Chapter 4

Rylan stepped forward and grabbed my hand, ordering forcefully, "Tessa, come back with me!"

"I'm not going back." I raised my head to meet his gaze, showing no trace of fear in my eyes. "Rylan, I'm not the same Tessa I used to be. You're neither my biological brother nor someone who truly cares about me. Why do you think you can control my life?"

"How dare you!" Rylan's emotions were completely out of control.

Aydan immediately stepped in front of me, his eyes cold and sharp as he looked at Rylan. "Rylan, don't go too far. If you dare lay a finger on Tessa, I will make Lloyd Group pay the price."

The atmosphere between the two instantly became tense.

I couldn't understand why Rylan was so angry. "Rylan, I don't get why you're so upset. Even when you made me suffer for Madeline, I never stopped you from pursuing your happiness. But now, I'm just with my fiancé, so why are you so furious?"

"It's different! Because you love me!" Rylan's words blurted out, but he was suddenly interrupted by Aydan.

"That's enough." Aydan interrupted Rylan's unfinished words, grabbing his wrist forcefully, making Rylan loosen his grip.

The two were about the same height, and their eyes met in the air, filled with hostility.

"Don't go too far." Aydan's gaze was as sharp as a knife.

Rylan's face went dark, and he shook off Aydan's hand, his chest heaving violently. "Aydan, this is between her and me. It's none of your business!"

"She's with me, which makes it my business."

Madeline stood nearby, looking pale and uneasy as she watched the scene unfold, wanting to step forward but too afraid to do so. She could only whisper, "Rylan, Tessa, let's talk it over calmly. Don't make a scene here."

Rylan's actions paused, his gaze dark and complex as he stared at Aydan, then at me, with an expression I couldn't decipher.

Madeline quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm, "Rylan, let's go, let's not stay here..."

Rylan glared at me fiercely, then looked at Aydan, and was finally dragged away by Madeline, who was half-persuading him.

Before leaving, he threw out one last comment, "Tessa, you'll regret this!"

As the crowd gradually dispersed, the tension in the air finally eased.

I looked at Aydan's tense profile and couldn't help but tug at his sleeve, "What did he mean?"

Aydan turned around, the coldness in his eyes faded, and his tone was calm, "It's nothing, he's probably just angry and talking nonsense."

"But..." I wanted to ask more, feeling that Rylan's words held some hidden meaning.

"Don't think about it." Aydan interrupted my thoughts, "There's an important dinner party tonight. I need you to come with me."

At that moment, the questions I wanted to ask were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them back. Perhaps Rylan was just saying things irrationally because he was so angry.

After all, he had been selfish and domineering, and he probably couldn't stand the fact that I, who used to be completely obedient to him, no longer paid attention to him.

I nodded with a smile, "Sure, I'll go with you."

When I got home and dressed up, I was only greeted by the driver he sent.

The driver told me that Aydan received an urgent project and would be late. He asked the driver to take me there first.

The car smoothly entered the parking lot of the banquet venue. I walked into the banquet hall alone.

As soon as I entered, I felt a burning gaze on my back.

Turning around, I saw Rylan standing not far away, with Madeline by his side.

His gaze bore into me with a smoldering anger.

I ignored him, turned away, and picked up a glass of juice.

Ahead, someone exclaimed, "Someone threw several luxury watches into the swimming pool!"

I didn't want to join the commotion.

Just as I was about to turn around, Madeline suddenly appeared from nowhere and grabbed my wrist, pulling me sharply toward the pool.

"Tessa, I slipped!" She screamed, her body falling into the water, dragging me with her.

The cold pool water swallowed us both immediately.

I choked on a mouthful of water.

In the chaos, I struggled to free myself from her grip, using all my strength to swim to the edge.

Just as I grabbed the side of the pool, I saw Rylan jumping into the water without hesitation, swimming towards Madeline.

I didn't look back, gritted my teeth, and climbed onto the shore.

I barely took a few steps when Rylan's angry shout came from behind, "Tessa! Did you push Madeline into the water on purpose? Apologize to her!"

I stood soaking wet, shivering from the cold, waiting for the attendant's shawl.

"Apologize?" I snorted, brushing water off my face with irritation, "She pulled me down. If anyone should apologize, it's her!"

Madeline had just been pulled out of the pool by Rylan, lying soaked in his arms.

Hearing my words, she immediately burst into tears, pointing at me with a heart-wrenching cry, "Tessa pushed me into the pool on purpose. I was just talking to her, trying to clear up any misunderstandings, but she pushed me into the pool."

I couldn't stand her hypocritical act any longer, so amidst the surprised gasps of the crowd, I kicked Madeline back into the swimming pool. "What I care about is whether you, such a bitch, can stay away from me!"

Madeline shrieked and thrashed about in the water, while Rylan's face turned dark with anger.

At this moment, he couldn't care about anything else, turning around and jumping into the pool again to frantically rescue Madeline.

Once they both climbed out of the pool, drenched, Rylan immediately sent Madeline to a guest room to change clothes.

I, too, wrapped myself in a shawl, watching this spectacle coldly.

Moments later, Rylan returned quickly, his eyes bloodshot, staring at me. "You didn't lose your memory, did you? You're jealous because I like Madeline, jealous of the attention she gets from me, so you keep targeting her. When you used to chase after me, you used such clumsy tactics to attract my attention. It's disgusting!"

His words were malicious, but I sneered.

Just then, Aydan cut through the crowd and rushed over.

Clearly having just received the news, he hurriedly came over.

As soon as he saw me, his face darkened, and he quickly walked to my side. "Tessa, are you alright?"

I didn't respond, turning to look at him.

In Aydan's surprised gaze, I gently pushed him aside a bit, then reached up to grab his collar, reaching up to kiss him.

The moment we kissed, everything around us fell silent.

I released him and pulled out the marriage certificate from Aydan's pocket, holding it up high for Rylan to see.

"Rylan, see? Aydan and I are married. Now I love him, only him. You and that bitch mean nothing to me."

Seeing the marriage certificate, Rylan became angrier.

He stared at the certificate intensely, "What did you say? You're married?"