Not long after finishing the first one, Malcolm lit another cigarette. Ethon had already left.
The atmosphere in the hall was quiet and peaceful.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for Ethon because Shyla was still standing on the stage, scanning the
crowd expectantly.
When Ethon came out of the bathroom, he found people eyeing him, while also giving way to him.
The light was shining brightly on Ethon. He looked all around without any expression on his handsome,
chiseled face.
Under the stark gaze of every one present, Ethon slowly made his way to the stage.
Shyla looked at Ethon affectionately, her adoration for him clear on her face. She was both anxious and
excited, wondering what would happen next. She thought Ethon would compromise and accept their
marriage.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. There have been some misunderstandings about my marriage
to Miss Tang. I have never been in a relationship with her, and I don't like her either. She is a great
person, but I have been in love with another girl for many years. Hope you can bless us and forget
about this announcement..." Ethon stood in the middle of the stage with his eyes looking firmly at the
people around. There was no hint of hesitation in his manner.
No one said a word, although there were hushed sounds of people looking at each other in shock and
some gasping. What was going on? How many more turns was this party going to take?
Shyla's eyes widened. When she realized what was happening, she felt so embarrassed she lowered
her eyes. She fiddled with her own fingers, starting to sweat. How could Ethon be so blunt in front of so
many people?
Did he really have to embarrass her? Further, wasn't this an insult to her and her father?
Her face looked pale and lifeless under the shining light. She stood frozen in place. Slowly, she lifted
her eyes up at Ethon...one could now see the hatred surfacing in her pretty face.
"Ethon, what do you mean?" Shyla asked in disbelief. The drama had just started to unfold.
Monica, who was standing among the crowd, was stunned too. Her mouth was wide open. She had
never expected her son to go against her.
She felt both shame and embarrassment. She was overwhelmed by Ethon's anger and frustration. The
wrinkles around her eyes came together as she narrowed her eyes and looked at Shyla on the
stage...clearly, the girl was feeling disappointed and insulted.
"Don't you know what I mean? You already know I have a girlfriend, and her name is Fiona..." Ethon
squinted his eyes as if he couldn't believe her pretense. He walked closer to Shyla, glaring at her
angrily.
The expression on Ethon's face was frightening, making her feel a shiver run down her spine. Unable
to hold herself together, she started weeping. The girl had been wronged, after all.
Joshua couldn't stand his daughter's embarrassment anymore. He rushed onto the stage and pulled
her behind him. He then looked down at Monica, roaring at the top of his lungs, "Mrs. Yu! Is this how
you have brought your son up?" He then turned to Ethon. "You know what, Ethon? Shyla never wanted
to marry you anyway. It was your mother who begged her to marry you. I didn't expect you to be so
shameless and ungrateful..."
The air seemed to have chilled in the hall. No one moved. Joshua's revealing words made everyone
present uneasy.
Malcolm walked out of the bathroom to find everything at a standstill. There was a slight smell of smoke
on his slender fingers. Spotting Ethon on the stage, he figured out what had happened. He smiled
deeply to himself and asked Joshua, "Mr. Tang, why are you angry? My wife did something wrong. She
didn't discuss it with our son and decided to fix his marriage without telling him. It's not Ethon's fault.
Don't be angry with him."
Malcolm spoke with indignation, urging Joshua to forgive Ethon.
He believed that Joshua wouldn't act rashly, given the occasion.
The two men looked at each other intensely. Both of them reeked of power and status.
As the atmosphere became smothering, Joshua thought of a way to save the day. He suddenly
laughed out loud. "So, Mrs. Yu, you were pranking me?"
But Monica didn't get the hint. She was confused. She shook her head and explained obediently, "No, I
wasn't. I really like Shyla. I want her to be my daughter-in-law!"
Joshua's smile faded. He swung his arm in the air as if brushing off her words. "Don't bother explaining.
There is too much for Shyla to bear in your family!"
Shyla stirred. She scanned the crowd first, then her eyes landed on Monica. She spoke quietly behind
Joshua, "Dad..."
"Let's go. Don't make a fool of yourself here." Together, the father and daughter walked down the
stage. This party, which was supposed to be a happy occasion, had become a mess.
Malcolm, Ethon, and Monica left soon after that, unwilling to answer people's questions or be the
subject of their stares. Even after the drama that had occurred, Ethon and Malcolm were in a good
mood. They were chatting and laughing in the car, least affected by what had happened. While
Monica's face had shrunk.
"You two worked together to embarrass me! This is too much!" Tears streamed down Monica's cheeks.
She felt wronged by her own family.
Ethon was indifferent to her misery. Instead of getting into an argument with her, he took out his phone
and sent a message to Fiona.
Monica, who was sitting in the back seat with Ethon, leaned closer to him to see who he was texting.
She peeped into his phone and found that he had saved Fiona's number with the name 'Baby.'
She got enraged at once. She grabbed Ethon's phone, and almost threw it out of the window before
she got a hold of herself. She glared at Ethon and spoke through her teeth, "How the hell did she
seduce you? What's so good about her?"
"Give me my phone. What do you want?" Ethon spoke calmly, looking directly into his mother's eyes.
"Why? Do you think I will throw it out of the window?" asked Monica angrily.
"It's up to you. If you want to throw it, go ahead. It's just a phone. If it makes you feel any better, just do
it."
"Come on," Malcolm interjected. "Stop fighting. Monica, whatever happened was because of your own
fault. How could you get him engaged without even asking him?" Malcolm, who was sitting in the front
seat next to the driver, turned his head around and stared at Monica sternly. Sometimes he couldn't
understand why she behaved so erratically.
"Aha! Why not? I'm his mother. I carried him in my womb for nine months! Do I not have the right to
make a decision for him?" Monica argued senselessly.
"Don't impose your opinions on me. In your eyes, Shyla is a good girl, but in my eyes, she is just a
spoiled girl. She can't be compared to Nana at all," Ethon said earnestly. He did not want to speak
against his mother but was left with no choice.
Monica looked like she had passed into shock. Her grip on the phone loosened, and she resorted to
staring out of the window with a sad expression. Ethon reached out and slipped his phone from her
fingers.
What no one knew was that Monica had accidentally recorded their entire argument in Ethon's WeChat
and sent it out to Fiona.
Back in her house, Fiona was chatting with Nathan and Mandy, and was in a great mood. Precisely
then, she saw Ethon had sent her a message. A smile spread across her lips. She couldn't wait to see
it.
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