Chapter 1

Joshua Smith raised an eyebrow as he looked at Avery Sinclair, whose face was flushed. She was weak in his arms.

"Were you drugged?"

Avery whimpered softly in response. Her hands fumbled with his suit, wrinkling the previously neat and tidy fabric. She wanted to take off his suit that was in her way but wasn't able to do so despite her desperate attempts, making her nearly break into tears out of frustration.

A hint of amusement flashed in Joshua's eyes. He grabbed Avery's waist and ran his cool fingers along her skin. As he felt her tense up beneath his touch, his smile grew.

"First time?"

Avery said nothing and bit down on her lip. Her expression of restraint sparked a glimmer in Joshua's eyes.

He leaned down and whispered close to her ear, "Tell me. Would Clyde lose his mind if he knew that after all his scheming for so many years, you still fell into my hands in the end?"

Joshua's warm breath caressed Avery's ear. She melted in his arms, her strength draining away as she was left feeling defenseless.

Seeing her in such a state, Joshua's gaze softened with a hint of affection. He gently kissed away the tear from the corner of her eyes, and things heated up from there.

…

After having sex, Avery regained a bit of clarity. She got up from Joshua and picked up her dress that was on the floor.

Joshua observed her calm demeanor with an arched eyebrow. "You're not surprised?"

"You're neither old nor ugly. I didn't lose anything from this."

Abigail Sinclair not only slept with Clyde Smith on Avery's wedding day, but she also plotted to let Avery have sex with another man. But Avery had come prepared, and she deliberately entered the room where Joshua was in.

Avery couldn't help but smile while thinking of what had happened. She couldn't wait to see Clyde's reaction when he found out she had slept with his uncle.

Joshua pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose and watched Avery leave, his eyes flashing with a hint of darkness.

Even though he looked like a playboy, he had always kept his lifestyle clean and avoided women who threw themselves at him. Yet unexpectedly, he had crossed that line with Avery.

When Delcan Harmon entered the room, he found Joshua leaning back on the chair, frowning. He asked in a concerned manner, "Mr. Smith, would you like me to call a doctor?"

Joshua once fell into the water when he was a child and had since struggled with a lung condition that he couldn't recover from.

Delcan looked at Joshua who was covering his mouth and coughing. He was worried it was a relapse of Joshua's old disease, and his eyes were filled with worry.

"I'm fine."

"The wedding is about to start. Everyone's waiting for you."

"What's the rush? The best part has yet to come." With that, Joshua leaned back on the chair again and closed his eyes.

…

At the wedding venue, guests were whispering among themselves.

"The ceremony is about to start. Where's the bride?"

"Avery Sinclair has some balls to go missing on her wedding day. Is she trying to embarrass Mr. Smith?"

"William Sinclair put in so much effort in arranging this marriage between Avery and Mr. Smith, even giving away the Snow Frost Root he's been keeping for many years."

"He even offered a 30% share of Sinclair Company as Avery's wedding gift. There's no way Mr. Smith could refuse such a wedding gift."

Just when everyone was still busy discussing, the doors were thrown open, and Avery walked in under everyone's shocked gaze.

Clyde's face turned stormy as he rushed to grab her wrist.

"Avery, where the hell were you? The wedding's about to begin, and you're not even in your dress. Do you think I'm so desperate to marry you?"

Avery jerked her wrist free, and she noticed a faint hickey on his neck that was left there by Abigail just two hours ago.

It was two hours ago when Avery learned that Clyde, her supposed fiancé, had been having sex with the Sinclairs' adopted daughter, Abigail, all along.

When Avery was born, her father's business wasn't going well. Believing the words of a fortune teller that Avery brought bad luck to her father, he sent her away to live with her grandfather.

After her grandfather's death, her father had no choice but to bring her back to the Sinclairs. It was only when she returned that she realized her parents had adopted Abigail.

They treated Abigail like a precious blessing while treating Avery, their biological daughter, like she was nothing but someone who brought bad luck.

As Abigail stood by and watched the scene, she cast a triumphant smile at Avery, as if flaunting her victory silently.

Avery found it ridiculous. Anything Abigail touched made her feel disgusted.

Seeing how Avery kept silent, Clyde's anger flared.

He glared at her. "What are you waiting for? Are you not going to get changed? You'd better not pull your spoiled missy act with me. If you don't want to be my bride, just leave. The wedding can still go on with another bride."

Abigail, who was standing beside Clyde, quickly intervened in a soft tone, "Clyde, calm down. Mr. Ettman was looking for Avery earlier. Maybe she just got held up talking to him."

She turned her head toward Avery. "Avery, you were just talking to Mr. Ettman, which is why you're late, right? Quickly explain it to Clyde."

Avery chuckled lightly. "Your acting skills are impressive. It'd be a waste if you didn't enter showbiz."

Abigail's eyes turned red almost immediately, and she looked at Avery pitifully. "Avery, have I done something wrong to make you mad again? Tell me, and I'll change. Please don't kick me out of the family!"

Seeing her pitiful expression and how she tried to hold back her tears, Clyde's protective instincts kicked in.

He stood in front of Abigail and glared at Avery. "Avery, if you still want this marriage, apologize to Abigail right now. Otherwise, there's no wedding!"

"Stop it, Clyde. I'm just an adopted daughter. I don't deserve an apology from Avery, the real daughter of the Sinclairs. I'm fine."

Abigail looked pitiful but still tried to force a smile and that made Clyde feel more protective of her. He pulled her into his arms and proclaimed loudly, "I'm stopping this wedding!"

Everyone looked at him.

Clyde's mother, Sandra White, frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Mom, Avery is impossibly stubborn! She's not someone I want. I want a wife who's gentle and understanding like Abby, not some wild woman who always hangs out with people like Louise Ettman!

"Grandpa wanted me to marry the Sinclairs' daughter. Well, Abigail is the Sinclairs' daughter too. Marrying her would work as well."

Clyde held Abigail tighter and shamelessly said, "Don't worry, Abby. I'll give you a home. You'll never have to be bullied by that wild woman again!"

Abigail nestled into him, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked touched.

Avery's mother, Molly Green, stepped forward and said to Avery, "Since your sister and Mr. Smith are in love, why not let her marry him?"

She added after a slight pause, "And since the 30% share of Sinclair Company was meant as a wedding gift by your grandfather, it's only fair it goes to Abigail now that she's marrying in your stead."

Sandra frowned upon listening to her words. If the wedding gift stayed the same, she didn't mind who married into the family. But as for what William would think…

"What's going on? I'm only a little late and the bride has already been replaced?"

A familiar voice echoed through the hall. Avery looked up to see Joshua, dressed in a white suit and striding confidently toward them. His expression was friendly, yet his smile looked cold.

Watching the crowd's respectful reaction to him, Avery's lips curved into a smile.

She had only planned to disgust Clyde, but if calling herself his aunt could push things further, why not go all the way?

Chapter 2

Seeing Joshua's arrival, Clyde hurried over with a flattering smile. "Uncle Joshua, you're here."

"You mentioned that you're changing brides?"

Clyde looked up and met Joshua's gaze, which seemed to contain a faint glint. Joshua's gaze sent a chill down his spine.

Sandra quickly stepped in. Laughing, she tried to smooth things over. "Clyde was just joking, of course. This marriage was arranged by Mr. Smith Senior himself. How could we just change it on a whim?"

As she spoke, she shot Clyde a glance. He hastily chimed in, "Yes, yes! I was just joking!"

It seemed like the matter was almost swept under the rug, but Avery wasn't about to let Clyde and Sandra off that easily. She took a step forward and said in a clear voice, "But just a moment ago, Mr. Clyde vowed he would marry Abigail instead. How is it suddenly a joke now?"

She intentionally looked at Abigail, who was standing at the side. "So, to you, Abigail is just a joke?"

"Of course not!" Clyde defended instinctively.

But before he could say anything further, Sandra quickly cut him off, "Ave, Abigail is your adopted sister, after all. Clyde would never take her lightly, especially given our family's regard for you."

Afraid that Avery would retort, Sandra quickly added, "Ave, it's almost time for the wedding. You should hurry and change into your wedding dress. Joshua, don't you agree so too?"

Joshua's gaze traced over Avery's neck, where faint marks lingered. Just a moment ago, she had melted in his arms on the bed.

Looking at her standing proud and unfazed, no one would have guessed how she was with him just before.

Joshua's lips curled into a smile. "Sandra's right. Ms. Sinclair, you should get changed. Otherwise, you'll keep everyone waiting."

His eyes lingered on her waist for a moment, and his expression turned slightly mischievous.

Avery felt his gaze and shivered. She could feel the soreness in her waist becoming more prominent. Just as she was about to turn and leave, the massive screen behind them flickered to life.

The screen played a video of Clyde and Abigail's bodies entwined together, the scene audaciously intimate.

The guests who were present were stunned into silence.

After a moment, someone broke the silence. "Isn't that Abigail Sinclair with Mr. Clyde?"

The crowd buzzed with whispers.

"Abigail is really shameless—getting with her own sister's fiancé!"

"Actually, Abigail isn't Avery's real sister. She's just the adopted daughter of the Sinclairs. This kind of thing happens even between biological sisters, so what's the surprise?"

"So, who's Mr. Clyde going to marry now?"

The discussions among the crowd became louder, making Clyde's expression darken with fury. He roared, "Turn it off! Now!"

Seeing how Clyde lost his cool, Avery's lips twitched into a fleeting smile before she composed herself and turned back to Clyde with a glare.

"Clyde, I didn't expect you to be so shameless. How could you show everyone such a vulgar display just so you could be together with my adoptive sister?"

She gave a cold smile. "Since you're so desperate for her, fine. I'll leave you two to your misery."

Avery began to turn and leave.

Clyde was filled with fury as he looked at the cold smile on Avery's face. He glared at her furiously as if he wanted to swallow her whole. "Avery, I underestimated you. Do you think showing this video at my wedding is enough to ruin me? Dream on!"

He turned to Sandra and continued shamelessly, "Mom, since things are already out in the open, I'll marry Abigail right now—"

Before he could finish, Sandra slapped him across the face harshly.

Her face flushed with rage, and her finger trembled as she pointed at Clyde. "I-I can't believe I gave birth to such a disappointment! You've humiliated our family!"

Clyde looked unhappy. "Mom, Avery is arrogant and difficult. She's nowhere near as gentle as Abby—"

"Shut up!" Another slap from Sandra silenced him completely.

She took a few deep breaths. Then, she forced a smile that looked worse than a frown before walking toward Avery.

"Ave, men make mistakes, especially when they're still young. As women, we sometimes have to let things go." She reached out to hold Avery's hand, only for Avery to avoid her touch.

Sandra was furious but knew she had to keep up the act for the wedding to go on. She continued, "Ave, I know this matter has upset you. Let's continue with the wedding first. Once we're back home, I'll make sure to lecture Clyde for you and have him apologize to you—"

"No need for that," Avery interrupted. "I've always wondered how Nathan could have so many scandals with women. Now, I know it's because his 'loving' wife has always chosen to turn a blind eye."

Her words made Sandra's awkward smile freeze. Avery was so bold to insult her so openly.

Sandra was dying to rip off Avery's mouth, but she had to hold herself back. After all, Avery was the granddaughter-in-law appointed by Samson Smith.

She had planned that after Avery married into the Smith family, she would find a way to convince Samson to pass on the family business to Clyde.

If the marriage couldn't go on, not only would it be almost impossible for Samson to pass the family business to Clyde, but he might even hate him.

On that thought, Sandra suppressed her rage and said, "Ave, a good wife must always put her man first. As Clyde's fiancée, you're always so occupied with your herbal business, often leaving him unattended. When someone gentle appears beside him, it's obvious he would…"

Hearing her implying words, Avery snorted inwardly.

Sandra was blaming her for not caring enough for Clyde, which led him to cheat on her. Like mother, like son. They were both shameless.

Just as she wanted to retort, Joshua said from beside, "Ms. Sinclair, we're running out of time. Shouldn't you get changed?"

Avery turned to him and met his amused gaze. He mouthed silently, "Make it quick."

Smiling, she said, "Since you insist, how could I refuse?" Her voice dripped with playful allure.

Avery's seductive demeanor made Joshua quirk his lips into a smirk. She was clearly asking for trouble.

Watching Avery comply, Sandra felt a sense of relief and smiled.

Avery caught her expression and laughed coldly inwardly. She let Sandra bask in relief for the time being. Soon enough, Sandra would have no reason to smile at all.

Chapter 3

After changing into the wedding dress, Avery returned with the spotlight on her. There were visible hickeys on her skin. The guests near her noticed and started to whisper among themselves.

"Do you see those marks? But wasn't it the adopted daughter with Mr. Clyde in the video? So, why is her body…"

"Clearly, she cheated on Mr. Clyde too!"

"The daughters of the Sinclairs are shameless. The elder sister cheated on the groom on their wedding day, and the younger one seduced her sister's fiancé on her wedding day. Talk about having class!"

Even though insults rippled among the crowd, they shamelessly ogled Avery. Some of the men's eyes were fixed on her as they seemed to hope to become her lovers.

Clyde looked at the hickeys on Avery's body and trembled with rage. Avery had never even let him hold her hand, but she had sex with someone else? How could he not be angry?

He strode forward like a mad bull and raised his hand, ready to strike Avery's face. "Avery, you shameless bitch! I swear—if I don't teach you a lesson today, I'm not worthy of the Smith family name!"

But before he could bring his hand down, a firm grip stopped him.

Clyde looked up furiously and met Joshua's eyes, which held a faint glint.

"Hitting women, Clyde? That's a bit beneath you, isn't it?"

Joshua shook off Clyde's hand with a disgusted look on his face, and the force made Clyde stumble and nearly fall.

The fierce arrogance drained from Clyde as he faced Joshua, but he couldn't let go of his resentment. He grumbled in anger, "Uncle Joshua, why are you defending this woman? She cheated on me and humiliated our entire Smith family!"

Then, he turned to Avery and questioned her in fury, "Tell me, Avery! Who did you sleep with? I'll hunt him down and break his legs!"

"Oh, really?" Joshua's eyes glinted coldly.

Joshua's expression sent a shiver down Clyde's spine, and he fell silent.

Avery stepped forward and said to Clyde, "Since you're so eager to marry Abigail, I'll do you a favor and let you have her."

She couldn't help but laugh before adding, "I wouldn't want anything that Abigail's touched before. It's dirty."

"Y-You…" Clyde stammered. He was so mad that he couldn't come up with a clear sentence.

Sandra looked even more enraged. Just when she wanted to say something, Molly cut her off, "Mrs. Smith, if Mr. Clyde has sullied my Abby's reputation, then he'd better take responsibility. I'm not going to accept otherwise!"

She dragged Abigail toward them in an imposing manner. "Since everyone is here today, my Abby shouldn't feel wronged. She can marry Mr. Clyde right here and now. Mrs. Smith, you don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Sandra's laughter was laced with fury. She rushed forward and landed a slap across Abigail's face. "You shameless bitch! How dare you try to seduce my son! I'll ruin your face!"

"How dare you lay your hands on my daughter!"

Soon, the two middle-aged women were entangled in a fight, hitting and scratching each other.

After watching them for a while, Avery grew bored. She turned to Joshua beside her and said in a flirtatious tone, "Mister, standing for so long is exhausting. My legs are getting sore."

Joshua's eyes flashed with a playful glimmer. He lifted Avery into his arms and commanded the fighting women with authority, "That's enough!"

The crowd suddenly went silent as all focus fell on Joshua.

They couldn't believe what they were looking at. Everyone in Starbury knew that Joshua disliked getting involved with women, but he was carrying Avery in his arms right now.

Could it be that the person who slept with Avery was… Joshua?

Sensing the gazes from the crowd, Avery smirked. She wrapped her arms around Joshua's neck and whispered beside his ear, "Mister, they're all looking at you."

Smelling the jasmine scent from her body, Joshua's gaze darkened slightly. He silently squeezed Avery's waist and declared, "From today onward, the marriage between Avery and Clyde is officially annulled. As for Clyde…"

He turned to glance at Clyde coldly. "Keep him locked up at home and let him reflect on his actions until Mr. Smith Senior returns to deal with him personally."

Then, Joshua began to leave while holding Avery in his arms. Just then, Molly boldly called after him, "Mr. Joshua, please wait!"

There was a flash of impatience in Joshua's eyes. "Yes?"

Molly was frightened under his cold gaze. But looking at Abigail, who was sobbing beside her, she swallowed her fear and continued, "Mr. Joshua, the affair between Mr. Clyde and my Abby have been exposed in front of all these guests. He owes her the dignity of marriage—"

Before Joshua could speak, Sandra spat out, "You want my son to marry this disgraceful woman? Never! A tramp who appeared out of nowhere wants to enter our family? In your dreams!"

However, Clyde was unhappy. "Mom, how could you talk about Abigail that way?"

Howard Sinclair, Avery's father, who had been silently watching the whole scene, couldn't help but see an opportunity here.

Even though Avery looked as if she had successfully seduced Joshua, he had a high status and was unlikely to have really fallen for Avery.

On the other hand, even though it was through disgraceful means, Abigail had Clyde wrapped around her finger.

With Avery and Clyde's marriage called off, there was a chance Abigail could still align with the Smith family. If Howard played his cards right, the connection could help with the business venture he had in mind.

On that thought, he said in a deep voice, "While it's true that both Abby and Mr. Clyde are in the wrong, we can all see that their feelings for each other are genuine. Since that's the case, I don't see the need to interfere. Isn't that right, Mrs. Smith?"

Sandra rolled her eyes and smirked. "You want my son to marry Abigail? Fine. Just prepare a wedding gift of two million dollars and I'll accept her as my daughter-in-law."

Howard's expression darkened.

Two million? He had just invested in a big project and didn't have that much left for a wedding gift.

He remained silent, which made Sandra's face break into a triumphant smile. "You don't have two million? Then forget about marrying her into our family."

Seeing her father falter, Abigail said in a choked voice, "Dad, Mom, it's my fault for putting you in a difficult position! If the Sinclair family no longer wants me, I'll just end my life right here!"

Saying that, she feigned a dash toward the hall. Molly quickly clutched onto her tightly. "Don't be rash, Abby! I'll find a way, don't worry!"

Then, Molly turned to Avery and demanded, "It's only two million dollars! It's your duty to pay up after ruining your younger sister's life!"

Joshua chuckled at her words. "Instead of holding your adopted daughter accountable for her shameful behavior, you're trying to guilt your own biological daughter into paying for it. One might think Abigail is your real daughter and not Avery."

Molly's face paled, but Joshua paid her no mind. He left with Avery still in his arms.

Chapter 4

Joshua carried Avery into the elevator and set her down as soon as the doors closed.

"Mister?"

"Don't call me that."

Avery looked at his cold, sharp profile, feeling a bit confused. If he had feelings for her, why had he set her down right away after getting into the elevator? He didn't even allow her to call him "Mister".

And if he didn't have feelings for her, why did he even help her?

As she puzzled over it, Joshua abruptly broke the silence. "You slept with me, and I helped you. Now we're even."

Avery was caught off guard by his bluntness and didn't know how to respond. After a moment, she finally said, "Mr. Smith, with how blunt you are, it might be hard for you to find a wife one day."

Joshua chuckled softly. "Oh? If I can't find one, will you volunteer to set me up with someone?"

Avery batted her eyes at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'll gladly volunteer myself. How does that sound, Mr. Smith?"

Joshua pulled her waist close into his embrace. Then, he lowered his head to steal a kiss that left her breathless. He only released her when she could barely catch her breath.

Panting, Avery clung to his neck to try to regain her balance.

The elevator dinged when they reached the ground floor.

Joshua let go of Avery. Seeing that she could stand on her feet, he stepped out, leaving her with only the sight of his confident stride as he walked away.

Avery rubbed her waist as she exited the elevator. She muttered under her breath while watching Joshua, who was already a distance away, "He's a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Avery stepped onto the street, and after just a few steps, a sweet-looking lady ran toward her. "Ave, I saw what happened at the wedding! That was satisfying!"

Hearing that, Avery gave a small smile.

The lady linked her arm around hers while grinning. "You finally got rid of that jerk, Clyde! This calls for a celebration!"

With that, she pulled Avery toward her red sports car.

The lady was Cassandra Clay, Avery's best friend. Though she looked gentle, her personality was fierce.

"Laurelle, look. Isn't she the lady of the Smiths? Why is she leaving in her wedding dress before the wedding is even over?"

"Mr. Smith must no longer want to marry her, so he kicked her out. I bet she didn't even have time to change."

The women who were gossiping laughed.

Avery turned and saw two women dressed in provocative clothes laughing exaggeratedly. One of them was the Watsons' adopted daughter, Teresa Maves, and the other was the daughter of the Sanders, Laurelle Sander.

The two of them had once tried to get on Avery's good side, but she had found them bothersome and ignored them. She hadn't expected to meet them there.

"Something funny?" Avery looked at them coolly.

Teresa sneered, "Avery, do you think you're still the Smiths' future lady who everyone needs to bow and scrape to?"

Her gaze was scornful as she glanced at Avery's bare skin. "You don't even know your place. Did you think that shamelessly getting into bed with Mr. Joshua would turn you into a swan when you're nothing more than an ugly duckling? What a shame. You've gotten yourself into a worse position."

Laurelle chimed in, "That's right! You think you can worm your way into his life. How about try looking into the mirror for once—"

But before she could finish, Avery slapped her across the face. The smacking sound was clear and loud, silencing everyone.

Avery rubbed her tingling hand. "Laurelle, your skin's so thick that my hand hurts from slapping you."

Cassandra quickly took a tissue out of her handbag for Avery to clean her hand.

Avery looked at Teresa, who had shock plastered over her face, and asked with a smile, "What? You want one too?"

Avery's smirk sent a chill down Teresa's spine, and she quickly shrank behind Laurelle.

Meanwhile, Laurelle came to her senses and lunged at Avery, clawing. "You bitch! How dare you hit me!"

Cassandra stepped forward and grabbed Laurelle's wrist. There was the sharp sound of bones cracking, and Laurelle's hand went limp.

As Laurelle opened her mouth to scream, Avery stuffed the crumpled tissue she had just used into it.

Seeing Laurelle fall to the ground coughing and wheezing, Teresa's face drained of color as her hands began to shake in fear.

Cassandra wanted to give her a taste of it too. But seeing her cowardly expression, she lost her interest. "How boring. Let's go, Ave."

Avery nodded. Just when she was about to leave with Cassandra, she remembered something.

When Teresa saw her walking over again, she started sobbing. While retreating nervously, she threatened in a trembling voice, "D-Don't come any closer! I'll shout!"

Avery found it hilarious. She grabbed Teresa's arm and whispered in her ear, "If I find out you or your friend here mess with Cassie over what happened today, I'll let everyone know about how you seduced your foster brother."

Teresa's eyes widened with terror. How did Avery know about that?

Without wasting any more time with Teresa, Avery released her and turned to pull Cassandra toward the sports car.

Teresa sank to the ground and stared ahead blankly.

"Ave, look. Isn't that Joshua in that car?"

Avery looked in the direction Cassandra pointed and met Joshua's eyes, his gaze full of affection. Just as she was about to go up to him, he raised the window and drove off, leaving only a trail of dust behind.

She gritted her teeth in anger. She silently cursed the man who acted like he didn't know her after having sex with her.

Cassandra held back her laughter as she looked at Avery's frustrated expression. She offered while still trying to hold in her laughter, "Want me to chase him down?"

Avery scoffed. "Forget it. Aren't we celebrating? Let's go!"

"Yes, ma'am."

In the sports car with the roof down, the rush of wind gradually soothed Avery's lingering anger. She had called off the wedding and taken revenge on Clyde and Abigail in front of everyone on the same day.

Cassandra asked curiously, "So, Joshua defended you at the wedding… Did you two really…"

"Yup, three times."

Cassandra shot her a thumbs-up. "That's my girl."

From her peripheral view, she noticed Avery's right wrist. "Wait… That red bracelet you're always wearing, is it gone?"

Avery glanced down and found that the bracelet was gone from her right wrist. It disappeared before she could even take it off herself.

She smiled wistfully. "Guess it was time to lose the gift given to me by that piece of trash anyway."

Chapter 5

Avery and Cassandra spent the entire day outside until dusk approached. That was when Cassandra finally drove Avery back to the traditional medicine clinic.

From a distance, they saw Molly, Howard, and Abigail standing outside the clinic's entrance.

Cassandra was worried as she looked at Avery. "Want to stay at my place for a few days? There's no way they would dare make a fuss at my house."

Avery shook her head and turned down her offer. She knew certain matters couldn't be avoided. More importantly, the clinic was left by her grandfather for her. She shouldn't need to avoid anyone there.

Cassandra knew Avery's personality and how she wouldn't budge once she set her mind on a decision. So, she didn't say more and only asked her to be careful and to call her if things got out of hand.

Avery nodded. Then, she got out of the car and walked toward the clinic entrance.

The moment Molly saw Avery, she rushed over and scolded her, "Where have you been off to, you disgrace? You're a humiliation to the Sinclairs for sleeping around with men!"

Avery was used to Molly's rebukes. She crossed her arms and sneered mockingly at her, "So, do you think shouting on the street about how I sleep around with men somehow brings the Sinclairs honor?"

Molly's scolding abruptly halted, but she quickly recovered. "You… How dare you talk back!"

Molly glared furiously at Avery, acting as if she weren't her daughter but her enemy.

"You'd better hand over the 30% share to Abigail and let her marry into the Smiths! Or else, I'm going to disown you!"

Avery retorted, "As if you've ever treated me like a daughter."

Molly's whole body was trembling with rage, and she raised her hand to slap Avery.

"Stop it!" Molly's wrist was caught mid-air before she could hit Avery.

Howard's expression was dark as he said, "I brought you here to talk, not to hit her."

Molly opened her mouth to protest, but a glare from Howard forced her to keep silent. Left with no choice, she unwillingly stood aside.

After reprimanding Molly, Howard turned to Avery. "Ave, don't hold it against your mother. She's just anxious about Abigail. She didn't actually want to hit you."

Avery remained silent.

Seeing how she refused to talk, Howard continued, "Abby messed up your wedding, and I understand you're upset with her about that. But she's still your sister."

"So?"

Avery's response encouraged him, and he pressed on, "If Abby doesn't marry into the Smith family, she'll be ruined. Let her have the wedding and wedding gift while you marry into the Sander family. That will be the perfect solution!"

Listening to Howard's "perfect solution", Avery almost couldn't suppress her laugh. Was this his so-called concern for her?

Everyone in Starbury knew the Sanders' son, Charles, was a womanizer. He always had a different woman by his side every day.

Howard intended for Avery to marry into the Sander family to secure a business deal with them. With that and Abigail marrying into the well-connected Smith family, of course, it would be a perfect solution for him.

Avery didn't rebut. Instead, she turned to Abigail with a smile. "I'm the elder sister, so naturally, I should take care of my younger sister. Since a marriage with the Sander family is so ideal, why not let Abigail marry into their family instead?"

Hearing that, Abigail started to tremble.

Everyone in the elite society knew that Charles was not only a womanizer but also had a lot of sexual kinks. Many women drawn into his orbit often ended up scarred and humiliated.

Abigail didn't want to marry that demon.

She raised her head, revealing her reddened eyes. She looked at Avery and pleaded pitifully, "Avery, I know I shouldn't have messed with your marriage. But Clyde and I are really in love! Please let us be!"

Her voice choked as she pleaded.

By then, there was a crowd surrounding them. The spectators began to murmur, "Isn't that the Sinclairs' younger daughter? Why is she crying?"

"She must've been bullied by her elder sister! I'm not surprised. The elder one has a reputation for arrogance. Poor Abigail is probably always being bullied."

"No wonder Clyde Smith would rather marry the younger sister than the elder one on their wedding day itself…"

As the crowd showed their sympathy for Abigail, she felt smug within. However, she bit her lip and feigned the impression of a victim holding back tears, looking pitiful.

Molly's heart ached looking at Abigail's pitiful demeanor. She wiped her tears away while scolding Avery, "You ungrateful child! I'm still alive, and you dare treat your sister like this in front of me? Apologize, now!"

"Apologize?" Avery found Molly's words ridiculous. "She shamelessly seduced her future brother-in-law on my wedding day, and you want me to apologize to her?"

As soon as Avery said that, the crowd's opinion began to shift, and they looked at Abigail with disdain. Very soon, the number of spectators grew. There were even reporters with their cameras gathering around, prepared to record them.

Howard's expression darkened. He knew that the spectacle would only taint his image, and he wanted to leave with Molly and Abigail.

But Molly wasn't ready to give up and leave that easily. She clung to his arm and urged him, "Dear, we still haven't gotten her shares yet. Without them, how will Abby marry into the Smith family?"

As the sounds of cameras snapping photos grew, Howard's expression grew darker. Ignoring Molly's protests, he turned and got into the car himself.

Seeing Howard's thunderous expression, Molly kept quiet and dragged Abigail into the car together unwillingly.

The car sped away quickly and disappeared from everyone's view.

With nothing left to see, the reporters packed up their gear and started to leave.

Watching them leave, Avery felt confused. She muttered to herself, "Why would the reporters show up here all of a sudden?"

…

At Smith Corporation, Delcan walked into Joshua's office. His tone was respectful as he informed Joshua, "Mr. Smith, word just came in that Howard left Ms. Sinclair's clinic after seeing the reporters."

"At least the guy has some sense." Joshua's eyes gleamed coldly. "Release the footage from the wedding to all the big media companies. I want everyone to know about it early in the morning."

Delcan asked with concern, "But what about Mr. Sinclair Senior…"

"Leave him to me. Just do as I said."

Delcan didn't say anything further and left to carry out his orders.

Joshua opened his palm, and there was a red bracelet resting in the middle. There was a complex look in his eyes as he looked at it.