Chapter 4 Inviting Him To Her Wedding

Khloe answered with an even, unhurried tone, "Yeah, I know you."

A quiet beat stretched. "So who am I, then?" James murmured, leaning in just enough to test her.

"My husband."

When those two soft words left her mouth, something in James's face jolted. A startled twitch tugged at his lips, cracking his usual swagger. "You... you know?" he muttered, baffled.

He hadn't spoken a word during the entire registration process. How on earth could she possibly tell? Was she not blind after all?

To test her, he shot a hand forward, knuckles tightening as he threw a sudden feint toward her cheek-quick and sharp, like he wanted to watch her flinch.

Khloe didn't so much as sway. Not a blink, not a twitch.

He drew his hand back slowly, a deep crease cutting across his brow. She genuinely couldn't see a thing-she didn't give the slightest response.

Khloe lifted her white cane and eased forward, her steps deliberate and calm.

A moment later, the tip of her cane hit something unyielding-a broad hand stopping it mid-air, followed by the solid press of a hard chest blocking her path like a wall. "You figured it out," James noted, his voice low. "And you still signed anyway?"

Khloe's lips curved, the meek, pliant softness she'd worn all morning dissolving in an instant. A cool, distant elegance settled over her, shifting her entire presence as if she'd slipped into another skin.

"Because I'm blind."

The corner of James's mouth twitched, a faint pull of disbelief. Was she teasing him... or cursing her own fate?

With steady steps, Khloe slipped around James and carried on down the path.

She made it only a few paces before slowing to a stop. With a subtle turn of her head, she looked back, offering him a sweet, serene smile.

The expression unfurled like a sudden blossom-so bright and soft that James froze, caught off guard by the unexpected warmth of it.

"I'd like to extend a warm invitation to my wedding," she said, her tone almost breezy.

His breath caught as the meaning clicked into place. She was referring to the Barnett family's grand ceremony-her so-called wedding to Leo. Was she out of her mind?

He stood there, absorbing the audacity of it-this blind, delicate-looking woman inviting her own husband to watch her marry someone else?

When his gaze swept over her, he caught the quiet depth in her unfocused eyes, a darkness as calm and vast as open water.

"Are you coming or not?" Khloe pressed, her head tilted just slightly, as if she could sense his hesitation.

A slow, crooked grin tugged at his mouth. "Yeah," he murmured, voice low with amusement. "Count me in."

--

Khloe slipped out of the car beside Leo, her heels clicking softly as they crossed into the Barnetts' estate.

Inside the reception hall, waves of chatter rolled through a space already swollen with guests-nearly every influential figure in Oranbu had made an appearance.

The moment Khloe crossed the threshold, Paula Norris, her stepmother, swept forward first, smile stretched wide, with Elsie gliding in right beside her.

"Ah, Khloe, there you are. So? Did you and Leo get all the forms done?" Paula posed the question with an overly sunny smile, her silk dress swaying around her.

No one in that room wanted the wedding to collapse more desperately than Paula.

Back when Khloe was only five, her father, Benny Norris, had carried her through the front door like a secret finally exposed. Paula pretended to welcome the illegitimate child with gracious smiles, but once the guests were gone and the lights dimmed, she unleashed her fury-slaps, insults, and cold neglect behind every closed door.

Meals were a luxury Khloe rarely tasted in that house. Most days, she went hungry, bruises blooming along her thin arms as she slept on a dusty cot in the attic.

Elsie, meanwhile, lived an entirely different life. Paula groomed her daughter to become the perfect young socialite.

Khloe survived only three years under that roof before Benny died unexpectedly. Paula declared the little Khloe a curse and dumped her in an isolated rural orphanage, leaving her to fend for herself without a backward glance.

With Benny gone, the Norris family business spiraled downhill. Desperate to regain status, Paula threw all her ambition into marrying Elsie into the powerful Barnett family.

But fate turned cruel-at least for Paula-when Khloe suddenly reappeared and stole that coveted spot right out from under Elsie. It was a humiliation Paula could never swallow.

So now, when Paula pressed her with that pointed question, Khloe didn't falter. She lifted her chin and replied, "It's done."

Elsie lunged forward, fingers eager and trembling. "Do let me see!"

"No problem." Khloe slipped the clerk's copy from her bag and offered it to them with calm, unhurried hands.

Paula and Elsie bent over the page, their eyes darting straight to the names-Khloe paired with the notorious James. A ripple of smug delight lit their faces.

"Congratulations. Looks like luck's definitely on your side," Paula murmured, giving her shoulder a light, almost performative pat before passing the document back.

Neither one of them bothered masking the glee twisting at their lips. Why would they? Khloe couldn't see any of it anyway.

Khloe folded the paper neatly and tucked it away. "Elsie, grab my wedding dress for me. I'd rather not keep the ceremony waiting."

"Sure thing. I'll bring it over right now." Still intoxicated by the fantasy of becoming Leo's wife in a matter of hours, Elsie hurried off, blissfully unaware that the victory she savored was never going to be hers.

A moment later, Jared and Corrine came over.

"Kiki, how come you're not dressed yet? Leo already headed off to get ready," Jared urged gently, his tone warm as always. He'd never hidden the soft spot he had for Khloe.

"My sister went to grab the dress for me. I'll change in a moment," Khloe answered with quiet courtesy.

Inside the dressing room, Elsie located the garment bag. When she unzipped it, her breath stalled. Gone was the soft pink bridesmaid dress she'd seen last night. In its place hung a lavish white wedding gown-intricate beading, sweeping fabric, and unmistakably bridal weight.

Color drained from her cheeks. Why was it a white wedding gown? Corrine had definitely prepared a pink one for Khloe yesterday. Still... who cared? No matter how elegant her wedding dress was, Khloe would never got to be Leo's bride in it. That role, in Elsie's mind, was hers to claim.