Chapter 5

Emmett carried himself with impeccable posture, his every movement exuding the confidence of an elite professional.

After I nodded in agreement, he escorted me out. He opened the car door for me and helped me fasten my seatbelt. Throughout the entire drive, he went out of his way to find common topics to chat about so that I would not feel awkward or bored.

My initially tense mood relaxed instantly.

"Thank you," I thanked him softly.

Emmett shook his head with a faint smile. "These are just basic courtesies. There's nothing to thank me for."

I smiled bitterly. These most basic things were what Grayson had never done for me.

The car drove smoothly, and we soon arrived at the bridal boutique. Emmett accompanied me as I tried on wedding dresses, never showing a hint of impatience.

I stood in a pristine white gown, my hair swept up elegantly. Under the lights, my flawless features took on an air of proud, distant beauty.

Emmett froze in place, staring at me with a dazed expression. There was something in his eyes I could not quite decipher.

The rest of our time together was just as pleasant.

During this period, Grayson and Maeve did not come to bother me—not until their wedding day drew near.

My assistant, Sloane Jones, placed a proposal in front of me.

"Ms. Finley, the wedding has been finalized. We're using only the best of everything, and we've hired well-known media outlets and influencers to livestream the entire event. Rest assured, the whole country will be able to watch their wedding."

I nodded in satisfaction.

Beyond making this a spectacle, the most crucial point was that I had only agreed to help plan the wedding. I never said I would pay for it.

I casually delegated the wedding arrangements to Sloane. All expenses would come out of Grayson's pocket.

Looking at the 300-square-foot flower garden and the stunning wedding venue, I could not help but smile. The venue was beautiful, and it came with an extremely high price tag.

When Grayson and Maeve arrived at the venue the next day, they were stunned by the lavishness of it all.

Grayson pulled Maeve into his arms and reassured her smugly. "Babe, look how well Calla treats you. She really knows how to play the gracious hostess. Don't worry. I'll never let anyone mistreat you."

Maeve did not look pleased. Instead, she glared at me with venom in her eyes.

She did not lash out at that moment, though. She just played along and showered me with a few hollow compliments.

The wedding ceremony began and proceeded smoothly. That was until they began displaying the couple's happy photos on the big screen. Suddenly, a high-resolution bedroom photo appeared.

All the live streams were immediately shut down. The entire venue erupted in chaos.

Maeve, who had been so carefree on stage, suddenly burst into tears and shouted at me accusingly, "Calla Finley! I should've known you wouldn't be so kind as to plan my wedding! You want to destroy my reputation! I get it now. You're still mad about the bracelet, so you decided to ruin me in revenge!"

I froze. I had not done this. I turned to Sloane, who shook her head, looking just as confused.

Before I could react, Grayson slapped me across the face and roared furiously, "Calla Finley! You're a woman too. How could you do something so vicious? Besides, the bracelet broke because you scared Maeve and made her fall. It had nothing to do with her. How dare you use that as an excuse to get revenge?"

The guests began whispering and pointing at me.

"Even if she did something wrong, this punishment is way too harsh."

"Destroying someone's reputation like this is truly evil."

Maeve sobbed even harder. "If you sent me, you could've just told me. I would've apologized and begged for your forgiveness. Why did you pretend to make peace and agree to plan our wedding, only to humiliate me like this?

"I can't live with this shame. I'll just die right now so I won't stand in the way of your love anymore!"

Maeve rushed toward the corner of a table, ready to bash her head against it. Grayson panicked and quickly grabbed her to calm her down.

When he was not looking, Maeve flashed me a triumphant smirk. Seeing that expression, I suddenly understood everything. No wonder I had not been able to defeat them in my past life. I was nowhere near as shameless or ruthless as they were.

I stood there, frozen.

Accusations echoed all around me. Those twisted faces seemed to tear apart the version of me that had always been obedient, sensible, virtuous, and gracious.

My nose began to sting, and my entire body trembled uncontrollably.

I forcibly suppressed the discomfort and spoke coldly, saying the kind of vicious words I never would have uttered before.

"You've been a mistress this whole time. You threw away your dignity ages ago. Who are you putting on this innocent act for now? Besides, I didn't post that photo. It's such a high-resolution close-up. I wasn't standing at your bedside watching you two go at it, so how could I have possibly taken it?"