Chapter 4

After a long silence, Ezra and Kaitlyn let out heavy sighs. "It's our sons who aren't worthy of you. We're sorry." Then, they accepted the gold necklace but firmly refused to take the bank card. "Emelie, keep the money with you just in case you ever need it." Emelie gently smiled and pushed the card back to them. "I'd feel uneasy if you didn't take it. In fact, my parents left me a sizable inheritance I haven't touched. "Besides, after living with you all these years, I've long thought of you as my parents. Soon, I'll be leaving home now that I'm married." Helplessly, Ezra and Kaitlyn accepted the card. In the following days, neither Anthony, Marcelo, or Connor had come to visit Emelie. Eventually, Ezra and Kaitlyn learned from the household staff that the three of them had been spending all their time coaxing Melissa. This only angered them further. "Emelie, wait here. We're going to drag them over to look after you. I can't believe they didn't even drop by to visit you. This is unacceptable!" "No, you don't have to. Having you both here is more than enough." Emelie quickly stopped them. Seeing that she genuinely meant it, they had no choice but to relent. The day Emelie was discharged, Tyler called her. His usually cool voice sounded unexpectedly warm as he said, "I designed a wedding dress and had it delivered to your house. Emelie asked in astonishment, "You design wedding dresses?" Tyler chuckled lightly. "Sometimes. I just wanted to give my wife something special and heartfelt." Emelie's cheeks flushed red. She stammered a few vague replies, completely missing whatever else Tyler said. While her mind had gone blank, a warm feeling surged in her heart. When she got home and opened the door, her eyes landed on a stunning white wedding dress. The vast train was adorned with countless sparkling diamonds and shimmered as though starlight had been sewn into the fabric. The only flaw was that Melissa was wearing the dress. Holding up the hem of the dress, she twirled and asked coquettishly, "Guys, how do I look in this dress?" "Beautiful, just like a fairy." "Even more gorgeous than most of the actresses I've worked with." "Mel, if you ever get married, you'll be the most stunning bride in the world." Anthony, Marcelo, and Connor showered her with compliments. The smile on Melissa's face was impossible to hide, and she even seemed a little bashful under their relentless praise. Emelie felt her blood boil. She stormed toward Melissa and yelled, "Melissa, this is my wedding dress! Who gave you permission to wear it? Don't you know taking something without asking is stealing? Take it off right now!" Melissa flinched, and her eyes filled with tears of grievance. "I didn't know it was yours. I just thought it was pretty and wanted to try it on. I'm sorry, Ms. Richmond. I didn't mean to." Yet, despite her words, she made no move to take off the dress and even smoothed the fabric with obvious affection. "Then hurry up and take it off!" Emelie clenched her fists, barely restraining her fury. But Melissa remained reluctant as she clutched the dress tightly. "I've never worn such a beautiful wedding dress before. This is exactly like the one in my dreams. Ms. Richmond, you're not even getting married. Can't you just give it to me?" "Are you deaf? I've already said my wedding is soon. This is my wedding dress. If I give it to you, what am I supposed to wear?" Emelie snapped. Melissa froze, and her eyes turned red-rimmed before she could speak. Seeing her pitiful expression, Anthony, Marcelo, and Connor immediately leaped to her defense. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Anthony said in annoyance, "That's enough. It's just a wedding dress. You're not actually getting married anyway. You bought it just to fool us. Aren't you taking it too far?" "That's right. You just want to make us jealous. I've already told you to stop playing games like this last time, yet you're doubling down," Marcelo added impatiently. "It's just a prop. Since Mel likes it, just give it to her. Where did you buy it? I'll pay for it," Connor said while pulling out a black card. Emelie took a deep breath, exasperated. "For the last time, this is not a prop! I'm seriously married, and my husband designed this dress himself. It's priceless to me. Melissa must take it off and return it to me now!" The brothers' tempers flared when they heard her say the word "husband". Just as they were about to argue, Melissa clutched their sleeves and sobbed, "Anthony, Marcelo, Connor, don't fight because of me. I'll take it off, okay?" With that, she ran off crying. When she returned, she held the wedding dress in her arms—now shredded to pieces. "Sorry, Ms. Richmond. I accidentally tore it while taking it off," she said meekly, though a hint of triumph glinted in her eyes. The dress was clearly cut to ribbons with scissors. Emelie was so furious she had a hard time catching her breath. She roared, "Do you take me for a fool? You did this on purpose!" "I didn't! I'm really sorry, Ms. Richmond. I'll pay you back! How much does it cost?" Melissa whimpered, and her crying only intensified. Before Emelie could explode, Anthony pulled Melissa into his arms. "Stop! How long are you going to keep up this act? Fine. If your so-called husband actually designed this dress, call him now. Let's see how much it costs. I'll pay for it myself." Marcelo and Connor chimed in, "Yeah, call him right now." Their goal was to expose what they thought was Emelie's lie. Listening to her constantly mention marriage, her husband, and her wedding dress drove them insane. They felt like they were losing their minds. Now, the only way to stop her from making a joke out of these things was to expose her. To their shock, Emelie gritted her teeth and spat out, "Fine." Then, she dialed Tyler's number in front of everyone.