The day Chelsea had been waiting for finally arrived. It was a special day, a day that witnessed how sweet memories were engraved in her relationship with Jack. Chelsea looked at her reflection in the mirror, smiling at herself, who looked very radiant. A beautiful face with elegant makeup made Chelsea even more dazzling. Today, Chelsea is getting married to her boyfriend, Jack. Just imagining it made Chelsea feel happy.
"Chelsea."
Chelsea's reverie was instantly broken when she felt a hand touch her shoulder gently. From the reflection of the mirror, it was clear that Monica was standing behind her. Monica was Chelsea's mother; she was a gentle and kind woman, just like Chelsea. That made Chelsea smile. She turned to face her mother, who was now smiling at her.
"You look very happy, Chelsea."
Chelsea just chuckled, then hugged her mother lovingly. "I love Mommy very much."
"I love you too." Monica gently stroked the top of Chelsea's head.
"Come on down; everyone is waiting for you," Monica said, inviting Chelsea to come down.
Chelsea nodded her head, and once again she looked at herself in the mirror. A big smile was perfectly engraved on Chelsea's face, along with a luxurious white dress that was perfectly attached to her body. Chelsea was like an angel who had just descended from heaven.
As they were about to go downstairs to the event room, Jack's parents suddenly walked into Chelsea's room. Chelsea frowned when she saw the look on her future in-laws' faces, not the smile of happiness they showed. Instead, they looked like people who were worried. Suddenly, Chelsea immediately stood up to Jonathan and Della, who were Jack's parents, followed by Monica from behind.
"Auntie, uncle. What's wrong? Why do you look worried?" Chelsea asked straight to the point.
The eyes of Della, Jack's mother, began to glaze over, her hand gently stroking the top of Chelsea's head with affection. She took a deep breath before opening her voice. "Chelsea, Jack's not here yet," she said, looking at Chelsea's eyes intently.
Chelsea furrowed her brow, not understanding what Della was saying. "What does that mean, Auntie? Jack will definitely come soon; we'll just wait," Chelsea said with a smile.
"We don't know if Jack will come or not." Suddenly, Jonathan, Jack's father, spoke up.
"What does he mean?" Monica asked, confused.
"Jack disappeared, no news; even everyone has been looking for him but can't find him," said Adnan, Chelsea's father, who suddenly appeared from the doorway.
Chelsea was frozen in place, and slowly, the clear liquid in her eyes fell without permission. Her chest felt tight, like it was being crushed by thousands of pieces of iron. Chelsea shook her head. She couldn't take her father's words at face value, so Chelsea ran to the dresser to grab her cell phone there. Her hands were busy looking for Jack's number and then calling him. Chelsea repeatedly called Jack, but there was no answer.
That made Chelsea slam the cell phone into her hand. Anxiety, disappointment, and sadness mixed together. "Jack, where are you?" Chelsea muttered while shaking her shoulders.
"Chelsea." Monica approached her daughter and hugged her tightly.
Chelsea looked up at Monica, her eyes already puffy and her nose red from crying. "Mom, is my marriage going to be canceled?" Chelsea asked through sobs.
"No sa-"
"The wedding must go on," Adnan cut off Monica's words.
Everyone there simultaneously looked at Adnan, especially Chelsea, who looked confused by Adnan's answer. Chelsea wiped her tears roughly; her heart was in turmoil.
"What does that mean? Jack didn't contact us, and that means our wedding is canceled, right?"
"We don't want to bear the shame of canceling this important event when so many guests have come," Adnan replied with a serious look.
"What do you mean, Adnan? Who will replace Jack?" Jonathan, who had been silent, began to speak up.
Ceklek...
Someone entered the room at the same time as Jonathan's question, and at that moment, Adnan pointed at the person. "Ace will replace Jack," he said firmly.
Ace, who had just entered, smiled faintly at Chelsea, a look that was hard to interpret.
"You?" Of course Chelsea was surprised; how could she not be? That man was the crazy man she met a few days ago. Chelsea couldn't imagine what her fate would be if she married that man.
"Introducing my name, Ace, CEO of the Blue Group company," Ace said with a flat face, but his gaze could not escape Chelsea. His lips smiled slightly, a horrible smile that could give Chelsea goosebumps when she saw it.
Chelsea walked up to her father, then said, "Dad! What's the point of all this? Why does it have to be him? How did you meet this madman?" Chelsea refused while looking away.
"It's for the sake of our good name; if this marriage is canceled, we will also bear the shame!" Adnan threatened.
Jonathan was silent. He looked at Chelsea with a sad look. Jonathan knew that Jack was rumored to be missing; however, they knew that Ace was an important and established man. So maybe Adnan's decision was for the best.
"If that's your decision, I can't refuse. It's my family's fault that Jack suddenly disappeared. I apologize." This time Jonathan opened his voice, a look of regret and shame on his face.
Meanwhile, Ace was still silent. He looked at Chelsea, who was crying. Ace couldn't bear to see her, but after all, Chelsea would never be able to escape from Ace. Not knowing what Ace had done, Chelsea's parents asked him to replace Jack and marry Chelsea.
"What does this mean? I don't want to! I want Jack!" Chelsea shouted as she stood up straight. She shot Ace a disapproving look and then said back, "I don't even know this crazy guy; how could you ask him to marry me?"
"This is my decision, Chelsea. You must obey my orders," Adnan said firmly, his eyes glazed over. Could Adnan be hiding something?
"Mom, I don't want to marry him." Chelsea turned to Monica, hoping that the woman could help her, but it was all useless.
There was a sudden silence; both families were discussing the decision to be made. While Chelsea was still trying to contact Jack, there was no answer at all.
"I don't want to marry Ace, Dad; I want Jack! Should we postpone the wedding until Jack comes back?" Chelsea was still trying to convince her parents to reject the decision.
Adnan, the head of household in Chelsea's family, was thinking. Adnan and Jonathan were quite famous businessmen, so it was only natural that they didn't want to be embarrassed and didn't want their names to be tainted because their children were canceled.
"Chelsea will marry Ace," Adnan said, making up his mind.
"Dad!" That made Chelsea cry again at her father's decision.
"Why didn't you refuse? What have you planned?" Chelsea approached Ace; she pulled Ace's hand several times. Of course Chelsea was suspicious of the man; since the first time they met, Ace was very strange in Chelsea's eyes.
Ace was still silent, he looked at Chelsea, then stepped closer to the woman. Ace brought her face close to Chelsea's ear and then whispered, "I told you, you can't get away from me, baby. You are my partner."
"You're..."
"What are you waiting for? We're getting married now, right? Before I change my mind and cancel everything," Ace cut Chelsea off. Ace's smile looked horrible, and Adnan and Jonathan's faces also looked glum. What was really going on?
"What about Jack?" Della asked with tears in her eyes.
"Never mind; Jack has already disgraced our family by not coming on his wedding day. What's the point of thinking about him?" an emotional Jonathan said, then he said again, "You guys just go ahead with the wedding."
"Of course." Ace replied briefly, then chose to leave the room. Before Ace actually left, he smiled faintly behind them all.