The Disabled Tycoons Charming Bride

The rain poured relentlessly, soaking through the black fabric of my dress. I stood at the edge of the grave, my heels sinking to the ground, watching as the man was lowered into the earth. My father.

Around me, my stepmother and half-siblings wept inconsolably.

Lydia Tucker, my step mother, cried relentlessly. Wearing a long black gown with lace patterns on the sleeves, the fabric clinging to her as the rain soaked through. A black veil covering her smudged makeup as she leaned heavily on Sophia who feared she might faint again.

My little sister Sofia, the youngest, clung onto mother as tears streamed down her eyes uncontrollably. She wore a short black dress with a wide-brimmed hat that hid her swollen eyes. Her high heels kept sinking into the muddy ground, but she didn't seem to care, only sobbing loudly as my father lay fully in the ground.

Luca on the other hand is the oldest of us all, standing tall behind my mother and sister. His sharp black suit, perfectly tailored to his broad shoulders and tall frame, made him look more like he was attending a business meeting than a funeral. With his tie slightly loosened he stared at the grave in silence, his clenched fists betrayed the tension he tried so hard to hide.

I envied them for their tears. Mine refused to fall.

My father was a hard man, unyielding, ambitious, always measuring my worth against impossible standards. I couldn't say I loved him, not the way they did, but I respected him enough to grieve silently for him. He had been a force of nature, larger than life, and now, he was six feet under, left to rot away.

"Quincy?"

my stepmother choked out, her face was streaked with mascara,

"Are you alright my dear."

She asked, concern in her voice

I stayed silent, my mind battling with telling her how I couldn't process the whole event playing before me or to blame his ambition for getting him killed.

"I'm alright mother."

I finally said, taking up her handkerchief to whip off her mascara. Lydia was indeed a beautiful woman but it was hard for me to love a woman who took my mother's place.

As I turned my gaze away, my eyes landed on a figure standing under a black umbrella at the edge of the crowd. His broad physical features weren't hard to decipher, Reed Morales. The sight of him nagged in my chest, his presence here felt wrong to me. He was my father's rival and they had been at each other's throat since the day I knew about his existence. His existence that had defined years of our lives.

And yet, here he was, paying his respects like he hadn't spent years trying to crush my father's business and legacy.

"What are you doing here?"

The words left my lips before I could stop them. Reed's piercing blue gaze met mine,

"To pay my respects,"

he said simply, his voice smooth and detached, his gaze unfazed

"You hated him,"

I spat, my voice trembling, my rage simmering.

"You had no respect for him in life, so don't pretend now."

He stepped closer, the rain glistening on his expensive shoes.

"I know you don't like me Ms. Tucker and so did your father."

He began, an inch separating us

"But I never hated him, not once. He was a worthy opponent. I came because I know what loss feels like."

I wanted to scream, to claw that indifferent expression off his face,

"You don't belong here."

I bite down hard on my lips, fighting the urge to slap him

"You need to leave, your not welcome here"

I urged before walking back to my family.

---

The funeral ended in a blur. The priest's final words, the shovels of dirt hitting the coffin, the rain that never ceased. All this felt like a dream I needed to wake up from.

As the crowd began to disperse, I turned to leave, my steps heavy and aimless. Exhaustion doing the best at slowing me down even at my lowest.

"Miss Quincy Tucker?"

I froze,

Two officers stood a few feet away, their expressions unreadable,

I swallowed at the awkwardness of being approached by people of the law while trying to steady myself.

"Yes?"

I asked, my voice coming out more strained than I intended.

"We need to speak with you,"

one of them said.

"It's about Emily Wilson"