Chapter 188: My 8th Wife, Kim Smith!

Chapter 188: My 8th Wife, Kim Smith!

"Rick, Let me be the woman who cheers you up," Kim murmured softly, her fingers gently adjusting the collar of my shirt. "I found the man who was willing to wait for me, to prove I am worth it. I will support you to be the man you want to be."

Kim was wearing her white traditional American wedding gown, and seeing her wrapped in that fabric really reminded me of the beautiful brides from my past life. Sure, the wealthy women wear white ceremonial garments back in Eurasia, but they have absolutely no specialized wedding gowns styled quite like the one she was currently modeling.

Looking at her stand there right now, I finally realized exactly who Kim had been reminding me of all along through our journey. She was the absolute, real-life version of that one main Fate Character, Artoria.

Well, the Fate anime was not a thing anywhere in my current world, so that was exactly why my brain had not fully noticed the striking resemblance for a while.

I was wearing a formal tuxedo to match the traditional American style, and at the very least, the fabric was finished in a solid black color. But the loose sand drifting up from the beach was getting a bit annoying.

Yeah, I already had a bunch of scratchy sand trapped directly inside my black dress shoes, making me let out a quiet sigh as I shifted my weight on the shoreline.

"Kim, I will love, honor, and obey your desires till the end of our very long lives," I responded clearly, my eyes locking onto her green gaze. "Waiting for you has been my absolute honor. Um, And I have secretly had a massive crush on American women, but don't tell anyone I said that."

Everyone gathered on the sand started laughing out loud at my words, thoroughly amused by my candidness to admit such a thing right at the altar.

Lan was standing nearby, grinning broadly while holding her smartphone high in the air to film the entire wedding live for Harem-Chat. Yup, every single one of my beautiful wives back home was currently watching the event unfold live on our private, encrypted Harem-Chat page, and even Helen was logged on and watching the stream.

Hinata just stood a few paces back, letting a subtle smirk play on her lips. She knew for a fact that I deeply liked all nationalities of women, but her duty-bound personality would never allow her to say that out loud in front of a crowd.

Then the priest, looking exactly like a traditional religious priest from my last world, held his hands over our heads and spoke with an official, booming voice.

"Now kiss your bride Mr Tang, and then I declare you man and wife, by the power invested in me by our King Pendragon," he announced.

The exact second I leaned down to give Kim our gentle, ceremonial kiss, she all of a sudden leaped forcefully right up into my arms, wrapping her limbs tightly around my neck. I had to instantly brace my core to hold up this incredibly short woman as she went from soft and gentle to full-on, raging passion against my mouth.

Her surrounding family members—not including her two brooding playboy brothers—just smiled warmly, knowing exactly how excited Kim was to finally be a bride, so they easily excused her over-eager nature.

Big Rick walked over to the edge of the sand, pulling a massive black horse forward by its leather reins as he called out to us with a boisterous laugh. "Alright son, it is now time for you to ride off with your bride as our tradition goes, ha-ha!" he shouted, slapping the horse's flank.

Thank the absolute Gods that Kim had taken the time to teach me how to ride horses back at the Country Club, or I would have been completely screwed in front of everyone. I quickly mounted the large black steed, then reached my arm down to pull Kim up onto my lap, settling her dress side-saddle style against my chest.

As I steered the horse away from the crowd and rode off into the proverbial sunset with Kim clinging to my torso, I looked down at her. "Wife, did you teach me to ride horses at the Country Club just for today?" I asked, a teasing grin breaking across my face.

"You caught me Rick, ha-ha! Yup, I wanted to make sure you didn't do anything to ruin our big day," she admitted, laughing happily against my neck.

With pure love shining in her green eyes, she gently patted my cheek with her gloved hand. I just smiled back down at her, knowing that Kim was actually incredibly sharp and cunning whenever it came to securing something she truly cared about.

After another small, intimate family dinner back at the mansion, it was off to an early, intensely private bridal chamber night with Kim to finalize our vows.

On Sunday morning, the warm sunlight filtered into the bedroom, revealing Kim spooned tightly in my arms with a literal death-grip locked onto my torso while she slept.

While I carefully utilized my free hand, I gently moved the loose strands of blonde hair away from her face, my mind quietly remembering the romantic details of our intense night together. Due to her years of rigorous cheerleader training, she had experienced no physical bleeding when we started, but she had definitely been in a bit of pain due to the sheer size of my Dragon for her first time.

I had absolutely not wanted to hurt her during her consummation, so I carefully avoided putting my entire Dragon inside her core, well at least until we reached our last or second go. She had finally chosen to bite the bullet, wrapping her legs around me to pull me all the way in until our bodies fused completely.

Kim was acting exactly like a high-spirited teenager discovering the raw ecstasy of sex and love for the very first time.

While I was leaning down to kiss the top of her blonde head, her long eyelashes fluttered open, the lingering soreness and the heavy feeling of her belly full of my baby-batter instantly reminding her of her wedding. And despite the physical pain down below, she quickly turned her body over to hug me tight, speaking up brightly.

"Husband, it is not a dream! I-I am really your wife," she cheered, her green eyes sparkling. "Oh, and just because you're my husband, you still have to do your class duties, ha-ha."

Oh no, she was already entering her delusional teacher mode first thing in the morning. She really loved the fantasy idea of being married to her own student, making me let out a quiet sigh.

I just squeezed her tight against my chest, using my physical warmth to reassure her that she was definitely not dreaming.

After a while, she gently felt her lower belly with her palm, looking up at me with a slightly apologetic, sorry voice. "Rick, I want to have more sex with you, but... Can you wait a couple days for me to heal?" she asked, her cheeks flushing.

"Just take your time, we have the rest of our lives to make love and work on our baby together," I answered softly, kissing her forehead. "Now go back to sleep, we have no pressing plans for this Sunday. But tomorrow, I need you to stay with Hinata for me, can you do it?"

Her arms instantly tightened around my back, her expression shifting into a worried look as she stared into my eyes. "Will tomorrow be dangerous?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

I leaned down to kiss her worried face, keeping my voice entirely steady to project absolute confidence. "As long as you stay with Hinata, and listen to her, It will be fine," I told her honestly. "Some things will happen tomorrow, and I have already made detailed plans to protect the entire family here. So just sit and be patient for me to work my hand. Also, do not trust your brothers Keven and Karl, they were going to let Ralph Colt rape you."

Kim heard that dark revelation and trembled violently in my embrace, holding onto me even tighter as the horror of her brothers' betrayal washed over her.

"Is that why Ralph Colt... Commit suicide?" she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Yes... It was recorded by himself and your brothers, in a drunken poker-game," I said smoothly, soothing her spine. "But absolutely no one will harm you, my love."

"Rick, why do people want to ruin our happiness?" she sobbed softly, resting her chin on my chest. "I just want my happy ending with you in peace..."

"When we return to Star City, I promise you a happy ending, Kim," I vowed, my voice turning cold as I thought of the enemies waiting across the street. "At least for a few years. Can you be strong for me just for a bit?"

Her green eyes closed in on my face, and our lips touched in a deep, reassuring kiss. She gave a firm nod against my jaw, her mood quickly shifting back to its usual bright frequency. "I am like Hana, and I will listen to you and not give you a headache, just tell me what to do, and I will do it," she promised, before letting out a sudden laugh. "Oh? I need to call Hana, ha-ha. We are real sisters now!"

She reached over my bare shoulder to grab her smartphone off the nightstand, and like a high-spirited teenager, she immediately started to dial her friend's number so the two could gossip for hours. And for the rest of the lazy afternoon, the two of us just spent quiet, comfortable time together inside the estate.

Sunday evening, over inside the secure walls of the Renaldo family estate...

Alex, sitting closely with his fiance Hope Song, was currently having a formal family meal with his uncle, mother, and father. The son, mother, and father had all specifically traveled to America to let Hope meet the rest of the powerful family lineage before she was scheduled to give birth to Alex's son.

Even though both Alex and Hope were personally confident that the child growing in her belly was biologically his, his traditional family fiercely insisted on a mandatory paternity test after birth before they would allow the official wedding to take place.

Hope, knowing full well that her past malicious actions completely justified this cold treatment, only lamented her past choices more as she sat at the table. Her mother's twisted teachings had placed her into a terrible bind, trapping her within a complex web of deceit and the systemic manipulation of wealthy men.

She had even intentionally used Scott in the past, and had fully intended on securing Tang babies to hopefully one day force her way into the main Tang family line.

After Alex had completely failed his grand challenge to take over the leadership of the Fire Birds, and all of his prospective women—other than his second commoner’s wife—had slipped through his fingers, including that whore Ana Zi, Alex had wandered aimlessly into her new bar to drink his sorrows away.

In Hope's rare, unexpected moment of genuine empathy, she had sat down beside the deeply wounded playboy to keep him company. For some strange reason, given the fact that she was technically married to Scott at the time, and Alex was not actively trying to force her into bed, she felt the two of them finally talked like human beings for the first time in their lives.

After that profound initial conversation, both of them had agreed to drink together again, feeling a genuine bond of mutual friendship growing between them.

Another time, while tucked away inside one of the private VIP rooms of the Song Bars, the intense emotional connection between them boiled over, and they made love with real, unbridled passion.

Someone—cough, Lucy—however, had meticulously recorded their private encounter from the shadows, and all of the resulting public chaos had led the couple to this exact day.

Enduring a messy divorce from Scott and facing the absolute shame of having her explicit sex videos broadcast all over the worldwide internet, Hope felt her internal reliance on Alex, who fiercely refused to abandon her, grow tenfold. She looked over at Alex sitting right beside her at the family dinner table, realizing for the absolute first time in her life what true love actually felt like.

Underneath the formal table linen, her small hand reached out to securely hold his. He only squeezed her fingers back firmly, a silent gesture letting her know that their stressful family trip would be coming to an end very soon.

Alex had recently discovered that life was not nearly as terrible as he had previously thought during his depression. After losing his public match, he had been entirely devastated, but he had received unexpected support from two of the most unlikely people in the world.

Both Hope and, funnily enough, Rick himself, had stepped up to help put his life completely back on the right track.

Hope offered him genuine emotional support, while his very own rival, Rick, had surprisingly stepped up to tell him to train more instead of making the pursuit of shiny trophy-wives his main goal in life. He had even hung out with the bastard a few times back home, a bizarre dynamic that actually resulted in his personal company securing a massive profit through a strategic partnership with the powerful Long Group.

And now, just a few miles down the coastal road, that very same rival was currently marrying his own ex-fiancee, Kim Smith. Well, Alex knew deep down that his past foolish actions had completely soured that relationship beyond repair, but there is simply no medicine available in this world for regret.

Now, with the mother of his future child due to give birth in a month, he felt more and more that life was finally looking up for him, well until reality shattered.

Crash! Bang! Bang! Bang! All of a sudden, the heavy oak front doors of the grand estate were violently kicked inward off their hinges.

Seven men aggressively stormed into the dining room, heavily armed with automatic rifles and semi-automatic handguns while firing a succession of loud warning-shots straight into the plaster ceiling. But the sight that completely stupefied both Alex and Hope was the specific man leading the other six military-looking mercenaries, who all wore prominent tactical uniforms stitched with the Oz organization logo.

It was Scott Tang, sporting a completely twisted, villainous grin as his eyes locked onto the large family gathered around the dinner table. Scott casually waved his gloved hand through the air, barking a sharp order to his men.

"Line the family up against that wall for me," he instructed, his voice dripping with malice.

With six loaded M-16 rifles thrust directly into their faces, the large, extended Renaldo family immediately backed up against the dining room wall, forced to stand rigid as if they were facing a firing squad's death line.

The young children in the room began crying loudly, completely unable to understand why these bad men were threatening their lives, but soon the mastermind behind the assault spoke up in a slow, taunting tone.

"Don't worry Renaldo's, I am not here to kill you guys, unless you interfere with my business," Scott announced, pacing across the hardwood floor.

Scott slowly pointed his black 9mm handgun at every single person standing in the crowded line, before his movement tracked to a halt, deliberately aiming the barrel directly at the round belly of Hope.

"Man, out of the 7 children that should have been mine, only two are mine, so unfair, right?" he mused aloud, his eyes flashing with absolute madness. "So when I found out my ex-wife and ex-baby came to America, I thought... Why not just kill that bitch?"

Hope, staring directly into the raw insanity masking his face, instantly regretted ever getting involved with such a dangerous psycho, and she began to beg for her life. "I was wrong, Scott... But please don't kill my baby!" she pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Scott merely sneered at the sight of the worthless gold-digger standing before him, dismissing her tears without a single shred of human care.

"Don't worry, I only have one bullet in my gun, so let fate solve our grievance?" he proposed with a sickening chuckle. "If my aim is off, you and your baby might be fine, but if my aim is good, our past will be settled, so accept your fate, goodbye, bitch..."

BANG! With a wide, maniacal grin plastered across his face, Scott aligned his sight with the child in her belly and ruthlessly squeezed the trigger.

Hope instantly closed her eyes tightly upon hearing the deafening crack of the gunshot, offering a silent prayer for the safety of her unborn child, who despite her own past malicious actions, was completely innocent.

But before Hope could even process the incoming fear of death, her body was forcefully shoved aside into the wall by Alex.

Alex took the full impact of the bullet, his face contorting in sudden, intense pain as he stared back at the gunman. "You said one shot, right?" he gasped out, his teeth gritted.

Scott, staring down at the bleeding man who had dynamically shielded Hope from the round, merely brought the gun up to his lips to blow a breath of air across the smoking barrel. He casually turned around to leave the room.

"Well damn, I missed it," Scott mocked, waving his hand carelessly over his shoulder as he walked toward the shattered entrance. "Hope, you may keep your baby, but you might lose the daddy, ha-ha. See you losers around, let's go men we are done here..."

When Hope initially wrapped her arms around Alex, a surge of absolute happiness washed over her because they had survived the madman.

But the exact second she looked down at the hand bracing Alex's torso, her eyes widened in horror as she saw thick, crimson blood coating her fingers. She looked up to see Alex sweating profusely, his face turning entirely pale as he took a bullet directly into his side, causing her tears to fall instantly.

Alex tried his absolute best to project a reassuring tone to soothe the panicking girl. "I am fine, I am sure it is nothing to worry about," he whispered hoarsely, his body trembling against hers. "As long as you and the baby are fine, it was worth it..."

As Hope desperately pressed her palms against the heavily bleeding wound in his flank, the rest of the frantic family began screaming out for medical help. Hope felt a wave of absolute, crushing despair crash over her heart at this very moment, crying out loud as she held onto the fainted Alex who had completely collapsed into her arms.

Sunday night was a bloody, devastating start to what would quickly become a historic day for America.

It was the opening salvo of a Monday that would be remembered by the citizens of the nation for a very long time to come...