Chapter 7 My Fiancée

Before Sarah could even register what happened, Brenna had already moved. A sharp twist later, pain shot through Sarah's wrist so violently that she gasped.

"Ow! My wrist! It hurts!" Sarah cried out. The words barely left her mouth before her footing gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor, all grace and poise gone in an instant.

Silence swallowed the room. Wasn't Brenna supposed to be the plain, submissive girl everyone dismissed? Yet, the move she made had been clean and merciless.

From the sidelines, only Vincent seemed entertained. A faint curve touched his lips. When Brenna made her move, her amber eyes burned bright, like color breaking through a dull world.

"Well, that's new," he whispered to himself. Marriage had never interested him before. The idea of tying himself to someone easy to control had always bored him. But now he realized Brenna wasn't some harmless doll. She was hiding claws.

Sam stood frozen. Brenna had always hovered around them, eager to please and desperate for approval. The girl in front of him felt like a stranger.

"Sweetheart, get up," Sam said to Sarah quickly.

Rage flushed Sarah's face as disbelief took over. "Brenna actually hit me? Her own mother?"

Noreen was also dumbfounded. When the shock faded, her eyes turned red, and she stepped forward with trembling steps. "Brenna, I'm sure you didn't mean to do that. People always say you used to get into fights in that remote, backward place and that you dropped out of school, that you've always had a temper. Just apologize to Mom, alright?"

Brenna simply responded with a nonchalant smirk, "You mean a violent streak? That was nothing. If you're curious, I can give you a better demonstration."

The next second, her arm came up and struck Noreen without hesitation.

The slap landed with full force, and Noreen stumbled before crashing onto the floor. Redness bloomed across her cheek almost instantly.

Moments ago, the guests had been watching with interest. Now, not one of them dared to speak, worried they might be dragged into the mess.

Noreen had planned to embarrass Brenna in front of everyone. She never imagined she would be the one humiliated instead. Anger twisted her features, and she dropped the pleasant act she had been putting on. "Brenna, how could you lay a hand on me?" she screamed.

Calmly, Brenna pulled out a tissue and wiped her palm as if she had touched something dirty. "Can't I discipline a sister who's out of line?"

Her gaze swept across the silent onlookers. "You're all here to witness the engagement, so you should understand something. As the future lady of the Todd family, I speak for them. If I hear anyone spreading nonsense, I won't show mercy."

A chill ran through the room. After all, this was the Todd family's ground. If their future daughter-in-law, Brenna, were insulted here, would they really ignore it? The so-called timid and useless Brenna had just overturned every rumor about her.

"You..." Noreen's face burned red with fury.

Panic pushed Noreen to scan the entrance, and at last, she caught sight of Jeremy stepping inside. "Jeremy, you're finally here!" she cried, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.

As the oldest son, Jeremy had been trained in taekwondo since he was a child. The moment he saw Sarah and Noreen hurt, rage surged through him. "It's fine. I've got this," he said as he moved in front of them. He hadn't planned on attending his ugly sister's engagement party. Never did he expect the day to explode into chaos.

Without hesitation, Jeremy swung his fist toward Brenna. "I'm your brother. I have every right to teach you a lesson!"

Through blurred, teary eyes, Noreen watched with hope rising in her chest. A single punch from Jeremy could leave an average person bedridden for weeks.

But before the blow could land, a red-haired man stepped in and caught Jeremy's wrist midair.

"Tsk. Miss Fuller is Vincent's fiancée now. What makes you think you can start something here?" Felix said as he twisted Jeremy's arm. A sharp crack echoed.

Pain tore out of Jeremy's throat. "My wrist! It's broken!"

The damage was instant. His wrist bent at an unnatural angle.

Once again, the entire hall went quiet.

Even Sam held his breath. Everyone knew Vincent's reputation. Crossing him was never wise.

"I appreciate it," Brenna said, a hint of surprise in her voice. She could have dealt with it herself, yet Vincent had already sent his man to handle it.

"No need to thank me," Vincent said lightly, amusement flickering in his eyes. "You're more than capable on your own."

Depth filled his gaze, and the authority in it made people lower their heads without thinking. He then swept a cold look across the room. "If anyone else feels like stirring up trouble at this party, Brenna won't have to lift a finger. The Todd family will take care of it."

Hearing that, Brenna looked at him and found him unexpectedly reliable for backing her up in public. With a teasing tilt of her lips, she said, "It's fine. If my hands get dirty, I can just wash them. But if someone's heart is rotten, maybe it should be cut out instead."

A dangerous smile curved on Vincent's face. "True. Better to smash that rotten heart completely."

Jeremy held his injured wrist, and fear crept into his chest. Sweat slid down his back as disbelief filled his mind. Were these two out of their minds?

Gradually, Vincent's expression cooled. "My patience isn't endless. You've got sixty seconds to transfer the eight hundred thousand to my fiancée." His voice stayed even, yet a sharp edge hid beneath the calm. "If the money doesn't arrive in time, I'll come and settle the debt myself."

Brenna pursed her lips. The engagement party had already spiraled into chaos, and they had not even gone through the ceremony, yet Vincent called her his "fiancée" as if it had always been that way.

Color drained from Sarah's face. Damn it. This was bad. Once Vincent stepped in, it would not stop at eight hundred thousand. Rumor had it he once broke someone's legs over an unpaid debt.

"Mom, what are we supposed to do?" Noreen said as fear tightened in her chest and she turned to Sarah. Vincent had openly backed Brenna, and Jeremy was already hurt, which made panic slip into her voice. "I can't get my hands on eight hundred thousand... I really can't."

Sarah clenched her jaw so hard that it ached. She knew Sam too well. With how selfish and tightfisted he was, there was no way he would willingly hand over that kind of money.