Chapter 135 Perfect Wedding

Chapter 135 Perfect Wedding

Dimitri didn't hesitate long. He turned and barked at the driver, "Turn around. Go."

The driver wrenched the wheel hard. The car lurched in place, tires shrieking against the pavement, then swung around and tore back down the road they'd come from.

A click sounded from the back seat—the door lock releasing. Dimitri whipped around just in time to see a figure leap out as the car slowed into a curve, tumbling onto the grass at the roadside.

Every instinct told him to stop the car and drag Evie back inside, but James's men were closing in fast. He clenched his jaw and turned back around. "Drive!"

The car accelerated and disappeared around the bend.

When James came running from his own vehicle, Evie was crouched at the edge of the road, elbows propped on her knees, breathing hard. Red scrapes marked her shoulder and forearm.

She looked up at him and the corner of her mouth lifted—like she wanted to say I'm okay—but before she could speak, he pulled her into his arms.

James's grip was tight, his chin pressed against the top of her head. She could feel his chest rising and falling harder than usual.

When he finally let go, he crouched down and pulled a first aid kit from the car. As he bandaged the scrapes on her elbow, his fingertips trembled slightly.

"I was late," he said, head down, voice muffled.

Evie looked at him. "I thought you were in Thailand."

James's hands stilled. He lifted his head, his gaze settling on her face. "I finished everything. Your parents... I found them."

Evie's breath caught. "Where are they?!"

"I'll take you to them."

The whole drive, Evie didn't speak. Her hand stayed clamped around the seatbelt, her fingertips rubbing back and forth along its edge.

When the car stopped in front of a white villa, Evie pushed the door open and stepped out, but she didn't move past the gate.

James stood beside her. He didn't rush her.

"Do they know I'm coming?" Her voice was quiet.

"They know. They're waiting for you."

Evie took a deep breath and walked toward the door.

Inside the living room, she saw Lukas and Anya sitting on the couch. Anya clutched a handkerchief in her hands. Lukas sat beside her, one hand resting on her shoulder.

When they saw Evie walk in, Anya shot to her feet. Her lips trembled violently, too overwhelmed to speak.

"Are you... Evie?" Lukas's voice was hoarse.

"Yes. I'm Evie." Evie's voice cracked, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Anya was already crying. "You look... exactly like your father."

Evie took two steps forward. Seeing how much her parents had aged, she couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed forward and threw her arms around them.

"I missed you so much. Why... why didn't you come back if you were alive? I thought you were dead!" Evie sobbed.

Lukas and Anya both broke down.

"I'm so sorry, Evie. I'm so, so sorry. We barely survived that crash—we barely made it out. But the Thai gang kept coming after us. We wanted to find you, but we heard the Vance family was treating you well. We didn't want to drag you into this, so we stayed away."

"My sweet girl, it's my fault. I thought you were doing fine. I never imagined... those animals. How could they treat you like that!"

The three of them clung to each other, crying until they were drained. James stood off to the side, his eyes red.

After they'd cried themselves out, the three of them slowly calmed down.

Evie sat on the couch. Anya kept holding her hand, as if to confirm she was really there.

Lukas sat across from them. He took a sip of water and finally spoke. "I came back this time to take over the Orlov family. I've collected enough evidence on everything Dimitri's done. He won't get away with it anymore. You just focus on recovering. Don't worry about any of this."

Evie looked at the gray streaks in her father's hair and nodded without asking more.

Back in her room, James closed the door behind them. Only then did she finally lean into him, as if every ounce of strength she'd been holding onto for the past few days had finally drained away.

"Thailand... how did you pull it off?"

"I worked with local law enforcement to take down the gang leader's operation." James looked down at her. "They arrested him, handed over the evidence. No one's going to come after your parents or you anymore."

"Were you hurt?"

James looked down at her, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "I'm too good to get hurt."

She laughed softly and reached up to touch his chin, then closed her eyes and rested against him without saying anything more.

After everything she'd been through the past few days, Evie was exhausted. Only when James was beside her did she feel any sense of peace.

---

Over the next few days, Evie focused on recovering.

Anya made her soup every day. Lukas stayed busy handling family business.

On the fifth day, word came that Dimitri had been arrested on multiple charges—unlawful detention, assault, and several counts of financial crimes. The evidence was ironclad.

The Orlov family's assets were legally returned to Lukas.

"He's not getting away this time," Lukas said, his tone flat, like he was stating a fact already decided.

Evie sat at the dining table sipping soup. She didn't respond, just swallowed slowly.

Two days later, James got a phone call. When he hung up, he glanced at Evie. "Grandpa wants to see us."

They went to the Rockefeller estate.

The light in the study was dimmer than last time. Stanley sat in an armchair by the window, his frame smaller than before.

When he saw them enter, he gestured for them to sit, then spoke. "Jasper's dead. Car accident. Happened a few days ago."

Evie's hand stilled slightly. She didn't say anything.

"He'd been going around claiming he was Michael's son. Dragged the family name through the mud." Stanley's voice was flat.

"Michael tried to send him out of the country. He refused. They struggled, and the accident happened." He paused. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I thought you should know."

Evie nodded. She didn't ask questions. She didn't say much of anything.

Stanley was silent for a moment, then pulled a medical file from a drawer and slid it across the desk. "I don't have much time left. I want you to come back and take over the family."

James glanced at the file but didn't open it. Didn't take it.

"A family like this deserves to fall apart." He stood and took Evie's hand. "I'm going to live my life my way. Leave your legacy to someone who wants it."

James led Evie out of the study.

As they stepped out of the estate, sunlight fell across their shoulders. The lawn outside the portico gleamed. In the distance, a groundskeeper trimmed the flower beds. The air smelled of freshly cut grass—clean and new.

---

A little over a month later, they got married on a clear day in early winter.

The ceremony was held at an estate outside the city. The lawn was covered in white and pale purple flowers. When the wind blew, petals drifted down like a thin layer of snow. The guest list was small, but everyone who mattered was there.

Thea stood in the front row, eyes red. Leo stood beside James, adjusting his tie and muttering, "You finally decided to have a wedding."

Evie wore a simple white dress with clean lines—no dramatic train or exaggerated skirt, just a delicate pleat at the waist. As she walked across the grass toward James, the hem picked up a few blades of grass. James glanced down, bent to brush them off gently, then straightened and looked at her.

"Whatever you want to do from now on, I'm on your side," he said. "You're the most incredible person I've ever met. Even more than you think you are."

She looked at him and smiled. "And you're the most annoying doctor I've ever met."

Laughter rippled through the crowd. James laughed too, then leaned down and kissed her.

Sunlight poured down over them, casting their shadows long and thin across the grass, overlapping.

Petals kept falling. The wind kept blowing. Behind them, laughter and the clink of glasses mixed together like a soft warmth layered over the winter air.

Evie didn't look back. She just closed her eyes and felt his hand pressed against her back, steady and sure.

Surrounded by everyone's blessings, they kissed.

The story ends here, but life goes on.

—The End.