2026-08-01 20:53:30
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Warning
William didn't let the matter rest even after the wedding ended.He hired private investigators the same night, the best money could buy in Kingsford, and told them to dig up everything they could find on a man named Oscar. Over the following days, the reports came back one after another in the form of government records, business registries, financial filings, and school transcripts. William read through each one as it arrived, looking for the one information that would finally make sense of what he'd witnessed at his own wedding.Every report reached the same wall.Oscar's life, on paper, began at the Kingsford Sunshine Orphanage. Before that, there was nothing. No birth certificate that led anywhere useful. No family records. No photographs, no school history, no trace of a childhood that connected to anything at all.William slammed the final report shut on his desk."Nobody simply appears out of nowhere," he muttered.He had exhausted every resource he had access to, and it had
Wedding Gifts
The ceremony itself didn't take long. The officiant said the words everyone expected to hear, William and Olivia exchanged rings and vows in front of a hall full of witnesses, and when they kissed, the room applauded on cue. Photographers moved in for their shots. A few minutes later, the doors to the banquet hall opened, and the guests filed in for the reception.William took the small stage near the head table first, tapping his glass until the room quieted."Thank you all for being here," he said, his voice carrying easily across the hall. "Today isn't just about Olivia and me. It's about family, about building something that lasts, about new beginnings." He glanced toward the Hall family, seated near the front. "I'm grateful to be welcomed into one so quickly."Applause followed. Olivia sat beside him, composed as always, smiling at the right moments. Her eyes drifted, more than once, toward the far side of the room, where Oscar sat quietly near the back with Evelyn beside him. Sh
Mr. Hudson
Meanwhile, outside the hall's tall windows, a line of luxury vehicles rolled up along the drive, one after another, each one polished enough to catch the afternoon light."That must be more of William's people," someone in the crowd murmured, watching the convoy roll to a stop along the drive."Has to be," another guest agreed. "Look at those vehicles. The Anderson Family doesn't do anything small.""It's the kind of thing that makes you realize the gap," Ethan said, glancing sideways at Oscar with a small, satisfied smile. "William builds an empire before thirty. Then there's Oscar, who couldn't even hold onto a wife who was handed to him. There's no comparing the two.""Some people are simply born for more," Margaret said again, the same statement she'd used the night before, as if repeating it enough times made it truer.William straightened his suit and stepped forward with confidence. In his mind, he already considered the guests his own. Who else could they possibly be here for?
The Collector
More guests walked over as William spoke, drawn by the small crowd the way people always were at events such as this. A few recognized Oscar right away."Wait, isn't that the Hall son-in-law? The one who just got divorced?""Didn't he live off the Hall family for years? I heard he never worked a real job in his life.""Poor thing. Must be humiliating, watching your ex-wife marry someone like William."Oscar let it pass over him the way he let most things pass over him. He'd had three years of practice standing in rooms exactly like this one, being talked about as though he weren't standing right there.It was one of the guests, a woman studying Oscar's wrist a little too closely, who spoke up next."Is that a King West?" she asked, tilting her head. "The Luminary?"A few heads turned toward Oscar's wrist. William glanced over as well, his expression shifting into amusement."That can't be real," William said, laughing lightly. "A genuine Luminary runs well into the millions. No offens
The Wedding
By morning, word had already spread through Kingsford's upper circles that the Anderson and Hall families were about to become one alliance. Business reporters mentioned it in passing. Society pages ran short pieces about "a union of two respected names." No one seemed to think much of it beyond the obvious ‘old money and rising money joining hands.’The wedding was set to take place at the Imperial Grand Hotel, the kind of venue that only hosted events people would still be talking about for years to come.At Elysium Zero, Oscar finished getting ready.He put on the suit Manager Lu had helped him choose at Culmen Store, dark and well cut, the sort of attire that didn't have to be flashy to draw attention. He checked himself once in the mirror, adjusted the King West Luminary on his wrist, and walked downstairs.Alfred was waiting near the door."One last time, Young Master," Alfred said. "Do you not intend to reveal who you are today?""No," Oscar said. "Today isn't about proving my
The Groom
A convoy bearing the Anderson Family insignia stopped before the entrance gates of the Hall Villa.A young man stepped out of the lead car and the whole entrance seemed to straighten up around him.For the first time in a while, William Anderson finally made an appearance.He was tall, dressed in a suit that fit perfectly around his frame. He moved with the kind of ease that came from him never once doubting he belonged wherever he walked. He smiled at the staff gathered near the gate, said something that made two of them laugh, and kept moving without slowing down. He didn't look like a man arriving at his own wedding preparations. He looked like a man arriving to be admired.The Hall Family met him at the door before he'd even reached it."William!" Linda Hall came forward first, both hands out, beaming in a way she rarely did for anyone in her own family. "You didn't have to come all this way today. The wedding isn't until tomorrow.""I couldn't stay away," William said, taking her
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