Chapter 0034
I stared at the reminder on my phone. How could I have forgotten such an important thing as my best friend’s birthday? Amanda must have been furious with me.
Was that the reason David had suck off to see her in the original timeline? Did he feel the need to cheer her up and show her that her birthday hadn’t been forgotten?
It didn’t excuse what they had done–they shouldn’t have been having an affair in the first place–but it did help me understand why they had acted the way they had and why they were most likely going to repeat those actions.
It also gave me an idea of how I could make sure to expose them. All I had to do was buy myself a little time. I needed to make sure somehow that the wedding, wouldn’t be official until the next day.
When we returned to the house, I hurried to my father’s study, where I knew he would be hard at work.
“Hello, darling,” he said brightly. “How did the wedding planning go?”
“It went well,” I replied, sitting in the seat across from him “We chose some very pretty flowers. David talked me out of roses, but I think the ones we got are just as nice.”
“Oh,” he said, surprised. “But aren’t roses your favorite flowers?”
“They are,” I confirmed. “But we decided to go with peonies and orchids instead to save a little bit of money. Plus, they’re more unique. Like Amanda pointed out, they fit my personality a little better.”
“As long as you’re happy with them,” he replied.
“I am. But actually, I had another question for you.”
“And what is that?” he asked, setting aside the paperwork he was doing and giving me his full attention.
“There’s so much to do with the wedding, I just don’t know how we’re going to have time for everything. So I wanted to ask your opinion about postponing the official marking ceremony until the next day. I know it may not be the most traditional way, but with such a large reception, I want to make sure all the guests can have a good time without feeling rushed.”
“That makes sense,” he said thoughtfully. “Is there any other reason you want to move it?”
“Honestly,” I said, smiling awkwardly, “I had hoped the marking ceremony might be a little more private, with only our immediate families there. So I thought we could hold it at another location after all the guests have left.”
My father smiled affectionately and reached across the table to gently pat my hand.
“It’s not that unusual,” he informed me. “Many brides feel similarly shy about the marking ceremony. It won’t be a problem for us to move it to the next day.”
“That’s such a relief,” I said happily.
“Just remember, it means your wedding won’t be official until the next day after the ceremony. Are you all right with that?”
I nodded. “I’m just happy it will give me more time. I don’t want everything to feel so rushed that I don’t even get to enjoy it.”
“You know, it gives you a little extra time to think things through,” he pointed out.
I sighed dramatically at his words. My father had become very hesitant about the wedding after his interaction. with David concerning the failed kidnapping. I didn’t think he suspected David; rather, he was upset that David
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Chapter 0034
had failed to act to protect me.
My father was very doting and loving, and he wanted to make sure the man I ended up with would continue to dote on me as well. David’s failure to protect me had caused my father to lose a lot of respect for him.
“Do you mean that I’ll have more time to change my mind? I asked.
My father nodded. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“That won’t happen,” I told him, trying to sound confident. “I only want to make this change to ensure we can enjoy everything and not feel rushed. I won’t change my mind about marrying David.”
“You’ve changed your mind a few times already,” he pointed out in a teasing tone.
“I was only nervous before,” I explained. “I won’t change my mind again. After all, David is my childhood sweetheart. Who else would I marry?”
My father looked down at his paperwork, then back up at me with a forced smile. “Whatever makes you happy.”
he said.
I felt bad for stressing him out over this, and I wished I could tell him every detail of my plan and confirm that he was right about David. But I couldn’t. This was a problem I had to deal with on my own.
I said goodbye to him and made my way up to my room. As closed the door behind me, I realized I was wrong–I wasn’t doing this completely on my own. I had Alexander’s help.
I pulled out my phone and sent him a message. A moment later, my phone began to ring with a video call.
A little thrill of excitement went through me as Alexander’s nickname, “My Fiancé,” popped up on the screen. Part of me thought I should change the name, but I decided against it. It would look bad if anyone noticed his real name on my caller ID.
He was calling me more often now. It seemed that he enjoyed our little conversations as much as I did at least, he always seemed amused, smiling a lot when we spoke.
There were very few people I felt I could trust anymore. After what happened in the original timeline, I always felt like I had to be looking over my shoulder.
But with Alexander, I didn’t feel that fear of betrayal. Our relationship was based on a deal that benefited us both, so there would be no reason for him to want to betray me, as long as I held up my part of the agreement.
At least, that’s what I told myself. Deep down, I knew something more was going on, but I didn’t trust my feelings anymore, not after being so badly hurt by those I had cared for the most.
I sat on the edge of the bed and accepted the call, holding the phone up so that Alexander could see my face clearly.
“How are the plans coming along?” he asked.
“As well as can be expected,” I replied. “I have an addition to the plan that I’ll need your help with.”
“Is that right?” he asked.
I could see he was in his office in the capital. He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head, and looked into the webcam with a slight smirk on his face.
“I feel like I’ve been the one doing most of the helping,” he pointed out.
“It’ll be worth it in the end, I promise,” I told him. “This time, we can’t fail to expose David and Amanda’s affair.”
“And you need my help making sure that happens,” he asked, raising his eyebrow questioningly
Chapter 0034
I smiled. “I need your help planning a surprise party,” I said. “It will be just the excuse that we need.”
“A surprise party?” he asked with obvious confusion. “For who?”
“Amanda, of course.”
