CHAPTER 3
1404 Words
The sound from the speakers brought the entire hall to a standstill. Countless astonished eyes turned toward Brandon on stage. He himself froze; never before had his father intervened so abruptly in the middle of an event like this. The once-chattering elite guests immediately held their breath, not daring to interrupt.
Auden Thomas continued, his voice still steady but resolute: “Brandon, listen to me, stop the ceremony immediately. Don’t ask anything, just do as I say.”
Brandon hesitated, struggling to maintain his composure. He turned his head, stepped away from the microphone, and lowered his voice: “Dad, what happened? I don’t understand, if something’s wrong, tell me clearly.”
There was a long silence on the other end; only Auden’s heavy breathing could be heard. Then he answered, cutting off any further questioning: “You don’t need to know the reason. This is not something you have any say in.”
Brandon felt utterly incredulous. Right in the middle of the engagement ceremony, in front of hundreds of guests, reporters, and business partners. If he suddenly announced the event was off now, it would be nothing short of a public slap in the face for both the Marshall and Thomas families in front of the entire elite society. Brandon’s pride would not allow him to do such a thing.
He looked up, forcing a stiff smile, glancing at Margaret and Charles. Margaret hurried over, speaking in a low voice: “What’s going on, Young Master Thomas? Why the sudden stop?”
Brandon replied slowly, just loud enough for Margaret to hear: “My father told me to stop, but didn’t give a reason.”
Margaret frowned: “Stop? What do you mean, stop? It took so much for Elena to agree to this engagement, how can you just call it off?”
On stage, Charles still held the microphone, trying to salvage the atmosphere: “Perhaps it’s just a minor technical issue, please bear with us. The engagement ceremony will resume shortly.”
In the audience, the murmuring grew even more intense.
A man asked: “What’s wrong with the Thomas family? Stopping all of a sudden?”
Another whispered: “Something must be up.”
An elderly lady leaned toward her neighbor and whispered: “Mr. Thomas sounded very tense just now, something must have happened. Then Young Master Thomas walked away, and I couldn’t catch anything else.”
Elena stood frozen on stage, her eyes empty. If the engagement ceremony was truly canceled now, how would she have money to treat Rosa? Even though she didn’t want to marry Brandon, she honestly had no other option left.
Brandon took a deep breath, then spoke softly into the phone: “I won’t stop, Dad. There’s no reason for me to humiliate myself in front of everyone.”
He then looked around the room, deliberately covered the phone’s receiver, and spoke into the microphone: “My apologies, everyone, that was just a minor internal misunderstanding. Please rest assured, the engagement ceremony will proceed as planned!”
He immediately hung up and switched off his phone, unwilling to let his father say anything more unnecessary.
At the same time, at the Thomas family mansion.
Auden Thomas sat alone in his chair, his hands trembling from both anger and worry, cold sweat trickling down his spine. The laughter, golden lights, and moments of pleasure with beautiful women earlier were now nothing but a distant memory. The vast room had become stiflingly silent.
Auden rubbed his temples, his eyes vacant, staring into empty space. He still couldn’t believe the string of events that had just occurred, each phone call felt like a knife to the pride and authority of someone considered the city’s most powerful.
He remembered every second of those four terrifying calls.
The first was Gregory Harrison, one of the city’s “untouchables”, a giant in construction who controlled every major infrastructure project. Gregory’s tone was calm but absolutely brooked no argument: “Mr. Thomas, I will not repeat myself. Tell your son to stop the engagement ceremony. Immediately.”
Auden narrowed his eyes; the man’s voice sent chills down his spine. But Auden’s position and pride didn’t allow him to bow so easily. He gritted his teeth: “And who do you think you are, to order the Thomas family? My family’s business is none of your concern.”
The other replied, perfectly calm: “If you do not stop it, don’t blame me if tomorrow every Thomas Group project is subjected to investigation. No one will be able to save you then.”
Auden sneered coldly: “You’d ruin a relationship between our two families over a mere marriage? Sorry, I don’t have time for childish threats.”
He hung up, thinking the other was just testing his resolve. But before he could stand, the phone rang again. This time, he recognized it immediately: Amanda Price, the city’s “Queen of Finance.” a woman who had made countless tycoons’ fortunes evaporate overnight.
Her voice was sharp and cold: “Mr. Thomas, if the engagement continues, I will cancel all credit limits for Thomas Group branches within the banking system. Don’t test your luck with me. Call your son immediately. Stop the engagement.”
Auden broke out in a cold sweat, but still forced himself to keep his dignity: “What exactly do you want?”
But there was only a long beep, the call had already been cut, the other party not bothering with another word.
Auden hadn’t even recovered before his urgent message alert flashed again. He picked up, this time, a young male voice: “This is Matthew Carter, chairman of the city’s largest entertainment group, M&C. If the engagement isn’t stopped in the next fifteen minutes, I’ll have every paper in the city run front-page stories unfavorable to Thomas Group. Don’t blame me for being ruthless. One news story and all your PR contracts will be terminated.”
Auden felt his blood pounding at his temples. Never before had he been pushed to such a corner. Three calls, from the city’s three “pillars.” none of whom were close, nor had they ever acted together. Yet now all three called him, with the same message, no negotiation, no explanation.
His hand trembled slightly as he struggled to regain composure, cursing inwardly while thinking about a way out. But just as he was about to call Brandon, the phone rang again, this time from a private, secure line reserved for the city’s top “bosses.” The voice was cold and uncompromising: “Mr. Thomas, stop your son’s engagement ceremony. You know who I am.”
Samuel Becker. It was him. A man known for legalizing the illegal, even more formidable than the three before him.
Auden shuddered, silent for several seconds. Any one of these four could be resisted by the Thomas family. But if all four acted together, the lifetime fortunes of the Thomas family would be crushed in less than a week.
…
Back in the hall, after Brandon’s announcement that the engagement would continue as planned, a smattering of applause sounded. The air remained heavy, suspicion growing clearer in every guest’s eyes, every furrowed brow.
He pretended nothing had happened, turned to Elena, and gently pulled her hand: “Come here.”
Elena didn’t answer, just nodded slightly. At this moment, every feeling inside her was numb. Whatever happened was fine, as long as she got the money to treat Rosa, even if the engagement was just to legitimize Brandon’s desire to have her serve him, it didn’t matter.
Charles Marshall took the microphone, trying to rally the crowd: “May I ask everyone to raise their glasses, to bless the young couple and the long-lasting cooperation between the two families.”
An elderly guest spoke up: “Congratulations, congratulations. Just hoping that this time Miss Marshall will find happiness, unlike before.”
Another guest sneered: “Is that a real blessing?”
Laughter rang out, half congratulatory, half forced, no one truly blended into the raucous atmosphere of this place.
The music played again, the MC began announcing the ring ceremony, photographers hurried to capture every moment, cameras swept across the hall.
Just then, there was a loud noise at the main entrance, accompanied by a hoarse, hellish voice.
“Let me see, who dares force my wife?”
- Writer
