Chapter 2084
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“Mr. Tanner, you flatter me!” Emmanuel had no intention of causing a scene
with Teddy here, nor did he plan on exposing Teddy’s past actions in front of
everyone. After all, that was a massive undertaking, with far–reaching
implications and severe consequences. It wasn’t something to handle rashly.
Nonetheless, he subtly pulled his hand away from the old fox, unwilling to let
himself get tainted by the contact.
*Haha, Mr. Lowe, so humble! Come, have a seat!” Teddy personally ushered
Emmanuel to a prominent spot.
Besides Yuna and Howard, quite a few people were aware of the situation
with the Quill family in Eldoria, even though no one had concrete proof tying
directly to Teddy. The scene before them struck many as odd–two men wh
should be bitter enemies acting as if they admired each other. If the fallen
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Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
Quill family members could see this, they’d be spinning in their graves.
After Emmanuel took his seat, many people approached, eager to pay
espects to the former Northern Region War God. However, Emmanuel wasn’t
here to make friends, and soon enough, the wedding ceremony was ready to
begin, prompting everyone to return to their seats.
Ashton, who had been quietly avoiding the spotlight and hadn’t even
glanced at Teddy, suddenly looked tense.
When Nathan appeared, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, her eyes
widened slightly. She couldn’t deny that the man looked incredibly charming
all dressed up. That mischievous smile of his–one that carried just the right
hint of danger–was undeniably alluring to most women.
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Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
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Applause rippled through the crowd, but Ashton stood out, looking like a block
of wood amidst the clapping.
athan glanced in Emmanuel’s direction, noticing Ashton beside him and
momentarily pausing. But he quickly redirected his gaze to the other guests,
not lingering on her at all.
Ashton’s fists clenched slightly. Emmanuel, however, saw nothing unusual
about it. Nathan wasn’t one to get hung up on any woman, so he found it
surprising when, moments later, he noticed Nathan staring at Yuna with an
uncharacteristically fixed gaze. Meanwhile, Yuna didn’t spare Nathan a single
glance.
Sigh… Emmanuel shook his head. His disciple had little talent for martial arts,
and it seemed his taste in women was somewhat misguided, too. Still, to
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Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
each their own–just because he wasn’t interested in Yuna didn’t mean other
men weren’t.
And now, let us welcome the bride!” the host’s booming voice brought
Nathan back to the present, and he turned to look down the red carpet.
Xylie was dressed in a white wedding gown, as radiant as a woodland fairy.
Even Nathan seemed momentarily captivated by her beauty, forgetting all
about Yuna.
The crowd’s eyes lit up as well. Many thought that Xylie was easily as
stunning as Yuna, and in her white gown, she even seemed to outshine her
cousin. The only flaw was the trace of sorrow on Xylie’s face, as though she
was far from happy.
Following closely behind her was Levi Lestrange, who whispered, “If you don’t
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Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
want anything to happen to your adoptive parents or your old friends, you’ll
be a good girl and complete this wedding without a fuss.”
ylie’s lips pressed into a thin line, her face full of resignation. After her recent
conversation with Emmanuel, she had made it clear to the Tanners upon
returning that she didn’t want to marry. However, her protest had done
nothing.
The Tanner family saw her as nothing more than a pawn, dangling wealth
and power as bait, convincing her that marrying into the Chapman family
was the dream of millions of women nationwide. They questioned what right
she had to reject such an honor. They’d used every tactic in the book to
manipulate her. And when persuasion failed, Levi finally resorted to threats.
While Xylie didn’t fear death, she was too kind–hearted to let others suffer
because of her choices.
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Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
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Nathan noticed Xylie’s expression, reading the reluctance clear on her face-
it seemed his beautiful bride wasn’t exactly thrilled to be marrying him.
Emmanuel could only shake his head; if this absurd charade wrapped up as
it was, it was bound to leave a lot of people bitter and would even harm the
broader prospects for the upcoming presidential election. So, he leaned over
and encouraged Ashton, “If you really like Nathan, then take a leap for your
happiness, just this once.”
His words struck a nerve with Ashton. Coming from anyone else, they might
not have had the same effect. But Emmanuel, someone she once had a
crush on, though she’d never confessed before ending up in the friend zone
as his “sister.” Now, after that snowy night when Nathan had taken a bullet for
her, her heart was inexplicably drawn to him. If she didn’t act now, could she
still call herself the brave Ashton she once was?
Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
As her mind reeled, the wedding ceremony began.
“Do you,
Xyliener,
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take Nathan Chapman to be your husband, to stand by
im through wealth and hardship, from now until forever?”
It was the standard script. No one expected any surprises; it was just a
formality. How could an alliance between two of the great families possibly
hit a snag? Yet, here was Xylie, biting her lip, glancing between Emmanuel
and Levi, and remaining silent. Even Ashton, who was still hesitating herself,
froze in shock.
“Ms. Xylie Tanner, do you take Mr. Nathan Chapman to be your husband, to
stand by him through wealth and hardship, from now until forever?” the
officiant repeated.
Xylie looked over at Emmanuel again and, under immense pressure, finally
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Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
clenched her teeth and blurted, “… I don’t know! Can’t you ask the groom
first?”
Uh… What?”
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The crowd immediately stirred, murmuring in surprise. Could she even say
that?
Levi’s face twitched, clearly enraged.
The officiant looked over to Teddy, uncertain how to proceed.
“Haha, young folks, especially young women, they’re always a bit shy. It’s only
natural for her to want to know how the groom feels first,” Teddy laughed,
presenting himself as a wise and understanding elder. Others joined in,
laughing along with him, and the tension in the room eased up a bit.
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84 Can’t You Ask the Groen Firar
But in the audience, Veronica looked tense. She knew there was no love
between the bride and groom, and Emmanuel had even encouraged Xylie
not to marry into the Chapman family. She was almost certain this wedding
as headed for trouble.
Originally, by asking the bride first–if there was any refusal–the responsibility
would fall on the Tanner family, not theirs. But now, with Xylie’s response,
everything depended on her brother’s answer.
“Mr. Nathan Chapman, do you take Ms. Xylie Tanner to be your wife, to stand
by her through wealth and hardship, from now until forever?” the officiant
asked, turning to Nathan.
“Well…” Nathan scratched his head, looking mildly frustrated, then gave a lazy
smile. “Everybody knows I’m not the type to turn down a beautiful woman
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Chapter 2084 Can’t You Ask the Groom First?
How could I break her heart in front of all these people?
At that, everyone expected Nathan to say yes. But just as he was about to
peak, a voice from the crowd rang out, loud and clear, “Nathan, I like you! Are
you going to turn me down and break my heart?”
The room fell silent. All eyes followed Nathan’s gaze as he turned, locking on
to Ashton, who stood resolutely in the crowd.
Emmanuel couldn’t help but give Ashton a discreet thumbs–up. This girl was
braver than he’d ever imagined.
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