Chapter 162
Charlotte gritted her teeth and picked up the metal ornament from the floor, ready to smash it again.
But the next moment, the ground beneath her began to spin.
Not only that—the object in her hand suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Charlotte staggered, instinctively shaking her head, trying to stay conscious.
But the powerful drug seemed to have already invaded her limbs through her respiratory system.
Her consciousness gradually surrendered to darkness. Just before she passed out completely, she thought she saw the door open again, several blurry figures entering.
Before she could make out who they were, she plunged into total blackness.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she finally regained consciousness.
Remembering everything that had happened before she blacked out, Charlotte snapped awake.
Feeling the hard, cold metal beneath her, she moved her hands slightly and discovered her wrists were bound.
Realizing this, Charlotte looked around.
She was in a moving vehicle.
Could this be… a kidnapping?!
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Charlotte's brow furrowed briefly before her expression smoothed back to calm.
Just as she tried to struggle free, she caught the faint sound of two men talking up front.
"This woman looks skinny, but damn, she's heavy." A rough, raspy voice complained.
"Keep it down. Our employer paid big money for this job." The other voice sounded more composed. "Once we get to the dock and load her onto that shipping container, we're done."
"Then once we get paid, we can live it up for a while."
"Yeah."
The raspy-voiced man chuckled. "But that bride's pretty ruthless, huh? Isn't today her wedding day? Pulling a stunt like this—isn't she worried about the fallout?"
"Hey, what's she got to worry about? Look, just drop it. We shouldn't be talking about stuff that's none of our business. Let's just finish the job, grab the cash, and get out."
Their voices gradually faded, and the vehicle fell silent again except for the jolting sounds of the ride.
Dock… shipping container…
Charlotte repeated those words silently, her eyes turning ice-cold.
Clearly, Chloe's goal wasn't just to get rid of her.
She wanted Charlotte to disappear from this world completely!
In that instant, Charlotte's gaze sharpened.
Using the vehicle's bumps as cover, she began quietly feeling around.
Soon her fingers found a protruding piece of metal on the interior wall—cold and sharp.
Gripping it, Charlotte didn't waste a second. She carefully adjusted her position.
Then she began sawing at the rope, bit by bit, trying to cut through it.
The hemp fibers were incredibly tough. With each stroke, the sharp edge cut not just the rope but also Charlotte's wrists.
Feeling the searing pain building, Charlotte clenched her teeth but didn't stop.
As time passed, the skin on her wrists broke first, warm liquid trickling down her arms.
But the rope finally showed signs of loosening, which thrilled Charlotte.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, the wedding ceremony had officially begun.
Brilliant crystal chandeliers cast a creamy glow over the banquet hall's décor, and a sweeping symphony floated through the air.
Onstage, Chloe wore a white wedding gown with a long train, her face beaming.
Beside her, Benjamin stood in a perfectly tailored white suit. Unlike Chloe's blissful expression, his face remained utterly indifferent—as if he had zero interest in any of this.
The officiant held the microphone, using an infectious tone to build the atmosphere.
"Today is the day Mr. Harris and Ms. Johnson unite in marriage. All of you here will witness the most important, most sacred moment of their lives!"
The moment he finished, thunderous applause filled the room.
Then the officiant turned to Chloe with a smile.
"Ms. Johnson, do you take Mr. Harris, standing beside you, to be your husband, to have and to hold for the rest of your life?"
Every eye in the room fixed on Chloe.
The woman took a deep breath and gazed at Benjamin with tender affection. "I do."
Applause erupted again, smiles spreading across every face.
The officiant looked pleased and turned to Benjamin.
"And Mr. Harris, do you take Ms. Johnson, standing beside you, to be your wife?"
The words hung in the air. Everyone expected to hear a simple affirmation.
But instead, Benjamin said nothing. He stood there, eyes downcast, lost in thought.
The air seemed to freeze. The officiant's smile stiffened.
He'd hosted plenty of weddings, but this was the first time a groom had gone silent. He had no idea how to salvage the moment.
Gradually, low murmurs began rippling through the crowd.
"What's wrong with Mr. Harris?"
"I don't know. Why isn't he saying anything?"
"Does he not want to go through with it? Then why have the wedding?"
Hearing the whispers, Chloe's face drained of color at a visible rate. The faint smile on her lips began to falter.
Her hands slowly clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms as she called out in a pleading whisper.
"Benjamin…"
But Benjamin still showed no reaction. His emotionless eyes kept scanning the crowd, as if searching for something.
Down in the audience, Edward's smile vanished completely.
Beside him, Alexander had never cared about the ceremony to begin with. All his attention had been focused on finding 'that' figure.
When he realized Charlotte seemed to be missing, his heart sank.
Something felt off. He couldn't shake the feeling.
Onstage, the standoff continued. The officiant was sweating bullets, trying several times to salvage the situation only to be silenced by Benjamin's icy stare.
Listening to the mocking whispers below, Chloe's expression turned absolutely grim.
She had become the biggest joke of this wedding.
Especially since it was 'her own' wedding!
At that moment, Alexander couldn't sit still any longer. He didn't care how absurd the spectacle onstage had become. He turned and headed straight to the entrance of the banquet hall, stopping a server.
"Excuse me, have you seen a woman in a black evening gown with long wavy hair? She comes up to about here on me…"
The server frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then gave him an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, sir. There are just so many guests today. I'm not sure who you're referring to…"