Among the child husbands, the most shocked were undoubtedly Damien and Owen.

"Aury, are you kidding?" Damien asked, his expression cold. "Is this because I gave 'Tears of the Ocean' to Sloane instead of you? So now you're pulling this stunt just to spite me?"

Owen looked equally frustrated. "Aury, why did you choose Theo? If you just wanted to get back at Damien, you could've picked me! I would've gladly let you use me!"

His heartfelt plea moved many of the guests.

"Owen really loves Aurelia… I heard he even jumped off a building for her."

"Why wouldn't Aurelia pick him? If a man loved me that much, I'd marry him in a heartbeat!"

"Everyone in Vantrel knows Owen's been hopelessly in love with Aurelia for years. But she's never looked back at him, not even once…"

Everyone present was voicing sympathy for Owen. They pitied how deeply he had loved, only to be let down. They also pitie

After hearing Damien's words, Aurelia let out a bitter laugh. She was so angry that it almost felt absurd. She laughed even as her eyes turned red.

"Damien, don't tell me you actually think I'd still want to marry you after everything that's happened. You did something like that, and you still have the audacity to say you're 'willing' to marry me? Well, here's the thing—you might be willing, but I'm not."

Her reddened eyes burned with such fierce hatred that Damien's heart gave a faint shudder.

"Aury, what are you talking about? Why don't I understand?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb, Damien!" Aurelia snapped, her patience finally unraveling. 

She pointed to the shattered projector, her voice trembling on the edge of breaking. "Weren't you the one who leaked those photos and that video just now?"

Damien's chest tightened again. The man known for his unreadable expression suddenly widen

Hearing those vile words, Aurelia could no longer hold back and slapped Sloane across the face.

"Shut up! You shameless slut. You're disgusting!"

But just as her hand came down, a cold gaze landed on her from behind.

Aurelia froze instantly. When she turned, her eyes met Damien's icy stare.

Damien looked at her coldly and said nothing.

That silence was worse than any words, because Aurelia knew Damien well. If anyone crossed Sloane, he would retaliate mercilessly. Though he came from humble beginnings, his personality was dark and unstable.

So, throughout the entire birthday banquet, Aurelia remained on edge. She was filled with dread, haunted by the fear that Damien might, at any moment, strike without warning and drive a knife straight into her back.

Yet, the whole event went unusually smoothly, without a single incident.

Soon, night fell at the hotel, and Harrison was about to announce who Aurelia would marry.

The room buzzed with chatter as everyone whispered and speculated.

"Aurelia will definitely choose Damien. Who here doesn't know she's basically his groupie?"

"Damien is undeniably formidable. He's smart and ruthless. Now that he's inherited the Vance Group, who in the business world could possibly stand against him?"

"Probably only Theo from the Marchand family can compete with him, but I heard Theo has been chasing Aurelia for years…"

"Exactly. Theo's had it rough—pursuing Aurelia all this time without so much as a foot in the door, and now he has to watch the woman he loves marry his sworn enemy."

Listening to the whispers from the crowd, Aurelia couldn't help but smile quietly. She then glanced at Theo and caught him looking right back at her.

Theo's eyes were full of affection as he gestured to Aurelia, "You're not allowed to back out!"

Aurelia couldn't help but chuckle. 

Just as she was about to respond, the giant screen behind her suddenly began displaying her private photos. The pictures included shots of her bathing from behind and photos of her in lingerie.

At the end of the slideshow, a video started playing. In it, a younger Aurelia clutched Damien's shirt, blushing shyly as she smelled it and reached inside to comfort herself by hand.

"Damien, I really like you…" the teenage Aurelia whispered in the video.

Meanwhile, the present-day Aurelia broke down completely. She looked at Damien in despair, tears flooding her eyes.

Had Damien exposed her private photos and that intimate video in front of everyone because she had called Sloane a shameless slut? Was he trying to prove that she was the real shameless one?

Damien… how could he be so cruel?

"Who played this video? Turn it off! Turn it off right now!" Harrison exploded in anger. He rushed forward to stop the video but found he couldn't, no matter what he tried.

In the end, Theo dashed up and smashed the projector, finally plunging the big screen into complete darkness.

"Who did this? Who on earth did this?" Harrison trembled with rage. "Lock the doors! No one leaves until we find the culprit!"

"Mr. Vance, please calm down," a business partner tried to soothe him. "Besides, Aury and Damien are getting married anyway. This video really isn't a big deal."

"That's right. It's just some harmless marital fun—we all understand."

But Harrison's face remained ashen, for only he knew that Aurelia's fiancé had long since been replaced.

In the tense silence, Harrison looked up with a grave expression, his gaze fixed on Theo. This was the moment that would prove whether his son-in-law had what it took to rise to the occasion.

Sensing the unspoken cue in Harrison's eyes, Theo stepped forward without hesitation.

He pulled Aurelia into his arms and declared loudly, "The one Aury is going to marry is me! And I won't let anyone who harms Aury go unpunished. Whoever dared to take or leak those photos, I swear you'll regret it beyond measure!"

As his words hung in the air, everyone stared at Theo in stunned silence—especially Damien and the other six child husbands. Their faces instantly drained of color.

"Aury actually… chose him?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Everyone knows Aurelia is madly in love with Damien. There's no way she'd choose him!"

Among the child husbands, the most shocked were undoubtedly Damien and Owen.

"Aury, are you kidding?" Damien asked, his expression cold. "Is this because I gave 'Tears of the Ocean' to Sloane instead of you? So now you're pulling this stunt just to spite me?"

Owen looked equally frustrated. "Aury, why did you choose Theo? If you just wanted to get back at Damien, you could've picked me! I would've gladly let you use me!"

His heartfelt plea moved many of the guests.

"Owen really loves Aurelia… I heard he even jumped off a building for her."

"Why wouldn't Aurelia pick him? If a man loved me that much, I'd marry him in a heartbeat!"

"Everyone in Vantrel knows Owen's been hopelessly in love with Aurelia for years. But she's never looked back at him, not even once…"

Everyone present was voicing sympathy for Owen. They pitied how deeply he had loved, only to be let down. They also pitied the way his love had gone unrequited.

Hearing all the murmurs of pity, Aurelia couldn't help but 

Chapter 8