Chapter 4 The Video

The start of the engagement ceremony had been delayed by an hour. It was nearly time for it to begin.

Verena just made out that William was frantically searching for Darren, who was standing right behind her.

"I'll head out first. You find your own way out when you can," Verena instructed.

With those words, she left, leaving Darren by himself.

Gazing at the now closed door, Darren recalled the harm the Briggs and the Fowler families had inflicted on him and his mother. A fleeting look of malice crossed his face.

He mocked, "Both Eric and Verena are against this engagement, but I'm determined to see it through."

Hiding his brewing resentment, Darren walked out with his usual stoic expression intact.

William, not daring to question Darren's whereabouts, merely showered him with flattering comments, which Darren ignored.

By the time Darren arrived at the front hall, the ceremony had already begun.

On stage, the fiance and fiancee seemed to be filled with mutual resentment.

Eric appeared particularly annoyed.

Verena, meanwhile, kept her head down, as if awaiting something.

Something seemed off to Darren. Knowing Verena didn't want to marry Eric, he wondered why she wasn't stopping the engagement.

Despite their brief acquaintance, Darren was convinced she wasn't one to surrender without a fight.

He suspected she had been scheming for a while, possibly even using their intimate encounter as part of her strategy.

Feeling suspicious, Darren played with the beads on his bracelet and fixed a sharp gaze on Verena.

Feeling his stare, Verena looked towards Darren and subtly smirked.

Just as Eric and Verena were about to exchange their vows, the giant screen behind them suddenly came to life.

"Eric... Please be gentle..."

A flirtatious voice echoed through the room as Eric and Shirley appeared together on the screen. The footage captured them intimately in bed.

Shirley occasionally peered towards the camera, whereas Eric, seemingly unaware that he was being filmed, carried on with enthusiasm, saying some inappropriate flirtatious words.

The footage was brief yet revealing.

The guests were stunned. "Eric already has a mistress. Verena must be devastated."

"Who is that woman in the footage? She had to be aware that Eric was about to get engaged, right?"

"And did anyone else notice? Eric seemed a bit lacking, if you know what I mean!"

The crowd started whispering among themselves.

Stunned, Eric yelled, "Stop! Stop watching! Who did this?"

William, also in shock, instinctively glanced at Darren.

Darren responded coldly, "Don't you have any shame?"

Without hesitation, William stood up and ordered his men, "Shut off the video now!"

The video was swiftly turned off, but the atmosphere remained tense, and the faces of the Briggs and Fowler families were severe.

With tears in her eyes, Verena said to Eric, "Why would you do this to me?"

Eric retorted, "Why are you crying? It's irritating! I never wanted to marry someone like you. Shirley is the one I love. You can't compare to her at all."

"If you dislike me so much, why not end the engagement right here in front of everyone?" Verena challenged.

"Shut up!" In a fit of anger, William stormed the stage and slapped Eric. "It doesn't matter who you love. This engagement will proceed today as planned."

"Dad!" Anger and resentment filled Eric's face, and the situation spiraled into chaos.

As Eric was slapped, Shirley moved forward. "Mr. Briggs, please, don't be harsh on Eric. This is my fault. I love him too much."

William's anger grew fiercer. He lashed out and kicked Shirley, yelling, "Leave now!"

Shirley stumbled, fell to the floor, and lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Eric rushed to Shirley's side. "Shirley, can you hear me?"

He lifted her and rushed out of the hall, saying, "Someone get an ambulance!"

With Eric gone, the engagement ceremony plunged into even greater turmoil.

William was left to smooth things over, offering apologies to the guests and explanations to the Fowler family.

Verena, however, received no explanation as she stood alone on stage.

She retreated to the dressing room and began to remove her heavy gown. Suddenly, a cold voice broke the silence.

"You planned this. You wanted to ruin Eric's reputation."

Verena turned around. "Darren, what are you talking out?"

"You were the one who made the video, right?" Darren accused.

"No way. Did you even notice the camera angle? It clearly shows Shirley was filming."

It was Shirley who was behind the video, not Verena.

Shirley, desperate to marry into a wealthy family, had been ready to tarnish her own image to keep Eric from getting engaged to Verena.

Verena gave a hint to Shirley, who then played the video.

"Do you really think this will put an end to the engagement?" Darren questioned.

This was precisely the outcome Verena had been hoping for, yet she realized she might have miscalculated the situation's complexity.

Verena lifted her head with a gentle smile, her long eyelashes fluttering like delicate brushes, and her eyes enchanting like those of a fox.

Her stare was so intense that it made people overlook her otherwise plain appearance.

"You must have been aware that your nephew doesn't fancy me one bit. How about you assist me in breaking off this engagement?" Verena suggested.

"Why do you think I would help you?" Darren responded indifferently.

"I'll be in your debt. If you ever need anything, I won't turn you away."

Darren scoffed disdainfully. "And you think you matter? You better brace yourself for the marriage to my nephew."

"All I'm asking is for the engagement to be called off. If you're not willing to help, aren't you worried about people discovering what happened between us last night?" Verena bit her lip, her tone carrying a hint of threat.

"Do you really think they'd believe you? You're so ordinary. They won't think I'd ever be interested in you."

"Yes, I look ordinary. But you still ended up in bed with me."

"So last night was indeed your trick!" Darren exclaimed.

Verena's audacity knew no bounds. She had cunningly planned their encounter from the start.

Verena didn't deny it. "Does it really matter? Can you truly say you didn't enjoy our time together last night?"

Darren was left without words.