Ch. 111..120
Chapter 111
"I'm curious about the person who did such a deed without leaving his name as well. To be able to get our general manager's personal help, he must be a prominent figure!"
"No matter who is it, I'm super envious of that woman."
***
Meanwhile, in the Sullivan family's living room.
"Honey, Tom, Emily is still pregnant with our grandchild. Are we really going to keep ignoring her? What if something happens to the child?"
Bailey looked worriedly at Tom sitting beside her and at Tony sitting on the single sofa as she spoke.
"I've already inquired. She's doing well there. And she's coming out the day before the wedding, isn't she? It's only a few days, so there's no need to care about her specifically. It'd be good for her to learn a lesson as well."
"And can't you see what she's done? To achieve her own goals, she had endangered her family's business. What about the future? What if she endangers our family in the future?" Tom was irked.
"Tom is right. It'll be good for her to suffer a little. Otherwise, she would always do whatever she wants. If it weren't because she was pregnant, I would never have allowed her to enter the Sullivan family." Tony's expression was darker than coal.
"You guys are right." Bailey nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry. They won't let anything happen to a pregnant lady," Tom comforted as he patted his mother's shoulder.
"Yeah. As long as the child is safe, I don't care what happens to her," said Bailey coldly.
***
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
This morning, after Emily and her mother had run their laps, they cheerfully entered the dining hall.
At the thought of today being the day of their release, they were over the moon.
Their footsteps had also become lighter.
Emily even started singing a little tune after being locked up for so long. "By now, your long-time lover is on his way. I know he's been traveling through rain and shine, across a sea of strangers just to be with you."
Seeing her daughter in a good mood, May felt even better. "Emily, this is great. We can finally get out of this place today."
"Yeah. And when the time comes, I'll have my vengeance and take revenge! Xyla Quest, you piece of sh*t, just you wait! I definitely won't forgive you!" Emily gritted her teeth. At the thought of Xyla, she couldn' help but want to tear her to pieces.
Having said that, she swept a cold glance at the packed canteen.
When she saw the prisoners devour clear soup and steamed cornbread in an uncivilized manner, Emily still felt disgusted.
It was so great that she could finally break free from this group of lowly beings. She also wouldn't be bullied by them anymore.
Once she got out, she would take revenge on everyone who had bullied her! Once she got out, she wouldn't have to eat the pig's feed here anymore! She could go to Michelin starred restaurants! She could eat classy food!
Even their dog at home wouldn't eat the filthy food here!
In the past, when these steamed cornbreads and white buns fell to the ground, she wouldn't even spare them a glance!
"Mom will help you but don't think about those for now. Once we get home, let's focus on preparing for the wedding first. I'll take you to a full-body spa this afternoon so that you can be the most dazzling bride tomorrow."
May held onto Emily's hands tightly, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Yeah! It is said that women are the prettiest when in a wedding dress. Tomorrow, I'll outshine Xyla Quest, no matter the cost!" Emily looked expectant.
"Tomorrow, Brother Sullivan and I will shine so bright that our halos will overshadow Xyla and her husband.
"What's the use if Xyla's the only good-looking one? Her husband's ugly. The two of them standing together definitely won't beat Brother Sullivan and me in terms of look," Emily added.
She was starting to anticipate the scene where Xyla shows up with her ugly husband. Her instincts told her that the man would be hideous.
"That's right. That man definitely won't have decent looks. We don't even know if he really studies medicine. Otherwise, why did she have to wait until we've exposed her to inform your father?" May scoffed. "Forget it. I get nauseous looking at the food here. Let's go. We'll go for good food when we get out later," said Emily.
"Yeah." May agreed. The mother-daughter pair walked out joyfully.
"Yo, look at you two! For those who don't know, they might even think you're getting released today." The bald inmate and the other female prisoners who shared the same cell with them came over in a group, standing in front of them.
Upon seeing them, May and Emily subconsciously took a step back. Then, Emily smiled cheekily, "That's right. I'm getting released today."
"Who said you could leave today?" A female correctional officer came over with a dark expression.
Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Emily was stunned. "What do you mean? Hasn't it been arranged that we'll be able to get out today?"
"Not today. There's something wrong with our internet, so we can't perform the release procedures. It'll have to be tomorrow, at least eleven in the morning," said the correctional officer.
The correctional officer's words were like a splash of cold water on Emily, extinguishing all of their wondrous expectations.
Tomorrow was the day of her wedding. If she could only have the release procedures done tomorrow, what about her wedding?
Would it have to be postponed? The Sullivan family expected her to be released today. Hence, they did not change the wedding date. The invitations had already been sent out, so it was impossible to postpone.
However, if the wedding at twelve in the afternoon couldn't be delayed, there wouldn't be time for anything if she left prison at eleven.
There wouldn't be time for proper makeup, no time for a nice hairdo. She would have to rush to the venue without much done.
Did that make sense?
"Hey, I'm a bride that's getting married at twelve tomorrow, is this appropriate? Will my wedding even happen?" Emily fumed as she glared at the correctional officer in irritation.
"These are orders from above. Don't complain to me." The correctional officer sounded annoyed.
"Do the people outside know? Can I talk to them? At least I can get them to delay my wedding," Emily asked as she suppressed her anger.
"I don't know. No," said the correctional officer.
At that moment, it was like she had climbed ashore with much difficulty only to be kicked back into the swamp. It was devastating.
"Why not? This is a wedding, the biggest event of her life! If the people on the outside have no idea, you should inform them," May exclaimed darkly.
"Since you know that it's a huge event, why did you choose to commit crimes at such a crucial time?" Having said that, the correctional officer simply went into the canteen.
With the bald inmate in the lead, the group of prisoners rolled their eyes at them, enjoying their misfortune before heading into the dining hall.
"Ahh!!!" Emily kept stomping her feet in anger, veins popping in her neck.
She was genuinely going crazy! Forget overshadowing Xyla. It'd be great if she could even attend the wedding looking decent!
"Don't worry. The Sullivan family knows we're being released so they might have people waiting to receive us. When they don't see us, they might realize and think of a solution," May added. Emily nodded. Now, she could only put her faith in this. Since it was a decision from the upper management, it would definitely be futile to look for them.
However, the Sullivan family did not send anyone over. Everyone was busy preparing for the wedding; hence, no one had time to care whether the mother-daughter pair had been released. Jeremy was still furious, so he, too, couldn't be bothered when the two of them would get home.
Both sides had only found out around five in the evening after receiving a notice from the detention cell superintendent. Only then did they know about Emily being released the next day at eleven. In an instant, it was chaos.
The Sullivan family tried everything to no avail, so they could only call the Quest family to inform them that the wedding would go on as planned.
After that, they contacted the styling team to go and prep Emily up at the detention center.
***
The next morning.
The Quest mansion was decorated in red banners printed with the word 'happiness' by the maids for Emily's wedding.
The large Quest family home was lively.
Servants were all over the place, busy with work.
Xyla had slept comfortably until she woke up naturally.
It was around ten when she opened her eyes. She leisurely sat up and stretched.
Her naturally curly ebony hair fell at her shoulders, gleaming under the sunlight.
Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Vrrt, vrrt, vrrt.
Her phone vibrated. Xyla casually glanced at the screen to see that Five Batton had sent her a WeChat message.
She immediately opened it.
"I might not be able to reach on time. I'll be late for an hour."
There wouldn't be an issue if he was only late for an hour. The ceremony would have ended by then and he would be just in time for lunch.
As long as he showed up, it won't be a problem. Only, the enigmatic Emily would definitely try to cause a scene, but no worries, Xyla could handle it. "What happened?" Xyla replied. In her mind, he was a punctual person, so something huge must have happened.
"Emergency."
"Alright then." Emily replied before putting down her phone and entering the bathroom.
He did not tell her what the emergency was and was sensible enough not to ask.
After showering, Xyla noticed that there was still time, so she lay in bed with a mask on before sitting down at the dressing table to put on her makeup.
Her gaze inadvertently fell onto the clock beside her. It was now 11.20 am, her lips curled into an endearing smile.
It must be chaotic over there right now.
***
Over at the detention center's entrance, the scene inside a recreational vehicle bearing the Sullivan's family logo was completely chaotic.
Emily and May sat as the styling team the Sullivan family had hired for them did their hair and makeup.
It was a team of six people with everyone hurrying about. The bride herself was just as anxious...
The large recreational vehicle was a complete mess.
Emily was in a foul mood because her important day had turned out this way. Her expression was dark the entire journey.
If she had been released yesterday, she could have taken a relaxing bath and done a full-body spa.
But now, her shower was simply taken at the prison's toilet, and forget the full body spa, she didn't even have time for a face mask.
As she stared at her dry and flaky skin in the mirror, Emily felt herself mentally collapsing!
"This is all Tom's fault. If he had come to get you earlier yesterday, they would've found out that you couldn't be released and perhaps would have had enough time to come up with other solutions." At the mention of Tom, May was annoyed.
At the thought of the Sullivan family, she got even more annoyed. However, since the stylist team belonged to the Sullivan family, May did not continue her rant.
Emily was furious now, so she did not try to put in a good word for Tom. Her hands were clenched into fists.
***
Due to time constrictions, Emily's makeup was not properly done. She only had on a simple bridal makeup look with her hair up in a bun and a tiara as an accessory.
After that, she changed into her wedding dress.
She was already in a foul mood but the instant she put on the dress, Emily's mood got even worse!
Her wedding dress was a slim fit tube dress design with a fishtail. It had been tailor-made and had looked amazingly sensual on her. However, during this time when she did not have anything proper to eat inside the detention center, Emily had lost so much weight that the dress was quite loose!
As she stared at her flaky skin in the full-length mirror, then at the ill-fitting wedding dress that looked like it was rented instead, she was genuinely going crazy!
"Ah!!! What is this?! Those who don't know might assume that I've rented this last minute from a bridal shop! It doesn't fit at all, and it's so degrading!" She grabbed her chest in fury.
She had hoped to stun the entire crowd today with this amazing wedding dress! Now, everything was over!
Chapter 114
Chapter 114
"Don't panic. I have an idea!" A stylist quickly took out a few pins from the makeup box and secured them on the back of Emily's dress and her waist area. The dress immediately fitted.
After that, she took the mopping veil on the dressing table and swiftly draped it over Emily's head.
The veil covered her face while the back portion fell onto the floor.
The pin was white. With the veil to conceal it, it no longer seemed obvious.
Emily started at her reflection in the mirror, surprised. "It's so much better now."
Then, she turned around to look at her back. "Yeah... the pin doesn't look obvious either."
However, when her gaze fell onto her dull face, Emily's smile froze once more.
"Thank you. What is your name?" She glanced coldly at the stylist as she asked.
"Fanny Mitchelle." The girl smiled as she looked up slowly. Soon, a face with extra-thick makeup appeared in the mirror.
She looked at Emily's face in the mirror then back at her own. Fanny felt that the world was extremely unfair.
Her looks clearly did not lose to Emily. Still, because of the latter's aristocratic identity, Emily could become the legal wife of a wealthy young master like Tom Sullivan. At the same time, Fanny, with her commoner status, could only be Tom's plaything.
Be it Tom, or any other person, once they were done playing with her, they would throw her away. No one would give her a second thought.
Traces of envy began spreading in her heart.
"Fanny, you're quite a clever person. Why don't you come over and be my personal stylist in the future?" Emily was just thinking of getting a personal stylist.
That way, when she attended banquets, she wouldn't have to get dolled-up outside.
As the young mistress of the Sullivan family, her status had risen compared to before, so naturally, her lifestyle should get an upgrade as well.
"I'm Madam Sullivan's personal stylist. If you're interested, you will need to ask Madam Sullivan first," said Fanny.
Fanny was, of course, willing to become Emily's personal stylist if she had the chance.
Because that way, she would have more opportunities to be closer to Tom. And when that happened, the percentage of something happening would grow as well.
If something managed to spark during those times, she could even become Tom's second wife.
"Sure. I'll talk to her then," said Emily.
Since she was to become the woman's daughter-in-law, her request for a stylist would definitely be approved.
"Sister Emily, you're gorgeous," Fanny smiled as she sucked up to her.
"That's enough. How is this pretty? My skin's flaking." At the mention of this subject, Emily's expression fell dark again.
"Don't worry, flaws on the face could never be noticed from afar," Fanny added.
"But it will be when it's up close..."
"Don't worry. Even if it's flaky, you're still the prettiest girl in the entire world. That's enough to stun the crowd today." Fanny latched onto Emily's arm affectionately as she complimented again. After hearing her exaggeration, Emily suddenly felt a lot better. While she knew that it was just flattery, it still gave her comfort.
Just then, the sound of a helicopter resonated around them.
May immediately fixed her tied up hair and her crimson 3/4 sleeved silk dress.
"Hurry up. The helicopter's here to take us to the venue."
Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Meanwhile, at the Victoria five-star hotel, the entire place was covered with red banners bearing the word 'happiness'. Tiny red lanterns hung from the trees, and the place was high-spirited. All parking spots have been fully occupied by luxury cars and helicopters. It was like an exhibition for these vehicles.
Because the Sullivan family had reserved the entire hotel, the outside was surrounded by security, and they wouldn't let even a fly enter.
Inside the largest and most extravagant Sky Ballroom on the top floor, the wedding aisle was nicely decorated. The aisle was made of pieces of tempered glass with white roses framed inside the glass. There were countless white rose lamps about a meter tall and white cotton clouds on either side of the aisle.
Below the clouds were made beady light bulbs. When they lit up, the entire stage seemed like a large piece of romantic cloud.
Many massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, dazzling the whole place as if all the wonders in the world were gathered here.
There were a total of eight hundred tables on both sides of the aisle. As it was almost time, all guests had arrived.
Among them were the Sullivan family's relatives, friends, and business partners from both the political and business industries.
The Sullivan family's second son, Mary, Julian, and five of Emily's bridesmaids, Heather Hales, Lucy Ziegler, Quinn Xander, Susan Cooper, and Felicia Macey, all sat together, waiting for the ceremony to start. Everyone was dressed extravagantly, looking very dignified.
Because there were too many beauties seated at this table, they attracted the gazes of many men present. Hence, the girls were cautious with even a frown or smile.
"It'll be twelve soon. Will Emily make it in time?" Mary looked anxious.
"Yeah. She'll be here soon," Bailey replied calmly, looking confident.
Tony's expression was dark. He was extremely annoyed at Emily.
Julian was elegant. He never spoke a word the whole time.
As for Emily's bridesmaids, while they looked anxious on the outside, they all felt differently on the inside. In fact, they were even hoping that the wedding would get canceled. Emily becoming Tom Sullivan's legal wife was something they had all been envious of on the inside.
"Where's Xyla Quest? Why isn't she here yet as well? Isn't she bringing her husband along today? She can't have backed out because her husband was too ugly, could she?" Having said that, Mary quickly scanned her surroundings with mockery in her tone.
"Perhaps so. I've heard from Emily about him, and I think that Xyla's husband won't be any presentable at all," Felicia smirked.
"But of course. Otherwise, why would she keep their marriage a secret? Emily said that the man might even be a rogue, and I think that it's plausible."
Susan leisurely peeled a longan fruit as she spoke in a small voice, her tone filled with mockery.
"I really want to see just how ugly that person is. In fact, I think that Xyla might not even have the guts to show up today." Mary looked expectantly at the entrance, itching to watch a good show. "Mary, your makeup and hairdo today is really nice. Your peach and pink plaid tube dress make you look like a little princess." Heather started kissing up to Mary.
Mary bloomed into a smile upon hearing this. She looked down at her dress and said, "Thank you."
"It must be because of Mary that our table is getting the most attention of all the guys here." Lucy started echoing the flattery as well.
"That's true, that's true!" Quinn added.
Everyone was chuckling at receiving attention from the guys.
When Mary heard this, the smile on her face widened, and her eyes sparkled.
"It's already 11.50 am. I think Xyla's not coming." Mary took another glance at the door and said.
After that, she sent Xyla a text message. "What's wrong? Is your husband so unpleasant that you're chickening out?"
Chapter 116
Chapter 116
The message was just sent when the ballroom door was pushed open by two male waiters in suits.
Following suit, Xyla could be seen lifting her dress as she walked in elegantly.
Her curly ebony hair fell naturally on her shoulders. With just light makeup and pink lips, she was beautiful beyond comparison.
The light pink chiffon dress accentuated her dazzling fair skin. Her collarbone was painted with shimmery highlights and made this already attractive feature of hers even more sensual.
Paired with a tear-drop shaped diamond necklace that cost six digits, she seemed too dignified to be approached, too divine to be touched. As if one more look from an ordinary human was an insult to her.
She had done nothing, but her presence easily attracted the gazes of everyone in the room.
In an instant, everyone was blinded by her brilliance.
The men who had been staring at Mary's table were now all staring fixedly at Xyla, unblinking.
This scene made Mary and the others extremely frustrated on the inside!
Xyla calmly scanned her surroundings before continuing forward leisurely while holding onto her skirt. In between her swaying steps, her silver stiletto heels gleamed.
She walked directly over to Mary and sat down beside her.
In an instant, the light on everyone else seemed to fade away to become her background. Every man present still had their eyes fixed on Xyla.
Xyla politely smiled at everyone. "Hello everyone, sorry, I'm late."
"Hello, Xyla..." Tony said with a smile.
Bailey mimicked Tony and smiled at Xyla as well, greeting her with a 'hello'.
"I say, Xyla. Didn't you say you would bring your husband? Where is he? Why isn't he here? Be honest, he's actually ugly and a gangster that can't fit into society, that's why you don't have the guts to bring him here, isn't he?"
Mary interrogated as she looked coldly at Xyla.
"He has an emergency, so he'll be late," Xyla said calmly.
No matter how much Mary's attitude irritated her, she still had to maintain her elegance in public.
The group further believed in Mary's words after hearing Xyla's explanation.
"I think you're just stalling..." Quinn added.
"Yeah, that's right. After a while, are you going to say that he's just too busy that he can't pull himself away, so he won't be coming?" Felicia scoffed.
"Xyla, oh Xyla. Who knew that you would actually marry a social outcast, tsk tsk tsk... What's the use if you look like a goddess? You still end up being tainted by something so dirty."
Mary shook her head as she continued to insult Xyla with contempt in her eyes.
"Actually, there's no use trying to keep him hidden. Your ugly husband would have to meet his parents-in-law eventually." Quinn shot Xyla a sideways glance.
"Since ancient times, beauties have all had hard lives. What's the use if you're good-looking? It's more important for a woman to marry a good-looking man." Mary couldn't resist rolling her eyes at Xyla. The words of these girls were terribly piercing to Xyla's ears.
However, Xyla remained unfazed as she kept her head down, silently playing with her phone. She did not want to exchange insults with them at such a place.
When a dog bites you, you can't possibly bite it back, right?
Xyla's silence only made the people at the table surer of their assumptions.
Bailey faked a distressed expression and let out a long sigh. "Sigh, I had thought you would find someone better after separating from Tom. Who knew that you'd turn out like this instead? Oh Xyla, what a pity." Tony and Julian never interrupted. The father and son pair were like outsiders as they sat while drinking tea.
Xyla slowly shifted her gaze to Bailey.
Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Of course, Xyla could tell just how dirty the woman's thoughts were under that pretentious shell of hers.
She had been a full-fledged idiot back then to have donated her kidney to a person like this.
Just then, the famous host of Altantis TV, Nelson Cole, got onto the runway and gave an extravagant opening remark.
Immediately after, the wedding march song was played.
Nelson quickly took a few steps back, leaving the center stage empty.
Under everyone's gaze, Tom Sullivan walked out onto the stage from behind wearing a white tuxedo.
A second later, with Jeremy who was dressed in a suit at her arm, Emily went up to the stage.
In an instant, the other lights were turned off, leaving only the aisle illuminated like a gorgeous fantasy.
The LED screens placed on many different angles displayed every gaze and gesture of the newlyweds. While the lights were still dim, May lowered her head and quickly ran over to sit beside Xyla.
After shooting a glare at Xyla, she cheerfully shifted her gaze to look at Emily.
At that moment, Emily was the center of attention like she was the brightest pearl.
With this wedding gaining so much attention, Emily could feel herself floating as she walked.
The smile plastered on her face under the veil could not be missed.
Today, she, Emily Quest, was finally marrying the man of her dreams. Her identity and status had also shot up by a few levels.
She knew that many women present must be envious of her. After all, the man she was marrying was not only prestigious, he was also very handsome!
The man was a dream of countless young girls in Atlantis City.
And that Xyla Quest, she must be super envious right now too.
They were sisters, but Emily had married the man Xyla cared about the most. And what about Xyla? She had married a filthy rogue, so how could she not be jealous?
Even if she had a husband, an ugly thing like that could not possibly wash away Xyla's fondness for Tom. Even if Xyla would never admit it out loud, Emily knew her darkest thoughts.
This wedding must have been Xyla's dream since forever. As she watched this dream happening on her little sister, how could she not be anxious at all?
At the thought of how Xyla and so many others were being envious of her right now, Emily was over the moon.
She scanned the room, hoping to see Xyla's expression soon, and also hoping that she could see Xyla's ugly husband. However, the lighting in Xyla's area was too dark that Emily couldn't see too clearly. Soon, she and Jeremy reached Tom.
When Jeremy placed her hand in Tom's, the music suddenly stopped.
"Is Emily's face flaking? What's going on?"
"Yeah. Her skin looks terrible..."
"Has she always been this sloppy? Is she so lazy that she wouldn't even maintain her appearance before her wedding?"
The discussions from an unknown table below the stage flowed into Emily's ears. In an instant, the feeling that she was better than Xyla faded.
However, she pretended to have heard nothing and continued smiling.
After hearing the comments, Tom shifted his gaze to Emily's face and immediately frowned in disdain.
It was a tiny reaction, but Emily had seen it clearly. She felt worse.
Chapter 118
Chapter 118
The hatred she had for Xyla had once again reached a breaking point.
However, she continued to feign indifference as she looked at the host enthusiastically.
Even if she was sliced open and bleeding, she had to maintain her composure.
Especially at an occasion like this where many people might be waiting for her to slip up, Emily Quest could never lose!
Next, the host said a few more nice words.
After that, the newlyweds exchanged rings.
The ceremony was complete.
It was time for the kiss.
A gorgeous silver rain fell on the wide aisle. It was stunningly captivating and beautifully romantic.
Everyone focused their gaze on this.
Tom only kissed Emily out of courtesy. When Emily was about to lean further in, he had let her go.
Emily, who was not done with the kiss, felt unsatisfied.
When she was being detained, god knew how bad she had to suppress herself. She always had an addiction to something like this, and she needed it every day.
Now that she was trying to obtain a little comfort from Tom, the man did not cooperate!
Ever since Xyla returned, Tom was no longer willing to touch her.
Sometimes, he would even treat her like she was some kind of disastrous monster that she could only resort to keep meeting other people.
"Alright. Family members down there can start coming on stage for a group photo with the lovely couple. After the photo session, there will be a lot of celebrities coming onstage to bring you exciting performances," the host added.
After that, the lights were switched on again.
Following suit, Jeremy, May, Tony, and Bailey led their younger generation at the table onstage.
The aunts and uncles from both sides of the family too, go on stage.
When Xyla went on, she once again attracted the attention of all the men. Those who had been looking at Emily were now fully focused on Xyla.
It was the same for Tom. His gaze never left Xyla. He had even shifted to the side, waiting for Xyla to come to him.
She looked at the gazes of Tom and all the men, then at Xyla who was dazzling brightly, Emily suddenly felt that the limelight on her being was dimmed tremendously.
The girl looked to be full of vigor and her skin was smooth and silky. Compared to Xyla, not only was her face terrible, the skin on her body was also subpar.
Xyla had done it on purpose. She had deliberately bribed the people in the detention center to torture Emily so that she could steal away all her glory during her wedding! All because she was jealous!!! Xyla might even be the one behind that last-minute change in their prison release timing!
She was trying to prevent Emily from becoming happy!
At these thoughts, Emily's hands balled into fists. Her eyes quickly searched around for Xyla's husband, but no unfamiliar face was below the stage.
People had even stopped coming up on stage.
Emily immediately smirked cheekily. It looked like her guesses were on point.
You're dead meat, Xyla Quest!
Soon, Mary and Emily's bridesmaids hovered over to stand beside Emily and Tom.
They kept pushing and squeezing until Xyla ended up in the second row.
Xyla was never interested in this group photo. It was just for show, so she simply went and stood at the last row in the furthest corner.
Even still, she was shining brightly.
As long as she was there, everyone else became a background character.
"Xyla Quest is even prettier than the exquisitely dolled-up bride. Her supple skin might even ooze water if we press it! Is that the skin of a human?"
"That face and that body are amazing too! She's clearly standing in the furthest corner but she can easily catch my attention."
"More importantly, she didn't even put on a lot of makeup. Tom must be deeply regretting it by now, isn't he?"
Chapter 119
Chapter 119
The guests below the stage started discussing in hushed tones.
There were quite a lot of people commenting, so those on stage could hear them clearly.
With Emily in the lead, the group of girls got even more annoyed as their jealousy reached a breaking point.
Tom felt uncomfortable, as well. Regret? How could he not be? That sentence had blatantly exposed his innermost thought.
However, Xyla was apathetic the whole time, like she was never involved in any of this.
She had gotten used to getting praise from the public.
After the group photo, everyone started getting off the stage.
Xyla carefully lifted her dress and lowered her head to follow everyone down the stage.
Emily immediately lifted her dress, planning to chase after her.
Upon seeing this, Tom immediately grabbed her wrist, pulled her into the changing room, and slammed the door shut.
He simply pressed her against the door.
"What are you doing?" Emily looked irritated.
"There are many eyes watching today. Don't embarrass me! Otherwise, I won't let you off! Hurry up and change into your gown! Go outside and give toasts!" Tom answered chillingly, no longer displaying elegance as he did before.
There was no warmth in his eyes.
After that, Tom simply left without looking back.
His cold attitude was like a sharp knife stabbing Emily deeply.
To her disappointment, tears began to fall.
Just then, the sounds of footsteps could be heard.
Emily quickly steadied her emotions and sat down at the dressing table.
Soon, Fanny appeared with the styling team and started modifying her hair and makeup.
Tom strode back into the hall.
He was just about to make his way to Xyla when a group of people surrounded him, wanting to have a drink with him.
Even with several people surrounding him, his gaze remained fixed onto Xyla.
However, Xyla never spared him a glance at all. She kept her head down as she concentrated on playing with her phone. Tom Sullivan was no longer the apple of her eye, nor was he the center of her attention.
Tony and Bailey were politely chatting with May, showing concern about her life inside the detention center. Jeremy had been quiet the whole time, looking indifferent.
Ten minutes later, Emily came out in a long red puffy silk dress.
Her hairstyle had been changed into large feminine curls that were swept to her left shoulder. Her thick makeup looked glamorous.
Fanny followed behind her carefully as she carried Emily's skirt.
Seeing Tom chatting in the middle of a group of people, she immediately squirmed through to reach him and latched onto his arm.
"Honey, let's go and give a toast at our parents' table."
Tom nodded indifferently. After greeting the people around him, he led Emily to the table where both their parents sat.
Emily led Tom over to stand directly next to Xyla.
She purposefully held on tight to Tom's arm and looked at the group. "Let's all drink a toast, wishing that all of us here will always be healthy and successful. And also to wish that my love with my husband will last forever."
At the words 'my husband', Emily deliberately upped her volume by a notch, looking directly at Xyla.
She wanted to see Xyla envious.
Xyla naturally knew her dirty thoughts but kept on a faint smile without looking at Emily.
Tom had been staring hard at Xyla the whole time, like a leopard studying his prey.
"Cough cough..." Tony was the first to notice Tom's gaze, so he coughed gently to remind him. Only then did Tom reluctantly withdraw his gaze.
Chapter 120
Chapter 120
After that, the group stood up together to toast with the newlyweds. Emily had first held her glass to Jeremy.
Yet, before her glass had touched his, Jeremy immediately retrieved his glass and finished his wine with a dark expression.
After that, everyone else lifted their heads and finished their wine.
Emily was not surprised by her father's reaction. It was already good enough that he was willing to cooperate and attend today's wedding to maintain the Quest family and Sullivan family image. Hence, she did not expect him to be friendly toward her at all.
She knew full well that she and her mother still had a huge battle to fight after this.
Emily put her glass down but showed no intention of leaving immediately. She turned to Xyla and asked, "Sister, where is my brother-in-law? Didn't you say he would attend my wedding with you?" "Xyla, I wanted to ask you as well. Why isn't your husband here?" Jeremy asked. Although he seemed unbothered, he was actually annoyed that the man did not show.
He felt that the man was inappropriate! That he did not show any manners!
"As my brother-in-law, isn't it inappropriate for him to not attend my wedding? Isn't he a little rude? Are you afraid that he would embarrass you? That's why you didn't bring him along?"
Emily's words were harsh. She never intended to leave Xyla with any respect. She now further affirmed her assumptions that Xyla's husband was ugly and had no status; otherwise, Xyla would have brought him along.
"I think it must be the latter, isn't it? Sister Xyla is afraid of being embarrassed so... she simply didn't bring him along, right?" Mary laughed as she spoke with an ignorant look on her face. Even with the elders of both families here, Mary did not look at all concerned.
Just then, Emily's aunt and uncle both came over hand in hand.
Before Xyla could speak, Emily's aunt placed her hand on the backrest of the chair and said, “Xyla, I'm not trying to lecture you, but this ugly son-in-law has to meet his parents-in-law eventually."
"A wife must follow after her husband. Now that you've married him, you can't complain... not even if his status is insignificant," the aunt said sincerely with an expression as if she was the morally correct one. She had even deliberately raised her voice, hoping that others would hear her.
With her loud voice, she immediately attracted the attention of more than ten tables nearby. Everyone started whispering into each others' ears as they discussed how possibly ugly Xyla's husband was. As May had previously committed a crime, she kept a low profile now, only watching quietly as her little brother and sister-in-law vent her grievances on her behalf.
This was something she and Emily had deliberately arranged after seeing that Xyla's husband was absent.
Her sister-in-law was not only loud, but she was also brave. Using her as a tool to air out Xyla's dirty laundry to make the girl lose her reputation in the upper-class society was most suitable. As Xyla listened to the whispers around her, and Emily and her aunt's insults, she felt even more uncomfortable. She was smiling on the outside but fuming on the inside.
"My husband ran into some last-minute emergency and will be here soon. You'll be able to meet him then," said Xyla softly before she lowered her head and elegantly ate the white swan cake in front of her. "Didn't you say earlier that your husband will be here in an hour? What happened then? It's already past an hour and fifteen minutes, so where is he? I don't think your words are reliable at all..." Mary added. Tom immediately shot Mary a glare.
However, Mary ignored him completely and made a face at him.
"That's enough, don't go overboard... Stop this now," Jeremy said coldly.
"How is this going overboard? I think we're all right. Uncle Quest, aren't you angry? The man Xyla found isn't presentable at all," Mary continued.
By then, rumors had started spreading around the ballroom.