At that moment, Claire was struck by a wave of jealousy.

It dawned on her that Jasmine likely held a very favorable opinion of her husband, Charlie.

After all, Jasmine wouldn’t be gazing at him in that way if she didn’t.

This realization hit Claire hard; it made her understand that she and Charlie weren’t as close or intimate as they should be. This lack of connection was the reason for the distance lingering between them.

Such a gap could easily allow a third party to intrude on their relationship.

If they shared a deep, genuine bond, there would be no room for anyone else to disrupt their connection.

As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Claire experienced an unexpected surge of determination.

Just then, Charlie noticed Claire’s distracted state and quickly urged, “Dear, we need to hurry or we’ll be late.”

Snapping back to reality, Claire nodded awkwardly and replied, “Yes, let’s go quickly!”

Jasmine accompanied the trio to their cars, reluctantly watching as they drove away before returning to the bridal shop.

Charlie started the engine of his limited edition Bugatti Veyron and sped off towards Hilton.

Meanwhile, in the Grand Ballroom of Hilton, a man dressed sharply in a suit, complete with a bridegroom’s corsage on his chest, was visibly anxious.

Next to him stood a woman in her fifties, her expression icy. She voiced her frustration, saying, “Steve, Isabella is incredibly uncultured, isn’t she? Just look at the time! She isn’t even here yet! It’s obvious she doesn’t take our family seriously!”

Steve quickly defended Isabella, “Mom, you know Isabella and her family live in Levy County, which is quite far away! I wanted to go pick her up, but you wouldn’t let me. You even took my cell phone! She doesn’t have a car, so how is she supposed to get here? Can’t you give me my phone back so I can call her?”

“Contact her? No way!” his mother retorted coldly. “She’s not even part of our family yet and already acts so entitled! How can we expect to have any good days if we let someone like her in?”

With disdain, she continued, “I told you long ago not to marry a girl from a poor background. If they lack money, they often lack proper upbringing too. Have you chosen this uncultured girl just to drive me insane?”

Steve’s expression darkened, but he didn’t dare to contradict his mother directly. Her domineering nature made her a formidable presence at home, and even his father tread lightly around her.

At that moment, his mother pressed on, “Steve, all our relatives are here today. They’re all eager to see the poor wife you’ve chosen. If Isabella isn’t here by nine twenty this morning, I’ll be a laughingstock to everyone!”

“In that case, you might as well forget about the wedding. You can tell Isabella to terminate the pregnancy, or I could offer her two hundred thousand dollars to have the grandson of the Carson family on our behalf!”

“Mom!” Steve exclaimed, his face dark with frustration. “Isabella is about to join our family. Why are you making things so difficult for her?”

With a dismissive tone, Steve’s mother replied, “Let me make it clear: if she dares to marry into our family, I’ll make her life a challenge every step of the way.”