

Chapter 1 of Engagement Party Ruined, My Girlfriend's Secret Affair
For eight years, Cassandra Sinclair and I endured a long-distance relationship. Then, one day, she told me she was ready to make our marriage official.
Overjoyed, I immediately called my mother and invited her to my engagement party.
Not wanting my future in-laws to look down on us, my mother spent all her savings on an elegant dress. She dressed carefully, making sure to present herself at her very best before setting off.
To my surprise, when the big announcement came, Cassandra stood on stage. Not with me but hand-in-hand with her male assistant, their fingers intertwined in an unmistakable display of intimacy.
"Tonight, we’re not just celebrating a major company achievement. I also have a very special announcement to make."
"I’ve decided to marry… Damien Knox!"
A stunned silence filled the hall as soon as she finished speaking. Then, as if on cue, every head turned toward me. The expressions in their eyes varied… mockery, pity, scorn.
Confused by this situation, my mother immediately rose to her feet. "Nate, didn’t you say tonight was your engagement party with Cassie?"
I looked at Cassandra, hoping that she would explain everything.
Instead, she turned to me with a cold gaze and said, "A country bumpkin like you dreaming of marrying me? How ridiculous."
——
With that, she took Damien’s hand and walked away, not sparing me a single glance.
Laughter rippled through the crowd, mocking words thrown at me and my mother, ridiculing us for our so-called lack of class.
I stood there in stunned silence. Meanwhile, my mother lowered her head in guilt as if it were somehow her fault.
"Nate, is it because our family has burdened you so much? Is it because of your poor background that people look down on you?"
I wanted to comfort my mother right away. No, even if we came from the countryside, we built our wealth with our own hands. We were no worse than those born into privilege.
However, before I could speak, my mother suddenly squatted down, clutching her chest. Her face turned deathly pale, her body trembling slightly.
In her unsteady state, she accidentally bumped into a woman in a tight black dress. It was Damien’s sister, Bianca Knox.
"Ugh, you filthy old woman! How dare you bump into me and spill my drink all over me?"
Bianca glared down at my mother, her tone dripping with malice.
"Oh, it’s you… the pathetic nobody!"
"What’s wrong? Your son couldn’t marry my future sister-in-law, so now he’s resorting to cheap tricks behind her back?"
"Do you have any idea how expensive this is? My future sister-in-law had it custom-made for me. It is high-end, one of a kind! And now, thanks to you, it’s ruined. Pay up!"
Before I could stop her, Bianca suddenly raised her hand and slapped my mother across the face.
"Bianca, enough!"
"I’ll compensate you, but my mother didn’t do it on purpose. Apologize to her."
Our commotion quickly drew attention.
In the distance, Cassandra spotted us. She walked over, her expression cold, bringing security with her. Without bothering to ask what had happened, she immediately lashed out at me.
"Nathaniel Arden, do you just have to ruin my night?"
"This was supposed to be a pleasant dinner and you completely ruined it."
Furious, Cassandra flung the wine in her hand straight into my face. My mother’s guilt deepened at the sight, her face filled with self-reproach.
She tried to stand up and apologize on my behalf, but the sharp pain in her stomach was so intense that she could not even get the words out.
"Cassie, it was his mother who deliberately spilled wine on me! And she even cursed my brother for taking you away."
Hearing Bianca twist the truth so blatantly made my blood boil.
"You’re lying…"
"Apologize!" Cassandra cut me off, her voice sharp as a blade.
My mother and I had done nothing wrong. There was no way we should be the ones apologizing.
Right now, I only cared about my mother’s condition. I knew she had stomach problems and I needed to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.
Seeing that my mother had no intention of apologizing, Cassandra’s anger flared even more.
She turned to the security guards behind her and told them to hold me down and make my mother apologize to Bianca.
"Nathaniel, tell your mother to apologize already! Everyone’s watching!"
"Are you trying to embarrass me in front of everyone?"
"Cassie, my mother is sick. Please, just let us go. I need to take her to the hospital."

















