Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Domestic Paparazzi

A low sigh, almost inaudible, reached Jessie Sterling’s ears due to their proximity.

Victor Morgan didn’t tell her not to cry. He simply wrapped an arm around Jessie Sterling’s shoulder and, with his other hand, gently pressed her head against his chest.

“If you keep crying, your makeup will run.” Victor always had a knack for pinpointing what Jessie cared about most. “I have a handkerchief in my pocket. Take it out and wipe your face.”

The bride had looked beautiful walking down the aisle, but you never saw one carrying a pack of tissues.

When Jessie Sterling heard Victor’s words, her sorrow seemed to halt mid-stream. She pictured the photos the photographer would take after the wedding—of her, a blubbering mess. Not being able to pick a single decent wedding photo would be a true disaster.

“You’re so annoying!” Jessie Sterling didn’t refuse Victor’s kindness. The man was offering her a sanctuary in his arms, and she didn’t want anyone to see her crying.

Though she complained between sobs, Jessie’s free hand, the one not holding the handkerchief, gripped the front of Victor’s suit jacket tightly.

Victor glanced down, deciding not to tell Jessie that she was probably wrinkling his jacket.

Julian Grant was also at the wedding today.

When he saw Jessie being pulled into Victor’s embrace, he deliberately looked away.

Sitting beside Julian was Miles Hollis, the second son of the Hollis family. He was the same age as Julian and had been his classmate since elementary school.

Miles noticed Julian’s gaze wasn’t on the embracing newlyweds a short distance away, and he raised an eyebrow.

“So what’s the deal with you and Jessie Sterling?” Miles couldn’t help but ask, his curiosity piqued.

As Julian’s classmate, he of course remembered the Jessie Sterling who used to follow Julian around like a little shadow.

In their circle, if Jessie was going to marry any of them, everyone assumed it would be Julian.

But who would have thought that after graduation, Jessie would end up marrying Victor Morgan?

Those two had been completely unconnected before.

Hearing this, Julian’s expression darkened. “What ’deal’?”

Miles wasn’t intimidated. He laid it all out. “Weren’t your two families already discussing an engagement? Where did the Morgan family come from?”

“That’s just a baseless rumor. It never happened,” Julian said coldly. “Our families had dinner together, but it was just a normal get-together. You’re reading way too much into it.”

Seeing his denial, Miles shrugged. He couldn’t be bothered to ask more; after all, he wasn’t the one who’d lost the girl.

Julian didn’t want people spreading rumors about him and Jessie, fearing it would cause her unnecessary trouble. But only he knew that when Miles asked that question, he was relentlessly asking himself the same thing. ’Why did things between me and Jessie end up this way?’

’Why had Jessie become so cold to him after he returned to the country?’

He couldn’t help but clench his fists.

The bride and groom finally stood before the officiant to exchange vows, share a kiss, and toss the bouquet.

As Victor Morgan slid the wedding ring onto her finger, Jessie Sterling watched, feeling something stir uncontrollably in her heart.

After the initial ceremony, Jessie went to change into another wedding dress.

This was a wedding of the century, a long affair set to last three full days.

During that time, few guests would leave.

After all, the Sterling-Morgan wedding was more than just a wedding; it was a grand stage for fame and fortune. Every person who received an invitation was of considerable net worth.

Even though the two families hadn’t widely publicized the wedding back home, the media had its sources and still found out about the Sterling-Morgan alliance.

But even so, throughout the three-day wedding, not a single media outlet managed to get onto the premises. They couldn’t even get a close-up shot.

The only thing they had was a hopelessly blurry long-distance shot of the main gate.

Chelsea was already one of London’s most exclusive, wealthy districts. But who could have predicted that the Sterling and Morgan families’ security would extend to the neighboring Amberwood Hill and Serpentine Park? This made it impossible for the media, even armed with their long-lensed cameras, to capture any useful images of the palace lawn.

But this only made the event seem more mysterious and fueled public discussion.

David Hudson was a well-known paparazzo from back home, nicknamed “Dawg.” His exposés were almost always 100% authentic, which had earned him a massive following on social media.

For a huge story like the Sterling-Morgan alliance, David Hudson would naturally be on the scene.

To have reached the top of his field, his network of contacts was naturally extraordinary.

But even so, he couldn’t even wrangle a single ticket to the wedding.

After staking out the location in London for three full days, David Hudson had nothing to show for it—not a single piece of useful information.

“This is insane.” David Hudson’s car was parked in front of a colorful terraced house in Amberwood Hill. His studio assistant sat in the passenger seat, both of them holding milk and bread. “We’ve been eating bread for three days and still haven’t gotten a single shot.”

It was the first time in his entire career that David Hudson had felt so utterly defeated.

He was ready to declare that bread was now his most hated food in the world, bar none.

His assistant looked like he was barely hanging on. “This is brutal, boss. We haven’t even gotten a single picture of what the Sterling family’s young lady looks like… They didn’t even put up a welcome portrait at the entrance!”

’Even snapping a photo of a pre-shot portrait would have been something to turn in!’

But what was this? They had come all the way from their home country, and aside from a few shots of helicopters a few days ago, they had absolutely nothing.

The wedding guests either flew directly to the vicinity of the palace or were picked up from Alvington by the Sterling and Morgan families and flown directly to St. Alban’s Palace by helicopter.

David Hudson ran a hand through his hair in frustration and sent messages to a few contacts on his phone.

He certainly couldn’t order around the invited tycoons and political figures, but among them were a few rare individuals who liked to bring dates from outside their circle. And these outside dates were often starlets.

David Hudson was quite well-connected in the entertainment industry.

So, unable to photograph the wedding’s interior himself, David could only place his bets on the celebrities he was familiar with.

Cheryl Stuart was one of them.

She had been brought in by Miles Hollis.

Because Brianna Hudson was set to marry into the Jennings family, Cheryl had used a few tricks to get acquainted with her. However, the Hudson family’s young lady wasn’t short on sycophants, so Cheryl had only managed to accompany her on a shopping trip when she visited Southaven.

Later, when Brianna Hudson was horse racing against Jessie Sterling at the stables, her horse spooked and threw her. Now, she was still recuperating at home and didn’t have much time for Cheryl.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep