He Called Me ‘Jealous’ While She Hanged Off Him in a Bridal Party Chapter 05
Every sound in that ballroom died.
Every pair of eyes shot to the door. I was still on my knees, Cody’s hand pressing into my shoulder like he
wanted to nail me to the floor.
The room exploded.
“Nathaniel Sterling? The billionaire?”
“No way–why is he here? I thought the Hayes and
Sterlings cut ties years ago.”
“Is he crashing the wedding?”
“Don’t be an idiot. A guy like him? Crashing this trainwreck would be beneath him.”
The whispers crashed over me like a wave.
Cody stared at him in disbelief. The noise was so overwhelming he hadn’t caught Nathaniel’s words-
he actually thought Nathaniel was here to celebrate.
Nathaniel didn’t look at him. His gaze cut through the crowd and landed squarely on me.
Cody was already rushing off the stage. “Mr. Sterling!
You made it! This is an honor an honor for both me and Elena!”
He stuck out his hand.
Nathaniel didn’t take it.
Tiffany materialized beside him, laughing and fluttering her lashes. “Mr. Sterling, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Cody’s best bud–just call me Tiffany.”
Nathaniel’s brow furrowed as the two of them blocked his path.
Cody, completely oblivious, kept talking. “Mr. Sterling! That deal we talked about–I had my guys redo the whole proposal.
We can rework the split however you want. Maybe after the ceremony we could Nathaniel ignored him.
He walked straight to me, bent down, and gently pulled me to my feet.
Cody finally caught on. He scrambled back onto the stage, his smile frozen in place. “Mr. Sterling, I see you and Elena are close. My wife and I were just messing around. It’s nothing. Don’t let it affect our business.”
Nathaniel’s eyes hardened. “I didn’t come here for business.”
“I came to take my wife home.”
The room went silent, like someone hit pause.
Cody’s smile still hung on his lips. He stared at Nathaniel in disbelief. “Mr. Sterling, you’re joking,
right? You can’t mean Elena?”
When Nathaniel didn’t bother correcting himself,
panic finally crept into Cody’s face. His eyes locked onto me.
“Mr. Sterling, you’ve got it wrong. Elena is my wife.
We’re getting married right now.”
Nathaniel didn’t answer him. He looked at me. “I had
someone take your father to the hospital. Don’t worry.”
My tears broke loose. Everything I’d been holding in came flooding out all at once. My legs gave out, and I
started to sink. Nathaniel slid his arm around my waist and steadied me.
“Don’t be scared. I’ve got you. Let’s get you out of here.”
Cody’s expression twisted.
“Elena, I don’t know how you got the richest man in
America to play along, but you’d better wrap this act up
right now. Or don’t blame me for what happens next.”
Tiffany threw herself in front of Cody. “The acting
ends here! Everyone’s laughing at Cody–how do you think that makes him look?”
I’d had enough. I shoved past them both. “Cody, I told
you from the start the wedding was off. You’re the one who didn’t believe me.”
He wasn’t stupid. He finally understood.
He finally realized my arranged match had been Nathaniel all along.
The mocking voices from the crowd grew louder. His eyes went bloodshot. “Nathaniel Sterling. Elena Hayes.
What the hell is this?”
Nathaniel’s hand still rested gently on my back. “This
means Elena isn’t marrying you. The wedding’s canceled.”
Cody saw I was really leaving. He knew the situation was unsalvageable. So he burned it all down. “Ten years. We’ve been together for ten years, and you’re just leaving? She’s my wife!”
Tiffany backed him up. “Exactly! This is between a husband and wife. Who even are you?”
Nathaniel looked at Tiffany. “Between husband and wife? You crashed the stage, made yourself the center of someone else’s wedding, and you’re asking who’s interfering?”
Tiffany’s face turned beet red.
Cody watched us turn away. A twisted smile crawled across his lips.
If he was going down, he’d make sure everyone else went down with him.
“Nathaniel Sterling.”
“You know she’s carrying my kid, right? Go ahead- take her home. Raise another man’s baby. See how that
looks for someone like you.”