Lucas' eyes blazed with anger, his jaw clenched in restraint.
Concurrently, Madam Mel's face turned beet red. She couldn't believe Evie, who had always kept her head down, would dare raise her hand to slap Jessica.
Unable to accept the humiliation, she let out a wild snarl and lunged at Evie.
Just as she was about to land a hot slap on Evie's face, Evie swiftly caught her hand, and their eyes locked instantly.
Evie's gaze was so intense that her bloodshot eyes seemed to pierce through every ounce of Madam Mel's pride. Madam Mel's eyes widened as a cold shiver ran down her spine. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead while she struggled, in vain, to free herself from Evie's firm hold.
Evie's grip on Madam Mel's arm tightened, her fingers digging deep into the older woman's skin. Madam Mel's eyes went wide with pain and surprise. Then, in a sudden reversal, Evie's expression turned cold, and with a swift, precise motion, her hand flew across Madam Mel's face, landing a ruthless slap that rang through the hall.
Pah!
Madam Mel stumbled backward, her hand instinctively rising to her stinging cheek. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her face reddened with embarrassment.
Lucas blinked, his mind struggling to process what his eyes had just witnessed for the second time. The audacity of Evie's assault was staggering. His gaze slowly shifted between her and Madam Mel with a mix of shock and disbelief.
The guests at the wedding couldn't hide their surprise at the sudden change in Evie's attitude. They all thought she was naive, weak, pitiful, and completely broken by her fiancé's unexpected substitute, not knowing she actually possessed a complex personality due to past experiences that made her adapt.
Seeing Lucas' fist clenched as he stomped towards her, Evie rolled her eyes languidly, wondering if he was really thinking of fighting a woman like her.
What a distasteful jerk!
The eldest son of the Qin family was about to teach her a big lesson for daring to assault his unwedded wife and Madam Mel. Needless to say, Evie didn't seem to care as long as she was getting rid of this pain-in-the-ass young man completely from her life.
"I swear, I'll make you regret your entire existence and turn your whole life upside down, you insolent bitch!" Lucas snarled, standing in front of her. "How dare you lay your filthy hand on my wife and her mother?"
Evie at first almost burst out laughing.
When did Jessica officially become his wife? Wasn't she the dumbass who interrupted the priest's marriage oath, all because of the humiliation she wanted her to face, which eventually took an unexpected turn?
Evie stared at the man for whom she had futilely sacrificed her youth. After all her struggles for Lucas, all she got back in return was betrayal, heartbreak, and being tossed like garbage into the ocean. The man who had humiliated her so publicly had no idea he had just made an enemy of someone who had fought for his success and contributed a lot for him to become a top-rated A-list celebrity with high fame in the movie acting industry.
"Are you going to remain silent like a fool, Evie? You'd better apologize to them right now, or I will show you my other side!" Lucas' gaze shaded as he demanded authoritatively.
Tired of Lucas' frightening roar, Evie sneered. "Haven't you done that already, Mr. Qin?"
Lucas's brow knitted upon hearing her response.
She continued, "You ditched me for my stepsister without my knowledge at the last minute before our wedding and left me to embarrass myself here with you. I was face-slapped by you, and now you're threatening me to apologize for smacking my hooker stepsister and her witch mother, who deserves far more than just a smack!"
"You—" Lucas's brows are knitted even further. His seething resentment had finally reached its peak, and he could not take it any longer.
"I hate you!" He spat.
Less concerned, Evie replied, "Hate is a really strong word, Mr. Qin. Are you sure you don't just mean you're intimidated? Or is there another word in that tiny brain of yours that describes your obsession with me more accurately?" Her mockingly sarcastic tone made Lucas almost explode.
Is this bitch laughing at me? He stared at Evie, whose expression appeared to be nonchalantly blank.
Annoyed, he yelled, "You'd better keep your insulting mouth shut, or I will rough-handle you so badly that you'll regret ever offending me at the wrong time."
Jessica was so pleased by the way Lucas threatened Evie. She whispered something into her mother's ear, and they both laughed silently, waiting for Evie to be taught a very big lesson.
Evie, however, noticed this silent communication but didn't understand what they had in mind. Knowing this was nothing good, she was about to hurl insults when Jessica dramatically fell to the ground, putting on an act that seemed rather embarrassing.
Tears flowed from her eyes, ruining her makeup, and she screamed, "Lucas, please deal with that bitch for me! I can't believe she dared slap me in front of everyone. My reputation as a B-lister has now been ruined because of her disrespect!"
Lucas quickly rushed towards Jessica, helping her to her feet.
Madam Mel smirked.
Evie shot Jessica a bored glance. She huffed in disgust at that kind of shameless act.
Did they think that no one among the guests would know their true intentions? A, B-list celebrity shaming herself in front of thousands of people, how dumb?
The paparazzi Mother Mei hired were still actively capturing the whole scene, not missing a single one. They knew how much they could earn just by broadcasting this to the media and selling some of the footage to journalists who were really interested in this kind of scene.
The guests at the wedding were all stunned for the past twenty minutes. Some had already left the wedding as soon as they found out what was going on.
Elder Ye and Henry seemed frustrated by the embarrassment Lucas, Jessica, and Madam Mel were bringing to them. They both wished nothing like this had ever happened and were completely aware that they would be the boiling topic of the country the next day.
Lucas, who had been tending to his crybaby wife, now walked towards Evie. He violently seized her left hand and yanked her towards him, muttering,
"If you're wondering what I intend to do to you after this wedding, then allow me to clarify." His expression darkens, "I'm going to break you completely and make you pay for assaulting my bride. I will even turn your acting career into a total mess! After all, you know me as a man of my word."
Evie nonchalantly rolled her eyes, wondering if he even knew what he was saying.
Lucas' grip on her hand tightened as a grin spread across his face. Evie felt the sharp pain and closed her eyes, her face twisted in a grimace.
"You coward!" She bit out, through gritted teeth, enduring the pain.
Lucas smiled wickedly, "I really like it when you cry, feel pain, and suffer. Isn't that worth it…" His last sentence was accompanied by an evil laugh that cut Evie to the core. "These past few weeks, I have begun to ask myself why I ever fell in love with a low-grade illegitimate daughter of the Yong family eight years ago, when there is someone as perfect as Jessica waiting at the corner."
Jessica let out a dark chuckle.
Evie's confidence suddenly dissipated, replaced with extreme agony. She felt like crying this time, and the brutal nature of Lucas' eyes was putting her in the deepest part of hell, trying to tear every piece of her apart.
As Lucas was about to continue his insult, Evie immediately cut in. "Lucas, would you please get your hands off me?" She asked politely in a calm voice.
Lucas let out a mocking hum, feigning deep thought as he leaned into her polite space.
"Mmm... No. I don't think I will."
Before he knew it....
Pah!
Evie slapped him hard, right across the face. The sound was as shocking as the act itself. For a moment, the wicked smile vanished from his face, replaced by a stunned silence.
His ears began to ring with a high-pitched squeal. He didn't move his hand from her arm, but his grip momentarily slackened.
Lucas was taken aback by the slap. He slowly brought a hand to his slapped cheek, his fingers tracing the reddening imprint of her hand.
He let out a stunned laugh, and then his face went serious.
"Did you just slap me?" he asked.
Evie didn't bother giving him an answer. She simply ignored him.
Furious, he grabbed her hand so tight that it hurt, yanking her roughly again, like she was just some unfeeling doll.
Unable to bear how she was being treated, without any further thought, she delivered a hard kick to his groin, and he let go of her instantly.
With that, Evie spun around, her white wedding dress flying out behind her as she bolted from the hall. At this point, no one could tear their eyes away from the striking sight as her frantic footsteps resounded, then abruptly ceased with the final bam of the door.
Madam Mel, who had been silent all this while, turned berserk. She immediately ran after Evie.
"Security! Go after her!" She roared.