CEO and His Gangster Wife

late for your own wedding

As the dusk was there to shed the last colour of light in the sky, a black car pulled up in front of the church. The door swung open, revealing a pair of black shoes before a handsome man emerged, meticulously buttoning his suit. With a perplexed expression, Shawn Collen scanned the empty church surroundings.

From the passenger seat, a girl in her late teens stepped out in a red floral dress, quipping, "Looks like you're late for your own wedding, brother." Her laughter faded quickly, stifled by the offensive side-eye Shawn shot her way.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to–" Sofia lowered her gaze, cursing herself for pulling jokes with her usually solemn face brother. 'Why does he have to act cold even after getting married to his lover?' she muttered, fidgeting with her fingers.

In a cold deep tone, Shawn raised a question, "Did you say anything?"

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat before shaking her head. "No, I didn't–” She regretted insisting on driving with him rather than her mother.

Shawn strode towards the hall, followed closely by his sister behind. Then as he stood at the entrance getting the view of an unexpected scene, her head bumped into his back. But little did he care, as his gaze was fixed at the bride and groom holding their hands, repeating the vows after the pastor.

"Now you may kiss the bride!" The pastor's voice echoed sharply in his ears, realisation dawning upon him.

As he processed the scene before him, he witnessed his supposed bride, Lily, sharing a kiss with his step-brother, Mathew. Feeling like he was in a dream, he roamed his gaze around and noticed his step-mother, Kim, joyfully clapping her hands. Beside her sat his father in a wheelchair, his expression expressionless as any other day.

He was still grappling with his thoughts, when abruptly his sister yelled, "Mom!" stealing everyone's attention from couples.

"Ahh! You're finally here," said Kim in a joyful tone. "Look, your brother finally got married. Unfortunately, you missed it!"

"No, the bouquet toss is still there for her to enjoy," interjected Lily with a smirk.

Without uttering a word, Shawn slowly advanced toward the stage. His cold expression was fixed on Lily, but she didn’t care about it, instead she smirked at him in a way like she achieved a huge victory.

"Don't give me that look, Shawn. I am now your sister-in-law."

"Sister-in-law? Pft!" Sofia grumbled, stepping ahead of Shawn. "Weren't you the one jumping with excitement to marry my brother? So, why a sudden–"

"Step-brother!" Lily interrupted. "You're forgetting Matthew is your real brother, not him."

Sofia's glare bore into Matthew, who wore a smug smile. "I would rather die than call that douchebag my brother."

"SOFIA!" Matthew erupted in rage, stepping forward, but Shawn swiftly moved forward to shield her.

"If you were going to marry him, what was that with me?" Shawn questioned, his voice stern.

"Honestly, until this morning, I was determined to marry you. But once I found out that you are not getting anything as per the family's will, I was compelled to reconsider things." Lily fired back, her words laced with disgust. "You're cold; you admit you love me but your action never spoke about it. Never took me on any romantic date or even gave me a flower. Everything made me realise that our marriage would be a total nightmare, which I don’t want at all.”

Shaking his head in dismay, Shawn mumbled, "You shouldn't have done this."

"You shouldn't have agreed to marry me if you are not in love with me in the first place," Observing his vulnerability, Lily's tone turned more heated, "If you persist with this arrogant type of love, I'm telling you, no one, absolutely no one, will ever love you let alone marrying you. And I know your situation will worsen when no property will be left in your hands."

"Is that a challenge?" Shawn questioned in a deep, intense tone, his gaze unwavering.

Wrapping her hand around Matthew's arm, Lily shrugged indifferently. "Take it however you want. For me I am just securing my future and being with someone who truly deserves me."

"Fine!" Shawn loosened his tie with determination. "One week! In one week I'll bring my bride. I will bring someone better than you. Someone best." His resolve was evident, ready to confront the challenge thrown his way.

"Ptft!" Kim, who had been silent for a while, snickered, covering her mouth. "Calm down, sweetheart. Don't let rage take over to the point of embarrassing yourself. We all know you are a big loser."

"Mom–" Sofia whined.

"Let's see!" Shawn said, turning away.

Grabbing his arms, Sofia tried to persuade him, "Brother, don't take their words by heart. You are aware of their instigating demeanour. This is just another way to bully you."

Shifting his gaze in total disbelief, he muttered, "You too think I am a loser?"

"No–I–" Sofia tried to meet his eyes but ended up lowering her gaze, swallowing hard.

"Unbelievable!" He shook his head, taking a step back and eventually turning around he walked away.

"Brother!" She followed him. "I know what she did was wrong, but don't lose your mind. You should–"

Without hearing her out, he slipped inside the car and drove away, his frustration was evident in his abrupt departure.

As he drove, a torrent of emotions overwhelmed him—sadness, anger, frustration—all swirling within him. Her words echoed incessantly in his head, intensifying his inner turmoil and driving him to the brink of insanity. The desire for revenge lingered, yet the means to achieve it remained elusive, leaving him in a state of uncertainty and frustration.

In the heat of the moment, his emotions surged uncontrollably as he slammed the brakes and leaped out of the car, consumed by fury. Storming out into the isolated spot, he vented his anger with a forceful kick to the tire. Despite attempts to calm himself, his frustration lingered. Suddenly, a fearful man hurried past, pushing him aside in his haste.

"You—" he began, but the man vanished before he could speak another word.

In a moment of instinct, another person shoved him aside, shouting, "Get out of my way, freak!" This time, his anger evaporated, replaced by surprise.

Ignoring him completely, she walked by without looking in his direction. Yet, he managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of her face, and in that brief moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of calm. It was as if a magical force lifted him from the chaotic environment, accompanied by a soothing melody.

"Cami," he quietly uttered, the name holding a deep significance in his heart.