Chapter 8

For the next few days, Pearl stopped making things difficult for Lila. That alone was enough to put Lila on edge. It felt less like peace and more like Pearl was saving up for something big. The day before the wedding happened to be Pearl's birthday. Dominic had told his assistant, Felix Tanner, half a month in advance to make sure the celebration was exceptionally grand. The celebration was held at a luxury hotel owned by Steele Group. The ballroom was so lavishly decorated that it outshone even the engagement party from five years ago. The place was filled with Harborlyn's elites, glasses clinking as laughter threaded through the music. Pearl walked in holding Dominic's arm, instantly becoming the center of attention. "I thought Mr. Steele's fiancee was Lila Wynn. Why is he acting so intimately with that woman?" "No idea. Could it be they already broke off the engagement?" "No, they didn't. I've already received the invitation. The wedding is tomorrow." ... Sitting in a quiet corner, Lila sipped her champagne, her expression unreadable. She didn't feel even the slightest stir of emotion. Lila hadn't even wanted to come tonight, but Dominic had practically dragged her here. She had no idea what had gotten into him. He insisted that she show up for Pearl's birthday. If she still believed he loved her, she might have thought he was doing it on purpose to make her jealous. Now, whatever Dominic's reasons were, she simply didn't care. Lila would be getting married the next day, but the groom wasn't Dominic. When Lila thought of Oscar's handsome face, her heart pounded a little faster. Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Oscar. "Tomorrow is our wedding day. Any regrets?" Lila replied, "No." Oscar replied almost at once, "Good. Even if you did, it'd be too late. I'm sending a car for you first thing in the morning. You're not standing me up." Lila couldn't help smiling as she lowered her head to answer. "I'll be there." Dominic's voice cut in out of nowhere. "Who are you chatting with that you're smiling like that?" Lila jumped, quickly locking her screen. "A friend." Dominic's gaze darkened. Then, he reached out to grab her phone. Lila dropped it straight into her clutch and turned to leave. His hand clamped around her wrist. "Let go," she said under her breath. "Unless you want to ruin your lover's birthday party." Dominic sneered. "You really think that's enough to threaten me? The more you act like this, the more I want to know who you're talking to. Give me the phone. Don't make me force you." Lila reacted promptly by stepping on his foot hard with her heel. Dominic sucked in a breath and loosened his grip right away. Lila yanked free and walked quickly out of the ballroom, only to run into Pearl on the curved staircase. Lila stopped immediately, even shifting sideways, as if afraid Pearl might throw herself at her and make a scene. "Relax, Lila." Pearl put on a strange smile. "I'm not going to bite you. Why are you so scared of me?" "What do you want?" Lila asked impatiently. Pearl's smile grew wider. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "Tomorrow is your wedding day with Dom, but I'm not ready to give up. So, forgive me, my dear sister." The words had barely left her mouth when she grabbed Lila's hand. Lila jerked her hand back, but a heartbeat later, Pearl let out a piercing scream and tumbled down the stairs. Her white dress bloomed red almost instantly. Lila's heart almost stopped. Her mind went completely blank. Pearl cried out Dominic's name at the top of her lungs. Within seconds, Dominic and the guests came running. The moment Dominic saw her, he rushed over and carried Pearl in his arms. "Dom," Pearl sobbed, "it wasn't Lila's fault. I fell by accident. Your wedding is tomorrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to be there. Let me just say it now... Congratulations..." She didn't finish the sentence before her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. "Pearl!" Dominic lost his composure. He shot Lila a look, his eyes blazing. "Did you think I'm so desperate to marry you that I'll put up with anything you do? If anything happens to the baby, I'll make sure you go down with it!" He didn't give Lila a chance to say a single word. Holding Pearl tightly, he strode out of the hotel. Lila wanted to follow them to the hospital when her phone vibrated again. It was the private investigator. "Ms. Wynn, I've got what you asked for," he said. "Your sister's prenatal records are fake. She's not pregnant at all!" Just as Lila had suspected. Pearl had faked her pregnancy. If she wanted the lie to hold, she would have to wait for the right moment to pin something on Lila. ... At the hospital, the light above the operating room finally flicked off. The doctor stepped out with a heavy look on his face and told Dominic that the baby was gone. Dominic went rigid, as if struck by lightning. It took him a long time to process the doctor's words. Pearl lay there in tears. "I kept telling Lila I wouldn't come between you two. Why couldn't she leave our baby alone?" Dominic's eyes turned icy. "She killed my child. I won't let this go!" Pearl hesitated, then asked carefully, "What about the wedding tomorrow?" "You think I'm still going to marry her? I'll call our parents now. The wedding is off!" Dominic snapped. Pearl caught his arm. "Dom, the invitations are already sent. If you cancel now, people will criticize you. Why not expose what she did at the wedding instead? That way, the blame won't fall on you." Dominic frowned. Seeing this, Pearl sniffled and said, "She's my sister, but I can't forgive her. Dom, please do this for our baby." When she brought up the baby, Dominic couldn't say no. "Alright. I'll do it." ... Back at the villa, Lila queued up every bit of evidence she had gathered and set it to auto-send to Dominic's email. Then, she walked out of the villa without looking back.