Fated to My Ex's Uncle

Chapter 4

The engagement ceremony had been pushed back by an hour. Yvonne told Kenneth, "People outside are probably already searching for you. Leaving together is too risky. I'll go out first, and you can find a chance to slip out later."

With that, she left without hesitation, just as she had earlier that morning. Kenneth fixed his gaze on the tightly closed door, a flicker of something cold and dangerous passing through his eyes.

If there had still been even the slightest trace of interest in Yvonne this morning, the woman who had finally let him sleep properly, that faint spark was now completely gone.

He could never forget the day he was forced out of Lorvanna City, nor could he forget how his mother had died. He was an illegitimate son everyone despised, yet his mother had never been a woman who chose to become someone's mistress. She had been coerced by his so-called father while he was drunk. She had been the real victim.

Before leaving Lorvanna City, Kenneth had already found out that his mother's death was tied not only to the Brown family but also to the Stewart family. Because of that, he would never allow anyone from either family to live peacefully.

Since Yvonne and Simon were both so resistant to this marriage, then all the more reason they should be bound together.

By the time Kenneth left the dressing room, he had already buried his hatred and returned to his usual cold and controlled demeanor. Charlie, who had hurried over to greet him, didn't dare ask where he had been, and Kenneth ignored all his polite and respectful remarks.

He stepped into the main hall, where the engagement ceremony was already underway. On stage, the future bride and groom looked as if they carried a deep grudge. Simon in particular wore a face full of resentment, as though the world owed him something. Yvonne, on the other hand, kept her head lowered. Although she gave off a strong sense of resistance, she was eerily quiet.

Something felt wrong to Kenneth. Even though he had only just met Yvonne, he could tell at a glance she was not someone who would accept her fate. Those sharp, lively eyes of hers were always hiding some kind of plan.

So if she truly didn't want to marry Simon, would she do nothing at all? The answer was clearly no. From what had happened last night, she must have already been plotting something all along.

Kenneth rolled the silver cross on his wrist, his eyes slightly narrowed as he fixed his gaze on the woman standing on stage.

'So what are you planning next?' he thought.

As if she felt his stare, Yvonne tilted her head toward him and gave a faint, unreadable smile. In that instant, the massive screen behind them suddenly flared to life.

"Simon. Emm, Simon, harder. Oh!"

A breathy, sensual voice filled the hall, and what followed was so explicit that the entire room tensed up at once. Simon and Vera's faces were displayed in full clarity.

In the clip, Vera occasionally glanced toward the camera as if she was aware of it, while Simon appeared completely oblivious, moving frantically and spewing filthy, shameless words. The footage was brief, but brutally clear.

After a short, suffocating silence, the banquet hall erupted as if several bombs had gone off at once, with whispers spreading through every corner.

"So Simon was cheating all along. How humiliating for Ms. Stewart to marry into this family."

"Who is that woman? Didn't she know Mr. Brown was about to get married?"

"Wait, am I the only one noticing this? Mr. Brown down there looks kind of small."

Hearing the rising noise, Simon's face flushed red as if he had just downed a bottle of whiskey. He roared, "Stop watching, stop watching! Who the hell put that on!"

Charlie was also completely stunned by what he saw and instinctively looked toward Kenneth.

Kenneth only said coldly, "Not embarrassed enough yet?"

Charlie shot up from his seat. "Turn it off right now!"

The screen was quickly shut down, but by then both the Brown family and the Stewart family were already wearing extremely ugly expressions.

Yvonne looked like she was about to cry. "Simon, why would you do this to me?"

Simon completely snapped. "Who the hell would want to marry an ugly woman like you? The one I love is Vera. You are not even worth one finger of hers."

"If you don't even like me, then why don't we just cancel this engagement right here in front of everyone?"

"Shut up!" Charlie stormed over and slapped Simon across the face. "I don't care who you love. The engagement will go on as planned."

"Dad!" Simon shouted in fury as the whole scene spiraled into chaos.

Seeing Simon being hit, Vera rushed forward. "Mr. Brown, don't blame Simon. It's my fault. I love him too much."

Seeing her, Charlie's anger only spiked further. He kicked her hard. "Get lost!"

Vera collapsed to the ground and immediately lost consciousness.

Simon dashed forward, lifted Vera into his arms, and rushed out of the banquet hall. "Call an ambulance, right now!"

With the male lead gone, there was no way this mess of an engagement could go on.

Charlie was overwhelmed handling the fallout, apologizing to the guests and scrambling to give the Stewart family an explanation. Only Yvonne, still standing on stage like a joke, received not a single word from him. He also failed to notice the faint curve of her lips.

Yvonne quietly made her way to the backstage lounge. Just as she changed out of the heavy gown, that low, icy voice came from behind her.

"You did this on purpose. You were trying to destroy Simon."

Yvonne turned her head. "Why would I destroy him? I don't even care about him."

"Then that video was yours."

Yvonne smiled meaningfully. "Of course not. Didn't you see the angle? It was clearly shot by someone involved, an intimate recording."

In reality, the video had nothing to do with Yvonne. It was Vera's doing. Vera wanted to marry into a rich family, so there was no way she would sit back and watch Simon marry someone else.

Yvonne had only nudged things along from the shadows. Otherwise, with Vera alone, there was no way the video would have been played so smoothly at the engagement.

Kenneth stepped closer, his presence pressing and suffocating as he looked down at her. "You think this is enough to cancel the engagement?"

Yvonne lowered her eyes. Yes, she had thought so before. But now it seemed she had underestimated just how determined the Brown family and the Stewart family were about this marriage alliance.

"Kenneth, you saw it yourself. Simon doesn't love me at all. Why don't you help me out and end this engagement?"

"What makes you think I would help you? Especially after what you did to me last night." Kenneth's deep-set eyes churned with a storm beneath the surface. "You should know, anyone who schemes against me never ends well."