The Billionaire Groom's Revenge I Let Them Have Everything

During the tea ceremony, my mother-in-law pulled out a gift envelope she'd clearly prepared ahead of time and waved it toward the man standing behind me my best friend.

Bradley Fox, honestly, I always thought you were the better catch. Too bad it just wasn't in the cards for you and my Eily.

Since you can't be my son-in-law, then today I'll take you as my godson.

"Take this ten thousand and one dollars, and from now on you call me Mom."

The teacup froze in my hand. I turned to Eileen Swanson beside me, my eyes asking her what the hell was going on.

She coughed awkwardly and explained under her breath.

"We were going to do the godson thing after the wedding, but my mom figured this would save the trouble."

"I thought, since you and Bradley are close anyway, you wouldn't make a fuss over it, so I agreed."

Then she nudged Bradley to hurry up and take the envelope.

Bradley took it, excited, and called out to my mother-in-law in a loud voice, "Mom."

She nodded, smiling.

Seeing the displeasure on my face, Eileen quickly jabbed me with her elbow.

"That's enough. It's a happy day, don't pull a long face."

"You and Bradley are both family to me now. This way the three of us are just even closer. What's wrong with that?"

"Besides, my mom didn't play favorites. She prepared an eight-hundred-and-eighty-eight-dollar envelope for you too. Now finish the tea and stop holding up the ceremony."

Watching the impatience on her face, I set the teacup aside.

"No need for anyone to get closer. Go ahead and marry Bradley instead."

...

A flash of shock crossed Eileen's face, then she dropped her voice and snapped at me. "Are you insane? With all these relatives and friends watching, what are you making a scene for!"

I let out a cold laugh.

"I'm making a scene? Your whole family takes a godson at my wedding without asking me, and I'm the one who's supposed to be gracious about it."

"Eileen, do you think I'm just that easy to push around?"

Her brows knotted together.

"Jayden Henson, don't throw a rich-boy tantrum here. Just finish the ceremony, and I'll make it up to you when we get home."

Seeing this, Bradley stepped forward and held the envelope out to me, his voice full of fake unease.

"Jayden, don't blame Mom or Eily. This is all my fault."

"I don't want the envelope anymore. Don't call off the wedding over me."

His mouth said he didn't want it, but his fingers were clamped tight around that thick envelope.

Eileen's heart broke for him. She yanked Bradley behind her and shielded him.

"Bradley, don't mind him. You're keeping that envelope today, no matter what. It's the gift my mom gave you as her godson!"

"Jayden's just letting off steam. With this many people watching, you think he'd actually back out?"

I stared at that familiar face, and in that moment it felt like a total stranger's.

"Eileen, do you really think that as long as I show up at this wedding, I have to marry you?"

At that, my mother-in-law shot to her feet, jabbed a finger at my nose, and started cursing.

"You ungrateful piece of trash!"

"My daughter settling for you is your good fortune!"

"If you dare walk out today, then later, even if you kneel and beg me, I'll never let my Eily marry you!"

I ignored her and turned straight to the emcee.

"Hand me the mic, please."

The emcee reflexively passed it over.

Eileen sensed something was off and reached out to grab it.

"Jayden! Stop messing around!"

I dodged to the side, gripped the mic, and looked out at the guests below.

"Everyone, I'm truly sorry."

"Today's wedding ends here."

"I'm not getting married."

The guests erupted.

I stepped down off the stage, and my parents hurried over to meet me.

My mother grabbed my hand.

Her palm was slick with cold sweat, still trembling faintly.

"Son, what on earth happened?"

I closed my hand over my mother's, patted it to steady her, and told them exactly what had happened up on that stage, start to finish.

My father's face went black on the spot.

"The Swansons have gone too far!"

He ripped the boutonniere off his chest, threw it hard onto the floor, and turned to march straight for the stage.

By then Eileen had chased after us.

"Dad, don't be angry, it's all a misunderstanding."

"Jayden's just too stubborn. He blows every little thing out of proportion."

"Bradley is his brother. My mom taking him as a godson only brings everyone closer. That's a good thing!"

My father stared her down, shaking with rage.

"A good thing?"

"My son gets married, and his blessing gift is eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars."

"An outsider gets ten thousand and one?"

"Is that how you Swansons treat people?"

The smile froze on Eileen's face, but she kept trying to talk her way out of it.

"Dad, more money or less, it's only the thought that counts"

"Thought, my foot!"

My father was a gentle man, a schoolteacher for half his life. He'd never once raised his voice at anyone.

Today he swore out loud.

He shoved Eileen aside.

"Get out of the way!"

Her mother came down off the stage too, with Bradley behind her, face pulled tight, screeching at my father.

"In-law, what's that supposed to mean?"

"How exactly have we Swansons mistreated anyone?"

"This marriage was your Henson family begging on your knees for it. I'll put it bluntly. Your son is nothing but my daughter's doormat, and he still wants a bigger blessing gift? "

"He's throwing a fit and calling off the wedding now. It's your Henson family losing face!"

Back then Eileen had told me their family's money was all tied up in an investment gone bad, that money was tight, and asked if the bride price could go up a little.

Feeling for her, I raised it on my own from eighty-eight thousand to a hundred and eighty thousand, and paid for the wedding home in full.

I'd never imagined I'd end up someone's doormat in return.

I looked at her coldly.

"Your daughter's the one getting married, yet you've got two men calling you Mom. Word gets out, and it's not so clear whose face is on the line!"

That shut her up for a second, her eyes darting away.

But she still refused to back down.

"Our Eily is young and beautiful. Plenty of men would line up to marry her!"

"If so many men are lining up, then go marry her off to one of them."

I turned and took my parents' hands.

"Dad, Mom, let's go."

Eileen panicked, strode forward, and grabbed my wrist.

"Jayden, if you walk out that door today, don't ever think about coming back!"

I wrenched my hand free of her grip.

"Eileen, I'll say it one more time."

"This wedding is off. As of now, there is nothing between us."

With that I turned and walked straight to the lounge backstage.

My mother followed behind me.

My father stayed out front, telling our relatives to leave the banquet.

"There's no meal happening today. Sorry to make everyone come out for nothing. Another day I, old Henson, will host a table on my own to make it up to you."

The relatives all stood, not one of them asking a needless question, and headed straight out.

The Swanson side stayed in their seats, exchanging blank looks.

Once we were in the lounge, my mother's tears finally spilled over.

"Son, we can't just let this go. They've bullied us too far."

I nodded.

"Mom, don't worry. This isn't over."

Just then Eileen came storming in, flustered and furious, her mother Hailey James and Bradley trailing behind her.

The moment Bradley walked in, he put on a show of hanging his head low.

Jayden, whatever went wrong, it's all my fault.

I shouldn't have taken the envelope from your mother, shouldn't have called her Mom.

Hit me, curse me, whatever you want. Just please don't stay angry at Eily over this.

I watched him put on this act and felt nothing but how ridiculous it was.

Bradley, what exactly are you performing here?

You really think I don't know what you've been up to?

From the moment we started planning the wedding, he'd been constantly around Eileen, always under the excuse of helping me keep an eye on things.

Picking the wedding dress, he insisted on going along with Eileen, and even weighed in on whether it looked good on her.

The tasting, he had to sit beside Eileen, the two of them laughing and chatting the whole time.

I'd thought he was just being helpful.

Now I saw it. The two of them had been carrying on behind my back all along.

Seeing Bradley look so wronged, Eileen went straight over and hooked her arm through his.

Jayden, Bradley has backed down this far. What more do you want?

Do you have to drag this out until it's this ugly? Do you have even a shred of empathy?

Hailey joined in too, jabbing a finger at my face as she cursed.

Exactly! Look how decent Bradley is. Not like you, no big-heartedness at all.

Let me tell you, if you call off this wedding today for no reason, you'll never marry a woman as fine as my daughter again!

I couldn't help letting out a small scoff.

Ma'am, your daughter was carrying on with the best man at her own wedding. Goods like that are too far above my station.

Hailey's face went purple in an instant, the finger she pointed at me trembling.

Youyou ill-bred thing!

Fine! You won't go through with it? Plenty of others will!

She walked over to Bradley and grabbed his hand.

Those dozens of banquet tables outside are all set, the money's paid. Be a waste not to use them!

Today's reception, we'll just change it into Eileen and Bradley's!

I liked Bradley better to begin with anyway!

And besides, our Eily is already carrying Bradley's child!

My mother sucked in a sharp breath and, without thinking, clutched my arm tight.

I turned to look at Eileen. Her head was down, her hands folded protectively over her still-flat belly, but she couldn't hide the smug little smile at the corner of her mouth.

A good brother of five years. A fiance I'd loved for three.

While I was running myself ragged over this wedding, the two of them had already gone and made a baby together.

Something churned violently in my stomach, past anything I could hold down.

Seeing the truth was fully out now, Eileen let out a sigh.

Jayden, since my mom's already said it, I won't hide it from you either.

That thing with Bradley was just an accident. Everyone had too much to drink and lost control.

But trust me, the only person I truly love is you. It's you I'm sincere about.

She stepped closer, her eyes full of charity.

Jayden, we've got three years between us. I don't want this to get too ugly either.

I'm giving you one last chance today. Come out with me right now and finish the rest of the ceremony.

As for the babyit's already here, we can't exactly abort it and wreck my body, can we?

Once it's born, it takes your name, calls you Dad.

You won't have to lift a finger. A big healthy boy handed to you for free. That's not a bad deal for you, is it?

I couldn't hold back another second. I raised my hand and slapped Eileen across the face.

Get out.

Take your mother and your side piece and get out of my sight this instant.

Eileen cupped her cheek, staring at me in disbelief.

Jayden, you dared to hit me!

Fine. You chose this. Don't you regret it!

"Mom, Bradley, let's go! These dozens of tables of good food and wine we'll eat them ourselves!"

They'd barely walked out when the hotel's lobby manager knocked and stepped in, looking uncomfortable.

"Mr. Henson, what exactly is going on out there?"

"A moment ago Miss Swanson was shouting that the groom had changed, telling the emcee to reannounce the wedding party."

"And your relatives are streaming out the doors in droves."

"The kitchen's asking me whether they should still serve the thirty tables of top-tier seafood banquet you ordered."

I wanted to say no, then a thought struck me.

"Serve it. Why wouldn't we?"

"It's their big happy day. Of course the good food and good liquor should go out, every last dish of it."

Eileen and her mother thought I'd already paid off all thirty tables of the banquet in full.

After all, every bit of the preparation for this wedding, from the banquet venue down to a single piece of wedding candy, I'd handled myself.

What they didn't know was that the owner of this hotel was my college senior.

Back when I'd booked the venue, Sabrina Wells hadn't taken a single cent of deposit from me.

We'd agreed to settle the whole thing together tomorrow, once the banquet was over.

In other words, those thirty tables outside were, as of now, still sitting at zero paid.

I looked at the manager and smiled.

"I'll trouble you to pass a message to your owner."

"From this moment on, that banquet out there has nothing to do with me, not one cent."

"Whoever's out there toasting, whoever ate this meal, that's who you go to for the money."

"And if they try to skip out on the bill, don't hold back. Lock the front doors and call the police."

The manager blinked, then caught on at once.

He'd been in this line of work for years. What kind of circus hadn't he seen?

"Don't worry, Mr. Henson. I know what to do."

Once everything was settled, I walked my parents out of the hotel.

In the car on the way home, I opened social media on a whim.

Sure enough, Eileen had already rushed to post.

In the photo she was nestled in Bradley's arms, Hailey beside them, holding both their hands and grinning ear to ear.

The caption read: *The right time, the right person. Double blessings at once. Thank you to Mom for her love, thank you to my husband for stepping up.*

Below it, a few of the Swanson relatives had liked it and left comments: *Bradley really does suit our Eily better.*

*This spread is really something. The lobster looks so fresh. That Henson fool has no luck at all.*

Reading those comments, I didn't just keep my temper. I nearly laughed out loud.

Eat up. Eat plenty.

I only worried that however much you swallowed now, you'd be coughing it right back up soon enough.

The banquet drew to a close, the guests full of food and drink, drifting out one after another with their party favors.

Eileen, on Bradley's arm, got ready to leave, surrounded by a crowd of relatives.

Right then, two rows of uniformed security guards appeared out of nowhere and blocked the way.

The manager stood in front of Eileen with the bill in hand and a professional smile.

"Miss Swanson, congratulations on your marriage."

"Today you ran up thirty tables of our top-tier seafood banquet, for a total of five hundred thousand dollars."

"Will you be paying by phone, or by card?"