Destined Marriage with Uncle Kayden

"Ben, please, do not marry that silly girl. My heart will break…"

"Dear, the only way I can protect you is to marry that stupid Lillian."Benjamin's voice made Lillian Wilson stop in her tracks. She could feel her ears ringing from the shock, but instead of running away, she peeked through the door to confirm what she was thinking.

And she was right.

Benjamin Holmes, her groom, was standing so close to another man. Her knees weakened as she could feel herself retching from the sight.

She was in love with Benjamin for three years but never did it occur to her that he was not a straight man. All of her dreams shattered as she watched Benjamin hold the man tightly in his chest.

It disgusted her. How could Benjamin do this? Right actually before their wedding! If he had admitted the truth to her earlier, and she would willingly step away!

She shook her head as she took a step back, and small tears started to stream down her face, which she immediately wiped away.

However, a soft gasp escaped from her lips. The two men inside turned their heads, and their faces were etched with fear and surprise upon seeing the woman in a white wedding dress at the door.

"Lily…" Benjamin uttered. "Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here."

Lillian's glance went to the man beside Benjamin. His face showed sadness and anger towards her. She shook her head and took a step back again, still could not fully process what she had just found out, but before she could run away, she stepped on her gown and stumbled.

"Lily!" Benjamin grabbed her before her face could meet the floor. Benjamin even put his hands on her shoulders and helped her stand straight again.

"I'm sorry," he added.

"Sorry?" Lillian whispered, struggling with what words to say first. She laughed without humor as she looked at Benjamin again. "That's all you could say? What if I haven't seen you two? What will happen to me, Benjamin, huh? We'll continue the wedding, and I, the silly girl, would be a cover for you for this man's relationship?"

Benjamin remained silent, but after a few minutes, he clenched his jaw. "Don't worry; I'll announce that we won't go through with the wedding."

"My family will compensate you and your family, too," he added quickly before Lily could speak another bout of hateful words. Benjamin glanced at the man beside him and whispered, "Let's go."

The two of them walked away, their hands holding one another.

"You're disgusting," Lily roared, ensuring that Ben would hear. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, trying not to let her tears fall.

She didn't imagine being rejected on her wedding day. She loved Benjamin for years; how could she not notice that…

How…

Lily sighed but immediately covered her mouth when she felt her stomach roll, wanting to vomit the disgust she had been feeling.

Meanwhile, Benjamin came to the banquet hall and picked up a microphone. He walked to the stage confidently despite the hundreds of guests' evident confusion.

When he reached the front, he spoke in a deep voice, "I would like to announce that my wedding with Ms. Lillian will be canceled. We apologize for the trouble. All of your travel fees will be covered, and everyone will get extra payment. We'll explain it to the media sooner or later."

"Wait!" Before everyone could come back to their senses from the shock of the groom's words, the bride Lillian suddenly went to the stage, grabbed the microphone from Benjamin, covered the scarlet in her eyes, and smiled gratefully at everyone.

"Lily!" Benjamin frowned and raised his hand to grab the microphone in Lillian's hand, but she was too quick to push it out of his reach.

Lily could notice the tension on Benjamin's face.

She smiled at him and heaved a heavy breath, trying to hold back the emerging tears from her eyes.

Then, she asked the guests, "Is there anyone here willing to marry me? I will marry you right here, as long as you're a straight man."

The guests broke into a sea of murmurs as they watched Benjamin leave in embarrassing and Lily waiting at the stage for someone to marry her.

"What happened? Has the groom broken the engagement?"

"It seems so! The bride is seeking a groom on-site. It's too impulsive!"

"She's so rash! Is she in her right mind? What if some poor old man asked her for marriage? She would marry him, then? As long as the man is not gay? Wait, is that means... OMG!"

Lillian's eyes traveled around the room. There was a lot of discussion among guests, but no one stood up to take her offer.

Suddenly, a low, steady, heavy, and magnetic voice came from the banquet hall door.

"I'd marry you."

***

Lilian's eyes found the man who spoke.

He was sitting in a wheelchair; his well-fit suit made him stand out among the guests. Lily also noticed his sharp features were extraordinary; his handsomeness differed from the usual men she saw.

The man smiled at her as his wheelchair moved forward slowly along the carpet. Everyone buzzing like bees a while ago fell silent; their eyes moved together with the man's movement.

"Who is he?" a lady whispered to her friend.

"He looked so handsome. Is he a friend of the bride or the groom?"

The woman giggled. "It looks like he's rich, as well. Look at his watch and clothes. Too bad he's disabled."

The wheelchair stopped a few steps away from Lilian. The man raised his head to look at her with sincerity.

"I'd like to marry you," he said with a faint smile. "Do you want to check first if I'm straight or not?

Lilian's mouth parted as she stared at the man in front of her. For a moment, Benjamin's betrayal seemed to vanish, replaced by panic and confusion.

The man grinned wider, his eyes filled with amusement. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you regret seeking out a husband impulsively? Or are you thinking about how to check if I'm straight or not?"

"W-what are you...." Lilian stammered uncontrollably; she couldn't even continue her sentence. She didn't regret announcing something so rash in front of their guests, but she didn't expect that someone would be willing to marry her now.

It was just for show, so people would not take pity on her!

"I'm asking you, do you regret it?"

Seeing that Lilian would not talk, the man spoke to introduce himself with seriousness in his voice, "My name is Kayden Brown. I'm also from JC City, unmarried and heterosexual."

The man smirked upon seeing Lilian stare at him, unmoving as if the woman froze in her spot. It looked like she was not interested in marrying on the spot. Still, he was curious about where her impulsiveness would take her, so he spoke again.

"Miss Lilian, can I ask what the things you're looking for in a husband are? Maybe I could check and see if I meet your requirements?"

Before Lilian could answer, suddenly, a female voice came from behind the crowd. The sound was firm and eager.

"Kayden, what the hell are you doing? Don't cause trouble here!"

The crowd turned and checked; they all focused on the lady who came in a hurry. It was Benjamin's mother, Molly Brown, the wife of the chairman of Holmes Group. Lilian's gaze traveled back and forth between Molly and Kayden.

Kayden frowned slightly, his head turning to address Molly. "I'm not causing trouble, Molly. Stay out of this. After all, Lily announced she wanted a groom now."

"No! Benjamin's cancellation of the wedding hasn't been clarified yet. It's okay that you don't help in the family, but why are you making this even more complicated? You're Benjamin's uncle, have some respect!" Molly sternly refused.

There was a commotion in the crowd as a result of her statements. The guests' gasps echoed around the hall as they realized the man was the supposed groom's uncle. They couldn't believe what was happening, but most of the guests thought that the drama was so much better than the wedding.

Molly looked around, her smile sheepish and forced. "My brother must be exasperated from his travels. He just got off the plane, so his lack of sleep made him do such things," she reasoned before turning back to Kayden. "Come on, Kayden. Let's go home."

Molly never thought that her most-awaited day would perish in an instant. She was ushering some guests into the VIP room before she heard that Benjamin had canceled the wedding, and on top of it all, her brother was causing all kinds of shame to their family name.

They have been disgraced too much for a single day.

However, the shame didn't end. It advanced as Lilian stepped down the stage and squatted in front of Kayden's wheelchair. Her eyes were burning through the man's skull as she stared at him with a calculating gaze.

Then, she spoke in the microphone with a challenging voice, "A gentleman's words are to be taken seriously, right? Let's start the wedding now."

Lily initially hesitated, but when she heard that Kayden was Benjamin's uncle, only two words popped into her mind: marry him!

Benjamin had hurt her badly today. Since Kayden was willing to finish what his nephew had started, Lily thought that it would be better if he addressed her as his uncle's wife.