I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 26

I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 26

Inside the church, the air was sweet and solemn. Organ music echoed beneath the Gothic vaults, and every beam of light from the stained-glass windows seemed to offer its blessing.

Charleston’s elite sat in the pews, their whispers filled with amazement.

“Mr. Blackwood truly plucked the stars from the sky for her,” a lady in a Chanel suit said. “I’ve never seen such a lavish wedding.”

“Money is one thing,” her companion, a gray-haired banker, replied, his gaze fixed on the couple at the altar. “Look at the way he looks at her. That can’t be bought.”

Everyone saw it. Ethan Blackwood, the Wall Street magnate known for his cold precision, had eyes only for Ava. His strength had transformed into the most extreme tenderness, as if the woman before him were the entire world, lost and found again.

“Ava Monroe finally found where she belongs,” someone said with feeling.

“It’s Ava Blackwood now,” another corrected.

The change of surname was a victory in itself.

The priest cleared his throat, preparing to begin the vows.

“Ava! Let me go! I need to see Ava!”

A beastlike roar tore through the church.

The guests turned in shock to see the heavy oak doors being struck from outside. Two burly bodyguards pinned a man in place. His clothes were disheveled, his face contorted with madness.

It was Jackson Devereaux.

The former Southern prince, once Charleston’s most dazzling heir, now looked like a madman dragged in from the street.

“Ava! Don’t marry him! Come back to me!” His wail echoed through the church.

Whispers rose like a tide.

“My God, how could he show his face here?”

“Serves him right,” a man snorted. “I heard the Devereaux assets have been completely liquidated. He has nothing.”

“More than that. Haven’t you heard what he did to Chloe? That leg… permanent damage. The man’s a monster.”

“Look at him now. He’s thrown away the last of the Devereaux family’s dignity.”

Jackson’s pleading earned no sympathy, only a silent, public judgment from his former peers. His collapse was the best proof that Ava had made the right choice.

At the altar, Ava didn’t even turn her head. Her back was straight, like a magnolia in a storm.

Ethan held her hand, his body quietly shielding her from the ugly scene at the door.

The priest looked toward them, at a loss.

Ava’s gaze remained calm. She nodded slightly to the priest, her voice clear and firm.

“Please continue.”

In the front row, the gray-haired banker sighed.

“Look at the way Ethan Blackwood looks at her, then look at the one outside,” he said quietly. “She made the right choice.”

His wife nodded, watching Jackson being dragged away. Her voice carried a note of finality.

“The Devereaux family is finished. The Blackwood family is rising. The sky over Charleston changes today.”