As I was about to walk down the aisle, a waitress deliberately blocked my path, ignoring the frantic whispers of the staff. I demanded she move, but she just sneered at me. It was only when she saw my fiancé approaching that her expression changed, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing. He didn’t even let me explain, just accused me of throwing a tantrum. I was so furious, I called off the wedding on the spot. The waitress then declared I wasn't good enough for him and proposed to him herself. So the wedding went on. Just with a different bride. The next day, she sent me photos of their marriage certificate, a diamond ring, and a luxury condo, mocking me for not being destined for a life of wealth. It was only when I showed up with my security team to evict them that the little gold-digger finally understood. I was the wealthy one. 1 My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared at the grand double doors. The moment they opened, my five-year relationship with Leo would culminate in marriage. I would be his wife. A staff member adjusted the massive train of my gown while speaking into her headset. “Bride is ready for entrance. Repeat, bride is on her way. Clear the aisle of all personnel. We cannot ruin this moment!” But just as the doors cracked open, a waitress appeared from nowhere, planting herself directly in front of me. The coordinator let out a sharp gasp. “Move! Get out of the way!” The waitress acted as if she hadn’t heard. She calmly smoothed the front of her uniform, waiting for the doors to swing wide open, clearly determined to walk down the aisle before me. I had spent nearly a year planning this wedding, pouring countless resources—financial, physical, and emotional—into making it perfect. And now, in an instant, that perfection was shattered. The coordinator made a split-second decision and slammed the doors shut. “Hold for one minute! Clear the entrance, now!” she barked into her headset. She then grabbed the waitress’s arm, her voice tight with anger. “Can’t you see the bride is about to enter? Are you the bride? What are you doing? Move it!” But the waitress seemed to have an even bigger attitude. She wrenched her arm free. “What’s the problem? I’m a waitress. I’m going inside to serve the guests. Is there an issue with that?” I tried to keep my composure and let the staff handle it, but it was obvious this woman wasn’t going to be reasonable. “This is a wedding ceremony,” I said, my voice cold. “Do you normally make a habit of upstaging the bride?” She whipped her head around and gave me an exaggerated eye-roll. “You really think marrying Prince Charming makes you a princess? Does the whole world have to become invisible just because you’re getting married?” 2 It was only then that I recognized her face. It was Jasmine, a hostess who had served us once before. She was in uniform, but hers was clearly a size too small, accentuating her figure. She was naturally beautiful, but today she’d gone all out with professional makeup and an elaborate hairstyle. She was undeniably stunning. A hot wave of anger washed over me. I couldn't believe she had the nerve to show up here. She was like a bad smell that wouldn't go away. For some reason, this woman had always had a problem with me. The first time we met, her words dripped with backhanded compliments for Leo and subtle digs at me. She seemed to relish praising him effusively while putting me down, especially whenever I got even slightly annoyed with him. “Ms. Vance, how can you speak to Mr. Peterson like that? He’s so good to you, he cancelled meetings just to be here. Not many men would do that.” “Mr. Peterson, you’re the perfect man. If I had a husband as wonderful as you, I would never take him for granted.” “You know, Ms. Vance, a woman can’t be too demanding. Men need to be coaxed.” “Mr. Peterson, you’re far too patient with her.” I had lost my temper right then and there. It took several hotel managers bringing Jasmine to me to offer a bowing, scraping apology—and firing her on the spot—for me to let it go. Even so, I had switched venues for the wedding. Leo thought I was overreacting, that I was being paranoid. But I was a woman. I knew how to read between the lines. It was painfully obvious that Jasmine had a thing for him. 3 Remembering all this, a cold smile touched my lips. “What, are you trying to lose this job too?” Jasmine ripped her name tag from her chest and shrugged off her uniform blazer, leaving her in just a crisp white shirt. “Don’t think you scare me. I quit. I’ve seen plenty of women like you working here—you think just because you’re pretty and you snagged a rich husband, you’re royalty.” “I’ll tell you what,” she sneered, “I came here today specifically to ruin your day. I’m going to walk into that hall with you and show Leo he chose the wrong woman. Even in a waitress’s uniform, I’m still more beautiful than you.” I almost laughed in her face. “‘Leo’? How sweet. Do you know what you’re doing? It’s called home-wrecking. You’re the other woman. Aren't you afraid of what your friends and family would think?” She was unfazed. A triumphant smirk spread across her face. “Don’t think I don’t know. You and Leo aren’t even legally married yet. You think it’s so easy to marry into a wealthy family? It’s complicated.” “And please,” she scoffed, “getting married on the thirteenth? How cliché. You’re practically begging for bad luck. I’m not blocking your way, I’m saving you from a lifetime of misery!” She stood her ground, refusing to move, a stream of insults pouring from her mouth. Despite my upbringing, my face darkened with rage. The wedding staff, who had never encountered anything like this, quickly called for backup. A few other servers rushed over and tried to pull Jasmine away. In the struggle, a button on her too-tight shirt popped open under the strain. Everyone froze, afraid to touch her. But Jasmine’s expression suddenly changed. She lurched toward a nearby window. “I might as well be dead!” 4 In that split second, Leo appeared as if out of thin air. He caught Jasmine in his arms, stopping her “attempt” to “jump” from the second-floor window. Seeing her disheveled state, he quickly took off his own tuxedo jacket and wrapped it around her. Jasmine collapsed against him, sobbing as if her heart was broken, unable to form a coherent sentence. Leo just held her, murmuring soothing words and patting her back. I exchanged a look with the wedding planner. Wasn’t Leo supposed to be at the altar? How did he get here so fast? The planner subtly gestured toward a small service door behind me. Of course. He must have gotten worried when I didn’t appear and came to check, and Jasmine, seeing her chance, launched into her dramatic performance. I cleared my throat loudly. The sound jolted Leo, and he realized how inappropriate this looked. He started to push Jasmine away, but she clung to his shirt, refusing to let go. My patience had worn thin. “Leo,” I snapped, “are you planning on holding her all day? Or has the damsel in distress made you forget who you are?” The scene was damning. The two of them, clothes in disarray, clinging to each other. It looked for all the world like I’d just caught them in the act. Leo finally managed to detach himself and shuffled over to me, head bowed. As furious as I was, we had five years of history. He had always been utterly devoted to me. I wasn’t going to throw it all away over this. But seeing him return to my side, Jasmine took her act to the next level. She rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of me. “Ms. Vance, I know I have a sharp tongue and I offended you before. But I wasn’t born with your luck. I don’t have a wonderful man to take care of me. I have to work. I swear, I had no idea you were having your wedding here today! Please, forgive me! Don’t humiliate me and make me lose another job!” 5 Then she turned, still on her knees, and tugged at Leo’s trouser leg. “Leo, please, ask her to forgive me. You know how women listen to the men they love.” Leo stammered, “Clara… let it go. The wedding is waiting. Please, don’t act like a spoiled princess.” If I wasn’t wearing a thousand-pound wedding dress, I would have kicked him into next week. “Are you blind?” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Can’t you see she’s playing you? The entire hotel is plastered with our photos, and she claims she didn’t know it was our wedding? She deliberately blocked my path and told me getting married today was a death sentence. And when we tried to move her, she threw herself at a window!” Before Leo could answer, Jasmine tossed her perfectly disheveled hair, her voice dripping with saccharine innocence. “Ms. Vance, you can insult me, but don’t lie about me. I was just passing by, and I apologized. But you wouldn't let it go. You had your people try to rip my clothes off to shame me! And now you’re twisting the truth in front of Leo!” She turned her tear-filled eyes to him. “But Leo is a good man. He won’t be fooled by you. You’re just angry because you think I like him, and you feel threatened.” “But love isn’t a crime!” she declared. “It’s true, I care for Leo. But I haven’t done anything wrong! We’ve only seen a few movies, had a few dinners together! Are you going to ruin my life just because we’re friends?” Men. Their egos are so fragile. Leo wasn’t embarrassed by this spectacle; he was flattered. He saw it as two women fighting over him, a massive boost to his vanity. After Jasmine’s passionate confession, he rushed to help her up. The moment his hands touched her, she let out a soft whimper and fell back into his arms. 6 That was the last straw. I took the bouquet in my hands—the one that cost over ten thousand dollars—and hurled it straight at Leo’s face. “Are you insane, Leo? I’ve been ignoring your little ‘friendship’ with her for the last six months, and you have the audacity to do this in front of me, on our wedding day?” Jasmine shot me a look of pure triumph, though her voice remained deceptively sweet. “Ms. Vance, when you have a man as perfect as Leo, you should cherish him. The way you treat him… it’s emotional abuse.” Then, to Leo, “Leo, my love, if you let her walk all over you now, she’ll do it for the rest of your life. Don’t you want a wife who is gentle and understanding? Or do you want this… this monster? What kind of life would that be?” “You are a man!” she cried. “A strong, successful man! Why do you let her treat you like this? She has no respect for you, no respect for working people like me. What do you even see in her?” Something in her words struck a nerve. Leo’s face flushed a deep red. His stammer vanished. “Clara Vance! You will apologize to Ms. Thompson right now. You will not bully her, and you will not get her fired.” Jasmine, of course, shook her head demurely. “No, no, that’s not necessary. Someone like me doesn’t deserve an apology from Ms. Vance. As long as you’re happy, Leo, I… I can endure anything. I just hope one day you’ll see her for who she really is.” I let out a cold laugh. “And what if I refuse to apologize? What if I enjoy bullying her?” A flicker of raw excitement crossed Jasmine’s face, as if this was the moment she’d been waiting for. A victorious smile bloomed. “If you don’t apologize, you’ll lose a perfect man like Leo!” Just then, a familiar voice cut in from behind me. “What is all this commotion? Why hasn’t the ceremony started?” 7 “Mom,” Leo said, turning toward the voice with a troubled look. “It’s nothing. Clara just had a little disagreement with one of the waitstaff. It’s almost sorted out. You can go back inside.” But his mother didn’t leave. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Jasmine. “And who is this?” Jasmine looked at her and adopted her sweetest tone. “Hello, Mrs. Peterson. I’m Jasmine Thompson. Ms. Vance is upset because she thinks something is going on between Leo and me. But no matter what, she shouldn't be hitting him. Look, she’s bruised his face…” Leo’s mother grunted, her brow furrowed. “Whatever it is, stop this nonsense and get on with it.” She shot me a disdainful look. “Have you no shame?” I’m the one with no shame? Leo heard her and hurried over to me. “Can we please just deal with this after the ceremony?” I pulled my arm away from his touch. “You know, I never realized what a complete fool you are. It’s a good thing we haven’t signed the papers. As of right now, this wedding is off.” Leo froze. “What are you talking about? All our friends and family are here! What am I supposed to do, have a wedding with no bride? I’ll be a laughingstock!” At the mention of cancelling, his mother panicked. “Absolutely not! My son will not be humiliated like this. If you throw a fit now, don’t expect me to ever accept you as my daughter-in-law!” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t worry. The thought of you accepting me makes my skin crawl.” I gathered the skirt of my dress to leave, but Leo grabbed my arm, his grip desperate. “Don’t go, Clara, please! I was wrong, okay? What do you want me to do, get on my knees?” 8 Jasmine calmly smoothed her hair. “Leo, don’t listen to her,” she said, her voice full of adoration. “She’s just trying to scare you. If she walks away now, she’ll be the one to regret it, not you.” Her words, and her obvious worship, seemed to bolster Leo and his mother. Mrs. Peterson’s tone grew colder, all pretense gone. “That’s right. If you want to leave, then leave. A man like my son can have any woman he wants. I never liked you anyway. My son is the last of his line, and you announced you only wanted one child! What if it’s a girl?” Jasmine seized the opportunity. “Exactly! The government is encouraging big families these days! If I had a man as wonderful as Leo, I’d give him as many children as he wanted.” She looked me up and down with contempt. “And Leo told me you’ve refused to be intimate with him all these years. I bet the only reason you were waiting until marriage is because you were afraid he’d find out you’re not… new. Leo, my love, you are perfect. How could she possibly be worthy of you?” So, they really had been talking. He’d even shared something that private with her. In this twisted moment, surrounded by their accusations and Jasmine’s adoration, he seemed to be convincing himself that maybe I wasn’t good enough for him. The situation was at a stalemate. Then, Jasmine spoke. “Leo, I understand. A man’s pride is the most important thing. If this wedding is missing a bride, you’ll lose face completely. So… Leo… will you let me be your bride?” Leo hesitated. Jasmine immediately dropped to one knee. “Leo, I know I might not be good enough for you, but my feelings are real. I would never disrespect you like she does. With me, you can finally be a real man.”
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