Her Wedding, My Husband novel Chapter 5

I lay there on the marble steps, my Chanel blazer torn and stained, looking utterly defeated.

Nathan didn't even recognize me.

He approached with the casual arrogance of a Wall Street executive, barely glancing at my injuries before sneering.

"So you're the one who's been harassing Victoria?

"I'm Victoria's fiancé, and you should understand that messing with her is completely unacceptable.

"But since you've already learned your lesson, I'll let it slide this time.

"Today is my wedding day, and I won't tolerate any drama.

"You've got a few bruises. I'll have my lawyers draw up a settlement.

"We can handle this privately, right? That works for you?"

His words dripped with condescension, as if his attention alone was a gift I should treasure.

I responded with nothing but an icy scoff.

Nathan's expression darkened slightly.

"Something wrong? You seem unhappy."

He paused, then added, "Fine, since it's my wedding day, I'll be generous.

"Here's the deal. If you need anything, come to Global Prime.

"I'll make sure you're taken care of.

"That satisfy you?"

He looked down at me like I was gum stuck to his Ferragamo loafers.

Victoria, clearly annoyed, shot me a venomous look.

"You should be grateful! Don't bite the hand offering to feed you!

"Honestly, if we weren't old classmates, you wouldn't even get this kind of offer."

The other classmates jumped in, their envy obvious.

"Right? You think you're still the valedictorian? Mr. Bradley's willing to settle – talk about lucky!"

"Mr. Bradley is being so generous. Anyone else would've pressed charges!"

"Why are you still sprawled there? Get up and thank Mr. Bradley properly!"

"Maybe she's soaking up Mr. Bradley's attention. This might be the highlight of her sad life!"

The mere mention of Nathan's supposed generosity only fueled the resentment of my former classmates, who had always resented my success.

Their barely contained hostility now erupted into open rage, as if I'd stolen their chance at greatness.

As they continued their tirade, Nathan's patience visibly thinned.

He fixed me with a cold stare, tone sharp.

"Look, I've been extremely generous today, for Victoria's sake. Don't push it. Disrupt my wedding, and you'll regret it!"

Under his threat, I gritted my teeth through the pain and slowly stood.

I brushed my hair back and met Nathan's gaze directly.

"Nathan, you really think you're something special, don't you?"

My mind drifted to our first encounter, during a Manhattan thunderstorm.

I was driving down Park Avenue in a torrential downpour, visibility near zero.

Suddenly, Nathan appeared in my headlights, catching me completely off guard.

I slammed the brakes, but too late—I hit him.

Watching him fly through the air left me paralyzed with shock.

I jumped out, ready to rush him to NewYork-Presbyterian.

But he waved it off, slowly standing, and simply said, "I'm fine," before limping away into the rain.

As I watched him disappear into the storm, something stirred in my heart.

He was different from anyone I'd ever met.

Intrigued, I looked into his background and found he worked at my father's company.

My heart leaped with excitement.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify