My 18-year-old daughter, Serena, fell in love with a 60-year-old man named Edison and planned to marry him against my wishes. She claimed she was madly in love with him. I was shocked when I discovered a chilling truth about him.

I won a small battle but worried it wasn’t over. Edison gave in too easily, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end of it with Serena. The next morning, fury surged through me as Serena’s voicemail played yet again. Why wasn’t she answering my calls? Desperation led me to call her friend, Sarah, who cheerfully informed me of Serena’s engagement party to Edison, a piece of news that left me reeling.

“Engagement party? With Edison?” I was shocked.

“Yes! Didn’t Serena tell you? You should come, Mr. Thompson. It’s at The Grand Springs, starts at eight,” Sarah replied, oblivious to my shock.

Arriving at The Grand Springs, I was met with the sight of Serena, radiant with happiness, and Edison, oozing charm among the guests. My heart raced as I approached Edison, my anger peaking.

“We need to talk, now,” I said, pulling him to the side.

“Now? During the party?” Edison smirked, but I wasn’t having it and dragged him into a quiet bathroom to have it out.

“You think you can just waltz in and take my daughter’s life?” I accused, pressing him against the wall.

“She loves me. And your dirty little secrets? They could destroy you,” Edison shot back, hinting he knew things about me that could hurt me.

“But you’re not going to get her. Not on my watch!” I said, even though his threat to tell Serena about my past mistakes left me rattled.

“Two minutes, Thompson. Then I call security,” Edison warned, leaving me in turmoil. “You think you can stop this, Daddykins? She loves me. She wants me. And if you try anything, if she sees even a tiny scratch on me, she’ll turn her back on you forever. Is that what you want, Thompson? To be abandoned by your sweet daughter?”

No matter how much I hated that old creep, I had to admit he was right. Serena was already against me. I couldn’t afford to lose her forever.

Defeated and heartbroken, I ended up outside, the bright city lights seeming to laugh at my inability to save Serena from Edison’s lies. I sat down on a bench, overwhelmed and hiding my face in my hands.

While I was lost in my own sadness, a cough caught my attention. Looking up, I saw a woman standing there, tall and with gray hair, looking kind of gentle in the faint light. “You’re Mr. Thompson, right?” she asked quietly.

“Annie? Edison’s sister?” I was surprised to recognize her.

She gave a small smile. “Yes, we’ve seen each other before… At Edison’s, when you tried to save your daughter,” she reminded me.

I quickly told her all about the mess with Edison and how he was tricking Serena. “And you’re aware of it, too, right?”

“That conniving weasel,” Annie finally spat. “He’s wasted everything — our inheritance, my savings from years of theatrical performances… all gone to feed his gambling addiction.”

“We could stop him,” I said, feeling she might want to help.

“What do you have in mind?” Annie asked.

I explained my plan to her and even offered her some money as a start. “Consider this a start,” I said.

“I’m listening,” she said, interested.

So, we went ahead with our plan at the wedding. Annie was there pretending to be just another guest. Right as Edison was putting the ring on Serena’s finger, a young woman stood up and yelled, “He’s a liar!”

Then another woman stood up, telling her story about Edison’s lies. More people started speaking up, all exposing Edison’s evil deeds.

Edison tried to deny it. “No, they’re lying! I don’t even know them,” he said, but he was falling apart as everyone saw his true colors.

Our plan worked. The wedding turned into a place where all of Edison’s lies were laid bare for everyone to see.

In a moment filled with tension, an older woman approached Serena. “Don’t fall for his tricks, dear. He’s nothing but trouble. Get away from him while you can! I’ve been a victim, too,” the woman said firmly. Watching through a video call, I saw Serena’s world fall apart as she threw her wedding ring away, her dream of happiness shattered.

This was the climax of the plan I had made with Annie and her group of actors to show everyone who Edison really was. Serena ran out of the church, clearly hurt, but it was the only way to save her from a terrible mistake.

Then, things got even more serious when the police showed up to arrest Edison, making it clear he was finally going to face the consequences of his actions. Although it cost me a lot to get Annie’s help, seeing my daughter free from Edison was worth every penny.

When I met Serena at her place later, it was a very emotional moment. “Dad, I’m so sorry. I should’ve listened to you,” she cried.

I held her and showed her a plane ticket to Boston, to remind her of her dream of studying fashion design. “It’s time to start over, to chase your dream,” I told her.

She looked at me, grateful and hopeful. “Thanks, Dad. I love you,” she said.

This whole ordeal reminded me how important it is to be there for our kids and to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

If only I’d been there for Serena, she’d never have fallen for someone like Edison. I had learned a huge lesson and decided to make my daughter my priority.

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