THE DECEIVED WIFE

PART III. CHAPTER ONE.

One month after

"There's still time to back out." The words were spoken in a mocking undertone, but Jackson Wang was half-serious. He, Lisa, and Bambam had been friends since childhood, and one of the things that had bonded them – as well as set them apart from other wealthy families' scions – was their pragmatic view of life.

Which was why he didn't get this wedding at all, Jackson thought. It wasn't that he didn't believe in love. He did. But what he didn't understand was the need for haste.

Sure, Roseanne Park was a pretty little thing, and her name did fit her well. She was like a ball of sunshine, making everyone smile wherever she was. But was that enough reason for marriage? And after only knowing Roseanne for barely two months?

Jackson' skepticism did not go unnoticed. Adjusting her bowtie in front of the full-length mirror, Lisa caught sight of her best man's reflection and knew right away what her friend was thinking. Dismissing the attendants fussing around them, Lisa waited until they were alone before saying, "Do your job, will you, Wang?"

"I am. I've got the escape car ready, in case you change your mind," Jackson deadpanned.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "I won't change my mind, you bastard."

And Lisa won't.

She won't.

She adjusted her bowtie, the thought that she would be acquiring a wife in less than an hour suddenly creating a strangling pressure around her neck. The past few weeks streamed in her mind, none of them making her feel any better.

Lisa remembered the day she had proposed to Roseanne, and yes, now she could see that she had been impulsive and had let her fears gotten the better of her.

But she also knew if she had to do it all over again, she would have.

Roseanne already meant too much to her, and to lose Roseanne would destroy her.

Jackson said behind her quietly, "I'm not saying you shouldn't marry her." Her friend met her gaze through the mirror's reflection. "But don't you think this is all too fast?"

The words stayed with Lisa even when she was already inside the chapel, waiting with the rest of the wedding guests for the bride. Roses scented the air, the flowers lovingly selected by the Floros from their farm, while the lilting notes of Pachelbel's Canon in D Major streamed down from the balcony, played live by a world-famous string quartet that Lisa had flown in specially for the occasion.

There's still time to back out.

Lisa's jaw clenched. Damn you, Jackson Wang. Best men weren't supposed to play devil's advocate at times like this.

But Lisa couldn't shake the words out—-

Until the chapel doors opened and she saw her.

Roseanne stood between her parents, her face covered by a veil, and her body sheathed in a resplendent gown of silk and lace, its mermaid outline emphasizing her voluptuous curves. Even this far, Lisa could sense her nervousness, which went well beyond trepidation. The stiff set of Rosie's shoulders, her too straight back, and the way she tightly gripped the arms of her parents as they started down the aisle—-

She was frightened out of her wits, Lisa realized grimly, and why the hell shouldn't she be?

Their wedding had attracted the attention of the paparazzi, turning what should have been an intimate affair into a publicity circus. Lisa had planned to get rid of all reporters and photographers but Rosie had stopped her, telling Lisa that she didn't mind their presence at all.