CHAPTER 260: CHAPTER 260: NEARLY DESTINED

"I do." These three words came out of Shawn Rhodes’ mouth, but from his expression, you couldn’t see any of the emotions those words were supposed to convey.

The woman in the audience was sobbing uncontrollably, silently leaving the scene. Shawn’s gaze followed her worriedly, yet he had no choice but to carry on with the wedding.

The two exchanged rings. Susan Wilde remained calm from start to finish, showing little emotion in her eyes, while Shawn appeared somewhat impatient, as if eager to end the ceremony and comfort the woman he truly loved.

"Now the groom may kiss the bride."

Susan seemed to have just gathered her scattered thoughts, slightly tilting her head to look at the man she was marrying upon first meeting, feeling a bit resistant to the idea of a kiss.

Likewise, Shawn was not particularly willing.

But he couldn’t let anyone see any clues, to avoid affecting the interests of the collaboration between the two families in the future.

Shawn frowned, only lightly touching Susan’s forehead with his lips.

When Susan felt that it was only a forehead kiss, she instantly let out a breath of relief.

After the ceremony, the stylist directed them to go upstairs and change clothes.

Taking this opportunity, Shawn left alone.

Susan returned to the dressing room, sat in front of the mirror, and removed her veil and jewelry.

Hearing some movement by the door, Susan thought the stylist was bringing clothes in, but was surprised to see a familiar face in the mirror.

"Shannon?"

Shannon Quinn closed the dressing room door and walked to Susan’s side: "You didn’t even tell me about something as major as getting married?"

Susan forced a smile and said, "It’s nothing to be happy about, so I didn’t plan on having you all worry with me from the start."

"What’s going on? Why so sudden?"

Susan explained the whole situation to Shannon, and Shannon understood her predicament, having been through a similar situation herself.

"Are you and Shawn on good terms?"

Susan’s smile held a hint of self-mockery and bitterness: "Today was our first meeting. I just saw a girl in the audience earlier, probably someone he likes."

Shannon had been thinking that if Shawn was a decent person, perhaps Susan’s days would be better, but upon hearing that he had someone he loved, it was clear this marriage would be far from serene.

"Take it one step at a time. It’s a good thing he likes someone. At worst, you both can just act publicly but live separately privately, each staying at peace."

Shannon sighed and said, "Don’t keep things bottled up by yourself in the future, okay?"

"Okay."

Shannon helped her change out of her clothes, tidied her hair, and matched her jewelry to the outfit, not hoping for much happiness in the future, just hoping Shawn wouldn’t bully her.

Susan returned to the venue, but the groom was nowhere in sight.

Shawn’s parents used the excuse of him just returning from abroad and needing to adjust to the time difference to cover up his absence.

Most of the attendees were relatives of the Rhodes Family, and Shawn’s mom pulled Susan along, introducing her to the relatives present.

"This is your Uncle, this is your Second Uncle, this is your Second Aunt, and this is your Big Uncle..."

Although the Rhodes Family had a significant reputation, at most, their relatives basked in their glory. However, in terms of prestige and status, Simon Rhodes held the reins, being high above.

Even their own relatives wanted to curry favor with Simon.

Before long, Shawn’s mom led Susan to Shannon Quinn’s side.

After Landon Sutton returned, although his identity wasn’t made public, everyone inside the Rhodes Family knew he was Vincent Rhodes.

The merger of The Rhodes Group and the Sutton Corporation naturally became a family affair, which was probably one of the reasons Shawn’s parents were so eager to arrange this marriage.

Once Landon’s identity was revealed, their own company could leverage the names of The Rhodes Group and the Sutton Corporation to secure many collaboration projects, further strengthening the family by joining forces with the Wilde Family, ensuring profits without loss.

Shawn’s mom stood in front of Landon Sutton, smiling as she introduced Susan, "This is your Third Uncle, and beside him is your future Third Aunt."

Susan just smiled at Shannon and followed suit, "Hello, Third Uncle, hello, Third Aunt."

Having this friend at her wedding made Susan feel a bit more reassured.

Shannon felt awkward with the title, suddenly finding herself as an elder to her close friend, a feeling that was odd yet somewhat comical.

Landon Sutton was sitting next to Simon Rhodes. After introducing Landon, Shawn’s mom promptly introduced Simon, "This is your Second Uncle; he’s the leader of the Rhodes Family, as you’ve probably heard before."

Susan seemed to have forgotten her previous interactions with Simon, only giving a formal greeting, "Hello, Second Uncle."

Simon found it hard to smile, feeling absent-minded throughout the entire wedding.

Hearing her call him Second Uncle brought about strange feelings inside him.

Moreover, her demeanor suggested she didn’t remember their past acquaintance.

The meaning behind the entire marriage was clear in Simon’s heart.

He even thought that if he had proposed to marry her, her family would probably have pressured her to marry him without a second thought.

But he knew she had a boyfriend, and they were deeply in love, so he never thought to disturb her.

Yet unexpectedly, she still ended up on this path.

He even felt a sense of guilt within, believing that had he kept tabs on her situation over these years, he might have been able to take her away upon hearing the news.

But he only learned about it all at her wedding venue...

Feeling a bit unwilling inside.

After Susan walked away, Shannon asked Landon, "What kind of person is Shawn?"

Landon couldn’t stand her inquiring about another man and gave her a cold stare.

Shannon then explained, "The bride is my good friend; I’m inquiring for her."

"Mind your own business!"

Shannon pouted, inadvertently saying to Simon Rhodes, "By the way, Mr. Rhodes, I was thinking of introducing Susan to you before, but Landon said you had a matchmaker and told me not to meddle; I didn’t expect she’d get married so soon."

Hearing this, Simon felt as if struck by lightning, feeling like he and Susan seemed to always miss just a bit of fate.

If Shannon really had suggested such a thing, perhaps everything would have been different.

Simon paused, asking Shannon, "I remember she used to have a boyfriend? Was her family forcing her to marry Shawn?"

Mentioning Susan’s boyfriend made Shannon sigh, "They broke up a long time ago. Her boyfriend was using her from the start; once his company stabilized, he dumped Susan and is now married to another woman."