Chapter 384: Video Games Buddy!!
The reception continued in full swing as the afternoon slowly stretched toward evening.
The atmosphere at Pearl Villa had become even livelier after the wedding ceremony.
Soft music played throughout the lawn while guests moved freely between tables, food counters, and conversation groups. Laughter could be heard from every corner of the garden.
The food had become one of the biggest attractions of the day.
People continuously returned for second and even third servings.
Several guests were discussing recipes while others debated which dish was their favorite.
The magnificent wedding cake had become equally famous.
Children kept walking around it in admiration while adults were still taking pictures beside it.
Servers moved between tables carrying drinks and desserts.
Photographers captured every smile, every laugh, and every memorable interaction.
Miles and Chloe had barely stopped moving since the ceremony ended.
Every few minutes someone approached to congratulate them.
Wedding gifts were presented.
Photographs were taken.
Blessings were offered.
Stories were shared.
At one point, Miles found himself standing beside Chloe when two familiar women approached them.
Meiling and Wang Yi.
The moment Miles saw them, his face brightened.
"Miss Meiling. Wang Yi."
Wang Yi smiled warmly.
"Congratulations."
Miles nodded.
"Thank you."
He gently placed a hand behind Chloe.
"Chloe, meet my mentor and friend from China. Miss Meiling guided me to the right path after I was lost. She is my art teacher."
Meiling smiled softly.
Miles continued.
"And Wang Yi helped me learn art. She is a good friend."
Chloe immediately greeted them respectfully.
"It is nice to meet both of you. I have already heard about you from Miles. Thank you for supporting him."
Wang Yi laughed.
"Actually, it feels more like he supported us."
Chloe looked at Miles.
"That sounds exactly like something he would do."
Miles quietly coughed.
Chloe narrowed her eyes.
"You never told me about the art teacher part."
Meiling chuckled.
"I can assure you he was a very hardworking student."
Miles sighed.
"Miss Meiling."
The older woman laughed.
"What? It is your wedding. Let me embarrass you a little."
Wang Yi joined in.
"He used to spend hours practicing."
Chloe looked genuinely surprised.
"Really?"
Miles rubbed the back of his neck.
"It was a long time ago."
"Still counts."
Everyone laughed.
Miles quickly changed the topic.
"My wife is also an artist."
Meiling’s eyes brightened.
"Really?"
Wang Yi immediately became interested.
"What kind of art?"
Chloe smiled.
"I mainly work on character design and animation."
Wang Yi clapped excitedly.
"That is amazing."
She pointed between herself and Meiling.
"Look at us. A group of artists."
Chloe laughed.
"You will have to show me your work someday."
"I would love that."
"And I would love to see yours too."
The two women immediately found common ground.
Miles smiled quietly while watching them.
"Have you eaten Miss Meiling?"
Meiling looked around the reception.
"We have not even eaten yet."
Miles raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"We wanted to congratulate you first."
Miles shook his head.
"Then you should definitely start eating. Everything here follows my mother’s recipes."
Meiling nodded immediately.
"Then we absolutely cannot miss it."
Wang Yi laughed.
"Lead the way."
After a few more words, the two women headed toward the food area.
Chloe looked at Miles.
"They seem wonderful."
"They are."
"Your art teacher isn’t scary unlike mine."
Miles smiled.
"Only when she is being nice."
Chloe laughed.
A few moments later, Miles spotted another familiar face.
Hilbert Heartman.
The retired jeweler sat comfortably with a glass in hand while Officer Jemma stood nearby.
Miles and Chloe walked over.
"Mr. Heartman."
The older man looked up.
"Miles."
Jemma smiled.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Miles introduced them.
"Chloe, meet Mr. Hilbert Heartman and his niece, Officer Jemma. She is a senior officer from Brightvale PD."
Chloe greeted them politely.
"It is nice to meet you."
Jemma smiled.
"The pleasure is ours."
Then Miles casually added.
"You know, Mr. Heartman is the one who designed your engagement ring."
Chloe’s eyes widened.
"Really?"
Hilbert laughed.
"Looks like he never told you."
Chloe instantly imagined the proposal night.
"It is beautiful."
Hilbert smiled proudly.
"That ring took quite a few drafts."
"Thank you."
The older man raised his glass.
"It is good to see young people happy."
Jemma nodded.
"You two look perfect together."
Chloe smiled.
"Thank you."
After spending some time with them, Miles and Chloe continued greeting guests.
Soon they reached another familiar group.
Olivia stood with her grandmother Edna while Calum chatted with them.
"Uncle Calum."
Calum turned.
"There you are."
He smiled warmly.
"Look at you."
Miles laughed.
"What about me?"
"You are one of the luckiest men I know."
Chloe smiled.
Calum continued.
"You found your love and got married before most people even figure out what they want in life."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Chloe nodded.
"Thank you."
Edna stepped forward.
"My dear."
She gently held Chloe’s hand.
"Just like Olivia said, you are absolutely beautiful."
Chloe blushed.
"Thank you, Great Aunt."
Edna smiled.
"If Miles’ grandmother were still here, she would have talked about you endlessly."
Chloe felt warmth in her chest.
"Thank you."
Edna continued.
"You should visit us someday."
Chloe looked interested.
"I would love that."
Edna nodded.
"You have enough beaches in Star Harbor. Come visit the mountains for a change."
Olivia smiled.
"The tea estates are beautiful."
Chloe laughed.
"Now I definitely want to visit."
Miles looked at Olivia.
"You are advertising quite hard."
Olivia shrugged innocently.
"I am helping tourism."
Everyone laughed.
After leaving them, Miles and Chloe eventually found themselves approaching one of the most intimidating groups present.
The Graveyard elders.
Several older men sat together while Commander Ray stood among them.
The moment they spotted Miles, they immediately called him over.
"There he is."
"The groom."
"The boy finally got married."
Chloe smiled politely.
"Thank you for coming, Uncle Ray."
Commander Ray froze.
For a moment, he looked genuinely stunned.
"Uncle?"
Chloe nodded.
"Of course."
Ray stared at her.
"You calling me uncle melts my heart."
The surrounding elders immediately burst into laughter.
"Look at him."
"Our commander is emotional."
"Someone write this down."
Ray glared at them.
"I am still your commander."
The laughter only grew louder.
Chloe covered her mouth while laughing.
Miles shook his head.
"Sorry, Chloe. I cannot really tell you most of their names."
The elders nodded.
Miles continued.
"Honestly, I barely know them myself."
"True."
"Very true."
"They like it that way."
Miles smiled.
"They are heroes who protect our borders without anyone knowing."
The elders grew quieter.
For a moment, genuine respect appeared in Chloe’s eyes.
She bowed slightly.
"Thank you, seniors."
One of the elders smiled.
"Good girl."
Another nodded.
"Our boy chose well."
Ray looked extremely pleased.
Then suddenly
A loud car horn echoed from the entrance gate.
The sound immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Conversations paused.
People turned.
Even the musicians looked up.
A large luxury vehicle had just stopped outside Pearl Villa.
The car looked expensive even among the collection of luxury vehicles already parked throughout the neighborhood.
Guests began whispering.
"Another guest?"
"Who arrived now?"
"Someone important?"
Even Miles looked toward the entrance.
Charles, despite being a guest today rather than working security, reacted first.
His professional instincts immediately surfaced.
He stood up.
"I’ll check."
Several people watched curiously as he headed toward the gate.
The large black vehicle remained parked outside.
Its polished body reflected the evening sunlight.
The driver stepped out first.
Then another figure appeared beside the rear door.
The entire reception area seemed to grow quieter.
Miles narrowed his eyes slightly.
Somehow...
The arriving guest felt important.
Very important.
And judging by the expressions slowly forming on the faces of a few older guests, it seemed that whoever had just arrived was someone they recognized.
The question was simple.
Who had come to the wedding at the very last moment?
The car came to a smooth stop near the entrance.
The driver stepped out first, followed by several security personnel.
Then the rear door opened.
A young man stepped out confidently.
His appearance immediately drew attention from many of the guests.
General Wilfred Wraithbourne narrowed his eyes for a second before recognizing him.
"Nicholas Abbott. Son of Mr. President."
The words instantly caused whispers to spread among the crowd.
"The President’s son?"
"He came personally?"
"What a surprise."
Many guests looked toward Miles.
Others looked toward the newcomer.
Commander Ray folded his arms.
"I wasn’t expecting him."
Nearby, Dion nearly choked on his drink.
"Damn. He was invited?"
Flora immediately elbowed him.
"Shshsh."
Then she lowered her voice.
"Don’t forget what you did to him last time."
Dion coughed awkwardly.
"That was an accident."
"It wasn’t."
"It absolutely was."
Flora simply gave him a look.
At another table, Gordon Sterling raised his eyebrows.
"What a surprise."
Timothy, who was sitting comfortably in his wheelchair, looked curious.
"Who is he?"
Gordon smiled.
"He is the son of the President."
Timothy blinked.
"The President’s son came all the way here?"
"Looks like it."
Meanwhile, Miles had already started walking forward.
Chloe naturally followed beside him.
Many guests quietly watched.
Nicholas stopped when he saw the couple approaching.
A grin appeared on his face.
Miles smiled.
"You are late, Nick. The wedding ceremony is over."
Nicholas dramatically placed a hand over his chest.
"Opps. Sorry, buddy. I was stopped by my fans. You know right."
Several people nearby laughed.
Miles shook his head.
"You never change."
The two men shook hands.
The scene itself surprised many people.
Some guests had expected a formal greeting.
Others expected security protocols.
Instead, the two looked like old friends meeting after a long time.
Nicholas smiled.
"Congratulations, my brother."
Then his gaze shifted toward Chloe.
"So this is your wife."
He offered a respectful nod.
"Nice to meet you, sister in law. I am Nick."
A playful smile appeared on his face.
"I already heard your story by the way."
Chloe smiled politely.
"Nice to meet you."
Standing beside her, Miles noticed a hint of nervousness in her expression.
He leaned slightly closer.
"Are you nervous?"
Chloe glanced at him.
"A little."
Miles chuckled.
"Forget about his status and all. He is my friend."
Nicholas immediately nodded.
"Yess."
Then he pointed at Miles.
"Will you believe me if I said we played video games together?"
That statement earned another wave of laughter.
Even Chloe could not help smiling.
"I believe you."
Nicholas looked relieved.
"Thank goodness."
Miles crossed his arms.
"My wife’s company is developing a cool game, you know."
Nicholas instantly became interested.
"Really?"
Miles nodded.
"I got to play a prototype."
Nicholas looked offended.
"Not fair."
Miles smirked.
"Well, I am an investor."
Then he looked directly at Nicholas.
"Invest some. You may get to play."
Miles winked.
Nicholas stared at him for a second before letting out a dramatic sigh.
"Forget it."
He pointed at Miles accusingly.
"I am not rich like you."
"I will just wait for the release."
Chloe’s eyes widened slightly.
She looked at Miles.
Then at Nicholas.
The casual way they discussed investments and business with the son of President made it sound completely normal.
Several guests shared similar expressions.
Nicholas, however, looked completely serious.
As if he truly believed Miles was wealthier than him.
The thought itself left many guests speechless.
Nicholas then turned back toward Chloe.
"Sorry, sister in law. I am late."
His expression brightened.
"It took time to bring a heavy present here from the port."
Miles immediately looked suspicious.
"What did you bring?"
Nicholas simply smiled.
"You will see."
The mysterious answer instantly caught everyone’s attention.
Miles narrowed his eyes.
"I don’t like that smile."
Nicholas laughed.
"You will thank me later."
Then he raised a hand.
His security personnel immediately understood.
One of them spoke into a communication device.
Moments later, a distant engine sound could be heard approaching.
Guests turned toward the entrance once again.
A large truck slowly appeared through the gate.
The vehicle moved carefully into the villa grounds.
Conversations stopped.
People instinctively made space.
Even the children paused their games.
Hope tugged on Asher’s sleeve.
"What’s inside?"
Asher shook his head.
"I don’t know."
Nearby, Chase stood on his toes.
"Now I am curious."
Cole nodded immediately.
"Very curious."
Sophia folded her arms.
"If it is something boring, I am blaming Nicholas."
Nicholas only grinned.
"It is definitely not boring."
The truck finally rolled to a stop near the lawn.
Miles looked from the truck to Nicholas.
Then back to the truck again.
"So."
He crossed his arms.
"What exactly did you bring?"
Nicholas only smiled wider.
Around them, guests leaned forward with anticipation.
Even Timothy, Gordon, Ray, Wilfred, Elena, Daniel, and Chloe found themselves staring at the massive truck.
For a moment, the entire wedding reception seemed focused on a single thing.
What was inside?