The Don’s Faceless Bride Chapter 03
He froze, turning back to stare at me in utter shock.
“When did you find out?”
“The moment I took your hand.”
“I also know you’re not the best man Marco originally hired.”
He kept denying it, stubborn as a mule.
“Yes I am!”
“Don’t bother lying to me.”
“I’ve met most of Marco’s friends. None of them wear the kind of cologne you have on.”
“And most importantly, Marco’s people wouldn’t have agreed to carry me downstairs.”
“Nor would they have spoken to me first.”
He never expected to be exposed by such small details. Finally, he admitted it.
“My name is Luca. I’m not one of Marco’s guys.”
After saying that, he glanced at me, barely hiding the anticipation on his face.
I frowned and searched my memory for the name. Nothing.
His eyes dropped in disappointment, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.
“We used to play together as kids. You don’t remember me anymore.”
When I was little, I was the neighborhood ringleader, handing out candy from my jar to everyone.
Too many kids played with me. And besides, I can’t remember faces.
“Honestly, I just wanted to come see you in your wedding dress.”
“Then some guy shoved a boutonniere into my hand and said I was filling in for him.”
“Just to look? You didn’t want to be the real groom today?”
He let out an “ah,” but I pointed straight at the side road and directed him.
“Trust me. Go this way.”
Our car turned into that narrow lane. None of the cars behind followed.
One of the groomsmen got out and knocked on Marco’s window.
“Marco, should we follow your wedding car?”
Marco frowned. Before he could refuse, Isabella rolled down the window from the back seat and smiled.
“Sure. I was just thinking earlier that we didn’t have enough wedding cars to make a grand entrance.”
Marco glanced in the direction we’d gone.
“But then Ava won’t have any cars at all.”
“We can say the cars got stuck in traffic. As long as we all meet up at the hotel lobby, it’s fine.”
Isabella looked at him and poked his back with one finger.
“You promised me today—you said I could experience being a bride.”
“You’re not backing out, are you?”
Marco suppressed a faint unease and spoke calmly.
“I’m not backing out.”
On the other side, I had Luca stop at City Hall.
“Did you bring your ID?”
He blinked, caught off guard, but quickly pulled his ID from his wallet.
Taking this side road to City Hall was something I’d discovered half a month ago while mapping out the wedding route.
Back then, I’d thought: on the way to pick me up, we could swing by and get the license. So I’d been keeping my documents in my pocket all along.
“So—are you willing to marry me and be the real groom at today’s wedding?”
“Wait. Let me make a call first.”
Luca didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pulled out his phone.
“Hey, Mom. I’m getting married in an hour.”
“You and Dad need to get to the Hilton, third floor, Diamond Hall, right now. Have them change today’s groom’s name to mine.”
“Especially the welcome sign at the door—take it down!”
“I’ll bring the bride over soon.”
Only after hanging up did he flash me a smile.
“Now we’re good.”
Walking out of City Hall with our marriage license in hand, my rage-fueled brain finally cooled a little—but Luca immediately reached over and snatched the license from me.
“Your wedding dress doesn’t have pockets. Let me hold onto it for you.”
My phone rang. The caller ID said “Mom.”
I answered. Her anxious voice came through immediately.
“Ava, the wedding’s about to start—where are you?”
I lied without changing my expression.
“We got a flat tire on the way. It’s fixed now. We’ll be there soon.”
My mother sighed in relief.
“Good. Hurry up and get here.”
She has a habit of never hanging up first—she always waits for the other person to end the call.
Thinking I’d already hung up, she turned to Marco and said,
“Ava’s fine. Just a flat tire.”
“Go ahead and start your wedding first. Don’t worry about her.”
“We’ve already arranged the stand-ins for her ceremony. Nothing will go wrong.”