Chapter 3 The Girl

Elijah was absent-minded throughout the ceremony. All he could think about was that young girl's smiling face in his memory...

That girl's smile was sweet and innocent. She was his only light during his darkest times.

At that time, he hadn't been taken back in to the Stephens family. He and his mother lived a hard life, which broke his mother's spirit. It wasn't uncommon for her to suddenly have a mental breakdown and throw herself in his arms and sob violently. His peers constantly mocked him for being fatherless and for having a madwoman for a mother.

During the day, he would go to school, and at night, he would work at several part-time jobs. He had to support himself and his mother before he even reached adulthood. Day in and day out, he had to work hard until midnight to finally put his feet up and enjoy his late dinner-a bowl of instant noodles.

People who saw him today would never have thought that Elijah had such a miserable life before.

But one day, when he was trampled underfoot and was about to give in to despair, a girl showed up.

He still remembered her sweet scent when she got close to apply medicine on his wounds. In a soft voice, she had asked him if it hurt.

When her back was turned to him, he had seen a dark red birthmark on her back that was shaped like a beautiful blooming rose.

He was fifteen years old back then. It was his first time having a crush on someone, and those feelings never changed over the years.

But later, the girl had fallen into the sea and drowned.

Thinking of this, Elijah clenched his fists and winced as though he was in great pain.

The girl's body had been pulled out of the sea, her face ruined by the brutal seawater. However, he recognized the cotton white dress she was wearing.

Every time he remembered this scene, his heart would ache terribly.

Elijah fixed his eyes on Kaylee, trying to find similarities with the girl.

But he got nothing.

His intent gaze was a little disconcerting. Kaylee frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable.

All of a sudden, Elijah came to his senses and smiled bitterly. He had seen that girl's dead body with his own eyes. How could this woman be that girl?

After exchanging wedding rings with Kaylee, the wedding was over. Since it was impossible for the two to kiss, they went straight to the banquet.

Amidst the audience, Elijah's elder sister, Haisley Stephens, glared at Kaylee from afar.

Just now, she had heard the guests' rude comments.

Her brother married such an ugly woman, which made her feel second-hand humiliation.

Kaylee was walking in her direction. Seeing that the bride was getting closer and closer to her, Haisley got angrier. Without thinking, she took a glass of red wine from the table and was about to pour it on Kaylee.

"If it weren't for you, my family wouldn't have been so humiliated!"

Elijah frowned. Just as he was about to reach out to stop Haisley, he noticed that Kaylee, who was standing next to him, had dodged the spilled wine at an astonishing speed.

The red wine ended up being poured directly on Gemma, who was sitting nearby, completely ruining her delicate makeup.

"Ah!!"

Gemma's scream resounded through the hall.

Eyes bloodshot, Gemma trembled with anger. She had worn her most expensive dress today, hoping to hook up with a rich man at the banquet.

Now she made a fool of herself in front of so many dignitaries, including those from the Reynolds family.

Seeing the embarrassed look on Gemma's face, Kaylee couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The next second, she feigned a concerned expression and pretended to care about her. "Oh, my God! Gemma, why are you so unlucky? You look like a drowned rat!"

All the people at the banquet burst into laughter upon hearing that.

Gemma had never felt so embarrassed in her life. Just as she opened her mouth to curse Kaylee, Josie stepped in and dragged her out of the venue.

When the two arrived at the lounge, Gemma screamed in frustration. She couldn't stop thinking about Elijah's handsome face, which made her feel a sense of regret and jealousy. "I didn't know that Elijah was so handsome. I shouldn't have let Kaylee replace me!"

What pissed Gemma off the most was that Kaylee had lived a better life than her when they were little. Now that she saw that Elijah was so handsome, she hated Kaylee even more, which only fueled her determination to marry into the Reynolds family.

The Reynolds family and the Stephens family were both affluent families in Atheton. But the Reynolds family was a tad bit better than the Stephens family in every aspect.

"Gemma, you shouldn't have come. What if someone finds out that we made Kaylee substitute for you? The reputation of our family will be ruined!" Josie reminded her daughter in a low voice, her expression grim.

Gemma didn't give a damn about her family's reputation; she only cared about how to defeat Kaylee. "Mom, I came here today specifically to meet the son of the Reynolds family. As long as I marry into their family, you'll become the mother-in-law of a Reynolds. All the rich ladies in Atheton will definitely bow to you!"

Josie was a vain woman, so what Gemma said was indeed very enticing.

She then decisively bought another expensive dress for Gemma and smiled in satisfaction. "You look beautiful. You'll definitely marry into a family that's better than the Stephens family!"

Lunch was almost coming to an end by the time Gemma finished changing her clothes and fixing her make-up. Keegan Reynolds, stood up to make a toast onstage.

Keegan was a well-respected elder, so he was the last one to make a toast to the newly-weds.

But as soon as Keegan said a few opening remarks, he suddenly gasped and clutched at his chest, collapsing to the ground.