Mrs. Gladstone walked over and held her firmly, the opened garment box and jewelry case still rested on the bed.
"Don't be afraid," Mrs. Gladstone said softly as she held her daughter's trembling hands. "Your father and I already agreed. We will not let anyone force you into this marriage."
Isabella's eyes were still red. "But... what if he insists?" she asked in a shaky voice.
Mrs. Gladstone gently shook her head "We are your parents, we will protect you."
Hearing those words, Isabella finally felt a little calmer. She leaned against her mother quietly.
Just then—
Knock. Knock.
A hurried voice came from outside the room.
"Madam."
Mrs. Gladstone frowned. "Come in."
The housekeeper quickly walked inside, his expression was unusually tense; 'Madam... Master asked me to invite you downstairs immediately."
Mrs. Gladstone's heart skipped a beat. "What happened?", the housekeeper lowered his head respectfully. "Mr. Goodman has arrived."
The room instantly fell silent.
Isabella's face turned deathly pale. "So soon?" she whispered, the housekeeper continued carefully, "Not only Mr. Goodman; The Goodman family has also arrived."
Mrs. Gladstone's expression stiffened, she had heard that the Goodman family had not attended Kevin's previous engagements. Why had they come to her house. "They are already waiting in the reception hall," the housekeeper said.
Isabella instinctively grabbed her mother's arm "Mum...." Her voice was filled with panic.
Mrs. Gladstone gently squeezed her hand, trying to calm both her daughter and herself.
"Stay here," she said softly. "Do not change your clothes. Do not come downstairs unless I tell you to."
Isabella nodded repeatedly.
"I won't."
Mrs. Gladstone took one last look at the opened dress and jewelry before turning toward the door.
Her steps were calm, but her heart was pounding. As she walked downstairs, countless thoughts filled her min: why had Kevin arrived so early? Did he really intend to force Isabella to replace Loretta?
Or...
Had something happened at the hospital, the closer she got to the reception hall, the heavier her footsteps became.
Before she even reached the entrance to the living room, she could already feel the suffocating pressure in the air.
Mr. Gladstone was already standing inside with a forced smile on his face. Across from him sat Kevin Goodman, his expression was as cold as ever, the other members of the Goodman family were not present.
Kevin looked over when he heard footsteps, his gaze turned dark when he noticed that only Mrs. Gladstone had come downstairs.
"Where is she?" Kevin asked, his voice was cold, "Mr. Goodman it is not fair to exchange brides," Mrs. Gladstone said. "Loretta is still in the ICU, when she wakes up, would you still marry my Isabella or Loretta?" she asked.
"I don't care, I just need a bride," Kevin said "And the Gladstone family owes me one," he added.
Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone looked at each other, they were scared that if he insisted, Isabella might have to put on those clothes and be affected by the curse. Just thinking about Isabella dying made their hearts ache.
"What do you mean the Gladstone family owes you a bride? This marriage was because of the accident, the one who caused it pays for it. You can't just drag our other daughter into it," Mrs. Gladstone said. Although she was scared that she would anger Kevin, she remembered how frightened Isabella was waiting in the room.
Kevin raised his eyes and looked at her. Mrs. Gladstone felt her heart hang in her throat, she had no idea why his gaze made it feel like someone was pointing a gun at her.
She swallowed.
"Good," Kevin said after some time. "You mean the marriage with Loretta has nothing to do with your Gladstone family?" he asked.
"Yes," although scared to death, Mrs. Gladstone still nodded.
Just as Kevin was about to speak, the door opened.
"Mum, did you not say you would not allow my sister to marry that cursed man? What is going on now?" Benjamin, who had just opened the door, asked. His parents had said there was no way they would allow her to marry Kevin, yet Loretta was in the ICU, but the engagement party was going on like any other day.
When he saw this and his sister crying so hard, he had come to look for his mother, but before the housekeeper could warn him that there was someone else present, he had already walked in and said those words.
Benjamin froze when he saw Kevin. Yes, people called him cursed behind his back, but he seemed to be the first person to dare to say it to his face.
He wondered what would happen now. After all, this man was ruthless, he killed without using a knife.
Kevin only looked at him, he was unwilling to argue with a child. So he got up, while the Gladstone family of three felt all the blood leave their bodies.
"Remember what you said today," he said, and walked out of the room.
Kevin walked out of the living room without another glance at the Gladstone family.
The moment he left, the pressure in the room disappeared. Mrs. Gladstone finally let out the breath she had been holding, her back was already covered in cold sweat.
Mr. Gladstone's face was equally pale, neither of them knew what Kevin had meant by his final words.
"Remember what you said today."
Those words lingered in their minds like a warning. "Mum," Benjamin hurried over and caught his mother, who seemed weak-kneed.
Outside, the banquet garden was brightly lit, crystal chandeliers hung beneath the large white canopy, while elegant music played softly in the background.
The guests had already been waiting for a long time, the moment Kevin appeared, the noisy discussions gradually died down.
Everyone's eyes followed him, some looked toward the entrance behind him, expecting to see Loretta or anyone who could be his bride. After all it was an engagement party and the couple was supposed to walk in side by side, but no bride appeared.
Kevin walked calmly onto the stage, Andy stepped forward and handed him the microphone.
Kevin looked at the crowd for a brief moment before speaking "Good evening." His voice was calm, and it immediately drew the remaining attention to him.
"My fiancée is Loretta Gladstone." His voice remained calm and emotionless. Behind him, the large screen immediately lit up, a photograph of Loretta appeared.
It was the same engagement photo that had been released to the public during the engagement announcement.
A wave of murmurs instantly spread through the crowd.
"Isn't she still in the hospital?"
"I heard she's in the ICU."
"So the rumors were true?"
Kevin ignored the whispers.
"Our wedding will be held in one week. I hope everyone will attend." There was a brief pause before he added "Enjoy your evening." He handed the microphone back to Andy.
Without waiting for applause, Kevin stepped down from the stage and walked away, the entire announcement had lasted less than a minute.
For several seconds, the garden remained completely silent. Then the crowd exploded into discussion.
"Did I hear that correctly?"
"The wedding is still next week?"
"But isn't Miss Gladstone unconscious?"
"How can they plan a wedding when she's fighting for her life?"
A middle-aged man frowned. "Could she have already woken up?" His companion shook his head.
"I just spoke with someone inside and they said she is still unconscious. Besides, if she is awake, why is she not here? Or at least a video call to say hello?"
"So what is going on?" Another guest lowered her voice.
"The Goodman family is here, do you think we can find out from them?"
"You dare go and ask about the bride?" her friend asked.
Someone else whispered nervously, "I suspect they already know she won't survive, so they are trying to hold the wedding anyway to dispel the rumors."
The people around her immediately fell silent. A chill spread through the crowd, another guest quickly shook his head.
"Don't speculate such nonsense," someone disagreed.
"But think about it," the lady from earlier continued. "If the bride is still unconscious, why announce the wedding date instead of postponing it?"
No one could answer, even the reporters outside were confused. They had expected a cancellation or something more dramatic, like a replacement bride.
Instead, Kevin had publicly announced Loretta as his fiancée and confirmed the wedding date as though nothing had happened.
The more everyone thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Soon, new rumors began spreading through the banquet, "So the curse is real? That is why they don't dare change the bride anymore."
"So is Mr. Goodman going to marry a woman in a vegetative state?"
"This is a first, is he so desperate for a wife?"
"The curse is definitely real."
The discussions grew louder and louder. No one could understand Kevin Goodman's intentions and that uncertainty made the atmosphere even more unsettling for some.