The Girl They Ignored Got Married, Then They Regretted Everything Chapter 05

The Girl They Ignored Got Married, Then They Regretted Everything Chapter 05

Upstairs, Chloe stood in front of Mom and Dad, clinging to her boyfriend’s arm.

Her voice bubbled with excitement.

“Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Lucas Reed. He just graduated, and he’s from Providence.”

“He’s from right here in Providence!”

Mom looked Lucas over carefully.

Lucas was tall and straight-backed, with sharply defined features. His well-tailored suit made him look even more polished.

Mom nodded in satisfaction.

The tension gradually left Dad’s face as well, replaced by a look of approval.

Before either of them could speak, my aunt, who had been invited over for the occasion, began praising him.

“Richard, Chloe certainly knows how to pick them. Just look at him. He’s handsome enough for our precious girl.”

Dad motioned for Lucas to sit, though he responded with deliberate modesty.

“They’ve only just started dating. It’s far too soon to talk about whether they’re a good match.”

“As long as Chloe is happy, that’s all that matters to us.”

Mom cleared her throat twice, drawing everyone’s attention back to her before speaking.

“Lucas, how old are you? What does your family do?”

Before she could finish, Chloe nudged her in embarrassment.

“Mom, why are you asking him all that? Stop interrogating him!”

Mom gave her a helpless but indulgent smile.

“All right, all right. I won’t ask.”

Then she glanced at Lucas with a puzzled expression.

“Chloe said you brought us gifts. You really didn’t have to do that. You’re only here for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Are there too many things to carry by yourself? I can have Grant go downstairs with you.”

An awkward look crossed Lucas’s face. He glanced at Chloe and then at Mom and Dad, clearly unsure what to say.

Just as he opened his mouth, the doorbell rang.

Grant frowned, irritation creeping into his voice.

“That’s probably Evelyn. Of course she’d come back just in time to ruin the mood.”

But when he opened the door, I wasn’t standing there.

Instead, a middle-aged man in a black suit and white gloves waited on the other side. Behind him stood several staff members dressed in matching formal attire, each carrying gift bags and boxes of every size.

The man wore a polished, professional smile.

“Good afternoon. Is this the Mercer residence?”

He looked respectfully toward Mom and Dad as they approached. His voice was not loud, yet everyone in the room heard him clearly.

Every head immediately turned toward Lucas.

The shock in their eyes was unmistakable. They all assumed the group had been sent by his family.

Mom hesitated, then gave Lucas a mildly reproachful look.

“These are the gifts you brought us? You were only coming over for dinner. Your parents really shouldn’t have gone to all this expense.”

She turned toward the butler.

“Hello. We’re Chloe Mercer’s parents. You can leave everything in the living room.”

The butler paused, visibly confused.

He repeated his question more precisely.

“Are you Diane Mercer and Richard Mercer?”

Mom and Dad nodded, their faces full of pride.

“Yes, that’s us. Lucas is standing right there.”

Once their identities had been confirmed, the butler became even more respectful, though he did not so much as glance at Lucas.

“We’re here on behalf of the Sinclair family. Mr. Sinclair specifically instructed us to deliver these gifts to the two of you in person.”

He stepped aside and gestured toward the packages behind him.

“This is Mr. Sinclair’s formal announcement of the marriage, accompanied by lavish wedding gifts for the Mercer family.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the staff began arranging the gifts across the tables.

Velvet jewelry cases were stacked nearly waist-high beside cases of vintage champagne and small-batch bourbon, along with overflowing gourmet gift baskets.

Mr. Sinclair had even selected something for every member of the household: a top-of-the-line gaming console for Grant and a designer handbag for Chloe.

Each item cost a small fortune.

The entire family fell silent.

After a moment, the butler presented Mom and Dad with an envelope containing a cashier’s check.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mercer, this check is for five hundred thousand dollars. It is Mr. Sinclair’s gift to you, and Mrs. Sinclair asked that it be presented on her behalf as well. Please accept it.”

The relatives in the room—and the neighbors who had somehow gathered in the doorway—gasped in unison.

“Did I hear that right? Half a million dollars, just like that?”

“Richard, where is Evelyn? How did none of us even know she had a boyfriend? Now his family is announcing a marriage? What is going on?”

Mom and Dad exchanged stunned looks.

The coffee mug trembled in Dad’s hand, sloshing coffee over the rim, but he didn’t seem to notice.

His entire body had gone rigid.

He opened his mouth, attempting to smooth over the humiliating misunderstanding.

“Wait. Aren’t you with Lucas’s family? Evelyn never told us anyone from your family was coming.”

“She never said anything about getting married either.”

“Could you have the wrong person? Maybe there’s another woman with the same name?”

The butler appeared to have anticipated that response.

He took out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and held it in front of Dad.

A photo from the City Hall wedding appeared beside an image of the signed marriage certificate.

“Mr. Mercer, is this your daughter, Evelyn Mercer?”

“Your daughter married Mr. Sinclair yesterday. She is now Mrs. Sinclair.”

“We would never mistake Mrs. Sinclair for someone else.”