It was the old man!
Mrs. Wilfred shuddered and took a step back. This old man may be her father-in-law but he never liked her. Making him angrier than he already was might thwart her son's chances of becoming the CEO. With that thought in mind, the woman forced a smile and attempted to shift the focus.
"Father-in-law, please don't be angry. Monica and Aaron are still young. They made a mistake and– "
"Did you not hear my granddaughter-in-law ask you to apologize?!" the old man glared at her.
"Wh– What?"
"Grandfather!"
"Father!"
The family members all cried out at once. The rest of the guests were dumbfounded.
"You heard me the first time. Who gave you the audacity to smear my granddaughter-in-law's name? Apologize to her right now, otherwise you won't have it easy!"
The old man had stayed silent just now to observe Alexa. She looked innocent but the way she stood her ground against the family made him happy. With no power, she was already able to annoy them. If he gave her power, wouldn't she be more than capable of protecting his grandson? With that conclusion, he decided that she would be the best wife for Aiden.
"She did it!" Nora gasped. She had mixed feelings about this turn of events. She didn't know if she should be excited for Alexa or worried for her. Making enemies out of the Clintons and the Jacksons was foolish of her. Although her family was rich, her parents won't be able to fight the Clintons and Jacksons combined.
And if the marriage between her and Aiden actually happens, her days in the Clinton family would be hellish.
Listening to the murmurs and whispers coming from everyone around her, Nora suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her temple. Alexa is a pain in the ass. At this point, she was no longer scared for her own career anymore, rather, she was imagining how many pieces Alexa would be cut into. Because every single one in that family was giving Alexa death glares.
Mrs. Wilfred gritted her teeth. Apologizing in front of such a large crowd to a riffraff would be losing more face. What would her friends think of her? She glanced around – they were on their seats murmuring in glee, obviously enjoying the spectacular performance put up by this little accursed bitch called Alexa!
Thinking of the plan to make her son the next CEO, the woman took a deep breath to calm herself. Just a few more days. She'll put up with it for a few more days.
Mrs. Wilfred gave Alexa a smile that didn't reach her eyes and tried to hold her hands but Alexa didn't give her the chance. Alexa shrank behind Aiden and gripped his coat even tighter as though she was scared to death.
Seeing this, a look of anger flickered past the woman's eyes but she was quick enough to mask it with a fake smile. "Alexa, right? It was a slip of the tongue. Since we'll become a family soon, you shouldn't hold such little matters to heart."
Of course, it wasn't an apology. Rather, it was an underlying threat. Alexa knew this pretty well and wasn't going to buy it. She was about to speak up when Aiden took her hand and gently squeezed it. When she looked at him, he smiled at her and finally intervened.
"That's right, stepmother. My wife has a big heart full of forgiveness. It takes nothing for her to let it slide." His voice was light and jovial, absolutely devoid of rudeness, yet the woman rolled her eyes at him. He maintained his smile and turned to look at Alexa. "Shall we? We've kept the priest and the guests waiting for too long."
As the two were walking hand in hand to the altar, Aaron turned to their grandfather and tried to persuade him to change his mind. Unlike what Alexa was trying to portray, he believed she wasn't innocent and naive. No innocent person would dare to make such a bold move like she did. Even though she looked scared, her speech was coherent and powerful. For her to be like that meant she must be plotting to enter their family.
Was she another new enemy he had to worry about?
Currently, the enemies he had were only his grandfather and Aiden. His grandfather was a straightforward man who was not good with schemes, and Aiden was a useless trash. The reason he was still keeping Aiden alive was because he needed him to become the CEO, otherwise, he would have been long dead.
The priest's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. The two on the altar were holding hands while the priest was asking them questions. Aaron approached his grandfather and said, "Grandfather, you cannot trust her. What if she is– "
"Silence!" the old man shot Aaron a death glare. "When have you ever been concerned about my grandson? Are you mad that he's getting married after you and that vixen tried to ruin him?"
"Father, how could you say that about your grandson? Aaron and Aiden are brothers!"
The old man stared daggers at Wilfred and sneered. "Then let him either enjoy the celebration or scram!"
"I'm sorry, Grandfather. It was my mistake." Aaron bowed his head, but a crazed look flickered past his eyes.
"Hmph!" the old man scoffed and rolled his eyes.
….
The wedding ceremony went smoothly without hindrances. When it was time to exchange rings, Alexa refused to use the rings that were already available.
"I have a set. Although they are a bit old-fashioned, my grandmother wanted me to wed my husband with them."
Aiden accepted the old-looking rings and to his amazement, the rings fit perfectly.
He looked at her with a deep and unfathomable gaze. Instead of asking the question that was on his mind, he only smiled.
"... I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!"
Aiden pulled Alexa close and uttered gently, "I'm sorry we have to do this."
Alexa didn't quite get what he meant but his next words made her stunned.
"I thought my first kiss would be with the woman I genuinely loved, so I never kissed anyone. On that note, I might be clumsy, so bear with me."
He leaned in after that.