The bride’s day turns into chaos when her mother interrupts the ceremony, declaring that the groom is ‘not good enough,’ but his response leaves everyone stunned.
You know how at weddings they ask if anyone has any objections? My mum took that too literally. She stood up, dramatically burst into tears and tried to ruin my wedding before it had even begun. What she didn’t expect was that my fiancé already had the perfect response ready for the microphone.
I met Brian in the most unexpected place — the underground. It was past midnight, and the train was almost empty, except for a few sleepy passengers…
I sank into my seat, my legs aching from a 12-hour shift at the hospital where I worked as a nurse. That’s when I noticed him sitting across from me, completely absorbed in a well-worn copy of The Great Gatsby, his brow furrowed in concentration.
There was something mesmerising about the way he sat there in his faded navy sweatshirt and worn trainers, completely oblivious to the world around him. I couldn’t stop stealing glances at him.
When he finally looked up and caught my gaze, I quickly looked away, my cheeks flushing.
‘Fitzgerald has that effect on people,’ he said with a soft smile. ‘He makes you forget where you are.’
‘I don’t know,’ I admitted. ‘I’ve never read him.’
His eyes widened. ‘Never? You’re missing out on one of the greatest American novels ever written.’
I shrugged. ‘I guess I haven’t had much time for reading lately.’
We didn’t exchange numbers that evening. I decided he was just another stranger on the train… a brief, pleasant conversation that would be forgotten.
‘Maybe our paths will cross again,’ he said as he got off at his stop. ‘If so, I’ll lend you my copy.’
‘I’d love to,’ I replied, not believing for a second that it would happen.
‘Sometimes the best stories find us when we least expect them,’ he said, winking at me before the doors closed between us.
A week later, fate intervened.
During the evening rush hour, the underground was packed with people rushing home.
I was standing, holding onto the handrail, trying to keep my balance until the train jerked forward. At that moment, I felt a sharp tug on my handbag, and before I could react, a man snatched it from my hands and started pushing his way towards the doors.
‘Hey! Stop him!’ I shouted, but no one moved.
No one except Brian.
He appeared out of nowhere and rushed past the frightened passengers. At the next stop, the doors opened and both men fell onto the platform. I pressed my face against the window, watching in horror as they grappled on the ground.
Somehow, I managed to squeeze through the closing doors. When I reached them, the thief had already disappeared, and Brian was sitting on the ground with my handbag triumphantly clutched in his hands, a small cut above his eyebrow bleeding.
‘Your book recommendation service is very dramatic,’ I said, helping him to his feet.
He laughed and handed me my handbag. ‘I still owe you a copy of The Great Gatsby.’
We went for coffee to get his cut cleaned up. Coffee turned into dinner. Dinner turned into him walking me home. Walking me home turned into a kiss on the doorstep that made my knees weak.
Six months later, we were head over heels in love. But my mother, Juliet? She never liked him.
“A librarian, Eliza? Really?‘ she said with a grimace when I first told her about Brian. ’What kind of future can he provide?”
‘One with books and happiness,’ I replied.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Happiness doesn’t pay the bills, dear.’
My family is upper middle class, but my mother always tried to convince everyone that we were rich. She called us by name at dinner parties, distorted the truth about our holidays, and took great care to make our life seem more luxurious than it really was.
When Brian proposed with a simple but beautiful sapphire ring, I was over the moon.
‘It reminded me of your eyes,’ he said.
‘Is that all?’ Mum hissed when I showed her the ring. ‘Not even a full carat?’
‘Mum, I like it,’ I insisted. ‘It’s perfect.’
She pursed her lips. ‘Well, I suppose it can be upgraded later.’
The first dinner with Brian and my family was a disaster.
My mother wore her most expensive jewellery and constantly mentioned her ‘dear friend’ who owned a yacht in Monaco… a man who, I’m sure, didn’t exist.
Brian, to his credit, was consistently polite. He complimented our home, asked thoughtful questions about my mother’s charity work, and even brought a bottle of expensive wine, which my father, Clark, appreciated.
‘Where did you find this?’ Dad asked, studying the label with genuine interest.
‘At a small vineyard in Napa,’ Brian replied. ‘The owner is an old family friend.’
My mother snorted. ‘Family friends who own vineyards? How convenient.’
‘Mum, please…’ I warned.
Dad glanced at her. ‘Juliet, enough.’
She just sipped her wine, her disapproval hanging in the air.
Later that evening, Dad pulled me aside. ‘I like him, Eliza. He’s got substance.’
‘Thanks, Dad.’
‘Your mother will come around,’ he assured me, though I could tell from the look on his face that he didn’t quite believe it. ‘Just give her time.’
‘I don’t care,’ I replied, watching Brian help clear the table despite Mum’s protests. ‘I’m going to marry him anyway.’
The months leading up to our wedding were tense. Mum made snide remarks at every planning meeting, questioning Brian’s family’s absence.
‘They’re very private people,’ I explained.
She ridiculed his career choice. ‘Books are dying, you know!’
And she didn’t even spare his clothes. ‘Doesn’t he have anything that wasn’t bought at a department store?’
The night before our wedding, she cornered me in my childhood bedroom.
‘It’s not too late to call it off,’ she said, sitting on the edge of my bed. ‘People will understand.’
I stared at her incredulously. ‘I love him, Mum.’
‘Love doesn’t last, Eliza. But security does. And money, too.’
‘I don’t care about money… he makes me feel safe.’
‘With what? Books from the library?’ She shook her head. ‘I raised you for better things.’
‘You raised me to be happy, Mum. At least Dad did.’
Her face hardened. ‘I promise I’ll behave myself tomorrow. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
‘Just promise you won’t make a scene,’ I begged.
She pressed her hand to her heart. ‘I promise to act only in your best interests.’
I should have guessed what she was up to.
‘I’ll hold you to that, Mum,’ I said, not realising what a loophole I had left her.
Our wedding day dawned bright and beautiful. The venue — a historic library with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows — was Brian’s dream.
The guests were seated among rows of antique books, and when the music began, I walked down the aisle, strewn with rose petals, with my father by my side.
Brian was waiting at the altar, looking more handsome than I had ever seen him in his tailor-made suit, and his eyes filled with tears when I approached.
‘You look so beautiful,’ he whispered as my father took my hand in his.
The ceremony was going perfectly until the priest asked the dreaded question: ‘If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace.’
There was silence, and then the rustle of fabric. My blood ran cold as I turned and saw my mother standing with a serious expression on her face. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
She wiped her eyes with a silk handkerchief and cleared her throat dramatically. ‘I just need to tell my truth before it’s too late.’
A stunned silence fell over the room.
‘Mum,’ I hissed, ‘what are you doing?’
She ignored me and turned to our guests. ‘I love my daughter and want the best for her. But this man,’ she gestured towards Brian as if he were something she had found stuck to her shoe, “is simply not good enough. She could have a doctor, a lawyer, a man with real success. Instead, she’s throwing her future away on… THIS.”
I couldn’t move. My father’s face turned pale with horror. My friends whispered among themselves. The master of ceremonies looked completely confused; he clearly wasn’t prepared for this situation.
Brian, however, smiled. He gently squeezed my hands and turned to face Mum.
‘You’re right,’ he said, nodding. ‘She deserves the best.’
My mother straightened up, a triumphant gleam appearing in her eyes. But then Brian reached into his suit pocket, took out a folded document, and handed it to her.
‘What’s this?’ she asked, frowning as she unfolded the document hesitantly.
As her eyes scanned the page, the colour drained from her face.
‘Do you recognise this?’ Brian asked, his voice calm. ‘It’s the credit report you failed.’
My mother gasped, her hand flying to her throat.
‘I did some checking,’ he continued, still smiling politely. “I wanted to see if the woman who constantly brags about her wealth and status is really as well-off as she claims to be. It turns out you’re drowning in credit card debt, you have a second mortgage you never mentioned, and… oh, my favourite part — you were denied credit just last month.”
The guests fell silent. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears.
‘Brian,’ I whispered, stunned by this revelation.
My mother’s lips parted, but no sound came out.
‘That’s private information,’ she finally managed to stammer.
Brian chuckled. ‘You see, I always knew you didn’t like me because I didn’t fit your idea of what a rich person should be like. But here’s the thing…’ He paused, looking at me with love in his eyes. Then he turned back to my mother.
‘I’m a billionaire.’
My breath caught in my throat. Dad, standing next to me, literally gasped for air. A collective sigh rippled through the crowd.
Mum stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over her expensive heels.
‘What?’ I whispered, looking at Brian in confusion.
‘My family is old money,’ Brian explained, loud enough for everyone to hear. “But I don’t flaunt it because I wanted to find someone who would love me for me, not for my bank account. That’s why I live a simple life. I work at a job I love. And you know what? Your daughter never cared about my wealth. Unlike you.”
The silence was deafening. My mother trembled, desperately looking around for support, but finding none.
‘Is that true?’ I asked Brian quietly.
He turned to me, his eyes warm and unwavering. ‘Yes. I was going to tell you after the honeymoon. I own the library where I work. And several others across the country, among other things.’
I shook my head, trying to process the information.
‘Are you angry?’ he asked, suddenly uncertain.
‘That you’re rich? No. That you hid it from me? A little,’ I admitted. ‘But I understand why you did it.’
Brian took both my hands in his. ‘Do you still want to marry me?’
I didn’t hesitate.
‘More than ever,’ I replied, grabbing his face and kissing him right at the altar.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
My mother turned and ran out of the hall, humiliated.
Dad stayed behind, hugging us both with tears in his eyes after the ceremony.
‘I had no idea,’ he kept saying. ‘I had no idea at all.’
‘Would it have made any difference?’ Brian asked.
My father smiled and patted him on the shoulder. ‘Not a bit, son. Not a bit.’
We got married and had the most beautiful reception. Brian’s parents, who had secretly flown in for the ceremony, were wonderful people and welcomed me with open arms.
They explained their absence during the engagement. They had been travelling abroad on charity work, which they often did with their wealth.
Later that evening, as we danced under the stars, a message came through on my phone from my dad:
“Your mum won’t be talking to you for a while. But between us? I have never been so proud of you. Brian is exactly the man I always hoped you would find… someone who values you above all else. Money or no money.”
I showed Brian the message, and he smiled.
‘Your father is a wise man.’
‘Unlike my mother,’ I sighed.
Brian pulled me closer. ‘You know, in all the great novels, the villains aren’t evil because they’re poor or rich. They’re evil because they value the wrong things.’
‘Is that from The Great Gatsby?’ I teased.
‘No,’ he laughed. ‘That’s all mine.’
As we swayed beneath the twinkling lights, surrounded by books and love, I realised something profound: The true measure of wealth is not in bank accounts or status symbols… It is in the courage to live authentically and love completely.
My mother may never understand this, but I have found a partner who embodies it completely. And that has made me the richest woman in the world.
