Under the cover of night, Mrs. James and her daughter Marcia scurried away from the James family estate.


    Yvonne, however, was unconcerned with the family''s infighting. She slept quite well that night, not waking until the sun was bright in the sky.


    Because Yvonne was pregnant and they wanted to avoid overtiring her, the wedding ceremony was scheduled for noon, so there was no need to wake up early.


    Yvonne rose and went into the bathroom to freshen up.


    After she finished, the makeup artists, stylists, and the video and photography teams came in to begin their work.


    Having been an actress for several years, Yvonne was already ustomed to makeup and being in front of the camera.


    She sat at the vanity, cooperating with the makeup artist and asionally interacting with the videographer.


    Mrs. James and Marcia had been kicked out the night before, so today only Teresa and another aunt were there as the female elders to apany her.


    Once her makeup was done, Yvonne didn''t put on a wedding gown. Instead, she wore a dress that Mr. Cooper had personally sewn for her.


    Yvonne was in the early months of her pregnancy, so her belly hadn''t begun to show yet. The dress still showed off her graceful figure. Her long hair was swept up in an elegant updo, adorned with beautiful gold jewelry.


    After getting dressed, Yvonne sat on the decorated wedding bed while two photographers took pictures of her.


    She sat there quietly, and with every small expression, she was so beautiful she seemed to glow.


    Teresa and the aunt stood off to the side.


    Teresa''s eyes were filled with pride and relief. Her little girl was all grown up. The small, skinny, timid girl she had brought home all those years ago had blossomed and was now getting married.


    The aunt''s eyes, however, were filled with envy. Yvonne had certainly won the gic lottery, inheriting the best features from both her parents. Teresa had married that poor boy George Spencer, a good-for-nothing who at least had a handsome face, a trait he passed on to his child.


    With a face like that, of course Yvonne could marry into a wealthy family.


    If her own daughter, Caroline, were this beautiful, would she still be worrying about finding her a husband?


    "The groom''s procession has arrived!" someone suddenly shouted.


    The James family estate immediately erupted into a livelymotion.


    Teresa and the aunt went to the French windows and saw the courtyard filled with luxury cars è worth tens of millions of dors. The wedding procession was so long it stretched as far as the eye could see.


    Bet arrived in a grand procession with his groomsmen, handing out thick envelopes of cash like it was raining from the sky.


    The James family servants were probably the happiest, scrambling to pick up so many envelopes of cash they couldn''t even gather them all.


    Because Yvonne was pregnant, most of the tedious and unnecessary wedding rituals were skipped. Only the final blessing from the parents was considered an absolute must.


    The elder Mr. James and Teresa sat on the sofa in the center of the living room, while Yvonne and Bet stood before them, holding crystal sses for the toast.


    Bowing in reverence was definitely out of the question. How could the elder Mr. James expect a man like Bet Thompson to bow before him?


    Bet raised his crystal ss to offer a toast, and the elder Mr. James eagerly clinked his own against it, beaming with a grin that reached from ear to ear. After the final blessing from the parents, Bet led Yvonne outside.


    Confetti cannons suddenly exploded in the courtyard, startling Yvonne. She instinctiv took a couple of ex steps back and nearly felt Bet, standing right beside her with an arm around her waist, prevented her from stumbling.


    But another arm reached out from behind her and steadied her by the elbow. Yvonne nced instinctively at the owner of the arm-it was Thomas Taylor.


    Thomas was in a groomsman''s suit today, and even among the other groomsmen, he looked exceptionally striking. If Bet hadn''t been the groom Thomas might have stolen the show


    "Thank you," Yvonne said, looking at Thomas.


    "You''re wee," Thomas replied, letting go of her arm at just the right moment.