Melanie ignored all the whispers and stares from the people in the banquet hall. She led her parents outside and let out a deep breath. The temperature had dropped to single digits. A cold wind blew over, making her shiver, her off-shoulder wedding gown providing her little to no warmth on the chilly October night.
On seeing her tremble, her father removed his coat and draped it on her shoulders. "Take it, Lannie. You're cold."
"I'm fine. I..."
"Take it. I don't want you to fall sick," her father said, giving her no room for objection.
Having no choice, Melanie wore it. Instantly, she felt the warmth of the coat engulfing her. She even detected a faint smell of cologne. Though mild, it made her feel calm and comfortable.
"How are we going back?" Melanie asked, looking at her parents, who were already staring at her. Taking her car was out of the question. First, the Gilroy couple wouldn't allow her. Second, she herself was unwilling to use things that rightfully didn't belong to her.
"Your brothers are driving. Give them a few seconds."
Melanie had no idea what to expect. While she waited for her brothers, she tried to recall where she had heard her father's name.
'Stefan Hayes. Stefan Hayes. Stefan Hayes... why do I find him and his name familiar? How do I know him?' she wondered, racking her head to retrieve that string of memory which held details about her father. But she recalled nothing. Her hands were itching to look up her father's name on the Internet. Yet, she did nothing, smiling at her mother assuringly.
Her brothers were quick. They drove over two cars, with Declan and Castiel behind the wheels and Ezra beside Castiel.
"Dad, Mom, hop in," Declan said, knowing well that their parents would follow Melanie. And as expected, his father took the shotgun while his mother and Melanie sat in the back.
Declan took a look at his sister through the rearview before he followed Castiel and Ezra back home.
Along the way, Melanie was lost in thought. Not only was she thinking about her family, but she was also trying to decode the connection between Liam and Sandra.
'As far as I know, Liam and Sandra don't know each other. But why did it look like they were familiar with each other?' she pondered, recalling the looks they had given in the banquet hall.
"What am I missing here?" she mumbled, not realizing she had said that out loud.
"Did you say something, Lannie?" Camilla asked immediately in concern. Her soft voice forced Melanie out of her thoughts, and she stared at the three people blankly, not realizing that they had been staring at her for quite some time now.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Looking at her parents first, she stared at Declan questioningly. He hadn't spoken a word to her since they had met.
"You've been silent for quite some time. We thought... we thought..." her mother replied, holding back her nervousness.
"It's nothing. I was just wondering why I find you all quite familiar," Melanie revealed her thoughts without holding back. She had no intentions of hiding from them. Instead of looking up her father on the Internet, she might as well get the information from the man himself.
The three people fell silent at once, and no one spoke for a long time. Melanie couldn't fathom what had happened. Their sudden tense situation unnerved her. 'Why did they go silent all of a sudden? Did I ask something I shouldn't have?'
Her thoughts started to run wild, and she was about to apologize for being impudent when her father sighed heavily, making her look at him in confusion.
"Since you're a part of our family, I guess there's no use hiding the truth from you," he said, turning over to look at her daughter. Even Camilla was staring at her, giving her her undivided attention. Only Declan continued driving. But his eyes kept hovering towards the rear-view mirror every few seconds.
"Do you remember the Hayes Group that switched owners four years ago?"
Melanie finally remembered why she found her parents, especially her father, familiar. Wasn't he the Chairman of the Hayes Group? She knew about him. After all, the news about the company switching owners and changing the name had taken their city by storm.
"Ohh, I remember now." Melanie finally retrieved the memory related to her birth father and the Hayes Group from her brain.
"Yeah, that was our company," Stefan sighed, feeling miserable all of a sudden. He couldn't bear to look at his daughter's inquisitive eyes anymore. So, he turned around and looked out the window instead.
"Don't worry, Lannie. Our situation isn't bad anymore. Your brothers have worked hard to provide for us. You have nothing to worry about."
Melanie wasn't actually worried about it. Instead, she was more focused on finding the truth from four years ago. She had always felt strange about the Hayes Group. There was something fishy about the matter. Now that she was a Hayes as well, her mind started spinning with all the possibilities and plans.
'It looks like I need to investigate what transpired four years ago.'
Not knowing what Melanie was planning, Declan drove towards their apartment.
"Your elder brother Ezra has a house on Antone Street, and Declan is renting a house on Burnet Road. Castiel is still studying. So, he is staying with us."
Melanie nodded, accepting their situation without any protests.
"Umm... Lannie," Camilla hesitated and licked her lips nervously.
"Yes?" Melanie still couldn't bring herself to call her mother. She needed more time.
"Can you... Can you stay with us for the time being? We want to get to know you better. We..."
"Sure." Before her mother could say more, Melanie readily agreed. "I want to stay with you guys as well." She knew nothing about her family, except for what the media had shown years ago. So, she had no qualms staying with them.
"Thanks, Lannie. Thank you so much."
While Stefan and Camilla were over the moon, Declan remained silent, much to Melanie's surprise. But she didn't miss his glances now and then. Though not a word had been said, she more or less had an inkling as to what was running in his mind.
Declan was wary about her. But why?
'It looks like I need to have a good chat with my brothers later,' she thought before looking out the window.
Meanwhile, a major piece of news spread across all media platforms. What was supposed to be a grand wedding had changed to a grand revelation. Every media platform was broadcasting news about Melanie's birth parents.
Some reporters even went as far as to rush to the banquet hall to interview Melanie and the Gilroy family. By then, the woman in question had already left the place. So, it was just the Gilroy family and the Harrington family, and some of the guests who were yet to depart.
"Mr. Gilroy, is it true? Is Miss Melanie not your daughter?" one of the reporters asked, thrusting his microphone towards the three people. The cameras kept snapping as they continued clicking pictures as if there was no tomorrow.
"It's true. Melanie is not our daughter. Ladies and gentlemen, this is my daughter, Sandra Gilroy." Howard looked at his daughter, who was standing beside him, and smiled widely. "I know you have a lot of questions. I'll answer all of them. But not today. I'll hold a press conference two days later. I'll reveal the truth that day."
With that, he glanced at the bodyguards, and they surrounded the Gilroy and the Harrington family, protecting them thoroughly until they reached their cars.
While Sandra's and Liam's parents entered their cars, Liam and Sandra paused by their respective car doors and looked at each other. Though nothing was said, everything was conveyed through their eyes, and they entered their cars before driving towards their respective homes.
"Mom, will the wedding happen?" Sandra asked, her impatience getting the best of her. She couldn't control herself when she thought about Melanie and Liam's relationship. What should have been hers was all enjoyed by the imposter, and the mere thought of it filled her with hatred and jealousy.
"Do you think the Harringtons will marry someone like Melanie?" Nadia sneered, her tone dripping with ridicule and disgust.
"But..."
"Melanie is now nothing but a poor girl. The Harringtons will never marry someone like her," Howard added, giving her an assuring look.
"But I'm scared. What if Liam actually marries Melanie?" Sandra couldn't remove the man's face from her mind. She was infatuated with him the moment she saw him. Her heart had never been so out of control, and she knew at once that she had fallen in love.
"How about this? I'll invite the Harringtons to our house tomorrow. Let's have a good chat," Howard suggested after thinking for some time. "I think it's time we made some things clear."
"Can you do that, Dad?" Sandra's eyes twinkled in joy, and she looked back and forth between her parents. Her heart finally settled when she saw their assuring nods.