The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

Elena and I were chatting in my room when Joey's voice rang from downstairs. "Katherine, come down to eat. I'm starving."
"Coming." I grabbed Elena's hand to pull her along.
But she gently shook me off. "You go ahead. I'll keep an eye on everything here. Come relieve me after you eat."
I was touched. "I'll hurry."
"Mm." She nodded.
I knew she was being cautious about Joey. If we stayed vigilant, Joey wouldn't get a chance to cause trouble.
Downstairs, Joey was already drumming her fingers on the dining table. "Took you long enough. Are you going to starve me? And here I was, coming all the way early just to help out. No gratitude at all."
I cut her off. "Why didn't you start without me?"
Joey glared. "You're the hostess. Eating before you'd be beyond rude. People would laugh at me."
I bit back a smile. "Right, right. My bad." For the first time, Joey struck me as almost endearing, despite her usual brattiness.
After stuffing herself, Joey launched into critiques—Nadia's cooking was bland, the nutritional balance was off, and so on.
Nadia listened patiently, and I endured. A headache brewed as I imagined years of this under one roof.
When Elena saw us coming upstairs together, she blinked in surprise before smiling, "I'll go eat now."
Before I could respond, Joey snapped, "Get out. What were you even doing up here all this time?" Then, she turned to me. "Katherine, find me a clean room. I'm going to take a nap."
"Right this way." I gestured grandly.
Joey seemed pleased by my exaggerated gesture, following me to a guest room. "Don't disturb me."
"Alright." I shut the door behind her and exhaled in relief.
Without Joey causing trouble, everything went smoothly until the wedding day.
I woke at 4 a.m. as hairstylists, manicurists, and makeup artists arrived. After a rushed breakfast and a shower, the intricate bridal makeup process began. By the time it was finally done, hours had already passed.
Joey, for once, behaved, preening in her bridesmaid dress without snide remarks.
Elena bustled about, coordinating last-minute details.
As the ceremony neared, Elena brought out my wedding gown.
But when I unfolded it, my stomach dropped. Right in the center front of the dress was a small hole, clearly burned by a cigarette. It wasn't big but obvious. "No!" My voice cracked.
Elena quickly examined it, her face turning red with anger. "It must've been Joey! I'll go find her and settle this right now." She spun toward the door.
I grabbed her arm. "No time. We need a fix now." My mind raced, panic rising.
"Got a needle and thread? Let me try to fix it," Elena said, already thinking of a solution.
I knew she had learned expert sewing skills from her grandmother. She could mend things almost invisibly, but this fabric was so delicate. I wasn't sure if she could salvage it. Still, we had no other choice.
There was no sewing kit in my room. I stepped out to ask Nadia, only to find Joey lurking outside the door.
"Uh? Ever heard of time management?" Joey sneered, eyeing me. "The wedding is in an hour. Why aren't you ready?"
"There's a minor delay. Give me thirty minutes," I said.
"What?" Joey fake-gasped, clutching her chest. "Katherine, Mason will get mad if you're late." Her grin was pure schadenfreude.
"Enough!" Elena snapped. "You ruined her dress, and now you're mocking her?"
I braced for a screaming match, but Joey just smirked. "Oh, you found it?"
I didn't speak, but Elena trembled with rage. "You... You..."
"Relax, it was just a joke." Joey rolled her eyes and flounced off to her guest room, returning with a box. "Here. Put this on before you ruin everything."
Elena stared. "What's this?"
"The real dress. I just borrowed it for a try-on. Humph, you're so dramatic." Joey sauntered away.
In the room, Elena stood frozen, still trying to process what had just happened. I felt a cold wave of understanding wash over me.
Elena didn't know the "ruined" wedding dress was just a sample. The real one had been taken by Joey, who had been eyeing it jealously for days.
"Leave me. I'll change," I said flatly.
"Mm." Elena nodded and went out.
I closed the door and slumped against it. The betrayal burned inside me. Mason had warned me about Elena, and I had argued with him. Less than a week later, reality proved that I was wrong.
Elena and I had been friends for over a decade. I thought I knew her, but clearly, I didn't.
She could open her heart to Madeline, someone from her world, yet she kept Katherine at arm's length.
I had naively assumed it was just a matter of time. Now I understood. Elena was jealous. Jealousy had twisted her into someone capable of sabotaging my wedding dress.
"Katherine, are you done yet?" Joey knocked.
I tilted my head back, refusing to let the tears fall. "Give me a minute." There was no time to dwell. No matter what, this wedding had to go smoothly.
Tradition demanded that the wedding ceremony conclude before noon. If Mason arrived and I wasn't ready... I didn't dare imagine the fallout.
I emerged in the wedding dress, my composure flawless.
"Wow, stunning." The room erupted in gasps. Their eyes locked on me in admiration, praising me from every angle.
Joey, of course, couldn't resist. "Humph, you're only slightly prettier than me."
If not for her meddling, I would still be panicking over the ruined dress. So whatever she said, I wasn't angry. Instead, I almost laughed. Just then, the sound of fireworks outside cut through the chatter.