Chapter 109

Miranda's eyes went wide as she glanced at Verena."Is your man really that desperate to see you?"

Verena let out a laugh. "Yes. Now quit stalling and let him through."

Miranda threw on an exaggerated pout, pretending to be jealous. "Alright, alright, you're already taking his side."

Gavin accepted the bank card-a token of the groom's sincerity-and hurried to open the door.

The moment the door swung open, Isaac rolled his wheelchair into the room at top speed, his groomsmen hustling in right behind him.

Verena sat at the edge of the bed, every inch the flawless bride,her gown flowing gracefully around her,and her makeup so impeccable that it captured everyone's attention.

Bobby was the first to find his voice, openly awestruck."Seriously, Verena, I've never seen a bride look this stunning."

Slater clutched his chest like a lovesick fool, sighing dramatically. "Man, I really blew it. I should've had the guts to chase after you when I had the chance."

Bobby shot a look at Cayden and the others, smirking."You guys hear that? Somebody needs to teach this guy a lesson."

The celebration brought out everyone's playful side,even Cayden and his friends, who were usually the picture of maturity, jumped right in to join forces with Bobby,grabbing Slater by the arms and giving him a round of playful kicks.

The room erupted in laughter and good-natured chaos, the air buzzing with excitement.

Off to the side, Miranda and Gavin couldn't help but crack up at the spectacle.

Isaac spared a glance for the rowdy crew behind him,and then focused all his attention on Verena, seated on the bed.

His favorite people were right there, but the woman he cherished most was front and center.

Even if her heart wasn't fully his yet, Isaac was grateful for this moment. He made a silent promise that he'd do whatever it took to earn her love.

Amid all the laughter and commotion, Isaac slowly rolled his wheelchair toward Verena. He stopped right in front of her, holding out his hand "Verena, come with me."

With a warm smile, Verena started to reach for him,but another hand caught hers first.

"Wait a second."

The room went quiet as every man turned to look.Verena and Isaac both glanced up at Miranda.

A puzzled look crossed Verena's face. The thought flashed through her mind that Miranda was gearing up to put lsaac on the spot.

Isaac shot Miranda a slightly puzzled look, recognition flickering in his eyes.

Wasn't that Miranda Brown, the CEO of AuroraNexus?

They'd met once at a party, and Isaac always kept track of impressive young leaders.

So this was one of Verena's friends?

Noticing Isaac's stare, Miranda shot back a fierce glare,her inner monologue snapping, "Yeah, I know l'm good-looking. No need to gawk."

Pushing her thoughts aside, Miranda set her jaw and addressed Isaac directly. "You've cleared Gavin's hurdles, but you haven't even faced the bridesmaid's challenge yet."

Familiar with Miranda's knack for stirring up trouble,Verena reached over and squeezed her hand."Miranda,please, don't start any trouble now."

Miranda was gearing up for a comeback when a calm,deep voice broke in. "Alright. Tell me what it'll take to pass."

Miranda's lips curled into a sly, mischievous grin at Isaac's response.

From somewhere seemingly out of thin air, Miranda pulled out a folded slip of paper, smoothed it out, and handed it to lsaac.

She held up a finger with mock seriousness. "Here's the deal. Read every single word on this page, no skipping,no editing. Then you're good to go."

Bobby and the rest of the crew crowded in for a peek,each of their faces morphing into various stages of disbelief as they scanned the text.

Bobby gave his scalp a good scratch. "Oh man,this is so cheesy!"

Slater tried not to laugh. "This is giving me secondhand embarrassment."

Leonardo eyed Isaac, clearly concerned. "Does Isaac even know how to say stuff like this?"

Cayden nudged Stevie, giggling.an you picture Isaac actually reading this out loud?"

Stifling a laugh behind his hand,Stevie chimed in on Cayden's comment, "If he read that out loud, then the mysterious, stoic image I had of him would be completely ruined."

The whole conversation floated over to Isaac, but he didn't flinch. He simply gave the paper a scan,taking the challenge seriously.

Seated opposite Isaac, Verena couldn't make out what was written on the paper. The comments from Bobby and the rest only deepened her sense of dread.

She tugged on Miranda's sleeve, unable to hide her curiosity. "What did you write?"

Miranda just grinned, keeping it mysterious. "You'll find out soon enough."

Isaac finished reading, and then lifted his eyes, a small,knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips.

This was nothing he couldn't handle.

He turned to Verena, his tone soft and full of warmth."Verena." Verena's attention snapped to Isaac, curiosity piqued.

"Starting today, you're my wife. And from this moment on, I swear I'll stick to the 'seven secrets of a happy marriage.'"

A puzzled look flickered in Verena's eyes.

Isaac leaned in a little closer, gently taking her hand and flashing a laid-back grin. With a soft, playful tone,he recited. "Number one: Always tag along when my wife heads out. Number two: Listen up whenever my wife gives an order. Number three: Agree, even if my wife's in the wrong. Number four: Stand by patiently while my wife gets ready. Number five: Don't blink when my wife goes shopping. Number six: Keep my cool whenever my wife's mad. And number seven: Never, ever forget my wife's birthday."

A chorus of "Whoa!" echoed through the room.

Bobby called out, "Isaac, that was seriously so cheesy!"

As soon as lsaac finished, the groomsmen burst into laughter, hooting and hollering like a bunch of monkeys.

Verena couldn't stop herself from laughing, her giggles slipping out before she could even try to hide them.She never would have guessed Isaac, usually so reserved and proper, could pull off something this cheesy with such an easy smile.

Miranda was nearly in tears from laughing so hard,fanning her cheeks as she declared, "Okay, you win!Go on, your bride's waiting."