Chapter 21:

Watching Jayden interact with the woman, Elyse couldn't shake the feeling that he'd orchestrated the chaos. "The wedding will be canceled. Let's go," Jayden said, gently patting her hand. They left the chaotic venue.

Once seated in his luxury car, Elyse raised the partition and asked, "Do you know that woman?"

Jayden fiddled with his ring. "Why would you think that?"

"I saw how she interacted with you," Elyse pressed, her voice tinged with surprise. "You planned this disruption, didn't you?"

"You're overthinking it. Do you really think I have that much free time?" Jayden looked at Elyse and explained, "That woman needed to get into the hotel, and I simply asked someone to assist her. That's all."

"Oh, I see. I almost believed you'd orchestrated the entire event."

"I don't need to scheme against Xander. He's perfectly capable of creating his own problems," Jayden remarked.

"That's true," Elyse agreed, nodding. "It's the first time I've seen someone so foolish. Does he have many children with different women?"

"I don't know how many children he has. I only know his family will be the talk of the town tomorrow. The scandal will likely hurt their stock price, and Egan Brooks will be livid."

He paused, then turned to Elyse. "You conducted yourself well at the wedding today. You didn't embarrass me. What would you like as a reward?"

After a brief pause, Elyse smiled. "I don't need a gift. It's my role as your wife to uphold your dignity and honor."

"Then let me give you a credit card. How much would you like?" he offered.

"I don't want money. Please don't give me money," Elyse responded earnestly.

Jayden fell silent, puzzled by her refusal. He wondered if she was feigning disinterest in money.

The final ". . . noveldrama" is removed as it's not grammatically correct within the context of a cleaned-up passage. It seems like a notation for the type of writing, and should be handled separately.