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That night, Bowen should have been the busiest groom alive, bustling with the fervor of
the grand reception. Yet, the moment Leandro and Seraphina made their entrance, the
smile that once graced his face vanished, never to return.
Even as he occasionally exchanged pleasantries with the arriving guests, his laughter was
faint, his eyes betraying a stormy gloom.
Before long, Bowen had slipped away from the entrance of the grand hall.
Simon Martin, mingling among the guests, keenly sensed Bowen’s absence. He promptly
sent his assistant, Isaac, on a search mission.
Isaac scoured the place without any luck. Eventually, he knocked on the bridal suite, only
to find Tania primping in front of a mirror, surrounded by a gaggle of bridesmaids, all
immersed in merry banter.
The sudden appearance of Simon’s aide startled Tania, “What brings you here? Is
something wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing at all,” Isaac stammered, “I just came to see if you were ready, miss. I
won’t disturb you ladies further.”
Knowing Tania’s inability to keep things under wraps, Isaac dared not divulge Bowen’s
disappearance, fearing the chaos it might unleash. So, with a polite nod, he closed the
door and retreated.
Just around the corner, Isaac nearly collided with Andrea. He hesitated for a split second
before greeting her, “Miss Martin.”
Andrea simply nodded, “What are you doing here?”
Isaac furrowed his brow slightly and decided to speak up, “Miss, have you seen Mr.
Smith?”
Andrea shook her head, asking, “He’s missing?”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“He was just at the entrance, welcoming guests,” explained Isaac. “He seemed to leave
the banquet hall, and Mr. Martin sent me looking for him.”
Andrea showed little reaction, merely responding, “Carry on, then.”
With a quick acknowledgment, Isaac hurried off.
Andrea lingered, but then turned and stepped back into the banquet hall.
Amidst the lavish spread of a hundred tables, Andrea walked straight to the front, where
indeed, she found Leandro and Seraphina at the third table.
Seraphina was engaging with those around her, and upon spotting Andrea, she waved her
over.
Approaching, Andrea joined her away from the crowd, “Your dress is a hit tonight,”
Seraphina commented.
But Andrea was hardly concerned with compliments, “Did you see Bowen when you
arrived?”
“He was playing doorman, how could I miss him?” Seraphina replied, adjusting her own
gown.
“What did you say to him?” Andrea inquired in a low voice, “He’s gone missing now.”
At this, Seraphina couldn’t suppress a giggle, “Really?”
While inquiring, she scanned the room and indeed noticed the Martin family in a state of
subtle disarray, a stark contrast to the earlier jovial atmosphere.
Seraphina sighed, “Why all the fuss? He’s waited so long for this day; do they really think
he’d ditch her at the altar?”
“That depends on what you told him,” Andrea retorted.
Seraphina laughed again, eyeing Andrea, “Whatever I said, it wouldn’t shake him.”
As they spoke, Simon rushed past, accompanied by an assistant. Seraphina nudged
Andrea, who followed Simon’s lead out the door.
Watching Andrea disappear, Seraphina turned back to Leandro.
Meanwhile, Andrea and Simon arrived at a room guarded by Isaac.
“Miss Martin,” Isaac greeted her.
Andrea simply nodded, eyeing the door behind him, “Did you find him?”
“He’s resting inside,” Isaac informed her.
With another nod, Andrea stood by the door, the room’s soundproof walls concealing any
conversation within. Yet, she chose to wait.
Inside, Bowen, his tuxedo disheveled, collar unbuttoned, sat slouched in an armchair, a
cigarette dangling from his lips. His mind was haunted by the images he had seen on
Seraphina’s phone, especially the last one—Sandra, with the slight swell of early
pregnancy.
He knew what he had done. That night, after Sandra betrayed him, rage and desire
erupted unchecked, and he took her against her will.
Her body was not meant for pregnancy, and he had not intended for her to conceive until
everything settled. But that one careless moment led to this—she could indeed be
pregnant.
If Sandra was pregnant, the irony was too cruel.
Once, he had sought to take Leandro’s son as a pawn against the Reynolds; now, it was
his own flesh and blood in Leandro’s grip, a tether always pulling.
But that wasn’t the most pressing issue. It was Sandra.
How could she manage alone? How would she protect the child, survive the hardships?
He shouldn’t have cared, yet the thoughts tormented him relentlessly.
“What have you become?” Simon stood at the door, his gaze icy as he beheld Bowen.
Bowen didn’t move, his eyes fixed outside, unseeing, silent.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Simon’s voice was calm but frosty, “A few simple words from a
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmwoman can break you like this. If I had known you were so fragile, what use would I have
for you?”
Bowen remained motionless, a man adrift amidst a storm of his own making.
Simon seemed to have little interest in prolonging their conversation. After shooting him a
contemptuous glance, he said, “If all you want to do is hide out in this room, then by all
means, hide. The Martins couldn’t care less if you back out of the wedding at the last
minute. But can you afford the fallout? You’d better think of what you’re getting into.”
With that, Simon turned on his heel, yanked the door open, and strode out.
The moment the door swung open, Andrea was hit with a blast of cigarette smoke and
couldn’t help but lower her head and cough.
Simon gave her a heavy look but said nothing.
As Andrea lifted her gaze, she caught sight of Bowen slowly standing up inside the room.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his stare was icy to the core.
“Sorry,” Bowen’s voice was as cold as his look when he finally spoke, “I need a few
minutes to pull myself together.”
He then shut the door. Andrea, seeing this, knew that Bowen had regained his composure.
The wedding would go on, no matter what.
A sense of unexplainable loss washed over Andrea, settling heavily in her heart.
Simon then glanced at her again and asked, “What brings you here?”
“I came to see what was going on,” Andrea replied. “I’m glad everything’s fine.”
Hearing this, Simon nodded slowly and then questioned, “So, who are you planning to
spread this delightful news to?”
Andrea paused, taken aback. “Dad?”
Simon’s face darkened, his eyes unfathomable as he spoke in a measured tone, “Andrea,
don’t forget you’re part of the Martin family.”
At his words, Andrea felt her breath catch.
Without another word, Simon turned and walked away, leading his entourage out of the
scene.
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