I don't

"Monica Jackson, do you take Aiden Clinton as your lawfully wedded hus– "

"I don't." Monica said, voice laced with determination and sadness.

Thick silence consumed the air as everyone in the wedding hall stared wide-eyed at the bride and groom on the altar. The smile on the groom's lips faltered for splitting seconds. The priest was taken aback and subconsciously blurted out,

"Why?"

The bride, staring at her groom, pulled up her veil and grabbed his hand, saying in a low and passionate tone. "I'm in love with your older brother. I'm so sorry, Aiden."

"Wooo…!" Alexa, from the guest seat, exclaimed just as everyone else cried out in alarm at the shocking revelation.

Said brother, Aaron bolted up from his seat in panic and cried out. "Monica, what are you doing? Aiden is your fiance!"

"I know!" The bride yelled and what followed were fat tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked genuinely hurt and wronged. "I know that, but I can't take it anymore!" She held her sparkling white wedding dress and hurried down the altar. Standing in front of Aaron, she grabbed his hand and began weeping as she professed her undying love.

"I've always loved you, Aaron. I never wanted to marry him but you, you told me to not break his heart. I thought I could pull it off. But standing on that altar, I realized I couldn't do it anymore. I'm about to go crazy!"

Stunned by her claims, his face morphed into a deep frown, "What are you talking about? Did you perhaps mix things up?" pointing at the man standing with the priest on the altar, Aaron reiterated slowly and calmly, "that's Aiden, your fiance for seven years!"

"I'm not a baby!" she yelled as she broke down with overwhelming emotions. "He's been my fiance but you know who my heart belonged to! I've finally taken the step, are you going to abandon me now?" she suddenly fell into his embrace as she wailed.

Gasps and murmurs broke out from the guest seats. It was understandable why most women would choose Aaron over Aiden, however, it was unthinkable that even Monica, someone who was there for Aiden, protecting him like a mother hen would her chicks, for so many years, would do this to him today of all days.

"Wow, Nora, your friend is one of a kind. This betrayal is on another level. I would have died of regret had I not accompanied you." Alexa uttered, patting her friend's shoulder with a look of gratitude.

"Still so in love with dramas, aren't you?" Nora shook her head with resignation.

"What's life without good entertainment?" she beamed and then shifted her gaze to the 'entertainers'. Alexa wondered why the groom hadn't thrown a tantrum or had a meltdown like a normal person would, so she shifted her gaze to the altar.

The groom was standing there with his hands tucked inside his black overcoat. He was staring down at the bride and his brother who were in a tight embrace...rather, his bride was hugging his brother, who was standing like a statue with a stunned face.

There was no resentment on his face. Instead, he had a faint smile on his lips. The smile sent shivers down Alexa's spine. How could a man who was hurt and humiliated so badly still have the heart to put up a smile? Not to mention the smile doesn't look fake at all!

"He's smiling instead of throwing a fit?" Alexa mumbled in wonderment.

"Aiden is always like that," Nora answered.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't know?... Right, you just came to Sky City today, so you probably don't know about him." Nora cleared her throat and began, "Aiden is the type of person whom you'd call perfect— No matter whether he was angry or not, he always had a smile on his face. Even in the face of unfair treatments, he saw the good in everything."

"How could someone like this exist?" Alexa asked as she rested her deep stare on the man on the altar. As if he felt her stare, Aiden held her gaze for a long time before looking away. For some strange reason, Alexa's breath hitched in her throat when he stared back at her.

This man…

"I'm guessing it's because he grew up too sheltered and spoiled rotten by his grandparents, so he didn't take life too seriously. And now, look, he's still happy for Monica even though she betrayed him," Nora sighed, "If only he wasn't a good-for-nothing, he would have been number one on the city's most wanted husband's list."

"And why is that? Is his family very rich?" Alexa's interest was piqued. Since she just arrived in Sky City from the Mainland, she has no idea who was who and what was what in this city. Thankfully, she had stumbled upon Nora who invited her to this wedding as her plus one.

Now, it seems like she'll be able to achieve her goals more easily. Her eyes lingered on the still-smiling groom.

"Rich is an understatement," Nora shook her head. "The entire family is shitting gold at the moment. Have you heard of the Clintons?"

She narrowed her eyes as she searched her mind but failed to find meaningful information. "I may have heard about them in passing, but can't recall a thing." Adjusting on her seat, she urged Nora, "tell me more." her eyes glittered as she sensed a possible solution to her problem.

Nora began to explain. "The Clinton family has three sons and a daughter— Aaron, Aiden, Seth, and Talia. Aside from Aiden, the other three have the same parents. Aaron, being the eldest, tries to maintain a saint-like image in public, but in the company, he's a firecracker."

"Ah, so Aiden is an illegitimate child…"

"Far from it. He's as legitimate as the other children."

"I don't get this, his father married two wives?" Alexa frowned as she moved her gaze back to the unfolding drama.

"No, it's a bit complicated– "

"You forced me to attend this stupid wedding to prevent the media from saying shit about me, now there'll be a lot of shit for the media to say about my family any minute from now. Make sure the PR department is fully ready to work overtime in getting my name out of people's mouths. I'm done wasting time at this 'wedding of the year'!"

The stranger's phone call caught Alexa's interest. After the lady walked out of the hall, she voiced, "I think I've seen that face somewhere."

"Possibly on a billboard or TV. She's Talia, Aaron's sister. She's a model who feels others shouldn't breathe because she does." Nora's tone was filled with hatred as she went on and on about Talia's character.

"She must have grown up without love." Otherwise, what could possibly be the reason for such bitterness? Alexa thought.

Nora disagreed. "Not exactly. As the only daughter, she was pampered to a fault." Not wanting to continue talking about what would ruin her mood, Nora twitched the subject, " Girl, the family is a load of shit. The only good one in the family is Aiden, but he's a good-for-nothing who has no skills to run a business or do anything tangible with his life. Although he's 35 this year, he barely graduated from the university with a pass, and that was three years ago."

"I see," Alexa commented. "Was that a possible reason why your friend ditched Aiden?" If that's the case, then the bride must be out of her mind. Had she no idea that her fiance was a good-for-nothing now?

"I doubt, but I'd believe it has something to do with who would become the next CEO and head of the Clinton family."

"Power struggle, huh?"

"It's likely. Many believe that the genius Aaron will become the next CEO of Clinton Group. But their grandfather seems to be leaning towards Aiden even though he wasn't the right person for the position." Nora paused and then continued.

"I'm sure that Aaron felt the pressure which was why he proved his worth by leading the company into buying Mobi Corps and turning it into a subsidiary of Clinton Group in Mainland. With the company expanding across the country under his care, it's no wonder— "

Alexa couldn't hear anything else as a buzzing sound rang in her brain when she heard the name, "Mobi Corps."

That was her father's company!

So, Aaron was the devil who aided Lucian to ruin her life!