Claim Me Captain! I'm Addicted to You!-Chapter 434: Better News (2)

Georgia’s POV

"AH!" I shot up from my seat at the exact same time as her.

Cold water everywhere. My thighs. My chair. Her dress. The tablecloth.

Everyone snapped back to reality instantly.

"Oh my gosh!" Prudence stood.

"Georgia! Ella!" Benjamin exclaimed.

Nick dropped the pitcher and grabbed napkins like his life depended on it.

Liam blinked, panicked. "I—I didn’t drop the spoon because of the marriage thing—I swear I—okay no, I dropped it because of the marriage thing—WHAT?!"

Vicky and Oliver?

Laughing.

Actually bent over, laughing.

Oliver’s face was red from trying to breathe. Vicky looked like she was about to fall to the floor.

"We told you it was better news," Vicky said, beaming.

Ella turned to them, dripping water and scandalized. "Better news?! You two skipped dating, skipped announcing anything, skipped the engagement, and then announced to us that you’re married! Who does that?"

"Us," Oliver said proudly.

Vicky nodded. "It was perfect."

I sighed and dabbed at my soaked skirt. "Of course it was."

Despite the chaos, despite my current waterlogged state, I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips.

Because the truth was... they looked happy.

Stupidly, wildly, beautifully happy.

"How did that even happen?" Benjamin asked, still blinking at them like he accidentally walked into the wrong house.

Oliver cleared his throat, sitting up straighter as if preparing to give a court testimony. "Well... we haven’t registered it yet, but we already signed the marriage contract yesterday."

Everyone leaned in.

"You see," Oliver continued, "I proposed during our vacation. She lost the ring—" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"I DIDN’T LOSE IT ON PURPOSE!" Vicky cut in, already flailing both hands in the air. "It fell through the deck! The gaps were huge! You all saw that!"

"Yes, dear," Oliver said patiently, "the floor swallowed the ring."

Vicky pouted but nodded, dramatically defeated, making us laugh.

"So," Oliver went on, "since we couldn’t find it the next day, even if a lot of people helped us, we went straight to the jewelry shop last Thursday. We were planning to buy a replacement engagement ring. But then—"

"Oh! Oh! Let me say this part!" Vicky grabbed his arm, practically vibrating. "We saw these rings." She held up her left hand again as if the room suddenly went blind. "They were so pretty! So simple but elegant, exactly my taste."

Oliver chuckled. "She wanted to buy them right away. But I said we shouldn’t get wedding rings yet because it might jinx the engagement."

"And then"—Vicky’s eyes sparkled triumphantly—"I told him, ’Well... why don’t we get married already? So it won’t jinx anything!’"

The entire room fell silent again.

I swear I saw Ella’s soul leave her body.

Oliver nodded slowly. "I said yes, because at that point... there was no stopping her."

"No stopping her," Liam echoed under his breath, like he was mentally adding to a long list titled Vicky Logic.

"We bought the rings," Oliver continued, now rubbing the back of his neck. "Then we went to my office because that’s where I keep all the requirements for a marriage license. But when we got there, one of my friends was visiting."

Vicky couldn’t stay quiet. "And then Ollie told him about our plan—"

"And my friend said," Oliver jumped back in before she burst from excitement, "’Oh hey, I’m licensed to officiate weddings.’"

Everyone at the table collectively choked.

"Just like that?" Prudence gasped.

"Just like that," Oliver confirmed.

Vicky clasped her hands together dramatically. "So I said, ’Well then, let’s get married now!’"

"Of course you did," Nick muttered beside me with the fondest eye-roll.

Oliver shrugged helplessly but smiled like a man who finally accepted he married a hurricane. "My friend agreed. We called a couple of my employees to serve as witnesses, and... that was it."

"We’re married!" Vicky ended triumphantly, raising both arms like she won a trophy.

Benjamin stared at them, speechless, then looked at Prudence, then back at them again. "You mean to tell me... you two got married because you didn’t want to jinx the engagement ring?"

Vicky nodded proudly. "Exactly."

"And because your friend just happened to walk in at the exact right time?" Prudence asked.

Oliver nodded this time. "Yes, ma’am."

Benjamin leaned back slowly in his chair, utterly overwhelmed. "This family... is going to kill me."

Ella burst out laughing. Liam sighed and muttered, "Honestly? Iconic."

Nick leaned toward me and whispered, "This is the most them thing they could have possibly done."

And he was right.

It was chaotic.

It was impulsive.

It made zero sense and perfect sense at the same time.

It was so Vicky and Oliver.

And as everyone laughed, teased, or dramatically held their heads in disbelief, I couldn’t help but smile.

Because against all odds, after years of heartbreak, miscommunication, and that ridiculous revenge plot... they finally found their way back to each other.

And they did it in the most perfectly imperfect way.

"Liam, Ella," Benjamin said, "You should plan your wedding well. Your siblings got married without even letting us participate. Nick married Georgia secretly on the island, while Vicky married Oliver without informing us, or at least inviting us.

So, now it’s up to you and Ella to make this wedding perfect. I am counting on you two. I want the preparation to be smooth, no secret wedding, and definitely no elopement. I want to experience the normal, traditional way of sending off my child on his wedding day. I have high hopes for you two," Benjamin declared.

Liam playfully wiped his forehead, pretending to be sweaty, "Whew, this is so much pressure. Thanks, Nick and Vicky. I really don’t like being in the spotlight, but you two just had to do it to me."

We all laughed, but Benjamin was right. Even though Nick and I still proceeded with the ceremony and reception, I couldn’t blame Benjamin if he wanted to be involved in the wedding preparation of his children. It was a proud moment for a father like him who sees his children as his pride and joy, his legacy.