Raylan walked Paige to the center of the stage and gently took the microphone from the host. Flashing a bright smile, he said, “We’re so glad all of you could come to celebrate our engagement.”
The room hung on his next sentence, every eye fixed on him with eager anticipation.
Clinging to Raylan’s arm like she belonged there, Paige soaked up every ounce of the attention, her smile as radiant as her diamond.
With everyone looking elsewhere, Kiara leaned close to Elliana and whispered, “Watching the guy you love dote on another woman-hurts, doesn’t it? Weren’t you planning to wreck the party today? Well, now’s your chance.”
Afraid Elliana might chicken out, Kiara pushed further, her voice dripping with cruelty. “You’re not scared, are you? I get it, though. You’ve never had the guts to shake things up. Just stand there and let Paige enjoy everything you lost.”
Elliana lifted her head slowly, and a quiet smirk formed as she met Kiara’s eyes. “Brace yourself. I’m about to turn this whole place upside down.”
Without another word, Elliana started making her way toward the stage, each step deliberate, steady, and unstoppable.
Kiara could hardly contain herself. Finally, the chaos she’d been craving was about to unfold-and she was ready to watch Elliana fall apart.
The crowd stirred as whispers spread. One by one, heads turned toward Elliana, dressed in blue, heading for the stage.
Elliana didn’t need designer labels to stand out. The dress she wore hugged her just right, turning heads with its effortless charm and drawing every eye as she passed.
The second Elliana stepped near the stage, Raylan’s expression hardened like stone. Back when they were kids, Elliana had been the picture of beauty in his eyes. He used to follow her around, certain she was the girl he’d grow up and marry. But everything changed after the fire. She had been left disfigured, her mother gone, and from that moment on, he couldn’t stand the sight of her.
Even if time had spared her face, he still wouldn’t have chosen her. The past had buried any chance she ever had. To him, a woman without power, connections, or status wasn’t worth marrying. At best, she might be good for a brief distraction-never a wedding band. Her nerve to show up like this, likely clinging to old feelings, only deepened the revulsion he already carried.
Raylan moved in front of Paige like a wall, eyes narrowing at Elliana as he said, “What are you trying to pull now?”
With a soft smile, Elliana turned to the host and asked, “Mind if I borrow that microphone for a minute?”
Once Elliana had the microphone, she walked to the center of the stage. She cheerfully announced, “Just a little reminder for everyone-Raylan and I have actually been engaged for quite some time.”
“No way!”
Gasps and whispers rippled through the hall like wildfire.
“So Elliana actually showed up to ruin the celebration. Things are definitely about to get entertaining!”
“Two women fighting over one guy? On stage? This is pure drama!”
“Sure, it’s juicy, but let’s be real-Elliana will only end up humiliated.”
Seeing Elliana finally attempt to crash the wedding, Paige’s pulse quickened with excitement, though she carefully arranged her features into a mask of distress. To sell the performance, she discreetly pinched her arm, coaxing real tears to spill down her cheeks.
Paige stated in a choked voice, “Elliana, must you always act this way? Since childhood, you’ve competed with me for everything. Whatever captures my interest, you immediately covet for yourself-even my engagement. I embraced you like my own sister, constantly yielding to your desires. Even when you snatched Cole from my grasp, I swallowed my heartbreak, retreating with silent tears. Now, having finally begun healing and daring to start anew with Raylan, you appear to stake your claim on him despite wearing another man’s ring.”
As the words tumbled out, Paige’s voice cracked with manufactured emotion, tears streaming unchecked down her flushed face.
Raylan, visibly moved by her apparent anguish, squeezed her shoulder and gave her a reassuring glance. Paige melted into his protective embrace, casting a look toward Elliana. “Tell me, what would it take for you to release me from this lifelong competition?”
Kiara, who had been anticipating this precise moment, swiftly joined the charade. “Elliana, I have loved you as my own daughter all these years, but you’ve tormented Paige at every opportunity. We continuously stepped back, only for you to push forward more aggressively. Now you seek to strip away everything Paige treasures, trampling all moral boundaries. You stand here as Mrs. Evans, yet crash Paige’s engagement celebration to claim Raylan-what does this reveal about your loyalty to Cole? And what does it say about your respect for Raylan?”
Paige’s vulnerable demeanor and Kiara’s seemingly righteous fury resonated powerfully with the assembled guests.
“Such malice from Elliana-utterly selfish and creating a spectacle!”
“Her tactics are both foolish and disgraceful!”
“Someone capture this wedding-crashing fiasco and post it online! Let the internet community shower her with the shame she deserves!”
Darin rushed forward at that moment. In the aftermath of Kiara’s scandal, he desperately needed this engagement party to salvage the Jones family’s reputation and couldn’t tolerate further disruptions. Spotting Elliana on stage, his expression darkened as he…
Darin clenched his jaw and bellowed, “Elliana, you disgraceful girl, descend the stage immediately and get the hell out of here!”
Kiara had endured Darin’s humiliation and mistreatment in recent days. If not for Paige securing Raylan’s investment to alleviate the Jones family’s financial crisis, her future would have remained bleak. This moment presented the perfect opportunity to align herself with Darin, so she delivered another Oscar-worthy performance, collapsing tearfully against his shoulder. “Darling, please implore Elliana to spare our poor Paige this torment.”
Darin, still revolted by Kiara’s previous actions and words, had no desire for physical contact. Yet, with countless eyes upon them, he couldn’t reveal their discord, so he reluctantly embraced her, patting her back in feigned comfort.
Witnessing this tableau, the crowd’s hostility toward Elliana intensified.
“Elliana disrupts Paige’s engagement celebration to torment both Paige and Kiara. What kind of person behaves so cruelly?”
“Paige and Kiara are too forgiving and tolerant. In their position, I’d have security break Elliana’s legs before tossing her into the street.”
“Can someone contact Cole and inform him of his wife’s behavior? I’d wager he’d tear into Elliana himself!”
Overhearing these murmurs, Paige and Kiara exchanged triumphant glances. They had executed their performance flawlessly, manipulating the scene with precision. Elliana now bore the irrevocable label of wedding crasher. Once news of this incident spread online, society would completely ostracize her.
Raylan, already inflamed by Paige’s tears, suddenly snapped, “Elliana, cease this disruptive spectacle immediately!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.