Chapter 5 Changes

• The guests quickly finished their phone calls, and one by one, they made their way toward the members of the Orion Family.
• "President Mark, I'm terribly sorry. Something urgent has come up, and I won't be able to attend your son's wedding banquet after all."
• "President Mark, my deepest apologies, but I have to leave now…"
• "I'm really sorry, President Mark…"
• "Lionel, Jessie, I truly apologize…"
• After offering their apologies, these guests didn't bother waiting for the Orion Family's reactions. Without any further explanation, they hurriedly turned and left.
• In less than ten minutes, the once lively banquet hall was nearly deserted. Only a few relatives from the Orion and Davis Families remained, exchanging confused glances.
• "What on earth is happening?" Lionel's mother, Liana, was the first to break the silence, her voice laced with disbelief. "Mark, what's going on with these people? Our son is getting married, and they're just leaving without so much as a proper excuse?"
• "I'll find out what's happening," Mark responded, his expression dark with frustration. He had never expected the situation to take such a turn.
• After a moment of contemplation, he decided to call a few close friends.
• But when he hung up the phone, his face had only grown grimmer.
• "Dad, did you find out what's going on? What's happening?" Lionel couldn't hold back his anxious curiosity any longer.
• "They've all gone to the banquet in Hall A," Mark answered with a bitter smile. "There's another wedding happening there."
• "What?" Lionel asked, incredulous. "Who's having a wedding across the hall?"
• Liana's face flushed with rage. "Are they trying to start something with us on purpose?" Her voice quivered with indignation. "I'm going over there to—"
• "Shut up!" Mark cut her off abruptly. "Do you even know who's across the hall from us?" He lowered his voice, though his words were still laced with tension. "It's the Granger Family! Marcus' daughter is getting married today."
• "What did you just say?"
• "Wait a minute, Dad. Are you saying that Crystal is getting married…right across from us?" Lionel and Liana exclaimed in unison, shock written across their faces.
• "That's exactly what I'm saying," Mark replied darkly, his voice carrying a gravity that filled the air. He let out a slow breath, and his jaw tightened. "When I first booked the banquet hall, I tried to reserve Hall A. The hotel kept saying it was unavailable, and I didn't think much of it at the time. Now it all makes sense. It was probably already booked by the Granger Family long before we even had a chance."
• "But something's off," he continued, his brows furrowed as he considered the situation. "Even if the Granger Family had their event here, it doesn't explain why so many of our guests seem to be attending their wedding instead of ours. Our circles shouldn't overlap this much, especially not for a private family event like this."
• Lionel frowned deeply, trying to grasp the implications. "So, you're saying that the Granger Family might have intentionally invited our guests to their wedding? But why? What would they get out of doing that?"
• Jessie couldn't hold back her anger any longer. "This is absurd! Are we really supposed to believe that just because we're holding our wedding on the same day, the Granger Family decided to go out of their way to sabotage us?"
• "Enough with the speculation!" Mark snapped, his patience fraying under the pressure of the situation. "Even if the Granger Family is pulling something like this, what can we realistically do about it? We're not in a position to take on a family with their kind of power."
• Lionel and Jessie fell silent, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.
• Liana, however, wasn't about to let the matter rest. Her voice shook with barely contained fury. "So what, just because they're rich, they think they can walk all over us? Are we supposed to just sit here and take it?"
• Mark's expression grew even darker, the harsh reality settling in. "Yes. Even if they're throwing their weight around, there's nothing we can do except endure it."
• His irritation simmered just beneath the surface, his voice tight with barely concealed frustration. "Fine," he snapped, trying to sound composed, "it's not the end of the world. Since the guests have ended up at the other wedding, let's just inform everyone that our ceremony will be delayed by two hours."
• He paused, his jaw clenching slightly before he continued, "We'll wait until their wedding finishes, then we'll begin. Otherwise, with everything feeling so empty right now, it won't look or feel right. I don't want our big day to seem so lifeless."
• The Orion Family quickly set to work, making phone calls and sending messages to notify their guests about the schedule change. Mark himself contacted the hotel to extend the use of the banquet hall. Thankfully, everything seemed to be going smoothly.
• From the other side of the wall, the faint strains of a wedding march could be heard. Jessie felt a twinge of discomfort in her chest. She knew there was nothing she could do about the situation, but that didn't stop the bitter feeling from creeping in. After all, how could she compete when the bride next door was Granville's most beautiful woman?
• She knew she was considered attractive, but she was also painfully aware of her limits. No matter how confident she tried to be, she couldn't compare to Crystal's effortless beauty.
• "I'll go over and give them a gift," Mark said, suddenly rising from his seat. Though he hadn't been invited, it wouldn't sit right with him to know about their wedding and not at least show some respect.
• Just as he entered the banquet hall of wedding venue A, the voice of the emcee rang out, "Let's welcome the groom!"
• Mark's eyes instinctively followed the sound, his gaze landing on the red carpet. In that instant, his face drained of color.