Chapter 102

Chapter 102


The atmosphere at the Drake estate was pure joy.

Preparations for Adrian and Rita’s wedding were in full swing.

Designers paraded their most luxurious gowns and suits through the grand halls.

Caterers, florists, and event planners buzzed around, finalizing every exquisite detail for what was expected to be the grandest wedding the city had seen in years.

Rita sat quietly next to Adrian's mother, who smiled warmly at her, occasionally offering advice.

Adrian, standing proudly at the side, couldn't help but glance at Rita every few minutes — as if making sure she was truly there, his, finally.

But far from this happiness, a storm was brewing.

At the Crawford residence, Sophie's family had just received a gold-embossed wedding invitation.

It was simple but stunning — the names Adrian Drake and Rita Saunders printed elegantly at the center.

Sophie had been sipping tea when her father stormed into the room, his face turning a dangerous shade of crimson.

"What is this mockery?" Mr. Crawford roared, tossing the invitation onto the table so violently that the fine china rattled.

Sophie froze.

Her heart plummeted into her stomach.

The humiliation burned hotter than fire inside her.

"They dare to send us this?" he growled.

"After shaming my daughter publicly? After breaking a promised engagement?!"

Mrs. Crawford tried to calm him, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Sophie, trembling with anger and humiliation, could barely breathe.

"This is an insult!" he continued.

"A direct slap to our face!"

In a blind rage, Mr. Crawford ordered his car to be prepared immediately.

He was going to the Drakes.

When Mr. Crawford arrived at the Drake mansion, he didn't bother with pleasantries.

He stormed in, pushing past startled servants.

Adrian's father, Mr. Drake, had been expecting trouble — but not this soon.

"What do you want, Crawford?" Mr. Drake said coldly, rising to meet him in the grand sitting room.

Crawford didn't waste time.

He threw the crumpled wedding invitation onto the coffee table between them.

"You think you can humiliate my family and get away with it?" Crawford spat.

"You think you can discard my daughter like trash and then dare to invite us to watch you marry some — some nobody?"

Mr. Drake's jaw tightened, but he remained composed.

"Mind your words," he said, his voice low and threatening.

"I came here to warn you," Crawford hissed, ignoring the warning.

"If this wedding goes through, consider all cooperation between the Crawfords and the Drakes terminated.

Our businesses, our contracts, all of it. Finished."

There was a tense silence.

Outside the door, Adrian's mother and Adrian himself had arrived, alerted by the shouting.

Adrian stepped forward, his face hard.

"You were foolish to think your daughter could buy my affection," Adrian said icily.

"I never loved her, and I won't ruin my life for a business deal."

Crawford turned to him, furious.

"You'll regret this, boy! You and your entire family!"

But Mr. Drake, calm as ever, simply adjusted his cufflinks.

"We have survived without your family before," he said sharply.

"And we will do it again."

Humiliated and burning with rage, Mr. Crawford stormed out, slamming the door so hard that the walls shook.

Sophie, who had secretly followed him and watched everything from behind a pillar, wiped away angry tears.

The Crawfords had been publicly discarded — not just by Adrian, but now by the powerful Drake family as well.

And in Sophie's heart, bitterness and hatred deepened.

She swore that if she couldn't have happiness, she would at least have revenge.

Sophie sat alone in her room, staring blankly at the shredded pieces of the wedding invitation she had torn apart in a fit of rage.

Her pride, her dreams, her future — all ripped from her hands like a cruel joke.

The Crawfords, once a powerful and respected name, were now the subject of whispered gossip and ridicule, all thanks to the Drakes and that "nobody" Rita.

Her mother tried to console her, but Sophie could hear the pity in her voice, and it made her skin crawl.

No, Sophie thought bitterly, her fists clenching.
I won't be pitied. I won't be the laughing stock of the city.

As the sun set and the mansion fell silent, Sophie sat by her vanity mirror, plotting.

If Adrian and Rita thought they could live happily ever after, they were gravely mistaken.

She would make sure their wedding day — the day they thought would be the happiest of their lives — turned into a nightmare they would never forget.

Sophie picked up her phone and called a familiar number.

It rang twice before a lazy voice answered.

"Hello?"

It was James — drunk and brooding as usual these days.

"It's me," Sophie said sharply.

"I have a proposal."

James scoffed, clearly uninterested.

"I’m not in the mood for games, Sophie."

"This isn’t a game," she snapped.

"You want Rita. I want Adrian. They're getting married soon.

If we work together... we can stop this."

There was a long pause.

James, despite his bitterness, leaned forward, intrigued.

"Go on."

Sophie smiled grimly, her mind working faster than ever.

"I have their wedding planner's number. I know where the dress fittings are.

I know their rehearsal schedules.

We can ruin it all, from the inside.

You — you just have to make Rita suffer. Make her doubt Adrian.

And me... I'll make sure Adrian is too distracted to fix anything."

James chuckled darkly.

"I like the sound of that."

"And one more thing," Sophie added, her voice dripping with venom.

"We have to strike before the wedding day.

Make it messy. Make it public."

James agreed.

The two of them, fueled by rage and crushed pride, formed a dangerous alliance.

The next morning, Sophie put her plan into motion.

She arranged for a scandalous rumor to start circulating: that Rita had been involved with another man — conveniently, an anonymous "source" claimed to have proof.

Meanwhile, James plotted to stage an "accidental" meeting with Rita, one that would look compromising enough if caught on camera.

Sophie also planned for a "mistaken" delivery at the wedding rehearsal — an entire shipment of black flowers instead of the white lilies Rita had requested, a symbol of mourning instead of celebration.

A cruel message only someone like Sophie would understand.

And she wasn't done yet.

At the final dress fitting, Sophie had bribed an assistant to "accidentally" spill red wine on Rita’s custom-made gown.

The gown that was supposed to make her look like a princess would be stained, ruined — just like Sophie’s pride had been.

Sophie smiled to herself as she stared out the window, the city lights twinkling like stars.

You thought you could steal my life, Rita?

I’ll make sure you regret ever crossing paths with me.

The pieces were moving.

The perfect wedding was about to become the perfect disaster.