Skipped At The Altar, Taken By His Uncle novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96 The Showstopper

Chapter 96 The Showstopper

The next morning, Carter slept in, just like Sabrina expected. She had to shake him awake.

“Carter, we’ve only got half an hour before we leave! Seriously, how much did you drink last night?” Sabrina said, exasperated.

George, thinking Carter had gone a little overboard because of his wedding, said calmly, “It’s not the end of the world. Just don’t screw up at the reception later. And now that you’re married, it’s time to get your act together.”

Carter got himself together pretty quickly and headed out. His groomsmen were already waiting at the door, practically bouncing with impatience.

When the Harris family went to pick up the bride, they rolled up in a fleet of over a dozen fancy cars. It was seriously impressive.

Meanwhile, Tina and the other bridesmaid were waiting with Emily at the apartment, whispering complaints. “What’s taking them so long? Is there some kind of traffic jam today or what?”

The other girl glanced at Emily, who looked calm and unfazed in front of the mirror, and put a finger to her lips. “Come on it’ s Emily’s wedding day. Let’s keep it down. If they’re late, so be it. They’ll show up eventually.”

‘They’ll show up eventually. It’s not like they’d just bail and forget to come pick up the bride, right?’ Emily thought.

At half past ten, Carter’s wedding convoy finally showed up.

Emily, in her white wedding dress, looked very calm, but quiet relieved deep down.

‘He came. That’s enough, Emily thought to herself.

Emily didn’t know when it happened, but she had become so small, just hoping he’d show up at all.

“Carter, what’s the rush?” the bridesmaids joked.

“Alright, just hurry. We’re running late! We need to get to the hotel right now!” the groomsmen shouted, urging them on.

The whole wedding pick-up felt totally half-hearted. Everyone was just ticking off the boxes, rushing through each step without any real excitement. It was all over in a blur, like nobody really cared.

Carter sat in the wedding car, lips pursed tightly as he apologized.

“Sorry, Emily. I got a little too excited last night and drank too much. Just thinking about marrying you, I couldn’t help myself,” he said.

“Is that so?” Emily said with a faint smile.

She, as always, responded with gentle understanding,”It’s alright, Carter. As long as I know I have a place in your heart, that’ s enough for me.”

Carter’s gaze flickered. He honestly had no idea what he was thinking right now.

Back then, he couldn’t stand seeing Emily get hurt. All he wanted was to give her the whole world, so she’d never have to feel any pain.

But that was when he was just her brother.

Now that things had changed between them, Emily seemed totally at ease, but Carter couldn’t shake this strange awkwardness gnawing at him.

He turned his eyes to the window, avoiding those beautiful eyes, so full of hope and longing, because he just couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.

“Of course you’re always in my heart, Emily. You’ve always had a place there, as my little sister,” Carter said.

‘So that’s all I am to you? Just your sister?’ Emily wondered, a dull ache settling in her chest.

Emily clenched her fists. What she wanted was never just the bond between siblings. She longed for so much more.

For Carter’s wedding, the Harris family had the whole Grand Era Hotel booked out, talk about going all out.

mily was in a white wedding dress, shimmering with tiny star-like embellishments, making her look like a princess who’d

aped from a palace, innocent and radiant.

shed all her earlier worries way down in

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She

d closer to Carter, who was dressed 1.

d put on a sweet and bright smile.

Every g

who showed up offered their congratulations, some heartfelt, some just polite, but the whole place was

Chapter 96 The Showstopper

buzzing with warmth and celebration.

“Congrats, Carter, Emily!” someone shouted.

“Seriously, you two are a total power couple, so good-looking together!” another guest laughed.

This time, there was no runaway bride, no drama, and nothing unexpected to make them lose face in front of everyone.

George and Sabrina put on gentle, polite smiles as they exchanged pleasantries with the guests.

Emily leaned in and whispered to Tina, “Tina, is your sister coming?”

Tina curled her lips with a little scoff and said, “I sent her the invitation, but honestly, I doubt she’d dare show up. Come on, Emily, after everything, how could she possibly have the guts to come?”

Emily’s eyes narrowed. ‘Like hell she’s not coming, she thought.

Emily couldn’t wait to see the look on Whitney’s face when she had to watch them exchange rings.

Whitney didn’t show up, but Samuel and Laura showed up together.

“Hey, Samuel, you made it!” George said with a chuckle, genuinely surprised.

Emily flashed a sweet smile and said, “Oh, Mr. Moore, Mrs. Moore, thank you so much for coming. Dad, I sent them the invitation. Tina’s my best friend, and her parents have always been so kind to me.”

Having his former soon-to-be father-in-law show up at his wedding was just… bizarre. Carter couldn’t even begin to describe the feeling.

“Mr. Moore, I sent Whitney an invitation too. Is she not coming?” Emily asked softly.

Carter’s throat tightened as he looked at Emily, almost like he was seeing a stranger.

‘Why did she invite Whitney?’ Carter wondered, his thoughts swirling.

“Emily, you…” Carter paused.

Emily’s eyes were clear and bright, her smile sweet as ever. “Carter, Whitney is Tina’s sister. Since Tina and I are so close, Whitney’s basically like family to me too. I’ve got a gift for her later. I just hope she finds the happiness she deserves.” Carter’s voice was a little hoarse. “Alright, I understand.” he said.

‘Guess I was just overthinking it, Carter thought to himself.

But deep down, Carter couldn’t help but wonder. Would Whitney really show up at his wedding?

‘Has she really moved on?’ he wondered, a flicker of hope and uncertainty stirring in his chest.

Sabrina felt a flash of irritation and shot Emily a quick, reproachful look, though her smile stayed perfectly polite. “Well, you know, if Emily’s got one thing going for her, it’s that she’s just too kind. Go on, grab a seat inside. When Whit shows up, I’ll send her over to you guys.”

“Wonder when Uncle Klein’s gonna show up?” Tina said offhandedly.

Laura shot Tina a sharp look, clearly annoyed at her lack of manners.

George paused for a second, and then smiled. “Klein should be here soon. He said he’s bringing his wife.” he said.

As soon as he said that, everyone was stunned, especially Samuel.

“Klein’s married?” Samuel blurted out in disbelief.

‘When did this even happen? How was I completely out of the loop?’ Samuel thought, totally blindsided.

‘If Klein’s already married, then Whitney totally set me up!’ Samuel realized, his heart sinking.

Samuel’s face instantly darkened, looking sick to his stomach. He was practically kicking himself with regret.

‘Damn, Whitney really pulled one over on me! That’s 25% of the shares! I only have a tiny bit more than she does!’ Samuel fumed to himself.

“Samuel, are you alright? People are talking to you,” Laura said, giving him a nudge.

Samuel snapped back to reality, forcing a smile. “Oh, let’s go get seated inside.” he said.

Laura gave him a suspicious look, totally confused by how weird he was acting.

you

she was just as stunned as Samuel. If Klein was already married, she’d have to rethink Whitney’s future plans.

Emily

2/4

as hearing this for the first time too. She bit her lips hard, lowered her voice and said, “Emily, why didn’t you tell me

Je Klein got married? Who did he marry? Is it for real?”

ed secretly, thinking Tina was just being delusional, but put on her usual caring bestie face.

The Showstopper

“Tina, I’ve been so swamped with wedding stuff lately that I forgot to tell you,” Emily said, sounding all sweet and apologetic.

“Uncle Klein really is married. He even got the marriage certificate himself. They just haven’t had the wedding yet. He didn’t say who his wife is. He just said that he was bringing his wife to our wedding today,” Emily added.

By 11:30, pretty much everyone had shown up, but Emily kept scanning the crowd. Whitney was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t help but feel a little let down.

‘Seriously, what a chicken. I gave her way too much credit, Emily thought, rolling her eyes.

She’d been ready to settle the score once and for all, but now it seemed she’d just have to let Whitney slide.

Emily and her bridesmaids slipped away to the dressing room for a quick makeup touch-up and to change into her dress for the wedding ceremony.

Carter felt that same sting of disappointment.

His emotions were a mess. Part of him almost wanted to see Whitney show up, looking all regretful about breaking things off, but somehow dreaded the thought of her walking in, all smiles, like she’d finally let him go and was here just to wish him happiness.

He was caught in this storm of hope and dread, but in the end, the one person he kept searching for in the crowd never appeared.

“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s go. The ceremony starts in ten minutes,” George said.

But he muttered under his breath, “Why isn’t Klein here yet?”

Sabrina tried to reassure him, “He’s probably just caught up with something. You know how unpredictable your brother is. There’s no telling if he’ll actually show up or not.”

The ceremony began. Emily walked to the center of the stage, arm in arm with George, and he placed her hand into Carter’s with a solemn, fatherly gesture.

Emily’s eyes were starting to get red, and Carter gave her a soft, teasing smile. “Don’t cry, or your makeup will run and you’ll start fussing that you don’t look pretty.” he said.

“Carter, will you treat me well?” Emily asked, her voice a little shaky.

“Of course. Stop worrying. I’ll treat you right for the rest of my life,” Carter promised, his voice gentle and sure.

His tender words were like a sweet poison, making Emily’s heart drift further into confusion and longing.

With all eyes on them, Carter and Emily exchanged rings and sealed their vows with a kiss.

Lena kept scanning the crowd, getting more and more restless. Whitney promised she’d come today, so where the heck was she?

‘If she doesn’t hurry up, the whole wedding’s gonna be over before she even shows!’ Lena thought, drumming her fingers impatiently.

The trust fund boys were all gathered around one table, shooting the breeze.

“Yo, Dustin, where’s Klein? Is he ghosting us or what?” Oliver asked, flicking his lighter open and shut.

Klein had told Dustin yesterday he’d be here, so the whole crew made a point to show up to show Carter some respect. But honestly, everyone was way more hyped because Klein said he’d be bringing his wife along for the first time.

No way the curious crowd was gonna miss a show like this.

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