Revenge Of The Jilted Bride

Jilted Bride 17

Chapter 17

Til handle the PR and get that video taken down immediately. As for you, you're grounded for the entire summer George snatched the phone from Hannah's trembling hands, his voice brimming with fury as he pointed at her accusingly. Hannah cowered under his rage, her face already bruised and swollen, with a nasty bump forming on her head from the earlier altercation. She looked utterly defeated, no longer the pampered socialite she always imagined herself to be "And once I get in touch with the woman involved, you will go and apologize. Got it?" George bellowed,

"Why should I?" Hannah shot back, her voice wavering but defiant. "I'm not apologizing to that bitch. She was the one who bullied Emily."

George raised his hand again as if to strike, but then stopped, something in her tone catching his attention. He realized she seemed to know the person behind the video. "I'm giving you one more chance, Hannah. Tell me exactly what happened today." Reluctantly, Hannah spilled the details, though her account was less than flattering.

George quickly pieced it together. The video had been posted by Heather and Owen's "adopted daughter. The relationship between the Hall and Hastings families had never been particularly warm, but they had managed to maintain a superficial politeness over the years. He even remembered seeing Ophelia from a distance at her reunion party-the Hastings family had certainly put on a grand show, though George hadn't been impressed by the girl.

Now, with the source of the trouble clearer, George's anger subsided just enough for him to plot his next move.

That very evening, he packed up a few extravagant gifts, and, with his wife Lydia Hall and a still-fuming Hannah in tow, they made their way to Hastings Villa.

When they arrived, Owen was conveniently away on a business trip, leaving Heather to deal with the matter on her own. George launched into his story, presenting it with an air of calm detachment, glossing over the nastier details while pushing the gifts toward Heather. "Heather, your adopted daughter certainly has quite the spirit. I can't say I don't admire her tenacity. "But as you can imagine, this little incident has caused our family a great deal of trouble. I'm here to offer my apologies on behalf of Hannah. Could you maybe have her accept the apology and clear things up? A small statement would make all the difference, don't you think?"

As George spoke, his polite smile barely concealed the venom bubbling beneath. In his mind, he was already cursing Ophelia's audacity, thinking, Who does this girl think she is, causing such a mess? If it weren't for the Hastings family backing her, she wouldn't dare!

Heather, caught off guard, tried to smooth things over and told the truth. "George, Lydia, there's something you may not know. That girl-Ophelia-she's been a nightmare since we brought her into the family. We've actually cut ties with her. She's no longer part of our family," she sighed.

But George wasn't buying it. His smile turned cold as he rose to his feet, brushing off his pants before giving his knee a loud slap. I see how it is, Heather. You're not willing to forgive us and help us out. Well then, I guess I've wasted my time.

"But don't worry about the gifts. Take them. No need to be shy, After all, your family is lucky to have raised such an outstanding young woman."

Hall family's face. He was even convinced that the Hastings family was behind the

plaster on a smile and offer weak reassurances, though George had already made up his mind. Once the Halls had left, she returned inside with her

thinking that nothing had gone right for her since Ophelia had come back into her life. Now, she felt like she had been humiliated

5:44 PM c c

Chapter 17

number, it went

few days, the scandal only grew online. Despite George's frantic attempts to repair the situation-issuing apology statements, trying to prove the company's innocence-the Hall family's reputation took a sharp nosedive. Their business faltered,

to take responsibility; he blamed every bit of

deepened her resentment toward Ophelia. In her mind, Ophelia was the root of all

resist the opportunity to flaunt his status. The guest list was packed with business. associates,

the Hastings family, Emily wasn't one to hold back on luxury. She had prepared not

itself was a vision-lavish, romantic, with fresh pink roses cascading up the

on her first look of the evening-a breathtaking evening gown from La Reverie. Adorned with a cascading train of pearls and delicate fringe that flirted with the floor, the gown hugged her waist perfectly. Daring slits revealed her beautiful,

one knew that the gown was actually a rental-a secret that suited Emily just fine. It let her bask in the admiration without any awkward questions. Suddenly, someone in the group remarked, "Hey,

Willow chimed in, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized

that sold for seven million dollars? I remember hearing that Kenneth Sinclair,

lot of them were thinking. 'Is Kenneth pursuing Emily? And gifting her such an extravagant gown worth seven

was rumored to be disabled, the mere thought of his interest in Emily left people

in the effect she was having on everyone. This was precisely

with Miles, but

to the allure, and now, hearing them speculate about Kenneth and the extravagant gown, she let herself slip into the fantasy that Kenneth had indeed gifted it to her. Even after all this time, the

was the only one

Emily's thoughts wandered. He must not have noticed me that day, she