Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom novel Chapter 3

On the altar, Ray grabbed Jeslyn by the arm and pulled her roughly to face him after her declaration. ”What do you think you are doing? ” He stared at her with eyes that were struggling to conceal the rage in them.

She looked at those dark eyes, the straight nose, and the pink lips she had dreamt of kissing but never got the chance to.

”Paaah! ”

She raised her right hand and landed a resounding slap across his face.

The slap was loud, so loud that the sound reverberated in the noisy hall, shutting the murmuring guests up.

The slap caught everyone by surprise, including both grooms.

”You don hold me like Im an unfeeling doll! ” She spat out.

The replacement groom trailed his gaze to her arm and saw the redness from being held too tightly and narrowed his eyes at Ray who had his mouth and eyes widened with his palm holding his cheek.

He was dazed. He couldn believe she slapped him. Jeslyn slapped him! It had never happened before and never in his wild dreams would he think she could ever slap him. While still in a daze, he was pulled back from his reverie at her words.

”Priest, please start the ceremony, ” she said in haste.

The priest glanced at the front audience seat, hoping to know what the grandfather thought. Until he saw the grandfather give a slight nod, did he start the marriage ritual.

Young master Ray wanted to protest, he wanted to pull her and probably give her a tight slap to wake her from her sleep, but when he saw the glare from her grandfather, he lowered the hand he had raised to pull her.

Ray just stood helplessly by the side and watched as his bride got married to another man in front of his eyes. It felt like a dream to him, a dream he so badly wanted to wake up from. How could all of the things he would get by marrying her slide away from his fingers like this? Impossible! But what can he do right now other than to watch as they were about to exchange rings?

Time to exchange rings, the bride took the diamond ring that had been prepared for her and handed it to her replacement groom. He placed it on her ring finger and that was when they realized they had no ring for her replacement groom.

Her mascara-ruined eyes swept through the hall for an alternative and they stopped on the ring bearer.

She raised her gown with both hands and rushed to collect Rays ring, hoping it would fit her new husband. The ring wasn a perfect fit as it was a little too tight, but that would do for now.

”By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride! ” The priest said.

The husband leaned in. Instead of kissing her on the lips, he pecked her on the forehead, surprising the already stunned guests, the priest, and even the young Miss herself.

After the couple had successfully gotten married, Jeslyn turned around, leaving her husband on the altar and ran to her grandfather with her dress trailing behind her.

The husband chuckled thinking of how he got abandoned in the altar after just getting married.

”G–grandpa, ” she called with quivering lips as her eyes welled up in tears.

”Child, ” the old man stood up and pulled his granddaughter into a tight hug.

”I– Im sorry, grandfather. ” She broke down in hot tears.

”Silly child, you are a celebrity. What would your fans say when a bad picture of you is published to the world? ” He said while patting her hair.

That was the best line for consoling this granddaughter of his who cares about her appearance more than her reputation. She would only laugh if her name is being dragged on the internet, but if her face is being criticized, or an early morning picture of her is leaked to the media, she would cry the house down, yet look at her now, she didn even care about her face this time. What must have happened to his dear granddaughter?

The old man was lost In thought when he heard a calm voice. It was clear that whatever was hidden behind that voice was being suppressed. After all, he had grown to this age, so he had seen more of the world and also met weird people.

”Grandfather-in-law. Is it right for me to call you that? ” The young man asked with a deadpan face.

”Of– of course, grandson-in-law. ” The old man didn know how his voice suddenly broke, but looking at this man in front of him that looked harmless, he was certain the man was not what he made himself out to be.

”Im sorry for not bringing a meeting gift. The marriage with your granddaughter just happened in haste. ”

”I understand, thank– ”

”Grandfather, I don understand what is happening. Jeslyn and I didn have a fight. We were happy together and I even called her this morning while she was getting dressed. How did she suddenly replace me without prior notice? ” Ray hurried to old man Lee, hoping he would help him talk some senses into Jeslyn.

”Thats right, old man Lee, I think our family deserves an explanation for this humiliation. ” An old man with white hair walked over and stood beside Ray with his eyes on grandpa Lee and Jeslyn who was still hugging her grandfather.