Chapter 253 – "The Art of Elegance: Rachel's Exquisite Evolution"
“Nothing is off-limits when it comes to Braden. Those dresses are from the “True Love” series that was released earlier this year. Each element was handmade by professional craftsmen.”
Hearing that, Rachel surmised that the price they fetched must be over the roof. Her frugal nature kicked in, and she immediately looked away.
There were a lot of other amazing dresses to choose from anyway. Soon enough, she began to wish that they weren’t all so gorgeous, since it made for a very difficult choice. Four hours later, Dominic knocked on the door to the fitting lounge and let himself in.
“So impatient!” Mr. Vesela chided good-naturedly. He could tell what Dominic was thinking at a glance.
“You were taking so long that I started to worry you might have done something to my precious lady.” There was a long corridor connecting the female dressing room and the male dressing room here. Dominic leaned against the door frame and quietly watched Rachel. The black suit he was wearing was pretty simple, albeit finely tailored to his figure. Even so, he made it look like a million bucks, Rachel tried on a few more dresses, only to realize that she liked everything so far. Eventually, even she thought that she was taking too long. She helplessly turned to Dominic and gave him a pleading look. In response, he stared at the cabinet display and settled for the dress encrusted with diamonds.
“Vesela, take that one out and box it up. Send it to my villa along with every dress my wife has tried on.” He was a man of action, after all. He strode over and put an arm around Rachel’s shoulders.
“From now on, you don’t have to push yourself to choose one over the other. If you like something, just buy it. You can get whatever you want.”
Mr. Vesela clapped his hands with glee. “Oh my, how generous of you, Mr. Porter.”
He then turned to a panic-stricken Rachel and said, “Miss, you definitely made the right decision marrying this man.”
By the time they arrived home, a delivery truck was parked in the driveway, and staff from StarTrack were carefully transporting one exquisite dress after another into the villa. Any woman would be quite overwhelmed to see so many gorgeous dresses at the same time, let alone own them. Still, Rachel couldn’t help but frown and scold her overly indulgent husband.
“Dominic, you don’t have to spend so much money on me. We’d better save for the future, just in case. Stop squandering your wealth like this. I know you’re filthy rich, but…”
She unconsciously drifted into silence, thinking she might have said too much. She hadn’t completely reconciled with Dominic yet, and besides, it was his own money. By all rights, she wasn’t in a position to interfere with his finances.
“Forget it,” Rachel muttered angrily and stomped over to the sofa.
Dominic chuckled at the grumpy look on her face.
He knew he should coax her and bring her over back to his side. If he let this selfless woman go, she would only end up getting bullied by other people.
“How about this, then—what if I surrender all my assets to you? You can take charge of my finances from now on.” Dominic plopped down next to Rachel, rather surprised at himself. It seemed that he had taken well to getting tied down and submitting to his dear wife.
Rachel gaped at him, just as shocked by his proposal, maybe even more. Dominic had an obscene amount of money, and they both knew it. Was he even aware of what he was saying? He cleared his throat and chuckled again, a mild attempt to lighten things up.
“Take your time and think it over. There’s no rush. For now, just stay at home and get some rest. I’ll take care of everything else.”
Sure enough, Dominic was so busy in the next three days that he barely spent any time at home. They had been sleeping in separate rooms ever since their fight, which only made it all the more difficult for Rachel to see him. He’d be gone long before she woke up in the morning, and when he returned, she’d already be fast asleep.
Rachel found herself overthinking the possibilities, especially since she was in the dark about whatever was keeping Dominic so busy. She tried to find things to do at home, if only to distract herself from her budding expectations and anxiety.
Finally, on the third day, their doorbell rang. Rachel opened the door to find a young man with short, curly hair and a bright smile.
“Good morning, Miss Daley. I’ve brought the stylists.” Rachel tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. This man looked familiar for some reason. Noticing her confusion, Andy promptly introduced himself.
“Ah, pardon me. My name is Andy Davis, and I’m Mr. Porter’s personal assistant. We have met once, a long time ago.” Rachel gasped and exclaimed, “Oh, so it’s you! Do come in and make yourself at home.”
Andy stepped into the foyer followed by several other people that included of a makeup artist, a hairdresser, and an employee from StarTrack.
Rachel instantly recognized them. For one thing, the makeup artist was renowned in the entertainment industry for having done international stars and supermodels. Briefly, she wondered how Dominic had managed to book such a high-profile team.
This time, however, Andy ignored her puzzlement and proceeded to direct everyone to their respective duties.
“Alright, you guys, let’s get to work! We only have three hours to get everything ready!”
The team sprang into action at once and got busy. Rachel found herself feeling intimidated by the sharp and efficient atmosphere that Andy commanded. Nonetheless, she let herself be swept away by the motion of things.
True to their reputations, the makeup artist and the hairdresser handled her appearance like they were crafting a masterpiece.
Rachel was stunned when she looked in the mirror afterward; she hardly recognized herself. Her hair was braided intricately and coiled on top of her head, highlighting her delicate features.
Her eyes glimmered under her curly lashes and the soft blush on her lids. The stylists opted for minimal makeup, but it never diminished Rachel’s beauty. She looked far more elegant, more dazzling; than most socialites in Sunhaven.
She certainly looked different compared to how she looked on her first wedding ceremony.
Andy watched the final product of their combined efforts and nodded approvingly. He glanced at his wristwatch and checked the time.
“You may go out now, Miss Daley. Mr. Porter is waiting for you outside.”
Right on cue, the servants opened the door of the villa. Dominic stood at the driveway, clad in a silver gray suit and holding a bouquet of tulips and lilies of the valley. He looked just as dashing as ever, but there was a more mature and steadfast quality in the way that he held himself.
He watched the love of his life emerge from the villa, the sunlight pouring over her lovely face. A wave of awe washed over him as he drank in the sight. He offered his arm as Rachel drew close, and when she took it, he murmured, “Only you could give this dress justice.”
Rachel curled her gloved fingers around his bicep and grinned as he ushered her into the car. The sound of salutes rang around just as the car door slammed shut, and then they were off to the wedding venue. The Bugatti Veyron cruised out of the villa grounds with dozens of luxury cars in its trail.
Chapter 254 – "A Match Made in Sunhaven: Braden and Rachel Say 'I Do'"
The wedding was being held outside on the lawn of a manor that Dominic happened to own. It might be because Dominic had prevented the other cars from entering this area ahead of time that they could drive unimpededly Rachel was so anxious that her palms were pouring out sweat.
Looking at the scenery passing by outside the car window, she kept taking deep breaths in order to calm her nerves.
“Relax, you’re making me nervous, Mrs. Porter.” Dominic held Rachel’s quivering hand, his eyes full of tenderness for her.
Turning to give him a look, Rachel asked in a solemn voice, “If you do this, will your true identity as Braden Porter be revealed?”
“It’s not too much of a big deal compared to getting married to you.”
Dominic was concerned that Rachel might overthink things, so he looked at her to see how she was doing.
The woman’s face was a little flustered, her drooping eyelashes shaking ever so slightly, and her soft and slender fingers were fiddling with the hemline of her wedding dress. Dominic knew that Rachel was very nervous today. She didn’t like to stir up trouble for others. She was always afraid of becoming a burden to others. But she and he had been married, and it was only right that they took care of each other.
“Rachel.” Clenching Rachel’s hand, Dominic looked expectant right then.
“From now on, the person next to you is Braden Porter. Do you have any objections to starting a new life with him as the wife of Braden?”
Rachel’s heart skipped a beat and her face reddened unnaturally. In fact, she was willing to right then. But Dominic still had the feeling that Rachel was still rejecting him since she didn’t say anything. He looked down at her gently and then said,
“There’s absolutely no rush. I didn’t ask you to give me an answer right away.”
Their car made its way into the manor.
The whole white villa was overflowing with guests.
Seeing the luxury car coming in, everyone started to clap their hands. Rachel was shocked by the grandness of the wedding.
On the road just outside the mansion, all types of luxury cars lined up and the queue was about several miles. It looked like the lawn in the manor could hold thousands of people. Those who attended included celebrities from various fields and rich families, as well as those in the media, came to witness the joyous occasion
“Dominic, you should at least put a mask on. If you expose yourself, the Peterson family will come right away to cause trouble for you, won’t they?”
In addition to being shocked by this scene, Rachel was worried about Dominic revealing his current identity
“There must be other reasons why you’re hiding your true identity. Even though I have no idea what the specific situation is, I don’t want you to fall short of success just because of me.”
As Rachel said this, her nose started to twitch.
Dominic was startled for a few seconds. It looked like Rachel had already guessed it.
His wife was really so smart.
Dominic placed his arm around Rachel’s shaking shoulder and whispered in her ear, “I just want to make it public that Braden and Rachel are married. In this way, it will be common knowledge that you’re Mrs. Porter. Then you’ll feel at ease and won’t feel that I’m not being sincere enough. As for what you’re worried about, I’m going to handle it.”
Rachel’s moist eyes widened. Tears wet her curled eyelashes, which gave a charming and enchanting look.
Rachel cried even harder and a hint of bitterness surged up in her heart.
Dominic burned to take out a square handkerchief from his suit pocket and proceeded to wipe the tears off Rachel’s face. He was too anxious to say a coherent sentence for a moment there while wiping the tears off her face, he tried to comfort her, “Please stop your tears now, babe. You’ll need to fix your makeup if you keep crying like that.”
Rachel smiled through her tears. The man before her was the decisive and ruthless CEO of the Porter Group. But now Was he was acting so cautious in front of her. She was feeling moved and she didn’t know if she should cry or laugh for a moment there
“Dominic, since you’re willing to marry me, of course, I won’t be giving up on you so easily. Even though being Braden Porter’s wife is no easy thing, and I may be too young and not qualified enough, I’ll definitely try my best to be stronger and make you proud of me. If you feel worn out and want to go home one day, I’ll always be by your side the whole entire way.” The two embraced each other.
All sorts of feelings welled up in Dominic’s heart right then.
“Rachel…”
Dominic could tell that underneath Rachel’s gentle and calm appearance, there was an incomparably strong, unyielding heart and that she would always stand by her man. She was obviously a very good woman.
The wedding music sounded out at that time. Dominic led Rachel out of the car, interlocked ten fingers with hers, and they both walked into the wedding site.
It had been snowing in Sunhaven the past few months. Today, however, was a rare sunny day. Hand in hand, Rachel and Braden made their way down the carpet covered with white rose petals.
The whole wedding venue was decorated with white roses and lilies of the valley. As soon as they got out of the car, they felt as though they had stepped foot inside a sea of flowers. The whole place was filled with the sweet floral fragrance. With her head slightly lowered, Rachel held Braden’s hand tightly.
Everyone immediately turned to look in her direction, as they were curious to see who had won the heart of Braden, one of the richest golden bachelors of Sunhaven.
“Who is she? She’s gorgeous!”
‘I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere, but I can’t remember exactly.”
“I think she hit the headlines recently. Isn’t she an Internet influencer or something like that?”
All the guests discussed their theories amongst themselves, curious about Braden’s bride.
The Daley family was by no means prominent in Sunhaven. It was normal that the upper class had no idea who Rachel was.
They only knew the successful Braden Porter-not Dominic Peterson, an illegitimate child who had once made his vows in a church wearing a cheap suit. Braden, on the other hand, led Rachel to the priest, with their friends standing beside them. Nadia, Stephanie, and Hilda were Rachel’s bridesmaids. Nadia in a dress was a rare sight. She was a petite girl, and the light blue bridesmaid’s dress made her look gentle and lovely.
Stephanie, on the other hand, was like a wild rose on the steep cliff. Even the elegant light blue long dress couldn’t dampen her charm.
Many of the male guests couldn’t take their eyes off of her. Lastly, there was Hilda. She held the bridesmaid’s bouquet happily, grinning from ear to ear. The only problem was that she had been eating a lot lately.
After gaining an extra ten pounds, her bridesmaid dress was nearly ripping at the seams. On the other side of the priest was the groom’s wedding party: Kristian, Booker, and Andy. Andy had burst into tears. He felt so lucky to be Braden’s best man. He could boast about it for the rest of his life.
Then, the priest began the ceremony.
When Rachel said “I do”, Braden’s heart skipped a beat.
He took out the ring he had prepared.
“Is that the ring I bought in the department store before? When did you take it off my finger?”
When Rachel first saw the two simple wedding rings in the counter in the department store, she had taken a liking to them. Seeing it in Braden’s hand now, she felt moved. She had thought that he would dislike them since they were two ordinary rings.
“Let me put it on you,” Braden said softly.
A gentle smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Last night, he had secretly taken it off Rachel’s finger when she was fast asleep.
Today, she was probably too nervous to notice it was missing. Braden carefully slipped the diamond ring on her finger again. He swore to himself that he would never let Rachel leave him again.
After they recited their vows, the crowd burst into thunderous applause. The sudden marriage of the Porter Group’s CEO had caused a sensation in the upper-class circle of Sunhaven. All the major media outlets were there and snapped countless photos of the newly-weds.
Except for the notorious Daley family and the Peterson family, the vast majority of the nobles in Sunhaven had come, whereas the
Palmer family had declined the wedding invitation.
During the wedding, many guests approached to give gifts and congratulations.
Most of them were strangers to Rachel. Talking to them tuckered her out. Her weary eyes looked around the venue and finally, she saw a familiar figure in the distance.
With a gift in his hand, Spencer was leaning against a table, sipping some champagne leisurely. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the alcohol. He was looking back at Rachel with mixed feelings. He wanted to say something, but stopped on second thought.
It had been a long time since Spencer tried pursuing pretty women.
A few days ago, he and his old friends got together at a nightclub. When he mentioned his plight, they recommended that he see a doctor.
Only Spncer knew that his lost sexual drive was because of his anxiety.
Today, he had been to represent his family at the wedding.
The wedding of the Porter Group’s CEO was by no means a small event and had caused quite the sensation in Sunhaven.
That was to be expected. After all, given Braden’s wealth, it was only natural that countless rich people wanted their daughter to marry him.
Chapter 255 – "Whispers of Desire: Rachel and Dominic's Intimate Evening"
Spencer had no idea what Braden looked like. He came here today to socialize with other wealthy families and to satisfy his curiosity about this man. He had even prepared an excellent jade antique as a wedding present.
When he saw the groom clearly, he was shocked. It turned out that Braden Porter was Rachel’s poor husband Dominic And the bride was none other than Rachel herself. Seeing this, Spencer grew depressed and was in no mood to socialize.
He drank glass after glass of champagne, trying to swallow his anger. During the whole ceremony, he was in a bad mood. He knew that after today, it’d be even more difficult for him to alleviate his anxiety.
“Mr Porter, congratulations!” When Rachel and Braden came over to thank the guests for coming, Spencer forced a faint smile.
Braden nodded, looking at Spencer calmly. He clinked glasses with him and said with a somewhat smug smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Dixon.”
Rachel, on the other hand, stood beside him quietly and tock a sip of her wine. Given the occasion, she didn’t have anything else to say to Spencer anyway.
Just then, Kristian dragged Nadia over to propose a toast to the couple. Nadia was not a talkative person, nor did she have many girl friends. When she approached Rachel, she simply lowered her head apologetically.
“I’m sorry again for lying to you. What can I do to make things up to you?”
Seeing the desperate look on Nadia’s face, Rachel chuckled gently. Last time, she was so angry that she had lost her mind. But now, she had obviously already forgiven Dominic.
As a result, her anger towards Nadia had also diminished.
“Oh, just let bygones be bygones. You work for my husband; you were just doing your job. I should be the one saying sorry. I was angry at the time and I said some hurtful things. Please don’t take it to heart.”
With a bright smile, Rachel whispered, “Friends?”
Nadia’s eyes lit up instantly. The two clinked glasses and downed their drinks. At this moment, silence was better than speech.
After mingling for a while, Rachel caught a glimpse of an old woman with grey hair sitting at a table.
“Dominic, why didn’t you tell me that Norma was here?” Rachel scolded, making a beeline for the old woman. It was the first time that Norma had been to such a luxurious and extravagant place. She was even amazed by the tall hedges which were taller than her.
She had never seen such a grand scene in all her years. She didn’t know much about Dominic’s true identity. She only overheard the guests saying the groom was the CEO of the Porter Group.
Norma didn’t know what that meant, but she could tell that Rachel had married a very rich and powerful man.
“Rachel, did Dominic win the lottery? Why does he suddenly own a mansion? And the car by the gate looks so expensive!”
Norma reached for Rachel’s hand nervously. Her confusion was warranted. After all, how could an ordinary young man become rich and powerful overnight?
Rachel was at a loss as to how she should answer Norma’s questions. “I’ll explain everything later,” she said helplessly.
Tears welled up in Norma’s eyes and she smiled wistfully. “All sufferings end in rewards.”
Then she sighed again, murmuring, “But rich families are trouble. Be careful, Rachel.”
On the one hand, she was happy for Rachel, and on the other hand, she was worried about her. Norma used to work as a servant for those wealthy families. As an outsider in the background, she could see the conflicts, deceptions, and entanglements in those families.
“Norma, don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” Rachel said with a reassuring smile.
After the wedding ceremony came the reception, which was a dinner party and a ball.
Kristian was no stranger to such an occasion from groomsman, he transformed into a wedding DJ and dragged
Nadia to join him on stage.
Everyone was having a good time. The music was deafening and lively, and the guests flocked to the dance floor.
The party lasted until well past midnight
“Everyone, if you’re too tired to go home, you can stay the night in Braden’s manor. There’re dozens of vacant rooms here,”
Kristian announced to the guests as he closed the event.
Kristian himself was still bouncing with energy. He often stayed up late in night clubs, so he was used to such a scene.
Dominic had spent the whole night chatting and drinking with Rachel. He usually worked until two or three o’clock in the morning, so he too was still sober and fully awake. On the other hand, Rachel’s face was flushed, but she wasn’t drunk just yet.
“Rachel, look at you! Drunk already?” Kristian chuckled. He patted the shoulders of the couple with a huge grin plastered on his face.
“The room is ready for you.”
Rachel looked up at Dominic questioningly.
“I thought we’re going home today?”
Kristian spoke on Dominic’s behalf.
“This is your home too, silly. I mean, it’s one of Dominic’s houses. Come on; what’s his is also yours. Don’t you know that every second of a wedding night is precious? Why are you still standing here?!”
As Kristian kept pushing them towards the room, Rachel’s face turned redder and redder.
Dominic cast a cold glance at Kristian to silence him and patted Rachel on the shoulder reassuringly.
‘It’s late so we’ll stay here tonight. And don’t worry about it. If you don’t want to consummate our marriage tonight, I won’t force you.”
Rachel was stunned for a moment. After a short pause, she covered her mouth and tried to stifle her giggles.
‘Take it easy. I’ll wait for you. I won’t force you.” These phrases made Dominic sound like a broken record these days. When she first met Dominic, he was such a flirt and always said and did inappropriate things.
Now that he took her so seriously, Rachel didn’t know how to react.
“Don’t ask me…” Rachel’s ears turned red. She lowered her head and retreated into the room quickly. Dominic frowned and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
It seemed that he still couldn’t have sex with her. At this rate, he was going to go crazy. Today was their wedding night after all.
Kristian was quite amused. He approached Dominic and whispered in his ear, “What are you waiting for? Bro, she’s waiting for you inside! Go!”
“She doesn’t want me yet…” Dominic’s expression darkened.
“Are you dumb? Rachel meant that she’d do whatever you want! It’ll be too late if you keep waiting here like a fool.” Kristian was at a loss for words and shook his head helplessly
“Really?” Dominic was dubious. He clenched his fists, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and followed Rachel into the room.
The room was covered with a sea of gorgeous flowers. Standing at the door, Rachel picked up a few rose petals on the floor and rubbed them between her fingers subconsciously
“Are you going to say I spent too much money again? Do I have to return these flowers?” Dominic asked playfully as he closed the door behind him. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.
Rachel couldn’t help but giggle when she recalled how angry she had gotten when Dominic bought a room of flowers to woo her not long after they first got married. She turned around, cupped Dominic’s cheeks, and chuckled.
“I still think you spent too much.” Her eyes lingered on the man’s face. He was still as handsome as the day they first met, perhaps even more so now. She pursed her lips and wanted to say something, but stopped when her eyes met Dominic’s. With his hands on her waist, Dominic’s eyes clouded over. He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips. His hands reached up and tucked her long hair behind her ears.
“I want you now, Rachel,” he murmured.
His words made Rachel’s heart skip a beat. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Dominic’s neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him back. Her actions spoke louder than words.
In behalf of Virgin Sect, we bid goodbye to Dominic and Rachel!! Good Riddance!
