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In the deep of night, Alex unbuttoned his cuffs and took a seat opposite Layton inside the Earl Hotel’s club. While Alex looked downcast, Layton had a cheerful smile on his face.
Handing Alex a drink, Layton grinned with pride. “Would you be my best man?”
Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Me?”
Layton chuckled. “Well, it’s just the two of us in here; should I be inviting a ghost?”
Leaning forward, Alex rested his elbows on his knees, one hand hanging at his side while the other held his glass. He shot a serious look at Layton and then showed Layton the diamond ring on his right hand.
Alex said, “What if your marriage doesn’t work out?”
Layton laughed. “I chased Nalani halfway around the world, had hundreds of sexes with her before she finally got pregnant. Recently, I spent over a month living with her dad, and only then did Nalani agree to marry me. Please, don’t say that.”
Layton gave Alex a disdainful look. “Ellie’s rejection is just a result of your own choices. As for Nalani, I take great care of
her.”
At the mention of Ellie, Alex’s face changed dramatically. He raised his glass and took a big sip, the weight of his mood dropping further.
Layton continued, “You might give up being best man, but you have to attend.”
Three days later, Layton and Nalani’s wedding took place in the most magnificent church in Jaslands.
The Mosley family, one of the Four Great Families of Jaslands, and with Layton being one of its heirs, made this wedding a sensation, shaking the entire high society of Jaslands with its unprecedented scale.
With Nalani as the heiress of Lunaville’s wealthiest York family, the venue was filled with her relatives and friends. Over a hundred media outlets were present as well, making the event quite the spectacle.
Even Jason made an appearance. Ellie arrived at the church entrance with Jason, Whitney, and Aaron, representing Nalani’s family, which stirred quite a buzz.
As Ellie noticed a swarm of journalists heading her way for interviews, she swiftly stepped back, reminding herself of her pregnancy and the need to stay out of the spotlight,
“Ellie, over here,” Lacey called out, guiding Ellie through a side door of the church. As they entered, Ellie came face–to–face with Alex, but she chose not to stop, walking past him coolly.
Alex stood there for a moment, lost in thought, watching her leave. “Mr. Warren, we have a situation.” Barry hurried over, snapping Alex back to the present.
In a hushed voice, Barry leaned close and said, “Ethan is out.”
Alex’s expression darkened immediately, “Why?”
Barry replied, “The police found that Ethan has serious mental health issues, which means he isn’t responsible for his actions. After transferring him to a psychiatric facility, he ran away.”
“Does Aaron know?” Alex asked.
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“Mr. Thompson is already aware.”
“Make sure our people are at all exits and look out for anyone suspicious.” After giving his orders, Alex discreetly sat. Ellie was positioned on the right side of the red carpet, reserved for Nalani’s family.
The four major families sat on the left side of the red carpet, separating Alex from Ellie. Seeing Aaron sitting next to Ellie gave Alex some slight comfort, but his eyes stayed locked on her.
At ten o’clock that morning, the wedding officially began. Everyone around was filled with joy for the newlyweds, except Aaron and Alex, who were both tense as they kept an eye on Ellie.
Ellie sensed Aaron’s nervousness and glanced around but saw nothing out of place. “Everything’s fine,” she assured, refocusing on the applause and cheers from the crowd.
“Be careful!” Just as Layton and Nalani were exchanging rings, a loud gunshot rang out. Alex and Aaron’s simultaneous yells were initially drowned out by the noise of the enthusiastic crowd, causing people to react a little too late.
Panic broke out, with frantic screams and anxious guests trying to escape. In that chaos, Alex dashed across the red carpet towards Ellie. “Stay right there.”
Aaron, wincing from a bullet wound to his shoulder, rushed towards a nearby reporter, tore off the man’s mask, and swiftly disarmed him, pinning him to a chair.
“Ethan?” Many attendees recognized him at once. As Whitney pulled Ellie back, Ellie stood frozen in shock, taking in the disorder unfolding at the wedding.
Ethan, held down by Aaron, struggled to pull out a dagger. Before he could harm anyone, Aaron quickly overpowered him.
The guests, sensing the urgency, started to back away cautiously, while those near the altercation hurried to assess what was happening.
“Whitney, let me through,” Ellie insisted, fighting to break free from Whitney’s grip, only to be blocked by Jason, who stood in her way.
Jason, remaining calm, advised, “Sit down.”
Reluctantly, Ellie obeyed, though her heart raced as she turned to see Aaron struggling to keep Ethan subdued despite his injury. Nearby, Ethan was laughing as he saw Aaron’s white shirt getting soaked in blood.
Ethan said, “If you hadn’t picked your dreams over my sister and sent me to prison, how could our family have fallen apart? My sister should still be here.”
In a bold move, he provoked Aaron, “Go ahead, shoot me if you want, or else I will ensure that Ellie dies. I have a mental health diagnosis; even if I kill her, I can’t be held responsible.”
“What’s wrong, Mr. Thompson? Why the pause?” His tone dripped with sarcasm. “There are over a hundred media outlets here recording this. Do you have the guts to take a shot at a mentally ill person?”
In the face of Ethan’s extreme provocations, Aaron remained steady. He realized letting Ethan live would be too risky, but as a professional, he couldn’t act on his feelings.
“Let me do this. Just then, Alex stepped forward, snatching the gun from Aaron’s hand. A gunshot echoed, the bullet striking
Ethan’s shoulder.
Alex aimed the gun at Ethan’s forehead, pushing Aaron aside. “Stay calm!” Aaron said, trying to stop him. With a crowd of guests and media broadcasting live, if Alex fired, he’d be charged with murder immediately.
With tears welling up in his eyes, Alex looked one last time at Ellie, then focused on Aaron. He declared, “All this chaos is because of me; it’s a debt I owe the Thompson family.”
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“Alex, you wouldn’t actually kill me.” Ethan laughed crazily. “Your brother is dead, and if you kill me, there will be descendants for your family.”
“Alex, please stay calm,” Layton urged, desperate to pry the weapon from Alex’s grip but failing to do so.
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Ethan said, “Alex, it was you and Ellie who caused my sister’s death. As long as I’m alive, I will ensure Ellie suffering lives on making you regret this for life.”
“Get out of my way.” Alex, angered by Ethan’s words, pushed Layton aside. He looked at Ellie one last time. Their eyes met, and a flood of feelings surged within him, but he remained silent. To bring her peace again, Ethan had to die.
“Put the gun down, Alex.” His parents were being led towards him; Nancy was crying and begging him to listen.
Turning to his parents in the crowd, Alex’s eyes filled with tears that were about to fall. Nancy trembled, her voice breaking as she said, “Alex, if you pull that trigger, our family will be destroyed.”
Caught between Ellie and his parents, Alex finally focused on them. Tears streamed down his face as he said, “Dad, Mom, I‘ so sorry.”
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