Chapter 177
Emerald City was ablaze with news recently. The new mayor, appointed from the state level, took office and immediately formed a new administration. Their first act of business: a sweeping crusade against corruption. Officials fell like tenpins—from deputy mayor to local police—all ensnared in the indictment.
Each defendant's crimes were specified: embezzlement, abuse of power, drug trafficking, and criminal negligence. Four received life without parole; others received sentences ranging from ten years to life with the possibility of parole.
The moment the verdict went public, the whole city went into an uproar.
Among all the angry voices, videos of sex-for-power deals kept leaking out. Everyone in those blurred-out faces was now behind bars.
The most harrowing revelation online was the depravity about Jeremy's death.
The footage spanned two grueling hours.
The footage was messy, but you could clearly see Jeremy being forced to drink glass after glass of red wine. After that,The visuals blurred into a haze, leaving only the sound of Jeremy's screams. The screaming went on for nearly two hours—from piercing screams at the start to sounds that barely seemed human, from begging for mercy to weak cursing at the end, until at last, the audio dissolved into a haunting silence.
At the end of the video, he lay flat on the ground, then two people carried him and threw him out the window.
He had already succumbed to his injuries before they cast him out the window.
Even though Benjamin had already been sentenced to death for murder, angry people still stormed to the club and completely trashed the place that had been cordoned off by the court.
With the truth out, everything gradually came to an end.
The past two months had seen me safely past the hurdles of early pregnancy the tumultuous first trimester. The scar on my face had faded to almost nothing, and the injury on my leg had long healed. I could be in my best shape to welcome my wedding.
Yes, Oscar and my wedding day were coming.
But Nina's plan to be my bridesmaid dissolved. When she flew back from Solstice, she walked up to me, wearing a sheepish, apologetic grin, and said, "I heard there are rules about being a bridesmaid. I'm... pregnant."
Whether it was her engagement or her pregnancy, she possessed a persistent knack for catching me off guard.
Noticing my wide-eyed shock as I opened my mouth to speak, she deftly pivoted the conversation with a smile: "But even though I can't be your bridesmaid, I'll always support you, and—"
Seeing my crest fallen expression, she quickly offered something better: "I designed another wedding dress for you. I spent two months stitching it by hand. It's still a singular masterpiece, unmatched by any other, guaranteed to make you the most beautiful bride."
At Michael's signal, an attendant promptly brought in the wedding gown. White, off-the-shoulder style, with a long train. It surpassed the beauty of the dress from three years ago in every way.
She put her arm through mine and smiled: "I told you I'd handle all your wedding dresses. Even if you get married ten times, I'll make ten dresses for you."
I couldn't help but laugh and lightly tapped her head: "What are you talking about?"
Nina interjected: "This is your first real marriage. What happened last time is irrelevant. For tomorrow's wedding, tonight I'll stay up all night with you to celebrate your last night of being single."
Before I could say anything, Michael objected: "That won't work. You're both pregnant, you can't stay up all night."
Nina rolled her eyes at him. "I should have known better than to let you tag along."
She pulled me aside to complain: "You have no idea. Since I got pregnant, he's been so overprotective. No spicy food, no cold food, can't sleep late, can't play on my phone too much. He won't even let me go to bars. Keep this up, Michael, and I'll start calling you 'Nanny'."
Michael smiled helplessly at her: "You're right about everything, but exhausting yourself like this is out of the question. Emma needs to rest well too, so she'll be in better shape tomorrow. Don't be a bad influence on her."
Nina shot him a withering glare, and Michael fell silent at once.
Okay then. Looking at how they interact now, Michael probably wouldn't dare cross Nina. In fact, with Nina's hostage situation, she had Michael wrapped around her finger.
"I can't stay up at all. I get sleepy all the time now and need to sleep twelve hours a day, or I'll have no energy all day. Nina, I've already booked the makeup artist you recommended for seven o'clock. Have Michael go to the hotel later, and you can stay here with me."
Nina smiled: "Okay, come on, let me help you try on the wedding dress first. If anything feels uncomfortable, I'll fix it right now."
With Nina's assistance, I retreated to the dressing room to slip into the gown. My reflection radiated a genuine, joy-filled smile, with none of the sharpness in her eyes from before.
"You look so beautiful. By tomorrow, you'll be the envy of every guest." Nina looked me over from front to back. "I know your measurements, so this dress fits you perfectly. Emma, happy wedding."
Seeing her eyes suddenly turn red, I felt a bit overwhelmed: "This is a good thing, don't cry."
Nina smiled and shook her head at me: "I'm not crying. I just think you've been through so much. Oscar is actually a really good person. I feel relieved that you're with him."
I cracked a joke to lighten the heavy atmosphere: "I will be. Things will only get better. Don't be sad. Our due dates aren't that far apart, right? If one's a boy and one's a girl, maybe we could set up an arranged marriage for them."
That cheered Nina up: "I already checked. I'm having a daughter. Due date is late October. What about yours?"
I shook my head: "Due date is early October, but I don't know if it's a boy or girl yet. I didn't ask. I'm quite fond of the suspense."
Nina gently touched my slight bump belly and smiled: "You better be a boy, tall and strong, to protect my daughter."
Happiness it seemed, was woven from an infinite thread of small, quiet moments. Nina kept talking about all sorts of things from her two months in Solstice, and I told her about some recent small troubles. We didn't fall asleep until very late.
The next day, Oscar's call woke me up. His voice crackled with exuberant joy: "Honey, the makeup artist says she's at the door. You're not awake yet, right? Go open the door and get ready. After we're married, you can sleep in every day."
I offered a few incoherent mumbles, still half-asleep, put down the phone, and succumbed instantly to the pull of sleep once more.
The knocking finally woke Nina up. She looked at the time, and her scream instantly woke me: "What time is it and you're still sleeping? Get up now!"
I was startled and confused: "What's wrong?"
Nina patted my head: "Wake up! You're getting married today. If you don't get up now, you'll be late."