Chapter 2 The Bouquet Meant for Another Bride

The bouquet in my hands had been custom-made in Gallia by a master floral designer Evelyne personally hired.

It was worth a fortune. Several hollowed gold roses were woven among the flowers, and under the sunlight, the intricate craftsmanship and extravagant arrangement shimmered brilliantly.

When Phoebe first heard people mention the mistaken quotation, a flicker of guilt crossed her face. But the moment she noticed the bouquet in my hands, that guilt disappeared completely.

She sneered. "Cassian, I'm never going to marry you. If you hand me that bouquet, I'll count it as you attending our wedding. Besides, you loved me so much. You wouldn't want to embarrass me today, would you?"

I stared at Phoebe blankly, unable to understand how the woman who used to go out of her way to help others had turned into this.

I let out a quiet sigh and was just about to speak when Annie suddenly rushed out from behind me and shoved Julian hard. "You're a bad guy! Why are you trying to steal my sister's bouquet? She went all the way to Gallia to have it specially made by a master designer!"

Annie was too small to do much.

Julian only stumbled slightly before regaining his footing. He looked at her with open disgust.

"Who's this filthy brat? How dare you dirty my tailor-made suit? This thing costs tens of thousands."

Annie was Evelyne's younger sister. To her, that amount of money was barely a day's pocket money, so she tilted her head innocently and asked me, "Cassian, why is he so worried about getting a cheap suit dirty?"

Julian exploded with rage at once. His finger nearly jabbed into Annie's eye as he pointed at her.

I immediately pulled the little girl behind me protectively and said coldly, "Phoebe, I'm not here to crash your wedding."

Phoebe lowered her gaze slightly, the corners of her lips curling into a mocking smile. "Still pretending, Cassian? If you're not here to steal the wedding, why are you standing here in a suit? Don't tell me you're also getting married at The Bellamy Court today?"

I nodded.

The crowd instantly burst into laughter.

"What a joke. People like him really don't know their place. If he actually understood what kind of status The Bellamy Court has, he wouldn't dare try to piggyback off it like this."

"If Julian weren't the Stratford heir, people like us probably can't even step foot in a place like this."

"Exactly. Good thing Julian went to beg Ms. Grey for help. And Cassian actually thought he could secure the contract by selling himself."

Many of the people mocking me were former coworkers I had helped countless times before. But now, they twisted the truth without hesitation, dumping every bit of filth they could onto me.

Phoebe watched me with a half-smile, clearly enjoying the humiliation. Only after the ridicule finally started dying down did she speak again.

"You came from nothing, Cassian. After what happened with all those men and women, your body's already been used up. Other than me, who else would even want you?

"Drop the act already. Hand the bouquet to Julian, and I'll allow you to attend our reception."

As she spoke, she snatched the bouquet from my hands.

Annie had been pampered and adored her entire life. She'd never suffered this kind of treatment before.

Without even thinking, she pulled the unfinished juice bottle from her backpack and splashed the remaining juice all over Phoebe to protect me.

Phoebe was caught completely off guard. Her wedding dress was soaked instantly, and her expression darkened terrifyingly.

But Annie still hadn't realized the danger closing in around her and clapped excitedly. "I beat the bad guy! I beat the bad guy!"

"You spoiled brat," Phoebe said grimly. "You need to be taught a lesson."

She waved her hand, and several tall men immediately surrounded us. In just a few seconds, they grabbed Annie and lifted her off the ground.

I tried to stop them, but Phoebe slapped me hard enough to knock me to the ground.

Seeing Annie about to be dragged away, I shouted desperately, no longer caring about anything else. "She's Evelyne Grey's sister!"