She Loved the Billionaire Since Childhood — Until Forced to Serve at His Wedding!
Chapter 4
The reception was extravagant.
Champagne flowed.
Music filled the ballroom.
Guests danced beneath golden lights.
Amelia moved between tables with a tray.
She tried to disappear.
But Ethan kept looking at her.
During dinner, he finally approached.
“Come with me.”
She shook her head.
“I can’t.”
“I need to talk to you.”
“You need to sit with your wife.”
He looked toward Victoria.
“She’s with her parents.”
“Ethan.”
“Please.”
Amelia followed him into an empty corridor.
He closed the door.
“I didn’t want this wedding.”
She stared at him.
“You just said you did.”
“I was forced.”
“By whom?”
“My father.”
“Your father is dead.”
“I know.”
He looked exhausted.
“Before he died, he arranged everything.”
Amelia remained silent.
“He merged our company with the Langfords.”
“So?”
“The marriage was part of the agreement.”
She stared at him.
“You’re telling me you’re marrying Victoria because of a business deal?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you stop it?”
“Because if I refused, thousands of employees would lose their jobs.”
Amelia’s expression softened.
“But you’re a billionaire.”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“Then how does it work?”
He looked at her.
“You know how it works.”
“No.”
“Money doesn’t mean freedom.”
She looked away.
“Maybe not.”
He stepped closer.
“I searched for you.”
She swallowed.
“Why?”
“Because I never stopped thinking about you.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Ethan…”
“I remembered the promise I made.”
“What promise?”
“That I’d take you somewhere beautiful.”
She laughed through tears.
“You forgot.”
“I never did.”
He reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small red ribbon.
Amelia recognized it immediately.
It was from the bicycle he had given her when they were children.
“You kept that?”
“I kept everything.”
She looked at him.
“Then why are you standing at an altar with someone else?”
He didn’t answer.
Suddenly the door opened.
Victoria stood there.
Her face was expressionless.
“Interesting.”
Ethan stepped back.
“Victoria.”
She looked at Amelia.
“You lied to me.”
Amelia shook her head.
“I never told you anything.”
Victoria’s eyes hardened.
“You knew he loved you.”
Amelia looked at Ethan.
“Did you?”
He didn’t deny it.
Victoria’s face went pale.
“Then this marriage is not what I thought.”
Ethan sighed.
“It was never about love.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“You think I didn’t know?”
Everyone fell silent.
Victoria stepped closer.
“My father told me exactly what this marriage was.”
Amelia looked confused.
“Then why?”
Victoria looked directly at her.
“Because neither of us had a choice.”
Then she walked away.
Amelia stared at Ethan.
“What is happening?”
He answered quietly.
“I don’t know anymore.”
