Chapter 5

The phone rang over and over without anyone picking up. Anthony, Marcelo, and Connor were initially on edge and worried that Emelie might be telling the truth all along. However, when her calls went unanswered, they began to relax. Anthony snorted. "What's the matter? Didn't coordinate this ahead of time?" Marcelo also let out a relieved sigh, his tense expression easing. He remarked, "I really thought you had something up your sleeve. Is this all?" "Alright, we'll each give you ten million dollars. Consider it payment for the wedding dress," Connor said nonchalantly, then turned to gently wipe away Melissa's tears. "Don't cry, Mel. I'll take you shopping. You can pick whatever you want, even a wedding dress more beautiful than this one." After that, he escorted her to the car, while the other two followed close behind. The moment they left, Emelie's phone vibrated suddenly. Tyler had sent a text. "In a meeting. I'll call you later. Is it urgent?" She quickly replied, "No, it's fine. Sorry for bothering you. I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. The wedding dress got ruined by someone. I was careless." His response came almost instantly. "No problem. I'll have a new one made and sent over." When Ezra and Kaitlyn returned home, their faces darkened as soon as they saw the shredded dress. After hearing the full story, their expressions turned thunderous. "I only took pity on Stephanie and Melissa, thinking it wasn't easy for a single mother and her daughter. Turns out that they're both rotten to the core!" Kaitlyn fumed. She then instructed Griffin Brown, the family's butler, "Griffin, fire them right away. Let this serve as justice for Emelie!" Taking Emelie's hand, she continued tenderly, "Don't worry, Emelie. With us here, no one will let you suffer unjustly." Emelie was moved. After murmuring her thanks, she left with the tattered wedding dress in her arms. No matter what, Tyler had specifically designed it for her. She had to find a way to repair it. True to their word, Griffin acted swiftly. By the time Emelie returned, both Stephanie and Melissa had been evicted from the Horton residence. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she could have a few peaceful days before her wedding. However, stepping into her room, Emelie was greeted by complete chaos—her belongings were scattered everywhere. It wasn't hard to guess who the culprit was. Melissa must have done this to vent her anger. Resigned, Emelie began tidying up, only to hear heavy footsteps outside. The next moment, the door was flung open, and Anthony, Marcelo, and Connor stormed in. "Emelie, how could you be so cruel to Mel? It was just a wedding dress. We've already paid for it. Why did you still force her out of the house?" Anthony barked, gripping her wrist tightly. Emelie yanked her arm free, her patience completely worn thin. "Think what you want." Her dismissive tone infuriated Marcelo, who scowled with disbelief. "What's with your attitude? Are you not going to apologize to Mel?" "What do I have to apologize for?" she asked, genuinely perplexed. Connor didn't wait for her to protest further. He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the door. "You're coming with me to apologize!" That was the final straw. Emelie couldn't take it anymore. She wrenched herself free with all her might and shouted, "Enough! There are only ten days left! My wedding is in ten days; after that, I'll be out of your lives for good. "We'll have nothing to do with each other anymore. I'm begging you—just endure these ten days and stop bothering me!" With that, she mustered every ounce of strength she had to shove the three of them out of the room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind her. Outside, silence fell. After what felt like an eternity, Connor's cold voice came through the door. "Emelie, drop the act. We're not buying it." Emelie slid to the floor and leaned against the door as exhaustion overtook her. Whether they believed her or not didn't matter anymore. It was a fact that she was already married.