The marriage officiant began reciting the vows.
"Mr. Olen Clark, are you willing to take Ms. ira Riverdale as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"
"I do," the young man replied, looking at his beautiful bride.
"Ms. ira Riverdale, are you willing to take Mr. Olen Clark as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"
There was silence on her side as she lifted her gaze and looked at the people familiar to her—especially Justin, as if to regain strength.
She then looked back at the groom and said, "I don’t."
Hearing it, the entire hall fell silent, followed by murmurs.
The groom was shocked, while the marriage officiant asked, "Ms. Riverdale, did you just make a mistake?"
She shook her head and replied in her soft voice, "I can’t go through with this marriage because I am already married."
The silence in the hall was now filled with nurous whispers.
"You have lost your mind," Aeldric shouted in anger. "Don’t spout nonsense in front of the guests."
She was scared of this very man, but then recalled the words Justin had said to her when she was getting ready as a bride: "It’s your fight and your life. You have to be courageous to fight for it. All the ti, others won’t co to save you. If you won’t stand for yourself, then no one will. Never let anyone suppress you to the extent that you end up losing your own existence. Facing it and fighting your way out of it is the only way."
"I am not spouting nonsense," she said, sounding courageous—though inside, she was still nervous, her hand shaking. Then, she looked back at the shocked groom. "I’m sorry, Mr. Olen, but I am already married. I can’t marry you."
"You..." Aeldric stood up in anger and went to the altar. "Who would marry you when you know no man around here? Stop lying and go through with this marriage!"
She flinched at his angry form and stepped back, only for her sandal heel to tangle in the long hem of her dress, causing her to stumble. But a pair of strong arms held her around the waist and steadied her.
She looked up to see Noah, who had co to her rescue.
Noah looked at Aeldric and said, "Mr. Riverdale, I am the man she is married to."
He pulled out the wedding certificate from the pocket of his suit and showed it to Aeldric. Aeldric saw the date on it and realized they had gotten married yesterday—just after he had announced the wedding plans to the family.
He snatched the wedding certificate from Noah’s hand and tore it apart. "I don’t accept this."
At the sight of the furious old man, ira sank into Noah’s embrace, and he held her steady against him.
"I can bring you more copies of it for you to tear, but it won’t change the fact that we are married, Mr. Riverdale," Noah said. Though polite, there was warning and coldness in his voice.
"My granddaughter can’t marry a servant."
"Mind your language, Mr. Riverdale," Justin said as he stepped onto the altar, while Noah didn’t seem to mind being called a servant.
"Even before, I had told you—Noah is my brother, not anyone’s servant," Justin said.
Aeldric’s anger flared. "He doesn’t deserve to marry my granddaughter."
"He is more qualified than any man present here," Justin replied, standing face-to-face with the old man, their gazes locked in silent challenge.
Justin continued, "He is on par with anyone you could ever find for ira. His educational qualifications, his intelligence, his capabilities—and what else he can do—might surprise you. So you better choose your words carefully. He’s by my side because he is sothing. And I don’t need to remind you who I really am, do I?"
His words implied that he was now the head of Riverdale empire and everything was in his control. Justin’s gaze warned him not to escalate the drama further.
Marina and Natalie had smiles on their faces, while Grace and Mallory looked furious, just like Aeldric.
"Aeldric, what’s this?" Jallen approached as well, fuming.
"Jallen..." Aeldric didn’t know what to say. He was being humiliated in front of so many guests. "I don’t agree with this marriage. Let settle it, and we can continue with today’s ceremony."
Jallen didn’t mind, as his only goal was to have his grandson marry Aeldric’s granddaughter.
Aeldric turned to ira, only to have Noah pull her behind him with a warning. "Mr. Aeldric, she is my wife, and I would like you to keep that in mind."
"You—"
"Didn’t you hear him?" Justin stepped between them, standing like a wall in front of Noah and ira. He leaned closer and warned in a low voice, "Try playing a ga if you want to face more humiliation in front of the guests. Want to let everyone know of your position now?"
Justin’s warning was clear—he would not hesitate to order the guards to drag Aeldric away and let everyone know Aeldric Riverdale was nothing but a powerless old man.
Though furious, Aeldric looked at Jallen. "They’ve made a decision. It can’t be helped."
"You should have known if she even wanted to marry. What’s the use of humiliating us like this?" Jallen shouted. "After this, we are no longer friends. Don’t even show up in front of again." He then looked at his grandson. "Olen, let’s go."
The entire Clark family left, along with the guests, as there was no point in staying any longer. For the first ti, they had seen a powerful man like Aeldric in such an embarrassing situation—and all of them felt glad. They had always been scared of Aeldric, and seeing what had just happened was truly delightful.
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