Chapter 317
Barnard ran off before the wedding could even start. Calvin had vanished too. Davina was left alone up on the stage looking completely ridiculous. Meanwhile, Laura was practically suffocating under a sea of reporters.
She’d always been the kind of woman who hung back, hiding behind Calvin, used to letting him call the shots. Now, for the first time in her life, she had to face a disaster this big on her own. One crisis had barely started before the next popped up. Laura could barely keep up, let alone deal with Davina’s so-called relatives.
“Feast? What feast?” she snapped, getting more annoyed by the second. “There’s nothing happening here. Tell them to go home already p>
She shot Davina a sharp, frustrated glance. The girl hadn’t even made it into the Carter family yet and she’d already brought nothing but bad luck. Laura was absolutely fed up with her.
It didn’t take long for the reporters to sense that something was off. They pounced the moment they saw an opening.
“Laura, today was supposed to be your son’s wedding. Don’t you think it’s strange to keep the bride’s family outside?” one of them asked.
“The groom ran away and the bride’s family isn’t even allowed in. Is there some secret going on with this marriage?” another called out.
“Everyone says the previous Mrs. Carter was sharp and capable. Why would you give up a woman like that for someone so much older than Barnard p>
The questions just kept coming, each one sharper than the last, until Laura’s head was spinning. She had no answers. She scanned the crowd, desperate to spot Calvin, and kept glancing nervously at Davina, terrified she’d pull some new stunt to embarrass the family even more.
With the wedding in shambles and reporters crowding around Davina, Laura’s heart sunk. She had to stop this before things got even worse. Fighting her way through the crowd, she hurried toward Davina.
Davina was nothing like Camilla. There was no way Laura could rely on her to handle these reporters. Honestly, if Davina didn’t make things worse, Laura would count herself lucky.
By now, the reporters had surrounded both Laura and Davina, shoving microphones in their faces. When Laura finally pushed through, she heard one of them ask Davina, “Mrs. Carter, how do you feel about your husband running out on you on your wedding day p>
“I…I don’t know,” Davina said, her eyes red and watery. She still hadn’t processed what was happening, and with that one question, her tears started streaming down, smudging her heavy blush into messy streaks across her cheeks.
The reporters were delighted, snapping photo after photo as she cried.
“Can you tell us your story with Barnard?” one asked.
“You look a lot older than Barnard. Did you force him into this marriage?” someone else chimed in.
If it had just been about her feelings, maybe Davina could have handled it. But then a reporter, either sent by a rival or just intensely clueless, blurted out, “Mrs. Carter, is the Carter family really about to go bankrupt? Is that why you’re wearing such a cheap dress p>
Davina was already feeling sorry for herself. With her voice trembling, she said, “It’s not their fault. I bought the dress myself. It’s my wedding and they wanted me to rent a dress but I p>
“Davina!” Laura finally made it over, hearing just enough to realize Davina had zero self-control around reporters. Infuriated, Laura reached out and knocked the microphone right out of the reporter’s hand.
The thud of the microphone hitting the ground silenced the room for a second. Then the questions came back with even more speed, everyone talking at once.
Laura moved in front of Davina and gave her a look that clearly said, Keep your mouth closed. Plastering on a forced smile, she tried to handle things herself. “Thank you for your concern. The Carter family is doing perfectly fine. About the dress, that was just a miscommunication between me and Davina p>
Seeing Laura finally speak up, the reporters went all-in, bombarding her with questions and crowding around even tighter, boxing her and Davina in.
Just when it was getting completely out of control, Calvin suddenly appeared with a group of bodyguards. The security team managed to push back the reporters and give Laura and Davina some breathing room.
The chaos was finally calming down, but Laura didn’t even get the chance to ask Calvin what was going on. The waiter who’d been sent to talk to Davina’s family rushed in, looking terrified.
“Ma’am, I passed along your message, but the bride’s family says there’s no such thing as being kept out of their own daughter’s wedding. They’re trying to push their way in… the security can barely manage them p>
Before Calvin could do anything, a loud commotion erupted at the entrance. Moments later, Carmen and a whole crowd of people stormed into the hall, their voices echoing through the chaos.