Lucas' gaze swiveled towards the figure approaching. A soft smile spread across his face as he locked eyes with the person his heart truly desired.
Turning to see what was going on, Evie's mouth dropped as she instantly realized who had captured Lucas' heart.
Jessica….!
"This can't be," Evie muttered in panic. She dropped her flowers to the floor and took off her veil as her heart raced.
Her stepsister, Jessica, shot her a sly glance as she sashayed towards Lucas, offering him her hand.
Lucas slowly took it, brushing his lips against her skin in a gentle, sweet kiss, leaving the crowd in astonishment.
Evie's father, Henry Yong, was shocked beyond words. The look on his youthful face, despite being in his mid-fifties, said it all. Clearly, from his facial expression, one could easily tell that he was utterly frustrated with what was happening, mirroring the expression of his in-law, the groom's grandfather.
"Please keep the camera rolling." Evie's stepmother, Madam Mel, said, entering through the entrance of the hall with a smirk masked on her face.
As soon as she got to the altar where her daughter stood beside Lucas, Henry roared, "What's your problem, Melinda?" fixing his sharp gaze on his scheming wife, who surprisingly ignored him rudely, as if he was speaking nonsense.
"I always knew you were the right one for me, darling." Lucas articulated before planting a kiss on Jessica's lips this time.
Eww…
Evie could not bear this humiliation any longer. As she was about to throw an aggressive insult towards her evil, backstabbing stepmother and devilish stepsister, murmurs from the crowded hall began to circulate, making her pause to hear what was being said.
However, one such murmur came from an elderly woman in the front seat who delivered a venomous sneer, "That useless eldest son of the Qin empire will so much regret doing this to Miss Qiyue. I'm so much with her."
Another came from a young man who was talking to his partner, chuckling, "Don't you think it's clear that we were invited to watch another live drama show from our beloved actors?"
"Che! What are you saying?" his partner replied. "This looks like more than a shock to me. As far as I remember, that guy loved Evie way more than he could ever consider ditching her for another woman. I swear, I regret coming here."
"Relax, guys, can't you understand what's going on?" another man from the back said. "I think maybe Evie could be a silently bad person and Lucas doesn't want to marry her, but still, I'm low-key hating whoever he chose to replace her with for humiliation."
The young man's partner from the front seat raised an eyebrow. "You think Evie's a bad person? I'm not a fan, but I completely disagree with you. She looks sweet, innocent, and perfect for a bride. No man will ever think of ignoring her charm."
The young man shrugged. "Appearances can be deceiving. Maybe there's more to her than meets the eye."
Many more murmurs swirled, each one piercing Evie's heart like a dagger, while some comforted her. She felt her face burn with a mixed range of shame and anger.
Madam Mel's smirk grew wider, seemingly enjoying Evie's distress. The murmurs were now interrupted by her cackling laughter, reverberating through the hall.
Evie's face fell and turned completely pale.
"Poor girl, you should have thought of this problem before thinking of getting married, before your elder sister," Madam Mel said slowly in a voice cutting through the air like a knife.
Evie's face twisted in anguish. She should have never trusted her stepmother from the start and hated why she did.
However, it was not her fault for being so naive as to fall for her stepmother's pretentious act. She had thought of her painful past when she had been cruelly treated for being better and favored than her elder sister.
With all the past mistreatment, and seeing her stepmother kneel in tears, begging for forgiveness as if her life depended on it, she had no choice but to forgive that brat who had turned her once-perfect life, now miserable.
"Are you out of your mind, Melinda?" Henry's expression turned thunderous, his eyes flashing with warning. "Haven't you done enough to put my daughter's life through hardship? Whatever you've planned with Jessica and Lucas, don't dare try to act on it."
With that being heard, Madam Mel slowly turned to look at her husband, who couldn't stop fuming.
Out of annoyance, she retorted, "First of all, let me remind you that Evie is your illegitimate daughter, born to a hussy from the slums. Secondly, I'm in favor of our legitimate daughter, which you should be in support of. And lastly, you had better kill yourself if you can't cooperate with what I'm doing. After all, I wasn't the one who made you a womanizer and had you bedding a lot of sluts, including that bitch's mother."
Madam Mel's words sent shockwaves through the crowded guests at the wedding. They all fell silent, exchanging stunned glances.
Henry, concurrently, couldn't help but feel the humiliation. His gaze dropped to the floor, and he sat quietly like a puppet. At this moment, everyone already knew his weakness.
Now Madam Mel has proven to be stupidly clever. She thought her words were only having a crucial effect on her husband, not realizing how she could also be affected by them, later in the future. Anyways, all thanks to her for stunningly exposing what would always bring Henry down to a thousand guests at the wedding from around the country.
Seeing all this, Evie's frustration grew even worse. She tried her best to hold back any humiliating emotions, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling a deep sense of embarrassment for her father.
Glaring daggers at Lucas, who stood a few feet away from her, chatting quietly with Jessica. She stormed,
"Is this what you had in mind?" She held back her tears and laughed hysterically.
Turning to face Madam Mel, she added, "Days of pretending to be nice and supportive to my marriage with that lying, cheating, brainwashed simp of a man who's now with my stepsister. Do you think I'll be completely ruined by your scheming plans?"
She slowly shifted her gaze to Jessica. "And as for you, I can't blame you for being interested in my fiancé, who's entirely proved himself to be a scumbag and a complete jerk. After all, you're always interested in eating my remains or... Are you going to doubt my words now, Jessica?"
These insults burned Lucas deep down to the bone. As he was about to react and take action, Madam Mel interjected, "You're an illegitimate daughter of the prestigious Yong family. We've given you far more than someone of your status deserves, so why do you expect any further kindness from us, not to mention get married to an elite while your older sister remains single?"
Hearing Madam Mel, Evie began to wonder if being an illegitimate child was a sin. Did her stepmother ever think she asked to become one or what?
Madam Mel's claim that they had given her "a lot" was clearly a joke. Never had they offered her anything genuinely good unless it was part of a scheme against her.
Jessica, who wanted the marriage procedures to be quick, was tired of her mother's nagging at Evie.
With a sour expression, she cut in. "Stop it! Mother, please don't ruin this day of glamour for me. The wedding has to be continued, so keep your rage down for now."
She then signaled for the priest to go on with the marriage ritual.
The priest, recovering from the recent shock, took a deep breath to begin: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"
"Wait! Give me a minute, old priest," Jessica interrupted the priest's message. She turned to face Evie with a wicked smile.
Stepping closer to Evie, she sneered, "Before I let the priest continue with the marriage oath, I would love for you to give me your blessings."
Jessica stood upright with her hands on her waist in pride. She was expecting defiance from Evie, who surprisingly trudged over to her. Her head hung low, and her eyes were fixed on the floor, looking utterly defeated.
Jessica presumed she had completely surrendered and was about to give her the blessings she demanded. An evil smile crept onto her lips, but something unexpected happened immediately.
Chuckling darkly like a demoness who had just crawled out of hell, a smug smile played on Evie's lips as she suddenly raised her hand and slapped each of Jessica's cheeks so hard that she felt her face burn.
Pah! Pah!
The hall turned silent as everyone's eyes widened in shock at Evie's sudden assault.