The Drama

Asher's PoV

What the hell!

How could Regina be Trevor Maverick's sister?

This has to be a joke. Maybe Regina paid Trevor to pretend to be her brother just to shock and embarrass my family. After all, Trevor is an actor.

But where did Regina get the money to pay Trevor Maverick to act for her? There's no way a world-class actor like Trevor would be willing to pay so little, right? And Regina clearly doesn't have any money. I didn't give her anything in our divorce, and she's just a staff member at this luxury hotel.

Or... What if there was another payment arrangement for Trevor's acting?

The thought infuriated me. Regina was such a cheap woman. Did she think that, just because she was single, she could sell herself freely just to get back at me and my family?

What was her goal? Wouldn't she be the one to lose if her act got discovered? How stupid!

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Trevor," a woman behind Regina asked. She was carrying a recording device.  It seemed like a reporter. "Is this beautiful lady your sister, really?"

Trevor smiled at everyone who was curious, including me. When I looked at Leika and my family, it was clear they were also curious and confused.

"Yes. As the public knows, I also have a younger brother, Tristan Maverick, a heart surgeon and owner of several hospitals. Ms. Regina is our only sister," Trevor said.

"Why hasn't anyone heard about Ms. Regina, Mr. Trevor?" asked a man with glasses.

Trevor continued smiling. "Well, fellow reporters and journalists. The Maverick family representatives and I will soon be holding a press conference to introduce Regina to the public. Just wait for the news. Well, now, let us enjoy this wonderful party. After all, the host would surely be upset if the spotlight shifted to us."

After saying that, Trevor nodded to me and Leika.  "Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy, please allow my sister and I to enjoy the dishes before we leave."

I couldn't answer, too stunned by what I'd heard, I suppose, and so was Leika. I could only feel her nails digging into my arm.

A press conference, he said? Wasn't that a bit much?

I couldn't take my eyes off Regina. Oh my, how could she have changed so much?

Three days ago, during the wedding rehearsal, she looked worn and tired. Leika had been asking for this and that, nagging her, and I knew it was just a ploy to annoy Regina.

I just let Leika act like that, because I was still annoyed by Regina's arrogance when we divorced.

I didn't understand how she could get ahead of me and arrogantly claim that she was giving it to me as a gift.

What was even more annoying was that she didn't bother with the money, even though she already knew that for the past seven months I'd lied to her, saying I'd quit my job and asking her to cover all my family's living expenses.

I did all of this on purpose, with the help of my mother and two younger siblings. I made them ask Regina for whatever they wanted, only to finally feel like she couldn't take it anymore and ask for a divorce before our prenuptial agreement was up.

But Regina is a strong woman. She complied with all my and my family's requests, even though she sometimes complained. She's also good at managing finances, so everything always got done smoothly.

Regina's only weakness was that she hadn't been able to give me children. Finally, I decided to use that to divorce her so I could be with Leika, the woman I loved most.

However, I had to wait at least a week after our fifth wedding anniversary so I wouldn't have to give her anything. That damn prenuptial agreement prevented me from simply divorcing her without waiting for anything.

So, I was patient.

But who would have thought that in the end, I would be the one divorced, right on our fifth wedding anniversary. It hurt my pride.

When Leika said she wanted to hold her wedding at the most luxurious hotel in the country, I didn't hesitate to choose the hotel where Regina worked.

I knew she was a marketing staff member and was sometimes appointed to organize weddings, seminars, or exhibitions at this hotel.

I have to admit that Regina is a hard worker. She has quite a bit of savings, even though I never give her any money, as she often receives bonuses from the events she organizes.

I could see the frown on Regina's forehead when Leika and I arrived at this hotel to book our wedding, making me laugh with satisfaction inside.

Still, as the preparations began, I was annoyed by how professional Regina was in carrying out her duties. She even made suggestions for decorations and color choices, according to Leika's wishes.

There was no room for me to criticize or mocked her. It was so annoying!

Does she have no heart? How can she still smile and be friendly to her ex-husband who is getting remarried, especially since she already knows everything that happened between Leika and me, beyond my previous lies about finances?

"Are you satisfied with the party, Mr. Jeremy?"

That reprimand almost made me drop my glass of wine, which I hadn't finished drinking.

"You've been daydreaming all this time."

I turned and saw Regina smiling at me. Up close, she looked even more beautiful and... sexy.

I swallowed bitterly. It must have taken a lot for her to do such a complete self-care routine in such a short time. Not only was her skin flawless and glowing, but her hair was also beautifully styled.

I'm sure her dress was a custom-made designer dress, as it matched her bag and shoes. She even wore beautiful jewelry, studded with pink diamonds that sparkled in the light.

She wasted so much money to do this.

Renting all those clothes and jewelry definitely wasn't cheap.

"What are you doing, Regina?" I asked, not wanting to waste time confronting her. "Does it have to be this way to get back at me?"

Regina's eyebrows raised and she smiled sweetly. "Get back at you? Why would you think that?"

"Come on," I said, annoyed. "Even though you work, I know you don't have that much money. Plus, you don't live with me anymore. Where do you live now? In a cheap apartment? Why waste your meager funds just to satisfy your desire to get back at me? You're the one who wants a divorce, aren't you?"

"Mr. Jeremy, I don't understand what you're saying," Regina said calmly.  "Why should I repay you? Because you never supported me? Because you lied to me? Because you cheated on me? Or... Because your family is a parasite in my life? Oh, that doesn't matter at all now!"

I think I'm going to have high blood pressure after all this. Regina's loud remarks have caught the attention of several people around me, and now they're turning their heads curiously.

I looked around. Leika was nowhere to be seen. "Shut up, Regina! You'll be a laughingstock after all this is over. I'm saying this because I still care about you. Instead of wasting your meager money on paying Trevor, you'd be better off thinking about your future!"

"Ah, that's very kind of you," Regina said, her eyes wide.  "You even care about my future?"

"You shouldn't be sarcastic, Regina," said my mother, who had apparently been standing behind me and listening to our conversation.

"You should be grateful that my son still cares about you. You're barren, and not many men will be interested in you. You're also not young anymore, an orphan, and just a hotel employee who's never been promoted despite years of service. What else will you rely on for your future?"

Regina stared at my mother with sharp eyes. "Mrs. Magie Jeremy, even though I'm considered as bad as you said, the truth is, you've been enjoying my money, because your son, who pretended to be bankrupt, couldn't provide anything for you and his siblings."

"Gosh, you really are stubborn, Regina," I started to get angry at Regina's unreasonable behavior. "You're criticizing my mother?"

"Just stating the facts," Regina replied.

"So, what did you do to get Trevor to help you put on this cheap drama?" I didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. "Did you sell yourself to be his servant? His bed partner?"

Regina's eyebrows shot up. She looked shocked. "What drama?"

"You, being Trevor's only sister? Bullshit!" I said in a tone as sharp as she could hear.

"That's right," my mother replied with a sarcasm. "Even if it's a dream, you're dreaming too big. It's going to hurt when you wake up and see the reality."

I had just opened my mouth to continue when Leika suddenly came over and poured wine from her glass on Regina.

"Are you trying to seduce my husband?" Leika shouted angrily. "You shameless woman. You even asked a respected and famous man like Trevor Maverick to join in on the act to embarrass my husband and his respected family for attention? My God, how lowly of you!"

Regina calmly wiped her wine-stained face and dress, but I could see the fire in her eyes.

"Is this how you treat a guest, Mrs. Jeremy?" Regina hissed. "Be careful, this will be an embarrassing story for you. There are reporters and journalists here."

"What do you mean? Are you threatening me?" Leika snapped. She turned to me in annoyance. "Honey, why don't you just throw her out of here? She just came to ruin my mood. Our baby will be affected badly if I'm not in a good mood."

I rubbed Leika's back, feeling her tension. I knew she was easily provoked, but in her current state of pregnancy, it wasn't good for the baby.

I asked my mother to take Leika away, and I grabbed Regina's hand, gripped it tightly, and pulled her toward the door.

"Just go, Regina. Don't embarrass yourself any longer. I feel sorry for you, so you'd better end this pathetic drama now," I said angrily.

"I'll tell Trevor you ran away, so you don't have to pay him anything. I'll help you clean up this mess you made. Consider it a favor because we were together."

Regina tried to pull her hand out of my grip, but I tightened my grip until she finally stopped struggling, but she stopped walking, and I couldn't pull her any further.

I knew many eyes were staring at us in confusion. They must be wondering what was going on. But I didn't care. I'd explain everything later, after Regina left.

Then, my eyes caught sight of several hotel staff members who were hosting my wedding, staring at us, whispering to each other. I could see the anxiety in their eyes. I instantly knew this had something to do with Regina and her work.

Shouldn't she be working with them right now, managing and organizing this party?

"You should still be working right now, managing my party, right? But you're just messing around. If you get fired from this hotel for your absurd behavior, just come to my new office. I'll find you a position there. I heard there's a job opening for an office girl recently. Now get lost!" I snapped at her.

"Are you done talking nonsense?" Regina asked in a cold, flat tone.

"What are you—"

SLAP!!!

I felt like there were lots of little birds chirping around my head.