Revenge Of The Jilted Bride (Ophelia)
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."

To George, Heather's words were nothing more than a poor excuse to protect Ophelia and a slap to the Hall family's face. He was even convinced that the Hastings family was behind the entire fiasco, using Hannah's misstep to drag his family down. In his mind, Heather was scheming, hiding behind her adopted daughter to make things difficult for them.

Heather could only 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 composure cracking. Her face twisted in frustration, and she stormed back into the house, furious with Ophelia.

In her mind, Heather had cursed Ophelia at least a hundred times over. Heather kept thinking that nothing had gone right for her since Ophelia had come back into her life. Now, she felt like she had been humiliated in front of the Halls, left to handle. this mess alone because of Ophelia.

5:44 PM c c

Chapter 17

Frustrated, Heather considered calling Owen to discuss the situation. But when she tried his number, it went straight to voicemail. He had turned off his phone, leaving her to fend for herself.

Over the next 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, and stock prices plummeted.

George, however, wasn't the type to take responsibility; he blamed every bit of it on the Hastings family.

As for Hannah, her punishment was severe. Not only was she banned from going out, but she was also forbidden from attending Emily's birthday party at Everland Hotel, a cruel blow that only deepened her resentment toward Ophelia. In her mind, Ophelia was the root of all her troubles, and Hannah vowed silently to make her pay for every bit of humiliation she'd endured The day of Emily's grand birthday party finally arrived. Owen had just returned from his business trip, ready to celebrate his daughter in style.

Originally, he had planned a garden party at their estate. When he heard that Miles had rented out an entire floor of Everland Hotel for the occasion, Owen couldn't resist the opportunity to flaunt his status. The guest list was packed with business. associates, partners, and the top celebrities from Sungate Entertainment, all there to make Emily's night unforgettable.

As the heiress to the Hastings family, Emily wasn't one to hold back on luxury. She had prepared not one, but three different gowns for the night.

The venue itself was a vision-lavish, romantic, with fresh pink roses cascading up the grand staircase.

In the makeup room, Emily sat surrounded by Sungate Entertainment's top styling team, who buzzed around her like bees. They were putting the finishing touches 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, slender legs, balancing elegance and allure with a touch of youthful innocence. "Wow, Emily, you look like an absolute dream, one of her friends gushed, eyes wide with envy and admiration.

Emily soaked up the attention, basking in the glow of her friends praise. Since Hannah was absent from the party, no 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, doesn't this gown look kind of familiar?

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Willow chimed in, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized the gown. "Isn't this the gown auctioned off at the Carnegie family charity gala?"

Someone suddenly asked, "Wait a minute, wasn't that the La Reverie gown that sold for seven million dollars? I remember hearing that Kenneth Sinclair, the head of the Sinclair family, bought it. Could it be...

Whispers spread like wildfire, and it didn't take long for everyone to jump to the same conclusion. Jealousy flickered behind the smile but so did amazement. A lot of them were thinking. 'Is Kenneth pursuing Emily? And gifting her such an extravagant gown worth seven million dollars? It was almost too unbelievable for them to fathom.

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

Meanwhile, Emily kept her composure, pretending not to hear the whispers but secretly reveling in the effect she was having on everyone. This was precisely what she had wanted.

Sure, people knew about her connection with Miles, but she had never openly discussed their relationship.

The mystery of it all only added 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 mere thought of the sharp. enigmatic Kenneth made her heart race.

She believed that she was the only one who knew his secret-Kenneth wasn't disabled.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Emily's thoughts wandered. He must not have noticed me that day, she told herself in

Chapter 17

her mind. "That's why he had me thrown into the fountain...It must be

Once Emily's makeup was done, Heather entered the room, her eyes softening as she looked at the daughter she had so carefully raised, her heart swelling with pride.

"My beautiful girl, you look absolutely stunning," she said, squeezing Emily's hand lovingly. "Seeing you like this, I can already imagine how gorgeous you'll look on your wedding day. I don't know how I'll ever be ready to let you go."

"Mom, it's just a birthday party, not a wedding, Emily laughed, though her marriage wasn't so distant in her mind.

"If anyone's going to marry me, she mused, 'it'll be the most powerful man in Heloria. I really wish Kenneth could show up tonight...

As night fell and the party began, the soft strains of music filled the air, adding to the enchanting atmosphere. Then, suddenly, the lights dimmed, and the music shifted to the soft melody of a piano playing "Happy Birthday". A spotlight flickered on, illuminating the top of the grand staircase.

There stood Emily, arm in arm with Heather, her gown flowing gracefully behind her as they descended the staircase lined with pink roses. Her entrance was pure magic, every step slow and deliberate, commanding attention.

Behind them, a large screen displayed a montage of home videos-snippets of Emily's childhood, showing her growing up year by year.

Owen stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched Emily walk down, beaming with pride as guests congratulated him, the joy radiating from his face.

Harry and Nathan watched their sister with protective adoration, their hearts full as they witnessed the little girl they'd known. blossom into the center of attention.