Horrid Reveals in the Public

Inside, everyone marvels at her dress and at her identity, her looking much more beautiful than anyone who witnessed her very small wedding with Richard might remember her to actually look.

She looks radiant and happy next to Ashton.

Ashton on the other hand marvels at how good of an actress she actually is. She's been smiling and gay even though she's around the family of the same man she had divorced just a week ago.

"You're so beautiful. What's your name?" An elderly woman in the Wrights family asks her, taking Ivy's hand in hers and a soft smile on her face.

"My name is Ivy ma'am."

"Jeez. What were your parents thinking?" She laughs

Ivy laughs too. "I have always wondered but I guess I would never know. Nice to meet you Aunt."

"I've known this boy from a very young age and I don't think I've seen him so fulfilled. Look at him watch us with his eagle eyes from over there." She points where Ashton stands, watching them with a glass of wine in his hands.

Ivy smiles, noting how good of an actor he is as well, giving nothing away of the secret arrangement that's between them and them alone.

He smiles at her and she smiles back, giving the perfect aura.

Some ladies standing at the corner and watching them both scoffs. "I mean, wasn't she just married to Richard just a week ago? And now she's smiling so coyly at Ashton?"

"I know right. What is she after?"

"I'm so jealous of her though. She has married both men of the Wrights now."

The three other women around her look at her, shaking their heads.

"Nita, will you stop daydreaming and see what's happening? The same woman is marrying your long time crush."

"Oh me?" Anita answers, a slight shake of her head. "I don't think I should be the one worrying about that. She should be worried. When Tiara arrives..."

"Ah." The other women gasp immediately.

"Exactly. If she arrives, if she gets a whiff of it, she's going to be getting a second divorce."

Wren chuckles. "I'm not jealous of her. I would not want to be her when Tiara arrives."

"Uhm, who's Tiara?" Phoebe asks, looking at them for answers. "I mean, she sounds like a really important person, to the husband right since she'll be against the wife?"

"Of course. I would love to tell you who Tiara is but the champagne looks like it just got refilled. It's not everyday you drink expensive stuff like this."

Arielle emerges from behind them and takes the table as they all walk away to grab flutes of champagne. She snickers.

"Tiara? Who the fuck could she be? Sounds like she can stop this damned wedding from happening." She mutters to herself.

A woman approaches her, curiosity written all over her face. "Hi there. I haven't seen you before so you're not in the Wright's family. Who are you?"

"Oh me?" Arielle smiles. "I'm a member of the bride's family. Actually, I'm her best friend so her family invited me here."

"Really? Wow. I haven't met the bride in person so I guess the perfect person to ask for tips to get on her good side would be you. So, what can you tell me about her so I can flatter her when I finally meet her?"

Arielle chuckles, her brain thinking fast. "Actually, do you know she was married to the other son Richard just a week ago? We had a fight so I had to tell her the truth about things I have to endure with her."

Naturally, negative tips and words about a person grabs more attention than a list of all the good things that person has done, so Judith Wright was quite interested in hearing everything that Arielle had to say about Ivy.

And oh my goodness! It was nothing good. Not a good thing at all.

Judith listens to everything with a wide eye, torn, whether to believe Arielle or not.

She looks at Ivy as she smiles warmly to everyone who comes her way, those she knows and those she doesn't.

Judith smiles at Arielle. "Thank you very much for all these things you have told me. I'll put them to great use."

"I'd appreciate it. Do you..." Arielle looks up and sees Richard watching Ivy from somewhere in the corner opposite where she's standing.

She smiles like a witch and turns to Judith. "Thank you very much but I need to talk to someone over there."

Judith nods and watches her go.

She walks to her husband and nudges him. "I heard a whole lot of news about this girl from someone in her family's close circle now and there is absolutely no good thing there. Are you sure we should let him marry our son?"

Judith worries slightly, looking at Ashton's Dad to make a decision.

"Isn't that Richard?" He points.

Judith looks there and sees Richard with Arielle, both of them chatting.

For some reason, everyone in the hall looks at the duo in the corner.

Arielle, noticing the attention, plays well and pretends to not notice that they are being watched.

In a deliberately loud voice... "Are you going to let her marry your brother? You know she's a whore who cheated on you through out the three years you were married. Now you'll let your brother make the same mistake?"

Everyone gasps, all eyes turning to Ivy.

There's a sound of breaking glass in the hall.

Ashton steps forward, his expression made of steel.

Ivy stops him just in time, nodding and telling him that she's fine and will take care of it herself. In a loud voice, she commands the attention of everyone in the room.

Arielle smiles, knowing that woman for three years paid off and she knows enough that Ivy will never speak out about the injustices done to her, she will prefer to let it simmer.

On the other hand, Ivy has had enough of their bullying.

"Yes! I was married to that trash bag up to a week ago..." she mumbles her apologies to Ashton's parents for that word before continuing. "...we were married for three years. And those three fucking years, I endured every form of abuse possible and to break the camel's back... You see that woman standing right with him?" She points straight at Arielle, "she used to be my best friend for three years and I was rudely awakened to the fact that for those three whole fucking tortuous years, my husband and my best friend were lovers behind my back."

There's a pin drop silence in the hall, no one is moving, nor saying anything.

It's a lot to take in on an engagement night.