CHAPTER 102: CHAPTER 102: A COUPLE THAT CAME FOR SOY SAUCE

"The groom may now kiss the bride..."

Adrian Desmond looked at Melanie Carpenter’s shy face and her full lips, but he gently kissed her forehead instead. The kiss was light, like a dragonfly brushing the water’s surface, and he moved away quickly.

There was thunderous applause from the audience, and some people began to heckle.

Below the stage, Adrian’s good friend Alvin Potter had also come from Olkgan, accompanied by Thalia Powell and their only son, Wiles Potter.

Thalia Powell, propping her chin on one hand, said, "The bride is truly fortunate."

"Perhaps. But marrying a man like Adrian Desmond... it’s hard to say whether it’s a blessing or a curse," Alvin interjected.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked.

Alvin didn’t elaborate, turning his head to see Thalia staring at him intently. "What?"

"You mean Adrian isn’t truly in love with her?"

"Thalia, some things are not for us to meddle in."

Thalia looked at the couple on stage. Melanie Carpenter’s eyebrows were tinged with a smile, and she seemed completely immersed in happiness. In contrast, Adrian Desmond was obviously not in good spirits; his furrowed brow hadn’t relaxed at all. If one didn’t know about Adrian’s wealth and methods, they might have thought he was being forced into this marriage.

"Your friend is interesting."

"This isn’t Olkgan. Don’t go looking for trouble." Alvin was afraid his wife would act on her impulse to right perceived wrongs.

"What are you worried about? I’m just talking; I haven’t done anything. The constitution guarantees freedom of speech. So, even if I were to anger someone to death, it would be their own failing," Thalia retorted sharply.

Alvin was speechless.

"Daddy, didn’t you say Uncle Desmond has a woman he loves, and that she’s pregnant? This bride isn’t the woman Uncle Desmond loves, is she?" the observant Wiles Potter asked.

Melanie Carpenter’s stomach was flat, not at all like someone four or five months pregnant. Wiles was very curious if this Uncle Desmond was the same one his father had spoken about.

In order to prevent her precious son from becoming a playboy when he grew up, Thalia took the opportunity to teach her son, "That pregnant Auntie Agatha is Adrian’s mistress, and the bride at today’s wedding is his wife. A man like Adrian, his behavior is called ’eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot.’ Do you know what happens to men like that?"

"What happens?" Wiles asked, eager to learn.

"They end up smashing the bowl and losing the pot, leaving them with nothing to eat."

Alvin pressed his forehead, completely exasperated with his wife, the divorce lawyer.

"Can you please spare me some embarrassment and say a little less?"

Adrian came over to offer a toast and happened to overhear Thalia’s words. He wasn’t offended and said provocatively, "This is Abyanabad. Here, men *can* eat from their bowl while eyeing the pot."

Thalia, dressed in a blue evening gown and holding a pearl handbag, saw Adrian. She took a business card from her bag, handed it to him, and introduced herself. "I am the president of Golden City Law Firm. Mr. Desmond, should you ever require a divorce, please contact me. I will represent the poor woman who married you free of charge."

"Thalia!" It was one thing not to offer blessings at someone’s wedding, but to curse them with divorce was going too far. Even though he and Adrian were good friends, his wife was being outrageous.

"Adrian, Madam is spoiled rotten by me, so don’t take her words to heart. She’s a divorce lawyer and usually deals with scumbags, so she doesn’t have a high opinion of most men," Alvin explained.

Everyone at this table was very close to Adrian.

Dan Taylor looked at the ordinary-looking Thalia Powell and found her increasingly unpalatable. He chimed in, "In Abyanabad, once a woman marries a man, she belongs to her Husband for life! That doesn’t change, not even in death."

"Mr. Desmond, do you believe that too?" Thalia rested her chin on her hand, her gaze challenging.

An image of Sienna Johnson flashed through Adrian’s mind. He drained his glass and, looking at Thalia, said, "Yes, I believe that too."

Thalia scoffed. "Men are truly self-righteous."

Adrian looked at Thalia, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "She can only ever belong to me, one man!"

"’She’? Which ’she’? The one on the stage just now, or the pregnant one at your home? I can’t be sure about the one on stage, but the one pregnant at your home ceased to belong to you the moment you married another woman."

Adrian was silent.

"You don’t believe me? How about a wager?"

"Fine, I’ll take that bet!" Adrian said, his expression serious. "If I win, I want... the exclusive distribution rights for all of Alvin’s products in Southeast Agaia."

This had escalated quickly. Alvin thought if he had known this would happen, he would never have brought Thalia. This wasn’t attending a wedding; it was more like crashing one to stir up trouble.

He should have known. When his wife insisted on attending the wedding after hearing the story of Adrian and Sienna Johnson, he’d sensed something was amiss.

"I say, can we perhaps not make this bet?" Alvin asked.

"No!" Adrian and Thalia replied in unison.

Someone at the table spoke up, "Alvin, your wife is utterly lawless. In an occasion like this, what right does a woman have to speak? You should take her home and discipline her properly, lest she cause some disaster out of ignorance."

Alvin was fiercely protective. "No matter how flawed Thalia may be, only I get to say so. She’s my wife; if I don’t dote on her, who will? If she genuinely stirs up any trouble, I’ll naturally be there to clean up her mess."

"Alvin, well said!" Thalia gave her husband a thumbs-up for his words.

Adrian shook his head and walked away.

However, Thalia’s earlier words gnawed at Adrian, making him increasingly uneasy. Sienna Johnson was precisely the kind of woman Thalia had described—one who couldn’t tolerate a single speck of grit in her eye. He hadn’t forgotten how vehemently Sienna had protested when she first learned he was going to marry Melanie Carpenter.

It was precisely because of her previous fierce opposition that her current quiet compliance made Adrian even more uneasy.

Adrian asked Walter Klein, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "Is she... doing alright at home?"

Walter Klein replied, "Mr. Lucas hasn’t called. Madam should be at home, behaving herself."

Too quiet!

Adrian’s intuition told him something was definitely wrong.

"Sixth Master, please don’t worry. If anything were amiss with Madam, Mr. Lucas would have called by now."

"You’re right," Adrian conceded.

"Go call and ask if she’s eaten properly today... No, never mind. I’ll call myself."

"Edward, help me look after the customers for a moment. I need to make a phone call." Adrian handed his wine glass to Dan Taylor and strode out.

"Hey, where are you going? You’re the groom! You need to come back quickly! The bride and groom have to toast the guests together later!" Dan Taylor called out.

Adrian didn’t respond and continued walking.

"What on earth is he doing?" Dan Taylor muttered, rubbing his head as he watched Adrian’s retreating figure disappear into the crowd.