"Who are you?" The man turned to Al with a sharp gaze. "Don't ever interfere; this is my business with my future wife!" he snapped angrily.
"He's not a stranger!" the woman said after turning to Al. "He's my lover, my future husband!" she shouted sassily.
Al was immediately dumbfounded when he heard the confession from the beautiful Chinese woman. Even the man who was her future husband was equally surprised.
"What do you mean, Alessandria Cassandra Lee?" the man asked. "I am your lover! I am your future husband! And today, we are getting married!" the man shouted.
This debate was witnessed by Cassandra's extended family and the man named Jerry. Even friends and work relatives were also here because they were also chasing the bride who suddenly ran away.
Cassandra took a deep breath; she smiled slyly at Jerry.
"Unfortunately, today I will only marry the man I love, and that man is not you, traitor!" Cassandra said.
Jerry looked angry. "Cassandra, you're crazy! What drama have you created, huh?" Jerry shouted.
Al was still silent; he was so confused that he didn't get a chance to speak.
Cassandra swatted away Jerry's hand that was gripping her wrist. She pulled Al's hand away and held it tightly.
"I have proof," she said, pulling out her cell phone and showing photos and videos that clearly showed him with another woman, who turned out to be Cassandra's secretary. "I've known this for a long time, Jerry!" Cassandra smiled and shook her head. "You've been secretly in a relationship with my secretary!"
Jerry looked nervous, his face deathly pale. "It's not what you think, Cassie. I can explain," he said, trying to maintain control.
Cassandra looked at him coldly. "There's no need for an explanation. I already know everything. And I'm not going to marry a traitor like you. Today, I will marry my true lover. Do you understand?"
Al was still shocked by what had happened. He scratched his temples, trying to make sense of this increasingly strange situation. "Wait, wait! I—"
However, before he could finish his sentence, Cassandra boldly pulled Al's face toward her and kissed him gently on the lips. Al's eyes widened in surprise, and he could barely react.
Jerry looked at the scene with emotions already exploding. "You're completely out of your mind, Cassandra!" he shouted. "You've totally humiliated me on our wedding day!" Jerry shouted, feeling humiliated.
Cassandra broke the kiss and looked at the man hatefully.
"How does it feel, Mr. Jerry? It hurts, doesn't it?" Cassandra laughed mockingly.
Not accepting Cassandra's insult, Jerry stepped forward to confront her.
"You've gone too far, Cassandra! I'm not going to let you ruin my reputation!" he shouted, raising his hand to slap her across the face.
However, before Jerry's hand could touch Cassandra's face, Al quickly grabbed his wrist and pushed him roughly. "Don't touch my future wife, you stupid man!" snapped Al; he really didn't like it when he saw a man treat a woman roughly.
Jerry staggered back in anger. "Who do you think you are to stand up to me, huh?!" he shouted. Full of rage, he tried to attack Al, throwing punches toward his face.
However, Al quickly managed to dodge Jerry's attack and retaliated by landing several punches to Jerry's stomach.
A fierce fight ensued. Al, who had been trained in martial arts, was able to put up a strong fight. Punch after punch landed on Jerry's body, making him even more helpless.
"That's enough, baby! Stop it!" shouted Cassandra, pulling Al's arm as she tried to stop Al and Jerry's fight.
However, Al didn't care about Cassandra's shout; instead, he brushed off her hand and attacked Jerry mercilessly again.
Eventually, Al managed to make Jerry lie weakly on the ground. Jerry's face looked bruised, and blood was coming out of his mouth and nose. Jerry's family, who saw the incident, immediately ran over, helped Jerry up, and took him away.
Jerry's mother glanced sarcastically at Cassandra and Al but said nothing.
Then, Jerry's father and the rest of the family helped lift Jerry, who was badly injured, and left Cassandra and Al behind. The people who had gathered earlier also left the scene one by one.
After the atmosphere died down, Cassandra turned to Al, who looked a little tired, and there was a slight bruise on the corner of his lip.
"I... I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" asked Cassandra as she approached Al and checked the bruise on his lip. "By the way, what's your name?" she asked.
"My name is Al Vino Chandra, Miss. You can call me Al," Al replied, smiling. "Miss Cassie, there's no need to worry; I'm fine. It's just a small wound," he said as he looked around, making sure that there were no more people gathered.
Cassandra bit her lip; she was really ashamed of what she had done to Al earlier. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to drag you into my problems," she said, looking remorseful.
"Take it easy, Miss Cassie," Al said, smiling.
"We'd better get out of here. You should come to my mansion first. I'll treat your wound," Cassandra invited.
Al nodded in agreement. Then the two of them rushed to Cassandra's mansion.
***
Cassandra and Al were already in the living room. Deftly, Cassandra cleaned the bruise on the corner of Al's lip.
"Al, once again, I'm sorry!" Cassandra said while treating Al's wound. "I really don't know how else to deal with that traitorous man. He's so ambitious to control my wealth," Cassandra said without hesitation.
Al shrugged, feeling at a loss as to how to respond to her. "That's okay. But, actually, I don't like getting involved in other people's problems, let alone a problem of this magnitude," Al said; he just wanted to tell the truth.
Cassandra took a deep breath; she looked at Al with a look that could not be interpreted.
"I understand, Al. But can you help me just this once? I need someone who can pretend to be my partner for some time until that bastard gets away from me," Cassandra pleaded to Al. "Whatever you ask, I'll give it as a reward!"
Al paused for a moment, considering Cassandra's request.
"I'm sorry, Miss Cassie, but why should I? I'm just a poor man; I only work as a construction worker. Why doesn't Miss Cassie look for someone else?" he asked, trying to understand Cassandra's reasons for choosing him.
Cassandra sighed again. "Because you were the only one who dared to stand up to Jerry earlier. And because I trust that you won't take advantage of this situation," she answered honestly.
However, Al shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Cassie. I can't. I don't want to get involved. Once again, I apologize," he said firmly.
Cassandra looked disappointed, but she respected Al's decision. "Alright, I understand. But if one day you change your mind, just call me, okay?" he said with a weak smile. "Here's my business card!" Cassandra handed Al a business card.
Al nodded and took the business card from Cassandra's hand. "Okay, Miss Cassie. But now I have to go. I hope Miss Cassie can solve your problem well," he said before walking out of the mansion.
Cassandra nodded. If Al had agreed, she would have taken him to the registry to get married. But in fact, Al refused.
When Al was outside the mansion, he suddenly remembered something.
"Fool!" Al patted his forehead. "You're stupid, Al! So stupid, huh!"
"Ah... never mind, I'd better go to Angela's house. I have to get that necklace," Al said.Al walked hurriedly; he decided to visit Angela's house.Al really regretted that he had rejected the offer from Alessandria Cassandra Lee, a CEO who turned out to have abundant wealth. Plus, Cassandra lives alone and already has no parents, like Al."If I accept Miss Cassie's offer, maybe I can.... " Al paused his steps for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "Ah... it's really embarrassing if I now come over there and agree to her request. Where is my pride as a man?" Al continued to mutter.Al arrived in front of Angela's house. Immediately, Al knocked on Angela's door."Angela!" Al shouted, "Open the door!" He banged roughly on the door.Soon, the door opened, and Angela appeared with a lazy smile. "Oh, it was you who knocked on the door, Al? Huh, you have no education. You have no manners at all. Why did you come to my house?" asked Angela sarcastically."Where's my necklace, Angela? I di
Al swallowed hard, feeling that the opportunity he thought was in front of him was now gone. He decided to leave. He wasn't going to ask Cassandra for help."Opportunity doesn't come twice, Al," he whispered with a chuckle, laughing at himself."It hasn't even been a day yet, but it's already gone! I recognize," Al whispered.Al continued to walk; he began to feel that the world was no longer in his favor.After experiencing betrayal from his lover, he faced humiliation too. Even now, there is no company that wants to accept him. Only rejection is what he often gets."I've lost Angela, and I've lost a good opportunity with Miss Cassie. Now I've lost my mother's diamond necklace. This is so unfair to me!"Al ruffled his hair roughly. His steps were heavy, but he tried to stay firmly on his feet.Al returns to his small apartment, a place that was a silent witness to the relationship he had with Angela, which should not have happened before marriage.When Al has the money, he intends to
"What do you think, Al?" Cassandra asked Al once again; the woman seemed impatient to hear Al Vino's decision.Al was still silent, as if he were considering the offer given by Cassandra.After thinking for a while, Al nodded in agreement. "Alright!" said Al.Cassandra smiled with satisfaction. "Good. Now come with me to the mansion; there are some things we need to discuss before we go to the party," Cassandra said.Once again, Al just nodded obediently to Cassandra's orders. Al thought that maybe this was a great opportunity for him.Al confidently continued to follow Cassandra's steps toward her parked car.Arriving at the mansion, Cassandra immediately took Al to her study.Al could only stare in awe at the design of this room."Sit down, Al!" Cassandra ordered. Hesitant, Al sat down on the soft sofa. He looked very tense. "Al, I've been looking into you for a month now," Cassandra said in a serious tone. "In fact, I know everything, including your past and your family. I even k
Al Vino could only hold himself together, trying to remain calm despite the anger and shame gnawing at him from within. On the other hand, Cassandra was still smiling coldly, her eyes keenly observing the people around her.Al grasped Cassandra's hand tighter, a sign that he was ready to face whatever was coming. Cassandra also felt Al's hand, and she grasped back tighter as a sign of support. Then, Cassandra took a step forward, drawing the attention of everyone at the party. "Well, if you all don't believe me, how about we prove it?" Cassandra said firmly. "You know how valuable this diamond necklace is, right?" Cassandra held up the diamond necklace Al Vino was wearing, displaying its mesmerizing sparkle.All the guests at the party immediately fell silent, their gazes riveted on the necklace held by Cassandra. The diamond necklace was one of the most famous and desired treasures by many collectors. Few people knew about the origin of the necklace, but they all knew that only very
Al held the steering wheel calmly, while Cassie sat next to him, staring out the window blankly. "How are you feeling now, Miss Cassie?" asked Al, trying to break the silence.Cassie smiled slightly, then nodded slowly. "Fine, just a little dizzy, but I'm fine," she replied, although in her heart she knew that the dizziness was more than just normal tiredness."If you're not feeling well, we can postpone the wedding today," Al suggested, a little worried about Cassie's condition."No," Cassie shook her head firmly. "I'm fine, Al. Besides, we're here." She pointed towards the registry building that was coming into view in front of them.Al was silent for a moment, looking at Cassie who looked so excited, probably because Cassie wanted to prove to her ex-fiancé that she already had a partner. "Alright, if that's what you want."Al and Cassie arrived at the registry building and walked in together. The room was small and simple, decorated with only a few flowers and chairs. The registra
Al sat by Cassie's bedside, holding her hand tightly. His face showed deep worry, while Cassie looked even weaker. Her body now looked fragile, but her spirit could still be seen from her eyes looking at Al. Perhaps this was one of Cassie's premonitions, she forced Al to become her pretend husband in order to protect her and save all the wealthy assets she had from irresponsible people, like her ex-fiancé. "Al, I can't go on like this. My body is getting weaker, and I know that I may not have much time left," Cassie said in a hoarse voice. Every word that came out of her mouth was heavy. Cassie was so sure that Al Vino Chandra was the right person."Don't talk like that, Cassie. You will recover. You're undergoing treatment, and I'm sure you'll recover," Al replied in a hopeful tone, even though he knew in his heart that Cassie was probably right.Cassie shook her head weakly. "Al, I have to be realistic. You know how I am. I can't take care of the company like I used to. I've thou
"Angela, what are you doing?" shouted Al Vino from a distance, having approached the table where Angela was sitting with another man. His hand was still holding the small box containing the diamond necklace.Angela, who was surprised to hear Al's voice, immediately stood up and looked at him with a confused expression on her face."Al, when did you go home? Why are you here?" she said with a trembling voice."I've been here long enough to see everything, Angela," Al said in a voice filled with emotion.Al had previously known that his girlfriend was a traitor. When Al was in Italy, he received a Facebook link from his best friend.When Al clicked on the link sent by his best friend, he immediately opened the Facebook page. He saw a video uploaded by an anonymous account.In the video, Angela is seen closing her eyes, enjoying the touch given by the man whose back is only visible.Al closed his eyes, catching his breath first."I came home for you, bringing this." Al opened the diamond
"I'll prove that I'm not a trash man, Angela!" Al whispered, standing in front of the mirror. He looked at himself in the reflection while adjusting his tie.Al Vino still hasn't accepted the humiliation he experienced yesterday from Angela and Crish. However, the more he was insulted, the more eager he became to prove that he could work in a big company, no longer being a construction worker."This diamond necklace is real, Angela, not fake. These diamonds are not the result of my hard work as a construction worker! This necklace was left to me by my mother. My late mother asked me to give this necklace to the right woman. And it turns out... you're not the right woman, Angela; you're a monster."Al clenched the hand that held the diamond necklace, then put it back in the jewelry box.He glanced at the business management degree certificate lying on the table. Today, he planned to change his fate.With steady steps, Al walked out to the bus stop. Today he planned to apply for a job a