"Hello? What? Mr. Davenport is looking for me?" After hanging up, the person muttered, "Why would Mr. Davenport be looking for me at a time like this?"
"Miss Lowell, I…"
Rosalind Lowell nodded. "It's alright, you can go…"
But she hadn't expected Alaric Davenport to call all the staff in the room away.
She was confused, but she couldn't say anything. She just let them go and waited quietly.
"Why has everyone left?"
Only Elsa Ainsworth and she were left in the room. They waited for a long while, but still, no one came to tell them to head to the venue.
"Something's not right. It should be time to go." Elsa Ainsworth stood up and opened the door to look outside. "Has something been delayed?"
Rosalind Lowell shook her head. "I don't know…"
It was then that she began to feel a faint sense of unease.
"Rosie, it's not convenient for you in that wedding dress. I'll go take a look." Elsa Ainsworth glanced at her phone. The signal was bad; her messages wouldn't send.
Elsa Ainsworth wasn't familiar with her surroundings. After walking for a while, she finally spotted a female attendant. The cruise ship was huge, and it took time to get to the wedding venue from this area. The attendant looked like she had just come from there, so Elsa asked, "Excuse me, what time does the wedding start?"
"I think it's already started."
"What?" Elsa Ainsworth's eyes went wide. She had heard the schedule from Rosalind Lowell. 'Did they add something to the schedule at the last minute?'
'Otherwise, how could the wedding have started with the bride still in her room?'
'Why didn't anyone notify us? Alaric Davenport isn't this unreliable, is he?'
She looked at her phone, which still had no signal, gritted her teeth, and sprinted back toward Rosalind Lowell's room in her high heels.
She fumbled with the handle, but the door wouldn't open. "Rosie, Rosie, it's me, Sherry! Open the door…"
Meanwhile, inside the room, Rosalind Lowell was tied to a chair with a rag stuffed in her mouth. She wanted to make some noise, but she couldn't move at all.
"The wedding has started. Hasn't the bride already gone over?" a voice said, appearing out of nowhere.
"Oh, she has?" Elsa Ainsworth breathed a sigh of relief. 'I don't know the way, and I've been gone for a while,' she thought. 'Someone must have taken her there.'
'But, I'm the bridesmaid!'
At that thought, Elsa Ainsworth continued running toward the wedding venue.
She rushed to Skylar Morrison's side, panting. "Miss Ainsworth, you're late," he teased. "Careful, or your ladylike image might crumble..."
Elsa Ainsworth caught her breath before replying, "How was I to know? No one came to get us. Luckily, someone must have brought Rosie over after I left."
She looked at the couple on the stage and blinked. 'Why do I get the feeling that something's wrong?'
As the bridesmaid, she discreetly moved closer for a better look. 'Wait! That's not Rosie! She's not wearing the bracelet!'
She tapped Skylar Morrison on the arm. "Young Mr. Morrison, that's not Rosie."
"No way. How can it not be her?" Skylar Morrison was puzzled. Though the veil obscured her face, her figure looked about right. Besides, there was only one bride—it had to be Rosalind.
Elsa Ainsworth took a deep breath and turned to find Ethan Lockwood. 'Ethan is reliable. Right! I'll find Ethan.'
...
Meanwhile, on the stage, the officiant asked Alaric Davenport, "Mr. Davenport, do you take Miss Lowell to be your lawful wife, to love her, care for her, respect her, and accept her, in sickness and in health, or for any other reason, until death do you part?"
"I do."
The officiant then asked the bride the same question.
The bride, her voice thick with emotion, began, "I…"