Chapter 215: Who’s That?

Chapter 215: Chapter 215: Who’s That?

The Grand Hall of the Pavilion was styled in understated opulence. Ivory floral arrangements traced the high marble columns, and crystal chandeliers threw warm, amber light over the polished floor. Guests dressed in tailored tuxedos and designer gowns filled the rows of seating, creating a sea of deep tones, champagne glasses, and quiet wealth.

Near the front of the sanctuary stage, Alex stood in an immaculate tailored black tuxedo with satin peak lapels and a crisp white silk pocket square. He looked every bit the poised heir to the Livingston Group, his hair neatly slicked back as he adjusted his cufflinks. Beside him, Anna Brodick looked stunning in a fitted mermaid-cut gown of ivory silk, complete with an intricate lace veil that trailed gracefully behind her on the steps.

Further down near the front row, Arthur Livingston stood chatting with a small cluster of middle-aged men in dark suits, a glass of scotch in hand.

"Arthur, you must be a proud man today," a director from the Commerce Bank said, tapping Arthur on the shoulder. "The Livingston Group securing those northern corridor routes, and now this merger with the Brodick family? You’ve set Alex up for the next thirty years."

"He worked hard for it, Jonathan," Arthur replied with a satisfied smile, swirling his glass. "The boy knows how to close a deal."

A few feet away, another high-society couple congratulated Anna’s parents, raising their glasses in a toast. To anyone watching, it looked like the ideal pairing of power and privilege—a seamless union of two established lines taking their rightful place at the top of the capital.

Further back near the entrance, whispers began to ripple through the seating area as late arrivals took their places.

"Look towards the back left aisle," a corporate consultant whispered, nudging his colleague. "Isn’t that Jake Rivers?"

"Where?" The colleague leaned back, squinting through the ambient light. "No way. The guy usually avoids public galas like the plague. I tried getting an interview with him at the financial expo last month and couldn’t even get past his assistant. And there was still his bodyguard to go through."

Seeing Jake standing near the entrance—completely relaxed in a tailored charcoal tuxedo with Catharine on his arm—carried an unexpected weight in the room.

"The Livingstons must have serious pull in the capital for Rivers to show up personally," another guest murmured softly to her husband. "You don’t just get the owner of Golden Investments to attend a private reception unless the connections run deep."

As Jake and Catharine made their way down the side aisle toward the row set aside for former university classmates, a voice called out over the quiet background music.

"Jake? Catharine? Is that actually you guys?"

Mark and Daniel—two of their former classmates who had gone into wealth management after graduation—turned around in their seats, their faces lighting up with genuine surprise. Mark immediately stood up, stepping into the aisle to slap Jake on the shoulder before shaking his hand warmly.

"Man, look at you!" Mark laughed, shaking his head. "We saw your name on the guest list, but Marcus swore up and down you wouldn’t actually show."

"I had fifty bucks on it," Daniel admitted with a wide grin, leaning over the back of his chair to shake Jake’s hand as well. "Good to see you, man. And Catharine—wow. You look incredible."

"Thanks, Daniel," Catharine said with a warm laugh, smoothing down her emerald gown as she took her seat beside Jake. "It’s been way too long. How have you guys been?"

"Surviving the corporate grind," Mark sighed, though he was still smiling. "Honestly, everyone from our year has been tracking what you’ve been doing with Golden Investments, Jake. It’s crazy. You’re practically running half the news headlines in the financial sector now."

"We just keep our heads down and work," Jake replied smoothly, settling into his seat with an unbothered posture.

Two female classmates sitting in the row right ahead turned around, resting their elbows on the backrests to join in.

"Forget the finance talk for two minutes, Mark," one of them teased, before looking over at Catharine with an appreciative smirk. "Cath, seriously, you look stunning. But honestly? You totally lucked out grabbing Jake before the rest of the capital caught on."

Catharine laughed, squeezing Jake’s arm affectionately. "I’ll make sure to remind him of that every day."

"Right?" the other classmate chimed in, leaning forward. "Out of everyone in our graduating class, I never thought Alex would be the first one to get hitched. Remember him back in senior year? He kept saying he wouldn’t even think about settling down until he hit thirty-five."

"People change when state contracts are on the line," Daniel joked under his breath, drawing a brief laugh from the group.

"Honestly, though," Mark added, turning back to Jake with a grin. "Even with Jake having that terrible reputation in college for being totally terrified of talking to girls, I still thought he had a higher chance of getting married before Alex."

The row burst into light laughter. Catharine covered her mouth, trying to hold back a chuckle while looking up at Jake.

"Hey, hold on," Jake said, raising a hand in mild defense, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I was not terrified of girls. I was busy studying."

"Jake, you literally walked into a door frame once because a girl asked you for a spare pencil in the library," Mark shot back without missing a beat. "Don’t try to rewrite history now."

"That was a slippery floor," Jake said, but his defense was completely drowned out by another wave of laughs from the group.

As the laughter settled, Mark looked over toward the stage where Alex was adjusting his jacket once more, then looked back at Jake, his tone becoming a bit more curious.

"We were actually a little surprised when we didn’t see you up there on the stage with him, Jake," Mark said quietly. "I mean, back at university, you two were practically joined at the hip. Everyone thought if Alex ever got married, you’d be standing right next to him as the best man."

The atmosphere at the table shifted subtly, though Jake didn’t let a single flicker of tension show on his face. His posture remained easygoing, his voice perfectly relaxed.

"Things moved a little too fast with the wedding planning," Jake said casually. "Between my schedule at Golden Investments and his schedule, our timing was just clashing over the last few weeks. We figured it was simpler for me to just come as a regular guest."

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense," Mark nodded, completely buying the explanation. "When you’re running companies at that level, calendar conflicts are a nightmare."

"Places, everyone," a usher murmured politely from the aisle, gesturing for guests to take their seats as the grand doors at the back began to close.

The organ music shifted, rising into a slow, formal tempo that filled the high ceilings of the hall. The chatter died down as guests turned their attention toward the front stage.

The pastor stepped up to the wooden podium, clearing his throat before looking out over the crowd. His voice echoed cleanly through the sanctuary as he began the traditional wedding ceremony, speaking on the responsibilities of family, legacy, and partnership.

Alex stood with his chest out, a faint, confident smile resting on his face. Every few moments, his eyes swept casually across the seated audience, drifting over the rows of executives until his gaze landed squarely on Jake. He held the look for a beat longer than necessary, making sure his former friend saw him standing at the peak of his success.

In the second row of the alumni section, Catharine sat close to Jake. Her hand was wrapped loosely around his, her thumb gently tracing the back of his knuckles as she watched the stage. But as the pastor continued speaking, she felt a slight change in the rhythm of Jake’s breathing beside her.

Jake wasn’t rigid, nor did he look angry. His face was entirely calm, but his eyes had gone flat and cold—a quiet, absolute stillness that detached him completely from the festive mood in the room.

Jake tilted his head down slightly, his voice dropping into a murmur so low it barely carried past the rustle of Catharine’s dress.

"If I destroyed everything Alex was trying to build," Jake said softly, keeping his eyes locked on the altar, "would you blame me?"

Catharine’s hand stilled. She turned her head slightly, looking up at his sharp profile in the dim light of the hall. The question caught her off guard—not because of the words themselves, but because of the deep, uncompromising edge behind them. She knew Jake, and she knew how fiercely protective he was over his family. Seeing Alex standing up there in a tailored tuxedo, accepting praise and smiling like a pillar of society after what he had put Aliya through, was a sight Jake was never going to let pass.

Catharine looked back up at the stage. She thought about Aliya sitting alone back at the penthouse, brushing off years of hidden trauma with a forced smile just so they could enjoy their night out.

The slight hesitation in Catharine’s eyes completely vanished.

She leaned in closer to Jake, her fingers tightening firmly around his hand, grounding him with absolute support.

"If something happens to him," Catharine whispered back, her voice clear and unwavering, "then he had it coming."

Jake’s lips twitched into a faint, dry smile. He didn’t say another word, simply squeezing her hand back once as he turned his attention back to the front.

The ceremony reached its final movement. The organ music dropped into a soft, steady backdrop, and a natural silence settled over the room as the pastor closed his leather-bound Bible and looked out across the gathered guests.

"We are gathered here today in the presence of this company to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony," the pastor announced, his voice carrying authoritatively across the hall. "If anyone here present can show just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let them speak now, or else hereafter forever hold their peace."

A comfortable stillness filled the room. Guests began to shift in their seats, preparing for the exchange of vows and the upcoming applause. Alex took a quiet breath, adjusting his lapel one last time as he prepared to turn toward Anna.

Then, from the heavy double doors at the very back of the Grand Hall, a voice cut through the air.

"I object!"

The words struck the high marble walls like a crack of thunder.

Gasps instantly erupted from the rows. Heads snapped around in absolute shock, with senior ministers, bank directors, and corporate titans turning in their seats to look toward the rear entrance. On the stage, Alex’s confident posture shattered in a single second. The color drained entirely from his face, his hands freezing at his sides as his jaw locked tight.

At the back of the room, framed against the bright lights of the foyer, a figure stepped firmly into the center aisle.

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