his anger.

Wesley threatened that if Christine could not arrive in time for the ceremony, the entire Ji family would bear the consequences. Nathan knew what the consequences would be, so every second before Christine showed up felt like torture to him. He was actually drenched in sweat from worrying and pacing around the venue nervously.

Finally, Christine appeared, fully dressed up, on time. Nathan's expression finally relaxed, and he slumped on a bench, looking haggard.

Nathan hated his daughter even more. In his eyes, Christine was the root of all the humiliation that he suffered from Wesley.

After a few minutes of preparation, the wedding ceremony commenced. The happiest person in the room was Karl.

The aging patriarch was satisfied that his grandson listened to him and brought Christine back.

But most people in the room did not share his enthusiasm.

With her father by her side, Christine slowly walked down the aisle dotted with petals of all colors. It reminded her of the nightmare she had before, but the devil was real and staring at her from the other end of the red carpet. In her heart, this was no wedding, but a march to hell.

Slowly, she inched closer and closer to the altar, hundreds of eyes watching her elegantly glide across the hall. These eyes had no love for her and she felt small and lonely. The supposedly joyful wedding music felt so lifeless and distant.

Finally, she came face to face with the groom. Nathan handed Christine's hand to Wesley, like a loving father.

Wesley took the bride's hand and it looked like Christine was holding his arm tenderly.

The young couple standing so gloriously in front of the altar looked like a warm and happy scene.

Wesley's fans were so envious of Christine and they wanted to be the woman standing beside him, even though all knew that the person in his heart was Jessica.

For them, it did not matter if someone else owned his heart because he was such an excellent catch.

These poor women worshiped him like he was a perfect being, almost godlike. How lucky it would be to be his woman!

His perfectly-chiseled face, model-like figure, and extreme wealth made women flock to Wesley.

But these things did not matter in Christine's eyes.

Wesley was handsome and rich, and he was indeed an excellent marriage candidate.

But this only mattered on the surface for she knew the devil lurking inside him. Moreover, she had Barrett in her heart, who was better than Wesley in every aspect. At least, in her opinion, he was.

No matter how jealous the women were, they could not change the fact that Christine was the one being married to him.

She had to unwillingly accept the fate that these other women coveted so much.

One thing she learned today was that she could not defeat Wesley at this point. Since he could get her back so easily, he must have some means to imprison her effortlessly. Besides, she could not afford to offend the Helian family, or she would risk death.

Christine was very beautiful at that moment, but her eyes grew dull and lifeless as she deliberated her situation inside her head.

Meanwhile, Wesley felt more disgusted as he noticed the woman beside him in a trance, completely ignoring him.

He whispered in her ear, "I advise you not to go against me. Cooperating with me is what you should do. Don't challenge my patience. Things will not go well for you if you offend me."

The audience, especially the single ladies, gasped when Wesley leaned over to Christine. They thought this was a sweet and romantic act, and got jealous at the bride even more.

The ceremony was not even over, yet the groom and the bride could whisper sweet nothings in front of so many people as if no one was around. Some guests thought that the couple must have been close to each other.

But to Christine's ears, what he said was like a death sentence, warning her not to attempt any further escape from that point onward.

What he said brought even more confusion to Christine. Since Wesley did not want to marry her, why did he keep treating her like his valuable toy?

If she could not escape now, what would happen between her and Barrett? She only cared about Barrett and he was the only one in her heart.

Her red lips turned a shade paler as she dreaded the thought of living with this awful person. Would she be pestered by Wesley all the time?

Having noticed that Christine was unresponsive, Wesley nudged her subtly with his arm and gave a hint.

Christine snapped out of her daze and was a little flustered. She got rid of Nathan's control, only to be manipulated by another man more cunning and ruthless than her father. Things looked very grim for her.

She was fairly sure that Wesley would be more difficult to deal with than Nathan. Seeing how destructive he could be when angered, she felt that she could only pray for her safety in his hands.

Deep inside, Christine still wanted to struggle and resist her fate.

But now there were so many people at the wedding. If she denied this union, and the Helian family lost face, she could kiss death right then and there.

It was obvious how much Wesley cared about the Helian family's reputation and how much he cared about his own image. So it was absolutely stupid to defy Wesley now.

It would only make things worse if she irritated the devil.