Ethan ignored the shocked stares from everyone around him and rushed straight to Melanie on the stage.
He gripped her arm tightly. "Melanie, I am your fiancé. How can you marry someone else?"
The crowd below erupted in an uproar.
Melanie shook off his hand and looked at him coldly. "Mr. Dawson, please watch your words. I have always been nothing more than your subordinate. When did you ever become me fiancé?"
Ethan's eyes had already turned red with rage. He no longer cared about anything and blurted out. "Melanie, you slept with me for five years and now you're telling me you are my subordinate?"
Melanie gave a mocking laugh. "Mr. Dawson, you shouldn't say things like that carelessly. Do you have any proof that we were together for five years? Photos? Videos? Or witnesses?"
Ethan's pupils trembled.
How could he have forgotten that to keep Rosalyn from feeling uncomfortable, he had kept their relationship completely secret for five years? Even his own sister had no idea.
In fact, over those five years, they never once took a single photo together.
With that realization, Ethan had nothing to say in response.
In desperation he raised his left hand, showing the plain ring. "Melanie, have you forgotten that you already accepted my proposal?"
Beside them Mathew let out a sneer. "Your proposal ring is just a cheap plain band. Is your love really so worthless?"
Ethan glanced at the massive pink diamond on Melanie's finger and the color slowly drained from his face.
He had no way to explain that he had indeed just bought a random pair of rings from a street stall to brush her off.
"Enough. Since there's no evidence, this is nothing but slander." Mathew pulled Melanie protectively into his arms, his tone icy. "Security, escort Mr. Dawson out."
Ethan, the usually elegant man, looked utterly disheveled as the bodyguards dragged him away.
But he still refused to give up, breaking free from their hold and grabbing Melanie's hand again. "Melanie, listen to me. The Fuller family and my family have been enemies for generations. Mathew and I have been fighting tooth and nail since we were kids! He doesn't love you at all. Marrying you is just his way of getting revenge on me! Come with me, alright? We can go get the marriage certificate right now!"
Ethan looked at her with desperate sincerity.
Melanie frowned. So he and Mathew were mortal enemies?
Mathew had never mentioned it to her.
But it didn't matter.
Enemies were even better.
Melanie leaned close to Ethan's ear, her red lips parting softly. "Ethan, I don't care what kind of relationship you have with Mathew, and I don't care whether he loves me or not. I only want you to go to hell and atone for what you did to my mother!"
Ethan's body jerked as if struck. He stared at Melanie, his face turning deathly pale in an instant. "Melanie, you… you…"
He couldn't bring himself to ask the question because he saw pure hatred in her eyes. "Melanie, listen to me…"
He tried frantically to explain but Melanie cut him off. "Mr. Dawson, you are not welcome at my wedding. Please leave."
With that, a group of bodyguards surged forward again.
"Melanie, I was wrong! I'm sorry! I'm begging you, don't marry him. You'll regret it…" Ethan struggled weakly but was eventually thrown out of the church doors in disgrace.
He still refused to give up and tried to rush back in, only to be punched to the ground by a bodyguard.
Then more fists and kicks rained down on him heavily.
Only when Ethan coughed up blood did the bodyguards finally stop and leave.
At that moment Ethan's phone rang. "Mr. Dawson, something terrible happened! The billion-dollar contract under Rosalyn's responsibility is in trouble. The client is demanding to terminate it!"
"What?!" Despite the searing pain, Ethan forced himself up from the floor and rushed toward the company.
