Stand Me Up? I'll Marry His Billionaire Uncle novel Chapter 172

On the morning of their wedding registration, Luna took great care with her appearance. "Tristan, do you think this white dress looks good on me?" she asked, spinning slowly in front of the mirror.

Tristan, distracted, didn't even glance up from his phone. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Well, what about this one?" She held up another dress hopefully.

He barely looked. "That's fine too."

His indifference was obvious.

Luna's excitement fizzled in an instant. "Tristan, you're not even looking!" Her voice trembled as she bit her lip, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "We're getting married today, aren't you even a little excited?"

Tristan finally glanced over, his expression weary. "You look beautiful, Luna. I'm not trying to brush you off. It's just… we're supposed to be at city hall by nine, and I don't want us to be late."

"Luna, you look good in anything, really."

That finally coaxed a smile from her, even as she wiped at her eyes. "Then, what about this one? I think it's more flattering than the one I'm wearing."

Tristan glanced over—and froze.

That simple white dress… He still remembered the day he bought it. He'd been on a business trip, passed by a boutique, and—on a whim—bought two of the same dress. One for Luna, who was still living abroad at the time, and one for Sunny. He thought Luna would look lovely in it, so he bought an extra. Because Luna was overseas, there was never any awkward moment of them showing up in the same outfit.

Sunny, however, wore hers often—especially because it was a gift from him. Tristan had no idea how many times people in their social circle had snickered behind her back, saying she was copying Luna's style.

Flustered, Tristan scratched his nose. "Maybe try something else? You've had that dress a while, right? I actually like the one you're wearing better."

Luna eyed him suspiciously. "Really? But Tristan, I never wore this dress after you gave it to me. I wanted to save it, to show you when you came to see me. It's practically brand new."

"Enough!" Frustration surged in Tristan's voice. "Don't wear that one, okay? It's out of style anyway—just stick with what you have on."

Tristan cast his eyes to the side, clearly unenthusiastic, but didn't want to rain on her parade. "Alright, let's do it."

Luna's cheeks burned as she spoke the vows line by line, her voice trembling with emotion. Tristan, by contrast, recited them in a flat, businesslike tone, as if he were giving a quarterly report rather than pledging his life.

Halfway through filming, Annabelle frowned. "Tristan, you need to sound more heartfelt! Do it again, that one doesn't count."

The staff member quickly stepped in. "Would you like me to record for you? We do this all the time."

Annabelle hesitated, then handed over her phone. "That's very kind of you, thank you."

Tristan's frustration was reaching its peak, but with his mother hovering, he managed to muster a bit more warmth than before—a slight improvement over his previous robotic monotone.

Annabelle still wasn't completely satisfied, but she knew there was no way her son would agree to a third take. With a resigned sigh, she let the matter drop.