Chapter 473 I Marry You and Bring You Home!
Sitting in the car, Sarah felt disoriented.
Oliver gently took her hand and turned toward her. "What's on your mind?" he asked softly.
Sarah hugged his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. "Oliver," she whispered, "sometimes in the middle of the night, I wonder how we ended up here. Nicholas is married with children now. Whatever he might feel, he's bound by his responsibilities. Not to mention our history together."
"I just don't understand why Matthew couldn't accept me. I can't let go of what happened with the brake pads," she added.
Oliver's voice grew husky. "It's about power. He needed to elevate Nicholas."
"So in his eyes, I was Nicholas's stain?" Sarah asked, her voice tinged with sadness.
Oliver leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth. "In my eyes, you'll always come first," he murmured.
Something in Sarah seemed to heal in that moment. The weight of her resentment didn't vanish completely, but it lightened considerably.
Sarah felt her heart settling. She placed a hand on her belly, then smiled at Oliver. "I still have you, my brother, Claire, and the children. Oliver, promise you'll be good to me for the rest of our lives."
He gave a soft "Mmm" in response. It was quiet, but his voice trembled slightly.
Half an hour later, their black sedan pulled into the driveway.
At the entrance to the main house, Claire stood with the household staff lined up in two rows. Nicole waited beside Claire, clutching a bouquet of flowers. When she saw her parents step out of the car, the little girl ran over and presented the flowers to Oliver, saying in her childish voice the words Claire had taught her: "For my wonderful daddy."
Sarah couldn't help but smile.
Oliver looked slightly embarrassed. No matter how casual he might be in private, he maintained his dignity in front of the older household staff. It was obvious Claire had orchestrated this.
But he adored Nicole too much to say anything but kind words. He picked her up in his arms as she presented the flowers.
Claire signaled the gardener to set off fireworks. Amid the spectacular display, Oliver announced a $200,000 bonus for each staff member. They all promised to take excellent care of Sarah.
The celebration continued for quite some time.
Later, Oliver went upstairs to the master bedroom. Sarah was lying in bed, scrolling through her phone. She had seen the Windsor Group's announcement, which included their engagement photos. Hearing the door open, she sat up slightly. "We don't need anything elaborate," she said softly. "Just a simple ceremony would be fine."
Oliver disagreed. He gently stroked her delicate face. "Sarah, this is our first real marriage. We shouldn't skip any of the traditions. We're having a grand wedding."
"I'm officially making you my wife," he said with emotion.
Sarah found his enthusiasm somewhat amusing. "Oliver," she whispered, "we're already married."
Oliver's romantic notions scattered like leaves in the wind. He gazed at her, his eyes bright.
Then he proceeded to render her speechless with his passionate attentions.
In the heat of the afternoon, the bedroom became a sanctuary of passion.
After much consideration, Oliver moved the wedding date up to October 18th.
"By then," he said, his eyes intense, "your belly won't be showing yet."
Sarah rolled her eyes.
Nearby, Grace leaned against Henry's shoulder with a smile. "Sarah has chosen poorly," she teased.
With no children present, Oliver spoke freely among the adults. "How is that choosing poorly?" he asked bluntly. "Where would she find another man as virile as me? I've had surgery and still managed to get her pregnant. It's definitely going to be a little girl."
His shamelessness made Sarah feel embarrassed. Unable to listen anymore, she went upstairs.
Oliver watched her retreating figure, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness.
Grace marveled at how affectionate they had become. It reminded her of Juniper—after Brent's passing, Frank had divorced and pursued Juniper for a long time, though she hadn't yet accepted him.
Grace and Clara handled most of the wedding preparations while Sarah focused on her pregnancy.
This pregnancy felt different from her last one, but similar to when she was carrying Jacob. Sarah secretly suspected it was a boy, but since Oliver was hoping for a daughter, she kept her thoughts to herself. If she told him, she feared he'd lose sleep over it and want to "try again."
As autumn deepened, the banana leaves outside turned yellow and curled at the edges, sometimes covered with a thin layer of frost at night. The heating in the villa made everything comfortably warm.
Sarah rarely left the house.
One evening, Oliver called to say he wanted to take her out for dinner and to try on her altered wedding dress. Sarah happily agreed and got ready after a bath.
Downstairs, she heard a car pulling into the driveway and assumed it was Oliver.
Shortly after, Claire came upstairs with an uncomfortable expression. "Mrs. Moore is here to see you. Would you like to receive her?"
Isabella?
During Sarah's time with the Moore family, Isabella had been kind to her. Sarah couldn't refuse to see her out of common decency.
Soon, Isabella was shown to the second-floor sitting room. She had brought three gifts.
As the tea's aroma filled the room, Sarah noticed Isabella looked more careworn than before, though her manner remained gentle. "One gift is from your brother and me, one is from Nicholas, and the last is from Matthew," she explained. "Sarah, I know you're disappointed with the family, but you shouldn't refuse these gifts."
All three gifts were valuable and thoughtfully chosen.
Matthew had sent a jade bracelet of imperial green—a collector's piece among collectors.
Nicholas had chosen a pair of rare Eastern pearl earrings.
Isabella's gift was less extravagant but more meaningful: a pink glass palace lantern. When Matthew had ordered all of them destroyed, she had secretly kept one.
By giving it to Sarah now, she hoped Sarah wouldn't forget their past connection.
Sarah's eyes grew moist.
Her relationship with Matthew was irreparably broken, and things with Nicholas remained complicated. But she couldn't bring herself to reject Sarah, with whom she still shared a bond.
Isabella knew Sarah's kind nature.
After a moment's hesitation, she revealed her true purpose: "Matthew sent me. He wants to mend fences. He said since you don't have parents to support you, he's concerned your wedding might appear lacking. He's willing to attend to add some dignity to the occasion."
Sarah was taken aback.
After a long pause, she said gently, "At this point, I don't know how to face him. After he drove me away and tried to have me killed, should I really serve him wine and smile at my own wedding? Oliver would never agree to it."
Isabella understood.
She didn't press the issue, only sighed with regret.
When Isabella returned to the Moore Mansion, Matthew was sitting alone in his study, his face expressionless.
Hearing footsteps outside, Matthew perked up. Aaron, standing nearby, reassured him, "She must be bringing good news. Sarah still has some affection for her."
Matthew took a sip of tea.
Though hopeful inside, he pretended indifference. "A bride needs her family standing behind her, or people will talk."
Aaron smiled nervously.
Isabella entered the room.
As soon as Matthew saw she had returned with the gifts, his face darkened. "She refused them? Does she want the family's place at her wedding to remain empty? Doesn't she care what people will say?"
Isabella's face paled slightly.
"Yes, she refused. She hasn't sent invitations to the Moore family either."
Matthew suddenly coughed up blood.
"Mr. Matthew Moore!" Aaron cried in alarm.
Matthew pushed him away, supporting himself against the desk. "She has few relatives. Dylan is her peer. I want to see who sits in the place of honor—who has more right to that position than I do."
He coughed up more blood.
The stress of recent events had taken its toll, but he refused to go to the hospital.
He couldn't falter while Nicholas still needed his help.
Isabella held him up, tears in her eyes. "Matthew, you must hold on!"
Matthew's aged eyes reflected his determination. "I must endure until that day. I'll show them the Moore family is still the Moore family."
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