Deirdre was stunned into silence for a moment. Then, a series of footsteps came, announcing an intruder. Charlene strode inside the room. Brendan and Deirdre were about a few meters apart, with the latter staring at the floor with an awkward grimace. “Bren!” She cried out while secretly seething. Damn it! No matter how hard she tried to prevent it, this b*tch would always find a way to charm Brendan! Suppressing her rage, she smiled and asked, “What happened? Miss McKinnon’s wearing a terrible grimace.”What she called “a terrible grimace” was really just Deirdre’s face turning red from being flustered. Charlene could not tell, but Brendan could—and he gave a long, hard look. “Nothing. Bumped into her after coming back here from work. We talked a little.”“Really? Was a talk enough for her to make that face?” Charlene remarked coquettishly as she snaked her arm around Brendan’s. “Jeez, you should really be kinder and gentler to Miss McKinnon, you know? That kid she’s pregnant w
”Lord Almighty, it’s worse than bad. It’s designed to ruin every strength and grace your lovely face possesses!” Mrs. Engel seethed. “I can’t believe she’s this… this… wrathful! Small-hearted! Ungracious!“If she’s that worried about you stealing her thunder at her own wedding, then she should have never invited you in the first place—simple as that! Why invite you to such an important occasion and then try to ruin your looks like that? If you go there like that, you’ll be the punchline of the evening!”Deirdre was comparatively calmer. “That’s exactly what she wants.”“It’s her live wedding, for crying out loud! God, she would sacrifice even her own wedding if it meant she could embarrass you somehow!” Mrs. Engel snarled indignantly.Who in this entire world would want her wedding to focus on someone else other than herself and have it smeared by a joke? Well, Charlene was the only woman mad enough to do that!“It’s okay,” Deirdre replied placidly. This was exactly as she had pre
“Brendan really knows how to choose his woman, dang! Remember Charlene McKinney? That one was gorgeous too, man. Too bad the woman this time…”Someone began to compare the bride herself with Deirdre. “I thought Charlie McKinsey was pretty, but now his ex-wife’s cousin is here, I gotta say… damn. That ain’t a gap. It’s an entire level of difference!”“Maybe Brendan cares more about the vibe, ya know? But if it were me, I'd definitely tie my knot with McKinnon, 100%.” The crowd began to laugh up their sleeves while Charlene had to maintain a smile despite broiling. What did these little sh*ts mean by ‘an entire level of difference’? Were they blind or nuts!?And that b*tch! The color and style of the dress should have made it impossible to shine in an event as grand as this! How the hell did she turn a piece of rock into a gemstone!? She used the dress to somehow elevate herself!F*cking b*tch!Charlene whipped her head in the direction of the stylist following her, irate. The sur
The man did not answer her. In fact, Charlene quickly felt another pair of hands coming for her. This time, she shrieked and slapped it away. Someone pulled the curtains away, and the light revealed six men in the room with her—all of them obviously drugged. Most of them were sitting on the floor, tripping out of their wits, but two of them were staring at Charlene with lust in their eyes.Blood was drained out of Charlene’s face. “Why are you here!? I told you to wait at the guests’ lounge!”Unfortunately, these people were too far gone to listen to any instruction. One of them slapped their hand on Charlene’s lips while the other began to remove her clothes against her will. She struggled but could not break free at all.And yet, toward the end, Charlene stopped resisting and… danced with them. Someone hammered at the door from outside, waking Charlene out of her trance. She quickly shoved the men away, horror overwhelming her visage. Something was not right! There was somet
Charlene covered her face and wept bitterly. She was so good at bursting into tears to the detriment of her dignity that it began to move some of the crowd into doubting their initial moralist instinct.Brendan was about to say something when one of the guests burst out of the horde and slapped Charlene.“You lying, two-timing b*tch!” the man thundered. “What did you tell me when you slept with me? B*tch, you told me you’re only in this for Brendan’s money. You told me you would run away with me once you got the money, but what did you do? You threw a six-against-one orgy behind my back! Does it kill you not to have a d*ck inside you for a moment!?”His invective, plus that slap that came from nowhere, shocked Charlene. When she finally recovered and looked at the man, she ignored her disheveled hair and shrieked, “Who the f*ck are you!? I don’t even know you! Security! This guy just slung an untrue slander at me, and I want him out!”As she covered her face, the man’s features bec
Charlene regarded him as though he was her messiah. Throwing her arms around his thigh, she launched a litany to explain why she was innocent despite the weight of evidence showing otherwise.“Bren, you believe me, don’t you? Someone set me up! I don’t know who, but I know they’re trying to destroy me. You know I devote my heart and soul to you, Bren! How could I possibly want to be with any other guys!?”Brendan said nothing, even as Charlene tightened her arms around his legs. He took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up. When white smoke started to swirl in the air around them, he finally looked down at her. “How big of an idiot do you think I am, Charlene?”Charlene considered the frigid look on his face and shivered. “I’m willing to excuse your… orgy with the possibility that you’ve been drugged.” He continued. “But what about those pictures? How are you supposed to explain that away? Doctored? Deep fake?”His inquisitor’s tone bleached Charlene’s visage. Her lips w
Charlene’s mind raced to everything that had happened to her back there as fear, panic, and lividity ravaged her. But now was not the time to lose control. She recalled how Brendan tried his best to maintain his composure and defended her despite being humiliated by the ordeal. It meant that he still cared about her and had enough care and love for her that he could not bear to watch her suffer.She had to secure this man! If Brendan decided to abandon her, those people she had been forced to work with… they had even less reservation about abandoning her, too. Someone whose reputation had gone down the sh*tter to the elite circle could not possibly rise up on their own ever again!After squaring the pros and cons of her options, Charlene turned on her heels and left quickly. The waitress watched her darting away, and the smug grin on her face disappeared. Solemnly, she said, “She’s gone, Miss McKinnon.”Deirdre rubbed her arms, which were cold from being exposed to the AC. “Ph
Brendan sneered. “Well, well. Aren’t you naive?”Sam knocked on the door at just that moment, his visage grim. Brendan extinguished his cigarette and asked, “What’s wrong?”Sam shot a resentful glance at Charlene. “Someone’s taken pictures of what happened, so now… Charlene’s scandal has been leaked out to the public and became viral. Everyone has been anticipating this wedding for so long that this piece of news immediately became the most viral discussion. We couldn’t censor it at all.”Brendan scowled in silence. Charlene was aghast. “But how? How did it get leaked!?”“Why wouldn’t it, huh!?” Sam snapped at her. “Mr. Brighthall had a target painted on his back these days, so of course, they would be glad for a story that would ruin him in one fell swoop! Hell, it didn’t just leak! They clearly put in money to deliberately amplify the story to all corners of the Internet! Not only does Mr. Brighthall have to suffer being seen as a cuckolded husband, but the company’s tanking in