The Unwanted Bride: Claimed by the Billionaire - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Lauretta’s pov
“What the hell?” I cursed, coming face-to-face with the culprit. The guests who occupied the tables next to us were starting to stare but I couldn’t care less. It was a huge disrespect for Cassie to be under the same roof as me tonight.
He was an elderly man, dressed in a well-tailored suit, he smelled and looked rich, and I almost gasped at the sight of his wristwatch. I saw that clearly when he placed the glass of champagne back on the table.
But I was confused. How did Cassie get to know these people?
“Donald?” I heard my mom utter in disbelief. I turned to face her and saw her staring with wide eyes.
“You know him, mama?”
“He is meant to be the father of the cripple?” My mom responded. That was meant to be a whisper but the whole table heard that.
Donald took slow steps towards the other side of the table, stood beside Cassie, then tucked a hand in his pocket. “Good to see you, Rhoda.”
My mom frowned at him. “What are you doing here? And what’s up with this outfit? You didn’t even look this elegant at your son’s wedding. I almost couldn’t recognize you.”
Okay, I was even more confused. “What do you mean, Mom?”
“He came to me for Cassie’s hand in marriage for his son. Well, I saw him for the first time at the registry in some oversized blazers and trousers. His hair wasn’t even looking well kept.” Mom said to me, then turned her attention to the people before us. Cassie was seated in between both men. The view was as though they were protecting her.
“It makes more sense now. Her father-in-law consents to her sleeping around for money. I mean, how else are they supposed to clear the debt?”
“No, I don’t think so.” Mom interrupted. “He didn’t seem like someone that would engage in such.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” I said in all honesty.
“She’s here flirting with another man. Are you okay with that?” Rhoda asked Donald. Nothing freaked me more than the relaxed look on Cassie’s face. She was staring as though Mom and I were making a fool of ourselves and her silence hurt me so much. She should be begging for mercy because we had all the right to throw her out.
“Do you have any problem with that?” Donald answered.
“Well, I would have said you’ve got no conscience because you bringing her here means no one is home to care for your crippled son. But what do I know? I don’t give two fucks as long as you do not return her and the debt has been covered. But just so you know, this girl is nothing but a disaster.” Rhoda warned.
Cassie chuckled. Mom and I glared at her respectively.
“Are you all done?” She smirked.
“Coming from a bimbo? For someone whose life is ruined by sleeping around with men, you should be ashamed of yourself.” I said to her,
“One more silly word from you and you both would be kicked out!” The dummy beside her said.
“You look classy! I expected you to be smart at least. You must be bewitched if you still want her after all you’ve heard.” I responded, ignoring the looks he was giving me.
“I’m in support of what he said. She’s not to be disrespected! Now apologize for almost spilling the drink on her.” Donald said.
“No, she won’t!” I was almost responding but my mom beat me to it.
“And how are you related to her?” He asked.
“I thought you said you had only one daughter, which is my daughter-in-law?”
“Of course she loves me. There’s no way she is going to give me up to a cripple.” I responded.
“Oh really?” Donald mumbled.
“Does that really matter? You wanted a wife for your son and you got the perfect one. My daughter is here…” Mom placed a hand on my shoulder, “Has a brighter future and no one is going to take that away from her.”
“If you all are that confident, then why do you feel so triggered by my presence?” Cassie voiced out.
“Don’t you dare speak when important people are having conversations! You don’t belong here and for that, you should be very ashamed of yourself.” My mom scolded.
“I’m sure your husband will be very thrilled to know you were here tonight, whoring around,” I added.
“Same reason why you both are here, isn’t it?” Cassie fired back.
Okay, I knew I complained that she looked pompous when she was quiet but at this point, I wished that she remained quiet.
“You are here to find a man for her to elevate the family? Not so?” This time around, She directed her statement to my mom.
“I dare you to say that to my face again. You ungrateful thing! I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance to.” My mother said with gritted teeth. If looks could kill, then I promise you that my step-sister would be long gone by now.
There was a decorative piece on the center of the table; a slim golden glass vase to be precise. It was seated in the middle of a metal frame. Rhoda pulled the glass out of the frame and was almost hitting Cassie when the man who sat by her jumped to his feet, stopping her.
“I swear, you and this thwart!” He gestured towards me. “Are going to spend the rest of your lives behind bars!”
I felt so much pain in my heart seeing Cassie smirk at us. I had no idea what she did to convince this asshole that she was a good person but she was definitely going to regret messing with my mom and me tonight.
“Let’s go, mama. We have something more important to handle. We will deal with her in our own way.” I whispered to Rhoda. She defeatedly put the glass back in the metal.
“This is not over!” She glared at Cassie before we took our leave.
The party was in full swing already. No one noticed our little encounter except for the people who occupied the table close to Cassie.
“I wished I had killed her after her miserable father passed away!” my mom mumbled as we took slow steps towards the dessert table.
“I wish so too, Mom. But I would love for us to erase her from our minds. We worked so hard to be here tonight. You especially. So I would love for us to focus on that. This is a one-time opportunity. We can always deal with that bitch later.”
“So did you locate my husband yet?” I smiled, coming to a halt a few steps away from the dessert table. Rhoda followed suit.
“Yes, my love. He is in a meeting with Don Travous but I heard he is going to make a speech shortly. After that, you are going to approach him and do what we’ve planned.”
I nodded, my smile getting bigger.
I saw you earlier with a man. Who is he?” Mom asked.
“Oh, that’s true, Joel,” I mumbled, then scanned my eyes through the hall. After a couple of seconds, my eyes met with his. He was making conversation with an elderly couple. He gestured to come over when he was done.
“That’s Joel.”
“I didn’t want to talk to him but he is related to Don Travous so I had no choice. I guess we need all the connections we can get.”
“Careful, your eyes on the prize,” Mom warned.
I rolled my eyes. “I know mama.”
I was about to say something when I saw my mom’s lips curve into a big and very beautiful smile.
“Look, there they are!” She pointed in my opposite direction. I took a look. I saw six men walking out of a room. They were all dressed in well-tailored suits but in different colors. The celebrant was among them. I knew he was the one because I had looked him up on the internet days ago. I was trying to take in the appearance of the other men when my eyes landed on him.
My breath hitched and my lips slowly curved into a smile. His stature…..facial features……aura…. He was perfect!
“Mom, is that him?” I said to Rhoda with my eyes still on Shawn. He was having a conversation with Don Travous .
Mom giggled. “He’s the youngest among them so I guess. He’s perfect isn’t he?”
“Yes. I love him already. Don Travous seems to be fond of him. Isn’t that cool?”
“You’ve indeed outdone yourself, Mom. I can see myself walking down the aisle into his arms.”
“I know, my love. You deserve the best and you will get all of it.”
Don Travous walked up to the stage and there was a round of applause from the guests. Everyone’s attention was now on the stage.
“Good evening, everyone, and thank you for making time to come celebrate with me. A very Big thank you to my wife, Mary, for planning this and to my children. You all mean so much to me.”
“Before going further, I would like to introduce some very important men to you all. They would probably scold me for doing this but it would be a grave disrespect not to honour them tonight.”
“Please join me in welcoming Shawn Elias!”
Just as I predicted, the man that I loved most walked up to the stage. There was a round of applause but I think mine was the loudest. Yes. Mine, then Mom’s.
“The first time I set my eyes on Shawn, he was barely out of college and I knew he was going to be a great man. Despite the fact that we run almost the same business, he never saw me as a competitor. Instead, he has been an amazing colleague and a good son. You all don’t want to know the kind of help he renders not only to me but to fellow colleagues behind the scenes.”
“I respect you so much, Shawn and I can’t wait for us to celebrate many more happy moments.”
There was another round of applause, after which Don Travous handed the mic to my husband.
“Good evening, everyone.” I felt a shiver run down my spine at the sound of his voice. It was calm, peaceful, and soothing.
My man. I blushed.
But something strange happened. His eyes were in our direction and he stopped talking.
“He’s looking at you,” I whispered to Mom who was standing by my side.
“No. He is looking at you. I think your beauty made him speechless. Oh, my child. You both are a match made from heaven. I knew he was going to be yours.” My mom said and I blushed even harder. He continued to stare at us. Even other people noticed and they started to stare at us in admiration.
“Don Travous is an amazing man and I think we can all testify to that. He thinks I’m a superhuman but the truth is that he is the real superhero. Only those who know him on a personal level can testify to that and I am grateful to have built such an amazing relationship with him.”
“On behalf of myself and my family, we would like to present an additional gift to Travous to mark this milestone.”
“Additional gift? Can you hear that? He is so generous. I have no doubt that we are going to clear our cart within one week of knowing him.” My mom whispered in my ear.
“Cassie, my love. Please join me!” Shawn said, looking in the direction of that witch.
I froze!