Three days before Aaron and Dolcie's wedding.In one of the luxurious rooms of the Amaro Palace, a woman in her forties stood with a very serious expression on her face, looking at several neatly hung gowns on a clothes rack.There were more than a dozen such dresses, all of them wedding gowns designed by one of Tectona's finest designers, and each one costing the equivalent of a modest home.The woman was Melvina Amaro, the grand lady and mother of Zane and Aaron.Though this was not her first time officiating a wedding, for some reason her heart had been troubled lately."Does a wedding always have to cause such immense anxiety?" she thought.She had organized a wedding for her eldest son, Zane, before, so there shouldn't have been any major obstacles in preparing for this one, right?But that did not seem to be the case.Aside from worrying about not being able to provide the best hospitality to her guests, Melvina was also puzzled about which wedding dress to give Dolcie.Accordin
Melvina looked at Rufus as if she hoped the Warrior would agree to join Ursula in delivering the dress.The lady didn't know that the Warrior would do it without being asked."Of course, I will do whatever you tell me to do!" Rufus replied and bowed his head.Melvina then walked over to another shelf, which contained only men's clothing.She picked out a suit and handed it to Rufus. "I want you to look good when you deliver this suit, so the Williamson family will think we really respect them!""Thank you, my lady!" Rufus replied, placing his palms in front of his body while keeping his head bowed.Melvina then handed Rufus the suit.While Melvina's expression showed relief and satisfaction, Ursula felt differently.The servant didn't really agree that Rufus should accompany her to the Williamson's house. Especially since the old woman's intuition told her that there was something behind Rufus' willingness to accompany her.Still, as a servant, there was nothing she could do but follo
Lula left Rufus alone in the room. "Rest for a while! I'll prepare something for you," she said as she held the leaf of the door to close it from the outside."Madam, there's no need for you to do that!" Rufus replied politely."What are you talking about? Not at all! I want to do this!" the woman said, quickly closing the door.Not long after, a soft knock was heard at the door.Knock! Knock!"Sir, am I disturbing you?"It was the voice of a young girl who served the family."No! Come in!"The girl slowly opened the door and pushed in a cart loaded with various foods.With skill, the girl arranged the food on the table.Rufus stared at the girl for a moment. Somehow, being alone in a room with a girl aroused his desire.He continued to watch her until she had finished arranging the food and was standing in front of Rufus, who was lying on the bed like a prince."Sir, Miss Dolcie is going out for a moment. Is there anything else you'd like me to prepare?" the girl asked politely."Yes
"I love you, Aaron! Mmuaach! Open the door quickly! Don't make me wait!"Dolcie's words cut through Rufus' heart like a sharp knife. No! That wasn't enough!Her words hit Rufus like a bolt of lightning, shattering him to pieces.The man hadn't expected that the girl he loved with all his heart had given her love to someone else."Then what's the point of her kindness and generosity to me?" Rufus thought. At that moment, tears began to flow from the corners of his eyes.It was truly painful! Rufus felt completely shattered!"Why did you do this to me, Miss? You lifted me up with your beauty and kindness, only to throw me down now!" he thought.All this time he had thought that Dolcie had similar feelings for him and that she had only married Aaron because of an arranged marriage.But as it turned out, he was completely wrong!Rufus' tears flowed more intensely, but he tried to hold back any sobbing sounds.The serving girl, who was still in front of Rufus, was now confused. Why was thi
Not long after that, Rufus said goodbye to the Williamson family.When he and all of Amaro were on the front porch, everyone, including Dolcie, said their goodbyes."Honey, take care of yourself, okay?" Rufus hugged Dolcie and kissed her on both cheeks.This surprised the girl. She just stood there and smiled awkwardly. "Y-yes... of course!"If it wasn't for Aaron, she would have punched the guy in the face.Meanwhile, Benny and Lula just smiled and shook their heads, watching what the two young people were doing.This was their plan to set Dolcie up with the son of one of the most prominent families in Tectona. Their daughter had never met this young man before. But seeing the closeness between them, Benny and Lula could finally smile with relief."They seem to be meant for each other!" Benny said to his wife.While the Williamson family was pleased with the closeness between Rufus and Dolcie, the Amaro people felt differently.They remained silent when the Williamson family misunder
When Zane opened his eyes, it didn't take him long to realize that he was now in an unused warehouse, hundreds of miles away from the backyard of the palace, deep in the forest.In the dim candlelight, in a corner, he saw his father, mother, wife, younger sibling, and two children sitting on chairs with their hands tied behind their backs, just like he was. They were still unconscious from the effects of the anesthetic Zane had just inhaled."Father!""Mother!""My love!""Aaron!"Zane called out to each of them, but none of them opened their eyes. Then he gathered his strength to free himself from the restraints on his hands.Zane, like Wayman and Aaron, was a Warrior. Even though their inner strength hadn't reached the pinnacle of the Eagle rank, it should have been more than enough to break the bindings on their hands.Strangely, no matter how hard Zane tried, he couldn't use his internal strength, as if he didn't have any. "Damn, what happened to my body?""You won't be able to us
The next day, the wedding party went on as usual. But before the party started, Rufus had warned everyone. "Never let any of you mention what happened! Also, from this day forward, you must all call me Aaron. I am the only remaining heir of Amaro!"All the servants and Warriors bowed to Rufus. They all realized that if they wanted to live longer, they shouldn't oppose anything he said."Very well, sir! We will do whatever you command!"Not only that, Rufus then instructed one of them to find people who would act as replacements for the dead Amaro family."You, find people who are willing to pretend to be my father, mother, and sibling!"Rufus knew that the Williamson family rarely met the Amaro family. They hadn't even met in the last ten years.So, with a little acting ability, Rufus was confident that there wouldn't be any problems later.There was only one thing he was worried about. And that was Dolcie.The girl would surely know who these people really were. Fortunately, Rufus ha
Dolcie came out of the room with a forced smile on her face.Seeing the girl, Rufus approached her and said. "Miss, are you okay? You don't have to do this if you don't want to!"His face showed that he didn't want to, but in his heart Rufus was grinning mischievously and triumphantly.He knew the girl was in a dilemma: she might not want to continue the marriage with a man she didn't love. But she wouldn't just ruin this wedding party."I will do it. I will marry you!" Dolcie said softly, lowering her head slightly, not looking very comfortable as she said those words.Hearing these words, Rufus screamed with joy in his heart. But he tried not to show his feelings too much."But on one condition! If you agree, we can go ahead with this marriage. But if not, there is nothing I can do to continue!" said Dolcie, this time with a firmer expression and tone than before.Rufus frowned. Even though he was sure that he would get this girl, his instincts still told him that there was a certai