Chapter 230

Chapter 230

Victoria's expression darkened instantly. She fixed Rhea with a death stare. "Get out."

Rhea opened her mouth to say more, but Victoria's ice-cold glare cut her short.

It finally dawned on her—getting even this much had been a victory.

"…Never mind. I have things to do anyway."

Rhea tossed out the face-saving excuse and hurried away.

Victoria watched her retreating figure and let out a bitter, mocking smile.

The Smiths. Every last one of them, cut from the same miserable cloth.

Give them an inch, and they'll take a yard.

"Let's go home."

Victoria murmured softly to Percival, wiping his tears away.

Percival clung to the hem of her shirt, eyes still rimmed red. Heartbreakingly small.

"Yeah."

Hugh's gaze went dark.

If the Smith family didn't know how to count their blessings—if they actually thought they could take his child—then they'd have no one to blame but themselves for what came next.

---

Michelle's wedding was a simple affair.

From start to finish—planning, invitations, everything—the whole thing took less than a week.

Throughout the entire process, Eldon never showed up once.

Michelle had called him. Once.

His voice on the other end was impatient. "Can't you handle this kind of trivial stuff yourself?"

In the background, a woman's coy, flirtatious voice cooed at him.

Michelle's lips pressed into a tight line. She hung up, a storm of emotions churning inside her.

She'd once dreamed so desperately of a grand, romantic wedding with the man she loved.

And now…

In the end, she prepared everything alone.

Whatever the wedding planner suggested, she approved.

The Soto family was footing the bill anyway.

On the day of the wedding, the other three members of the Spencer family arrived in their finest.

They weren't there to wish Michelle well, of course.

This was an excellent opportunity to network with other elite families.

Hayden leveraged the Spencer-Soto alliance to lock down two new business partnerships.

He was beaming. Triumphant.

"I knew it. The Spencer family was never going to go down that easily."

Delta echoed him in her soft, honeyed voice. "It's really all thanks to you, Hayden. Anyone else would never have been able to turn things around for the family."

Hayden basked in the flattery.

As if suddenly remembering Michelle existed, he asked, "The ceremony's about to start, isn't it? Is Michelle ready?"

"She should be. She's always been such an obedient girl."

Delta nodded.

The 'obedient girl' they spoke of was sitting alone in the dressing room, staring silently at her reflection in the mirror.

They say the day a woman becomes a bride is the most beautiful day of her life.

She did look beautiful.

Flawless makeup. Elegant poise.

The wedding gown draped over her frame with an air of untouchable refinement.

But this felt like a wedding for one.

On the table beside her, her phone displayed dozens of unanswered calls.

A staff member knocked and peeked in. "Ms. Spencer, are you ready? The ceremony is about to begin."

Michelle cast one last disappointed glance at her phone. "Yes. I'm ready."

She'd called Charles all day.

Somewhere deep inside, she'd been nursing a desperate hope—if Charles would just say he'd marry her, she'd abandon everything and elope with him on the spot.

But no matter how many messages she sent, how many calls she made, Charles never responded.

Her heart sank, inch by inch, until it hit the bottom.

Following the staff member into the venue, Michelle realized that Eldon—the groom—still hadn't arrived.

Some of the guests noticed too. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

The color drained from Michelle's face as she stood on the stage alone, enduring the pitying, mocking stares.

Among them were socialites who'd once been her close friends.

They'd fawned over her like she was royalty, hoping to leverage her connection to the Johnson family for business opportunities.

The moment Michelle was returned to the Spencer family, they scattered. Today's wedding was the first time they'd resurfaced.

"God, how pathetic can you get? Marrying Eldon—she's probably been cheated on six ways to Sunday and doesn't even know it."

That came from a woman who'd once begged Michelle to get the Johnson family to invest in her family's business.

"Well, she had big dreams. Wanted to be Mrs. Smith, married to Charles."

That was from the one who'd once championed Michelle and Charles's relationship the loudest.

"I wasn't even going to come, but my mom said it'd be entertaining. She was not wrong."

"Look at her up there. Tsk tsk tsk. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost."

They made no effort to lower their voices. Every word reached Michelle with crystal clarity.

Michelle's face went ashen. Her body swayed.

Then someone called out excitedly, "The groom is here!"

Michelle's head snapped up, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

It died instantly.

She stared, disbelief widening her eyes, at the woman clinging to Eldon's side.

Eldon was impeccably dressed—tailored suit, hair slicked to perfection.

On his arm, a woman with a bombshell figure and a pouty, doll-like face pressed herself against him, boneless and simpering.

And the cruelest detail of all—she was wearing a wedding dress too.

One even more elaborate than Michelle's.

"You've gotta hand it to Mr. Soto. That's some Z-list actress, isn't it? And he just waltzes her right into his own wedding."

"Two brides at once? Mr. Soto really is living his best life."

Beneath the laughter, the guests' eyes landed on Michelle with undisguised contempt.

Now everyone knew. Michelle couldn't even hold on to her own husband.

Rage roared through her. She wanted to turn and walk out—but Hayden's warning glare pinned her in place.

She couldn't leave.

If she walked out now, neither the Soto family nor the Spencer family would ever take her back.

If she had to choose, she chose comfort and security.

The starlet blinked and asked in a saccharine, deliberately provocative voice, "Michelle, today is such a special day for Mr. Soto. I came specifically to offer my wedding wishes. You don't mind, do you?"

Michelle ground her teeth so hard she could barely hold back her rage.

With the guests watching and Hayden's glare burning a hole in her side, she forced a smile. "…Of course not. As long as my husband is happy, anything goes."

Satisfaction spread across Eldon's face.

He'd resisted marriage precisely because he didn't want some woman at home trying to control him. Since Michelle was this agreeable, he wouldn't make things difficult for her either.

"Thanks for putting up with everything lately."

Eldon patted the starlet's hand.

She let go of his arm with visible reluctance and made her way to a seat among the guests.

Under the officiant's direction, Michelle and Eldon exchanged rings before the assembled crowd.

Delta dabbed at her eyes with impeccable timing. "How wonderful. Our Michelle has finally found a good home. I can rest easy now."

Michelle wore a hollow smile, her heart encased in ice.

A good home?

More like a goldmine for the Spencer family.

After the ceremony, Eldon's mother, Lally White, pushed open the door to the dressing room and looked down at Michelle from her full height.

"Michelle, now that you and Eldon are married, you need to have a child as soon as possible."

Her tone was calm, matter-of-fact, laced with casual arrogance. "Eldon likes to play around, but once there's a baby, he'll settle down and focus on the family. You understand, don't you?"