As we were about to exchange rings, a woman burst through the door, leading a child by the hand. With tears in her eyes, she cried out, “Are you really going to abandon us, your own flesh and blood?” The entire room fell into shocked silence. My fiancé froze, his hand hovering over my finger with the ring. He turned to me and said, “As you can see, that’s my child. I can’t let my own blood be cast aside. You’ll have to treat this child as your own from now on.” Without a word, I walked over to the woman and slipped the ring onto her finger instead. “Why make things complicated? You two should be together,” I said, starting to clap. “Today’s a joyous occasion. You star-crossed lovers can finally be united.” The room was stunned into silence. As my parents were about to explode with anger, I held them back with a smile. “Mom, Dad, they’re clearly in love. I’m gracious enough to step aside,” I said lightly. Then I signaled to one of the staff members. In an instant, the video showcasing my love story with Ethan Guthrie was replaced by security footage of him having an affair with his subordinate in the office. The video was extremely graphic. The room fell deathly quiet before erupting into gasps and exclamations. Ethan’s face turned ashen. “Have you lost your mind?” he hissed. After a chaotic moment, Ethan finally managed to shut off the video. Anna Shirley broke down in tears. She had been in shock, barely breathing, during the brief 30-second clip. It felt like she had been dragged through hell. She glared at me resentfully, not understanding why I had to be so cruel. She had only come today to secure a future for her child. Why did I have to utterly destroy them? The child started wailing, frightened by the commotion. Mother and son clung to each other, looking utterly pitiful. My parents’ anger gave way to stunned expressions. Dad sighed, looking at me with sympathy. Mom hugged me tightly. “Oh sweetheart, you’ve been wronged. You should have told us earlier.” I shook my head with a smile. “It’s fine. They’ve gotten their comeuppance now.” Behind me, Ethan’s face had turned black as coal. I shot him a mocking smile before turning to address the crowd. “Everyone, the engagement party ends here. I’ll refund your gifts later. But please, enjoy the food and drinks. Consider it a celebration of my escape from misery.” With that, I left with my parents. But we had barely stepped outside when Ethan’s parents blocked our way. Mrs. Guthrie looked at me reproachfully. “Stella, you went too far today. Even if our Ethan had an affair, you shouldn’t have caused such a scene at the wedding.” I hadn’t actually planned to go this far. This incident would make both the Guthrie and Moore families the subject of gossip. My engagement to Ethan had been more of a business arrangement than a love match. Or rather, I no longer had feelings for him now. I used to like him a lot. But he never truly cared for me. He had one girlfriend after another, and now he had even gotten his subordinate pregnant. I wanted to go crazy, to lash out recklessly. But I couldn’t. The business ties between our families were too deep. I couldn’t afford to be petty. So I had endured it all. I thought we could get married first, then I would slowly distance myself from the Guthries. I wanted the Moore family to extract themselves from this mess unscathed. But Ethan and Anna were too greedy. They actually tried to force me to accept that child at the wedding. Since it had come to this, we would have to go down together. Mr. and Mrs. Guthrie continued to berate me as my parents argued back. Soon, two pairs of normally dignified elites were hurling insults at each other on the street. My heart ached. I had caused my parents such embarrassment. Just then, Ethan emerged with the child in tow, Anna following behind. Seeing the chaotic scene, he frowned, his icy glare fixed on me. “Look what you’ve done!” he snapped. Rage surged within me. How dare he blame me? I could no longer contain myself. I stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. “Ethan Guthrie, how dare you say that? You two caused this scene at our wedding, humiliating both our families, and you expected me to just swallow this bitter pill? How dare you!”
The sharp crack of the slap silenced everyone. All eyes turned to us. Ethan’s head was turned to the side from the force of the blow. He seemed stunned, unable to react. Anna let out a piercing shriek. She threw herself at Ethan, wailing as if her parents had died. “Ethan, are you okay? How could she be so cruel!” Mr. and Mrs. Guthrie finally snapped out of their shock. Mr. Guthrie’s face turned livid. “You may be from a good family, but how could you resort to violence?” he scolded me. Mrs. Guthrie dabbed at her eyes, glaring daggers at me. Ethan came back to his senses and moved to retaliate. My father quickly pulled me behind him protectively. “Ethan Guthrie, don’t you dare lay a hand on her!” he warned. Ethan halted, his chest heaving with barely contained fury. But he wasn’t so far gone as to actually strike my father. The child began crying loudly, frightened by all the commotion. Anna frantically tried to comfort him while continuing her dramatic performance. “Miss Moore, please don’t be angry. I only came for the child’s sake. I never meant to ruin your relationship,” she sobbed, her body shaking. “If you’re willing to raise little Sky, I promise I’ll never appear before you again.” Ethan looked at her with concern before turning to glare at me reproachfully. As if I was being unreasonable by not agreeing, as if I was committing some great sin. I found it laughable that even at this point, Ethan still thought we could get married. I clapped my hands together mockingly. “Ethan Guthrie, our engagement is over. Congratulations, we’re both free now.” His eyes widened in anger as he jabbed a finger at me. “Stella Moore, are you still a child? Don’t you realize canceling our engagement will have huge consequences for both our companies?” Of course Ethan didn’t believe I would actually call off the engagement. He still thought I was just throwing a tantrum, acting like a spoiled rich girl. He regretted not hiding Anna and the child better. At the very least, he should have waited until after the wedding to bring little Sky home. I regarded him coldly. “Consequences? Did you think about the consequences when you were fooling around with her?” Anna listened from the side, a smug smile playing on her lips. Ethan remained dismissive. “So what? Which man in our circles doesn’t have a mistress on the side?” At those words, both sets of parents’ expressions changed. Especially Mrs. Guthrie’s. Mr. Guthrie had quite the reputation as a womanizer in his younger days, even fathering several illegitimate children. Though the situations had been handled, Mrs. Guthrie was still sensitive about the topic. Remembering this, her gaze toward Anna turned hostile. This woman was no different from those vixens who had seduced her husband. Just then, a few paparazzi started snapping photos. They whispered amongst themselves: “Big news! The Guthrie heir and Moore heiress are finished.” “Mistress crashes wedding with love child – what juicy upper-class drama!” Hearing this, Mrs. Guthrie’s expression darkened further. “What are you standing around for? Take your son and go home. Stop embarrassing us here!” she snapped at Ethan. With a final glare at Anna, Mrs. Guthrie stormed off. Mr. Guthrie, knowing the situation well, followed without comment. Anna was taken aback by Mrs. Guthrie’s sudden change in attitude. She huddled closer to Ethan, looking pitiful. Ethan glared at me one last time before leaving with little Sky in his arms. I watched their retreating figures, lost in thought. On the surface, the Guthrie family seemed just as prestigious as the Moores. But in reality, their business had been declining in recent years.
Six months ago, Guthrie Cosmetics was exposed for using carcinogenic ingredients in their skincare products. The scandal had dealt a heavy blow to the family. That’s why they were in such a rush to have me marry Ethan. But I hadn’t known any of this before. It wasn’t until I discovered Anna was pregnant, and Ethan still stubbornly insisted on marrying me instead of giving her proper status, that I realized something was off. I did some digging and found out the Guthries were facing a major cash flow problem. But by then it was too late. We had already set the wedding date. My parents probably knew about the Guthries’ issues long ago. But for my sake, they gritted their teeth and continued working with them. I felt so unfilial. I finally broke down in tears. “I’m sorry. I’ve made you lose face,” I choked out. Mom hugged me tightly. “Stella, honey, you did nothing wrong. There’s no shame in loving someone.” Dad rushed to comfort me as well. “That’s right. It’s all the Guthries’ fault for being such scum.” Their words gradually lifted my mood. That evening, I received a message from Ethan: “I’ll let today’s incident slide. You’ve vented enough, so we’re even now.” I had to do a double-take, shocked by his thick skin. Even after all that drama, he still thought there was hope for our relationship. As I was pondering this, more messages came through: “I’ve thought it over. Since you can’t accept Sky, I’ll send him away after we’re married.” “But I still need to set aside some shares for him. He is my son after all.” “Don’t worry, only the children you bear will be the true Guthrie heirs.” I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly fell out of my head. Inherit what? The Guthrie family’s debts? I didn’t bother replying, just muted his messages. That night, I locked myself in my room. I knew the Guthries were clinging to me desperately just to save their crumbling empire. Recently, the Guthries had been working on a project with Jason Corp. I decided to contact the CEO of Jason Corp directly. “Mr. Jason, I have a business proposition for you,” I said. “Miss Moore, what do you mean…?” I smiled sweetly. Then I sent a file to Mr. Jason’s email. “This is an alternative partnership proposal I’ve prepared for you. Moore Industries has more capital and resources to ensure the project’s success.” The man on the other end went quiet for a moment. I assumed he was reviewing the file I sent. “Miss Moore, your offer is very appealing,” he finally said. “But I’ve already agreed to work with Guthrie Corp. We’re about to sign the contract. Backing out now would make me seem untrustworthy.” But I wasn’t worried. I had anticipated this response. Mr. Jason’s greatest strength was his integrity. “Of course, I understand your position,” I said calmly. “But I hope you’ll consider it carefully. Once Moore Industries officially ends our partnership with the Guthries, their problems may affect you as well…” After a long pause, he let out a heavy sigh. “Alright.” Two days later, Ethan showed up at my door. My parents happened to be out. He strode in with his usual arrogant air, looking impatient. “Alright, you’ve had your little tantrum for days now. It’s time we go get our marriage license,” he said. I rubbed my temples, giving him a cold look. I’d miscalculated. I should have told the staff not to let anyone from the Guthrie family in. “Ethan Guthrie, where do you get the confidence to think I’d still marry you?” I asked incredulously. Ethan walked over, his tone uncharacteristically placating. “Stop being childish. I admit I was wrong before. I went too far,” he said. “But I promise after we’re married, I’ll cut ties with everyone else and be devoted only to you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Those were the same words Mr. Guthrie had said to his wife years ago. Yet to this day, Mr. Guthrie still hadn’t cut ties with his mistresses. Who knows, a few more illegitimate children might pop up in the coming years. “Your own mother wouldn’t believe that,” I scoffed. Ethan was taken aback. He clearly remembered his father’s philandering ways too. As a child, he had vowed to me that he would never become like his father. But the older he got, the more he seemed to follow in Mr. Guthrie’s footsteps. The thought irritated him further. “Didn’t I say I’d take care of the child situation? Why are you being so stubborn about this?” he snapped. “Ethan Guthrie, wake up and face reality,” I retorted. With that, I ignored him and told the butler to throw him out. Then I put up a sign outside – “No dogs or Ethan Guthrie allowed.” He clearly saw it. His face turned black with rage. But there was nothing he could do. He could only fume outside. To celebrate my escape from that scumbag, my best friend took me to a bar to check out some male models. In her words, since I’d taken a fall with one man, I needed to make up for it with other hot guys. So there I was, surrounded by a parade of male models for me to choose from. They sweetly called out, “Miss, miss…” as they passed by. I was having the time of my life. I suddenly realized what a dull existence I’d been living before. My friend had her arms around one of the models. She caught my eye from across the room and gave me a knowing look. I was thoroughly enjoying myself when I spotted a familiar figure. It looked like Anna Shirley. I quickly followed her. Weaving through the crowd, I trailed Anna as she made her way to a secluded corner. A roguish-looking man was waiting there. When he turned, I got a clear view of his face. He bore a striking resemblance to Mr. Guthrie. I had a feeling something big was about to go down. I hid behind some bushes and started recording with my phone. Anna threw herself at the man with a coy expression. “Did you wait long?” The man stood still, letting her embrace him. His eyes held nothing but cynicism and mockery. “Miss me that much? I guess Ethan isn’t satisfying you?” he drawled. Anna’s face flushed red. Then, as if no one else existed, they began kissing passionately. Anna’s eyes were clouded with desire. Her legs went weak. But the man remained detached. Though he kissed her fervently, his eyes stayed cold and clear. When they finally broke apart, Anna collapsed in his arms. The man stroked her head. “You’ve done well.” Anna nodded obediently. “Ethan must be blind to fall for your act,” the man chuckled lowly. Anna let out a contemptuous laugh. “Hah, he says he loves me. Says that Miss Moore is just an old-fashioned prude, boring in bed too.” The man’s tone turned lecherous. “Is that so? I wouldn’t mind sampling the prude’s flavor myself.” Ugh. I nearly threw up. How dare they bring me into their dirty flirting? I was so disgusted my hands shook. I almost dropped my phone. But what I heard next was truly shocking.
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