The Wedding Bet: You Changed The Venue I Changed The Groom Chapter 06
Panic
The groomsmen exchange awkward looks before pushing Serena forward.
Serena is wearing a bridesmaid dress more extravagant and eye-catching than most wedding gowns.
She has finally gotten the chance she’s been waiting for.
She picks up the bride’s name card resting on a nearby table, puts on a worried look, and speaks.
“Julian, don’t panic. Aria is probably just throwing a tantrum. She wouldn’t really marry someone else.”
“Why don’t you hire an actor and stage a fake wedding with me? Once she sees it, she’ll come running back!”
Hearing this, Julian breathes a sigh of relief. His expression relaxes.
“Right. She’s just throwing a tantrum.”
“She could never bring herself to leave me.”
The groomsmen quickly chime in.
“Exactly! Aria has no money or connections. Who else is going to want her after she leaves you?”
“How dare she try to manipulate you like this? Julian, you can’t give in, or she’ll walk all over you for the rest of your life.”
“Yeah, I’ve never liked her anyway. She’s just some nobody with nothing to her name. Who does she think she is?”
As the mocking comments get uglier, the corners of Serena’s mouth curl into a smirk.
“Enough!” Julian roars.
“Aria is my wife! Don’t ever talk about her like that again!”
The groomsmen shut their mouths.
His childhood friend glances at the clock on the wall and asks hesitantly, “Then… are we still having the wedding?”
“The invitations have already gone out, and the guests are arriving soon. Why not have Serena stand in as the bride for now? Maybe it’ll force Aria to come back.”
Serena blushes and is just about to agree.
“Absolutely not!”
“My wife can only be Aria.”
With that, Julian shouts for his assistant.
“Get me a ticket to Ireland immediately! Book the first flight out!”
Before the assistant can respond, angry voices erupt from the church entrance.
Julian’s parents storm inside.
“What the hell is that welcome portrait outside?!” his father bellows. “This is Julian and Aria’s wedding! Why is Serena in the picture with him?!”
The wedding planner wipes the sweat from his forehead and stammers.
“This was Mr. Sinclair’s request. He said he and Miss Serena had made a bet to see how long it would take the bride to notice.”
“Nonsense! Where is Julian? Get out here! A wedding isn’t some stupid game!” his father yells.
The guests gather around the entrance, whispering and pointing at the photo.
“Exactly. How is that supposed to be a wedding portrait?”
“I heard the bride doesn’t come from money. Are they humiliating her because they think she can’t fight back?”
“This is way too far. I’d walk out too if my fiancé did this to me.”
Julian rushes to the entrance.
Then he sees the portrait.
He did order the replacement. At the time, Serena kept pestering him about the bet, and he didn’t think it was a big deal.
But looking at it now, all he sees is Aria crouching in the corner, adjusting Serena’s dress like a servant while Serena poses beside him like the bride.
Aria looks completely out of place in her own wedding portrait.
He promised Aria’s mother he would give her the wedding of her dreams.
And this is what he gives her instead?
Has he really taken these stupid bets so far that even their wedding has become part of the game?
Is this finally the one that pushes her too far?
The moment that thought hits him, panic finally sets in.
He turns on the planner.
“Change the portrait back right now!”
The planner sighs and shakes his head.
“What’s the point of changing it now? The bride already left you!”
“The bride left?!” Julian’s mother stares at him in disbelief. “Julian Sinclair, what the hell are you playing at?! Did she really leave?”
Julian’s Adam’s apple bobs, but he can’t force a single word out.
Seeing his silence, his mother smacks him hard on the arm.
“You stupid boy! Are you trying to kill me?”
“Back then, we didn’t want you to be with Aria, but you insisted she was the love of your life. You’ve been together for ten years, and we finally accepted her because she’s a good woman. And now look what you’ve done. How did you manage to drive her away?!”
Julian stands perfectly still, letting his mother hit him.
He suddenly remembers his proposal four years ago.
Ireland was his idea.
“Ireland is where I want us to make our vows,” he told her. “I want you to know that you’re my only choice for the rest of my life.”
Back then, he loved Aria with every fiber of his being.
When did their relationship start to rot?
It was Serena.
Julian suddenly realizes that ever since Serena’s family lost everything, she has constantly inserted herself between them.
She kept talking about how lucky Aria was.
She proposed one “harmless” bet after another.
She always called and claimed she needed him whenever he was on a date with Aria.
“Please don’t hit Julian. It’s not his fault. Aria is just being too unreasonable…”
Serena rushes forward, stepping between Julian and his mother.
But this time, Julian doesn’t defend her.
He looks straight into her eyes.
“Did you do all of this on purpose?”
Serena freezes for a second, then quickly puts on the same innocent look she always uses.
“Julian, what do you mean I did it on purpose?”
But Julian catches the brief flash of panic in her eyes.
“Ha… Hahaha… I’m such a fool…”
Julian laughs. He stumbles toward the exit and leaves her with only one sentence.
“Serena. Don’t ever come near me again.”