Chapter 2

Beatrice was practically grinding her teeth after she'd finished speaking.

Everyone felt the tension between us and tried to pull her aside, but it was all half-hearted. Deep down, more than anything, they wanted to see how this whole situation played out.

By then, we were only 15 minutes away from the official start of my wedding. People crowded around us, whispering and murmuring, "It's her wedding today. Can't they do this afterward?"

Beatrice held her head high. "I'll say it again. If any of you cut ties with Lucy right now, I'll reward each of you with 5,000 dollars!"

No sooner had she said it than Rupert came running over, panting, carrying a big black duffel bag. She ordered, "Put it on the ground!"

With a grunt, he set the bag down and carefully unzipped it. "Honey, 200 thousand dollars—our entire savings—are all here."

Everyone, including Shirley, froze at the sight of the pile of teal bills.

Shirley gasped, her voice tinged with newfound awe and flattery. "Hey, Beatrice. Are you serious about what you just said?"

Beatrice snorted. "Of course. I never lied. Besides, I'm richer than you all think."

Before that bag of money appeared, her words would've sounded nothing more than crazed rambling. Now, with the cash in plain view, everyone had to take her seriously.

Shirley, always quick to read the situation, tilted her head and looked at me. "Lucy, I wish you a happy wedding—I really do—but could you return my gift?"

Before I could answer her, Beatrice had already compiled 5,000 dollars in cash and shoved it into Shirley's hands. "Limited time offer, everyone! First-come, first-served!"

Seeing that Beatrice meant business, everyone rushed forward to reclaim their gifts, including a few of my relatives.

"Lucy, I know this will make you uncomfortable, but who could resist the temptation of money?" Aunt Sylvia said, shaking her head. "It's 5,000 dollars! That's way more than what I earn from housekeeping in a month!"

She spun around, practically screeching, "Over here! I'm cutting ties with my niece right now! Can you give me a little extra?"

The few remaining guests in the hall had gathered around Beatrice. And within minutes, the bag that had seemed so stuffed before was now emptied out.

Everyone quietly counted their money, while Beatrice tiptoed toward me. I frowned in confusion as she called the venue manager over.

Pointing at the beautifully decorated hall, she asked, "How much would it cost to rent out this entire hall right now?"

The manager glanced at me nervously, then turned back to her. "I'm afraid that's not possible, miss. This hall has already been—"

She cut him off. "I'll double what she's paying!"

He froze briefly, then tried again. "Well, our policy states that—"

"Triple!"

His hesitation was showing, and he was visibly flustered.

Beatrice said, "You know what? I'll pay four—screw it—five times the price! I want to rent this hall right now!"

By then, the manager could barely stand firm. He didn't even ask for my go-ahead and just nodded in agreement. "Alright, fine! I'll start changing the hall setup immediately."

The whole time, he acted as if I didn't even exist.

"It's okay. The decorations can stay," Beatrice said, smirking at me with a provocative raise of her brow. "Just discard that wedding photo in the center of the stage. The rest can stay."

At last, the manager pulled me aside. "Mrs. Clark, I'm sure you saw what happened. Our hall primarily exists to generate revenue. So… We'll cover any breach-of-contract penalties. You don't have to worry about a thing!"