Free Web NovelChapter 187: Chapter 177: The Third Request, Marry Me
"Georgia Thorne, are you really sure you want to marry Zane Lennox? You’re not going to reconsider?" Nancy Hughes asked, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at the quiet woman beside her.
Holding a bouquet, her stunning profile was illuminated by the sunlight, making her look like a flower fairy from a storybook realm.
Just last night, Nancy had seen her getting out of Elliot Sheridan’s car.
The wedding venue was at the Grandview Hotel.
Zane Lennox wanted to give Georgia Thorne a respectable wedding, so he had specially booked the entire Grandview Hotel for the ceremony.
Georgia Thorne, wearing her veil, went into the dressing room first.
"It seems a little empty out there!"
Nancy Hughes said, rushing back in after scouting the situation outside.
Georgia Thorne hummed in acknowledgment, subconsciously reaching up to touch the ruby necklace on her neck.
Zane Lennox was currently in the midst of trouble. People were trying to avoid him at all costs, so who would dare attend his wedding?
Besides, it seemed even Zane Lennox’s parents weren’t going to attend.
"It’s strange. I mean, it’s one thing if his parents don’t show up, but why isn’t Zane Lennox here either!" Nancy Hughes said, puzzled.
"He’s not here yet?" Georgia Thorne asked, standing up and walking toward the door.
Nancy Hughes pressed herself against the door, peering through the crack several times, but she couldn’t see Zane Lennox.
"Nope. Where did Zane Lennox go?" Nancy Hughes moved aside, letting Georgia Thorne look.
Indeed, there was no sign of Zane Lennox.
"Maybe he’s busy with something else," Georgia Thorne offered, trying to reassure herself with the excuse.
"That’s possible."
At ten in the morning, more and more guests arrived, gathering together and mingling with drinks in hand.
But strangely, only the bride’s family was greeting guests at the wedding. As for the groom’s side, not only were there no family members, but the groom himself was nowhere to be found.
At eleven o’clock, there was still half an hour until the wedding was set to begin.
After greeting a few guests, Jared Thorne noticed that Zane Lennox still hadn’t arrived and felt that something was very wrong with this wedding.
He smiled and said a few words to the guest in front of him, then put down his glass and hurried to the dressing room.
"Who is it?"
Nancy Hughes was guarding the door and only opened it after hearing Jared Thorne’s voice.
Jared Thorne went straight to Georgia Thorne. "What’s going on? He’s the groom, how can he still not be here!"
Because Zane Lennox was so late, guests in the main hall were already starting to whisper among themselves.
Georgia Thorne said calmly, "Dad, he’ll be here when it’s time."
’She believed in Zane Lennox!’
Jared Thorne said furiously, "If he doesn’t show up, the Thorne Family will be utterly humiliated!"
Georgia Thorne was silent.
Jared Thorne hurried back to the main hall to greet guests.
Twenty minutes later, the groom still hadn’t appeared, and Jared Thorne could barely maintain his composure.
There were at least three or four hundred people in attendance.
The chatter from the crowd grew louder, only quieting when a stir came from the entrance.
At the entrance, Meghan Everett slowly walked in, pushing her husband, Zachary Lennox, in a wheelchair, which quieted the hall for a moment.
Now that parents from both sides had arrived, it seemed unlikely that there would be any major hiccups with the wedding.
Perhaps Zane Lennox was right behind them, or maybe he was on his way.
With the groom still absent, no one could say for sure.
In the dressing room, Nancy Hughes had already peeked outside countless times. There were only five minutes left until the procession, and there was still no sign of Zane Lennox.
"What do we do, what do we do? Zane Lennox’s parents are here, but he isn’t!" Nancy Hughes spun around to face the perfectly calm Georgia Thorne. ’It’s a classic case of the onlookers being more anxious than the person involved!’
"What on earth is Zane Lennox playing at? Still not showing up... Don’t tell me he’s having second thoughts!"
The more Nancy Hughes thought about it, the more likely it seemed. "If Zane Lennox really doesn’t show up to his own wedding, this will be a massive, public humiliation!"
Attending the wedding were not only some bigwigs from the business world but also a considerable number of news media.
If Zane Lennox really was a no-show, the reporters would have a field day.
Georgia Thorne didn’t make a sound, letting Nancy Hughes chatter away anxiously beside her.
To be honest, a profound sense of calm, the likes of which she had never felt before, settled in her heart.
Clutching her phone, she remembered the text message Zane Lennox had sent her just a few minutes ago.
"Wait for me!"
With those simple words, Georgia Thorne clutched her phone, gathered her skirt, and stood up.
"Hey, where are you going?" Nancy Hughes asked frantically as she watched Georgia Thorne walk toward the door.
"The wedding has started. Someone has to face the music, don’t they?" Georgia Thorne replied with a brilliant, confident smile.
Nancy Hughes was momentarily dumbstruck. It was only after Georgia Thorne had walked out that she belatedly scrambled to follow her.
"Someone should go out there, but not you! That’s a man’s job, what does it have to do with you?" Nancy Hughes said, frantically grabbing her arm. She’d never seen a bride be the one to show her face in a situation like this at a wedding.
"Nancy Hughes, let go of me!"
"Georgia Thorne, do you have any idea what you’re doing?"
Nancy Hughes said, exasperated, refusing to let go. Georgia Thorne simply smiled and pried her fingers off. "I know exactly what I’m doing!"
’She had always been very clear about what she needed to do!’
In the noisy hall, just as the seated guests were speculating about why the groom hadn’t appeared, the grand, soaring melody of a wedding march suddenly filled the air.
’Has the groom arrived?’
Instantly, everyone fell silent and turned to look toward the entrance.
Jared Thorne, too, turned his head in surprise.
At the end of the red carpet stood a figure in pure white. The brilliant lights behind her refracted dazzlingly, and the beadwork on her dress sparkled.
The ruby necklace, in particular, was exceptionally eye-catching, casting a red glow against the pale white of her neck.
Everyone was stunned by Georgia Thorne’s beauty. She looked like a moon goddess—holy, noble, and utterly unattainable.
Even the reporters were captivated by Georgia Thorne’s beauty, forgetting to take pictures.
The figure in white walked slowly toward them, the woman’s delicate features partially obscured beneath her veil.
It wasn’t until she passed by them that everyone snapped out of their daze.
A bride this beautiful should have had her groom standing by her side.
But to this moment, no one had caught even a single glimpse of the groom.
Georgia Thorne slowly walked to the end of the aisle and stopped.
Ten minutes later, the once-quiet hall instantly erupted in noise again.
Someone even dared to call out, "The bride is standing on the stage alone. Where’s the groom?"
This was the question on everyone’s mind. They had all assumed that when the bride appeared, the groom would surely follow.
The murmuring below grew louder, but Georgia Thorne remained perfectly composed on the stage.
Even Nancy Hughes was confused. Where on earth had Zane Lennox gone?
’She couldn’t get through to Zane Lennox’s phone at all!’
’If this continues, she will truly become the laughingstock of all Portmire!’
After another twenty minutes, many guests had lost their patience.
One stood up from his chair. "So, what’s the deal? The groom still isn’t here. Is this wedding happening or not?"
Zachary Lennox and Meghan Everett hadn’t said a word the entire time. Meghan Everett was anxious too. ’What on earth is my son up to?’
Facing the crowd’s harsh questions, Georgia Thorne calmly lifted her veil and addressed everyone peacefully. "My apologies. This wedding is for myself and Zane Lennox. If you are not here to wish us well, you are free to leave."
Georgia Thorne spoke with magnanimous grace, and the sheer force of her presence was enough to stun everyone into silence.
"The exit is that way. I won’t see you out."
After Georgia Thorne said this, quite a few people in the audience left.
The number of people in the audience gradually dwindled, and eventually, even Zane Lennox’s parents left.
Amanda Thorne, sitting in the audience, complained, "The groom isn’t even here. When is this wedding going to be over? I want to go home!"
’How utterly ridiculous!’
No matter how others looked at her, Georgia Thorne stood on the stage, unmoved.
A smile was fixed on her face as she waited for Zane Lennox.
In the end, even Jared Thorne felt too ashamed to stay and left with his wife and other daughter.
The noisy hall gradually fell silent until, in the end, only Nancy Hughes remained with Georgia Thorne, along with a crowd of reporters.
Georgia Thorne, still in her wedding dress, waited for an entire afternoon.
No matter how many times Nancy Hughes tried to persuade her, Georgia Thorne seemed not to hear.
Night fell, blanketing the world outside in darkness. After standing motionless for so long, Georgia Thorne finally moved.
She tossed aside her bouquet and turned to the crowd of reporters, a brilliant smile still fixed on her face.
Her voice was gentle. "Sorry to have kept you all waiting. You can go home now."
Georgia Thorne had been standing for a very, very long time. Her feet, crammed into high heels, were uncomfortable, and a sharp pain shot through her calves.
Step by step, she walked gracefully toward the exit.
It took the reporters a moment to react. Not wanting to miss such a prime interview opportunity, they shouldered their cameras and started to give chase, only to be blocked by several men in black who suddenly appeared before them.
A wedding that was supposed to be the event of the season, where the bride waited until nightfall for a groom who never came, had turned into a complete joke.
The next morning, Georgia Thorne couldn’t help but find the news coverage amusing.
Nancy Hughes threw a pillow at her. "You’re the only person in the world who could still laugh after being abandoned at the altar by the groom!"
Georgia Thorne’s smile faded as she watched a TV host speculate about their wedding.
’She had waited so long to show Zane Lennox that she had kept her word and waited for him!’
’It was also a way of giving herself closure.’
The story of Georgia Thorne being jilted became common knowledge, turning her into a complete laughingstock in everyone’s eyes.
Jared Thorne was furious on the phone, screaming about the humiliation and disowning her as his daughter.
’This was much better than she had anticipated. Perhaps she should be secretly pleased.’
Since that day, Zane Lennox’s company had seen a slight turn for the better, but the outlook was still far from optimistic.
Zane Lennox was still nowhere to be found; even his parents didn’t know where he had gone.
Georgia Thorne had also tried calling Zane Lennox, but his phone was always turned off.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was almost July.
In late June, there was a graduation ceremony at the university.
This was the first time Georgia Thorne had gone out since the wedding.
When Nancy Hughes and Georgia Thorne arrived on campus, many people recognized Georgia and began whispering behind their backs.
