I Canceled The Wedding After His Female Bro Ruined Everything Chapter 01
The wedding had just reached the ring exchange when Sebastian Cole’s best friend — a girl — called for a halt.
She walked up to the stage in a gown that rivaled the bride’s, drunk, holding a bottle of beer.
“This cookie-cutter wedding is so boring. Let’s add a little game.”
She stepped up to me, set the beer bottle on the champagne tower table, and raised an eyebrow.
“Next up is the groom kissing the bride, but you have to win this game first to earn it.”
I frowned, irritation bubbling up inside me.
Katherine didn’t care. She just shrugged. “Oh right, I forgot you don’t know how to do anything. I’ll teach you.”
Then she demonstrated. Three times.
Every single time, the bottle’s neck pointed straight at Sebastian.
And she kissed the groom. Three times.
Sebastian’s groomsmen down below cheered and hollered.
Sebastian pressed his lips together and gave Elena a helpless look. “She’s just dramatic. If we don’t let her have this, she’ll probably keep causing trouble all the way to our honeymoon suite.”
Everyone’s eyes landed on my hands.
Even Sebastian’s parents were waiting for me to spin the bottle.
I let out a cold laugh and ended the whole ridiculous farce.
“Sorry, but no. I announce the formal dissolution of the Hayes-Cole marriage contract. Hayes Group is pulling out of all Cole projects immediately.”
Sebastian, you don’t want to save my face.
Then don’t blame me for not saving yours.
***
The moment I finished, Katherine burst out laughing.
She tilted her head, her drunk eyes locked onto me with a knowing look, like she had seen this coming all along.
“Miss Hayes, can’t take a joke?”
She turned to the guests and spread her arms. “I was just trying to liven things up for her, and she won’t even appreciate it. Come on, everyone. Is that my fault?”
Sebastian’s childhood friends were the first to react.
“Everyone knows how Katherine is. Why make such a big deal out of it?”
“On your big day, who’s she giving the attitude to?”
“Seb, do something — no, go comfort her.”
“Careful, or your bride won’t let you into the bedroom tonight.”
The crowd laughed and jeered.
No one cared about the bride’s dignity. No one cared about the interrupted ceremony.
Sebastian walked over to Katherine and pulled the beer bottle from her hand, handing it to a nearby server. “Alright, Katherine. Stop it.”
Katherine pouted, then reached out and grabbed his tie.
Sebastian leaned forward slightly with the pull.
“Sebastian, your wife is so mean.”
“You’re just going to let her treat me like this? I’m never hanging out with you again.”
Sebastian held up his hands in surrender, letting the custom tie Elena had bought him stay twisted in another woman’s fist.
“Come on, you’re a grown woman. You’re still threatening to cut ties?”
The groomsmen burst out laughing.
A guy in a silver-gray suit slapped the table, laughing so hard he raised his phone to film the stage. “Seb, you’re done for. Katherine’s mad. How many bags is it going to take to fix this?”
“Maybe she can’t be fixed. The guy’s got a wife now. She has to come second.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Before the wedding, she was always first in his heart.”
The other guy gave an awkward smile and nodded, clearly not taking any of it seriously.
In the middle of the chaos, Katherine stepped closer.
Their faces were almost touching.
“You know I’ve never liked being second. If I’m not the only one, I don’t want it. Remember when you swore in front of both our families that you’d protect me forever? You really going to break that promise?”
Sebastian stood there, frowning slightly. Then he looked up at me.
His eyes were full of helplessness.
Like he was saying to her:
See? There’s nothing I can do.
It had always been like this. No matter how many times Katherine threatened to cut ties, Sebastian always smoothed things over. Even on their wedding day. No exception.
At the head table, Margaret Cole set down her teacup and looked up at me.
“Elena. Come here.”
I didn’t move and stared straight back.
Margaret ran her finger slowly around the rim of her cup before speaking. “There are a lot of people here today. Cole’s business partners, your father-in-law’s old friends from the chamber of commerce, a few media outlets that have been good to us.”
She paused. Then finally looked at Elena.
“I’ll chalk up what you just said to be young and stupid. Whatever it is, we’ll talk after the wedding.”
From start to finish, she didn’t mention Katherine.
Like none of it had happened.
Just a cold warning to me not to make a scene.
I almost wanted to laugh.
I had no idea whether Margaret cared about appearances or not.
If she did, she wouldn’t have let Katherine come up and cause trouble.
If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be telling me to stop.
And then it hit me.
There was no “caring” or “not caring.”
It was just that I wasn’t Katherine.
“You think I’m being impulsive?”
Margaret’s eyelid twitched. Before she could answer, Sebastian’s voice came from behind me.
“Elena.”
He had finally pulled his tie free from Katherine’s grip.
He started to explain. “Katherine drank too much today. That was just friends messing around. Can’t you—”
I cut him off. “What kind of friend kisses the groom three times at a wedding? What kind of friend acts like that while the groom just stands there and lets her?”
Katherine’s voice floated down from the stage. “It was staged, okay? I didn’t even touch his lips—”
“Miss Blake, I have eyes. And I’m pretty sure most people here do too.”
Sebastian grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Elena, don’t be like this. Katherine’s just high-strung. If you keep pushing, we’re both going to make a scene for both families.”
I looked at him coldly. “You’re wrong, Sebastian. The only family embarrassing itself today is yours.”
“Not my problem.”
I pulled my hand free and turned toward the exit.
He ran after me and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Elena, don’t. Katherine was spoiled by both families. To all of us, she’s still just a kid.”
I wrenched myself out of his grip and slapped him across the face.
“She’s not a kid anymore.”
