Her Childhood Friend Ruined Our Big Day

Today was my wedding with Juliette Trump. Our wedding convoy stopped right under her apartment building, with the sun shining just perfectly. I straightened my sharp suit, clenched the bouquet tight, and headed into the building with my groomsmen. Just as we got to the door, a crowd blocked us right in the hallway. Leading them was Juliette's childhood friend, Toby Zamora. He stood with his hands on his hips, while the guys behind him hoisted several thick, long bamboo poles, blocking the doorway in a messy crisscross and sealing off the hallway tight. "Jon, taking Juliette away isn't that easy." Toby Zamora crossed his arms, wearing a smug, challenging grin. I frowned. Some chaos during the bride-fetching at weddings is normal, but this was way over the top. "Toby, it's a big happy day. Don't go too far—move aside." I forced down my irritation and spoke as calmly as I could. One of the groomsmen chimed in, telling Toby Zamora to quit while he's ahead and not mess with the auspicious time. But Toby just waved his hand, signaling the guys behind him to nudge the bamboo pole closer to the center. "Too far? I call this giving you a little test." He sneered, his voice laced with pure contempt. I held my patience and asked what he wanted. "It's simple—if you want to get rid of one bamboo pole, you gotta cough up a million." Toby casually held up one finger as he said it. I froze for a second, then anger started boiling up inside me. This isn't wedding pranks—it's straight-up extortion. "Toby, don't be so ridiculous." I scowled, my tone growing colder. "Ridiculous? You want to marry Juliette, and you can't even show a little sincerity?" Toby raised an eyebrow, and the crowd behind him burst out laughing. I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone to call Juliette Trump. The call connected fast, Juliette's voice teasingly annoyed as she asked where I was. "I'm at the door—Toby's blocking it with a bamboo pole and saying it costs a million to take one down." I tried my best to keep my emotions in check. "Juliette, go out and stop him. Don't cause a scene." There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then Juliette's voice came through, and it totally froze me. "Jon, Toby's just testing you to see if you really care about me." Juliette's tone was calm, even a bit approving. "Just go along with him a little, don't kill the mood for everyone." "Testing? This isn't a test, it's extortion!" I raised my voice in disbelief. "How is this extortion? It's just making a scene to prove you're sincere." Juliette Trump sounded a little impatient. "If you can't even handle this much, how am I supposed to trust you enough to marry you?" After that, she hung up, and no matter how many times I tried calling back, no one answered. Toby Zamora clearly caught our conversation and grinned even more smugly. "Heard that? Juliette sees this as a test too." He gave the bamboo pole next to him a pat. "Either pay up or stall. Either way, once the auspicious time passes, you're the one losing out." My groomsmen were livid, all yelling at Toby for being unreasonable.