Chapter 566: The Wedding, The Show Begins
"Nope," Cecily snapped after a long, awkward pause.
Until he had the power to stop Percy, he couldn't change a thing.
Fast forward to the wedding day at the hotel.
Vivienne eyed Cecily, who was all dolled up, with a sly grin. "Has Darian seen you in that dress?"
Cecily blushed, thinking about that day in the bridal shop fitting room. "Don't worry, Mom. He's seen it."
'He picked this dress,' Cecily thought to herself.
Vivienne chuckled, "But you went with a pretty modest dress."
Lace sleeves, high collar, the whole nine yards—only her face and hands were showing.
Cecily sighed, feeling trapped by Darian's possessiveness.
There was a ruckus outside, and Cecily glanced at the door. "What's going on?"
"I'm the bride's father, who said otherwise?"
Bryan's voice boomed.
Vivienne rolled her eyes. "Just your shameless dad."
"He kept you around all these years by being thick-skinned, right?" Cecily squeezed Vivienne's hand and smiled.
Vivienne's eyes clouded over.
Bryan had kept her close all her life. When she tried to run, he chased her for over a decade to bring her back.
He locked her up but treated her like a queen, like he wanted to give her his heart.
But Vivienne was stubborn and cold. No matter how well he treated her, she still hated him.
Vivienne forced a smile. "Cecily, can we settle everything today?"
Cecily nodded.
"Good."
'Then I can leave in peace,' Vivienne thought.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Cecily asked.
"Nothing, once I see you handle everything, I can relax. I've been here long enough. Once you wrap this up, I need to go back to the Bennett family."
Cecily was bummed. "Do you have to leave so soon?"
"It's not really soon. I've stayed long enough, and I'm content." Vivienne bent down, hugged Cecily gently, and patted her back. "Cecily, there are still many things waiting for me at the Bennett family. You need to take care of yourself here, be happy with Darian, and as for Bryan, although he has wronged you, he is still your father. If possible, I hope you can try to forgive him."
Cecily had no clue Vivienne was sick, so she didn't take her words seriously. "Mom, I will be happy. As for Bryan, we'll figure it out later. You too, if possible, try to forgive him."
Vivienne's eyes welled up where Cecily couldn't see.
But she didn't have much time left.
"Okay, I'll try my best to forgive him," Vivienne smiled.
Cecily smiled knowingly too.
There was still an hour before the wedding ceremony officially started.
Guests were already rolling in.
The Lockwood family had invited almost all the elite families of Silver Frost Capital, plus some Lockwood Group partners. Reporters were everywhere, itching to cover the event.
In a crowd, rumors fly.
"Did you see the news? Evander's been taking different women to hotels every other day. It wasn't exposed before, but now it is. This is just the tip of the iceberg," someone said.
"Yeah, today’s the wedding, and yesterday he was with another woman. The bride is so unlucky. If it were me, I'd be crushed," another chimed in.
"I think today's wedding is a joke. The Lockwood family is throwing this huge event, aren't they afraid of losing face?" they continued.
Percy had been fuming since yesterday. Evander still hadn't shown up, and if Landon hadn't told him they found Evander, Percy would've lost it.
Just then, Josep walked into the banquet hall with Victor and Aurelia. The moment their eyes met, Percy's scowl turned into a fake smile.
Josep snorted, and they exchanged a phony handshake.
Josep sneered, "Don't get too cocky."
Percy grinned and patted Josep's shoulder. "I've been cocky for more than a while. I'll be even more so in the future. Jealous?"
"Really?" Josep raised an eyebrow. "I've seen the news. Do you know how many people are waiting for the Lockwood family to screw up today?"
"So what? Cecily's still part of the Lockwood family. I'm taking everything she's got," Percy shot back.
Josep gritted his teeth. "You really think I'm gonna let you get away with that?"
"Whether I succeed or not isn't up to you, it's up to me," Percy smirked.
The two were practically at each other's throats, neither backing down.
To everyone else, it looked like a friendly chat, but the tension was thick.
Josep walked inside, and Percy's face instantly darkened. He pulled out his phone and called Landon. "How long?"
"About half an hour, we got this," Landon replied.
Hearing that, Percy finally relaxed a bit. "Alright, hurry up."
He hung up and plastered on a smile to greet the guests.
Josep stood in the shadows, and Mark approached him. "Mr. Fitzgerald, everything's ready. Should we drop it now?"
Josep shook his head. "No, not yet. Wait till everyone's here. It'll be more explosive."
"Yes, sir."
Guests kept pouring in, and Blaise sat in a quiet corner with Griffin and Rowan.
Griffin frowned. "Why can't we go find Mommy? We wanna see her."
Even usually quiet Rowan was getting antsy. "I wanna see Mommy too."
Blaise leaned back, finished his wine, and said nonchalantly, "No."
Griffin and Rowan deflated like balloons, slumping over the table. "But we're so bored."
Blaise raised an eyebrow, grabbed some snacks from the next table, and plopped them in front of the two. "Just eat."
Rowan and Griffin were silent.
Heads down, they asked again, "Will Daddy come? Why haven't we seen him yet?"
"Here he comes," Blaise said, nodding towards the door.
At the entrance, a tall, slender figure walked in, dressed in a black suit, with a high nose bridge, delicate features, and deep, unreadable eyes on a tense, handsome face.
Hayden and Declan were with him, not missing such an event.
People turned towards the door, and when they saw Darian, jaws dropped.
Today was Cecily's wedding, but Darian, the ex-husband, still showed up.
People whispered as the emcee on stage began the opening speech.
Percy glanced at Landon, who had just arrived. "Is Evander back?"
"Isn't he right there?" Landon raised an eyebrow. On stage, Evander, dressed in a crisp white suit, stood next to the emcee holding a bouquet of roses.
As Percy looked at him, Evander was also looking at Percy, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Meanwhile, Cecily stood outside the banquet hall, the wedding planner constantly reminding her of the upcoming steps. When she looked up, she noticed Cecily was very calm, as if this wasn't her wedding.
"Miss Watson, you don't seem nervous at all," the wedding planner said.
Cecily smiled lightly. "There's nothing to be nervous about."
Just as she finished speaking, Cecily felt her arm suddenly grabbed. She turned her head to see Bryan standing beside her.
Bryan was dressed in a dignified dark suit, his black hair streaked with a few strands of silver, meticulously groomed. He was well-maintained, making him look like he was in his forties despite being in his fifties. He still exuded the charm of his youth.
Cecily was annoyed. "Bryan, what are you doing?"
"I'm your father, of course, I have to walk you down the aisle." Bryan stood beside Cecily, righteous and unbothered.
"I don't need you to walk with me. Move aside."
"Did you hear me?"
"Bryan!" Cecily was getting angry.
Bryan looked at Cecily with a loving smile. "I'm shameless, you can't get rid of me."
Cecily was speechless.
She really wanted Bryan to see how shameless he looked.
The double doors opened, and a beam of bright light fell on Cecily and Bryan.
Bryan firmly held Cecily's hand in the crook of his arm, and together they walked in step by step under everyone's gaze.
"A long time ago, I imagined countless times what it would be like if I had a daughter. I'd watch her grow up, go to school, fall in love, get married, have kids, and grow old with her partner. I thought it would only ever be a fantasy, but I never expected it to come true one day. Being able to walk you down the aisle makes me very happy," Bryan said happily.
As they walked in step by step, Cecily listened to Bryan's words and lightly pressed her lips together. "It's all fake."
"Fake or not, having this one chance is enough for me."
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