The entire room fell silent as the guests stood rooted to the spot in shock.
"Good heavens, isn't that Jessica Hayes?" one of the guests blurted out in disbelief.
"Hold on, wasn't Alan about to marry a servant's daughter? Then what's he doing here with Jessica? This is unbelievable!"
"And all this time Jessica acted like some perfect lady. Looks like she's no better than someone who breaks up relationships."
"Well, I have to admit, she has a good body."
"So this is the kind of behavior the Hopkins family tolerates? The wedding isn't even over, and there's already a scandal. My sister is staying far away from this family from now on."
The weight of every judgmental gaze felt like a slap landing directly on them.
Jessica instinctively hid behind Alan, her complexion drained of all color.
Alan stood there with his clothes in disarray and fury written all over his face. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow him whole.
Adrian Hopkins, Alan's grandfather, looked as though a storm were brewing behind his eyes. Still, he forced himself to remain calm and addressed the crowd. "Everyone, I believe there has been a misunderstanding. My grandson would never behave in such a manner."
Then he turned to the butler and ordered, "Please see our guests out."
The butler immediately moved to carry out the order. Although the guests were eager to stay and witness the aftermath, none of them dared challenge the authority of the Hopkins family, so they reluctantly left.
The second the room emptied, Adrian swung his hand and slapped Alan hard across the face. "You worthless fool! Are you determined to drag the Hopkins name through the mud?" he roared.
The impact sent Alan's head jerking sideways, and a thin line of blood soon appeared at the corner of his lips.
He remained silent, not daring to defend himself. His gaze searched the room on instinct, looking for Alina, only to realize she had already disappeared.
A brief sense of relief washed over him, but it vanished just as quickly, replaced by an unsettling emptiness deep inside.
Emerie Hopkins, Alan's mother, hurried forward and caught Adrian's arm. "Adrian, losing your temper won't fix this situation. Right now, the wedding is what matters most."
"You're correct," Adrian replied. His eyes moved around the room as his face darkened. "Where's Alina?"
"She's not here anymore. All of you, start looking for her immediately!" Emerie barked at the staff members nearby.
...
By then, Alina had already left the hotel far behind.
While walking past the church next door, an inexplicable urge made her pause.
The room was silent and cold. A single coffin sat alone in the middle of the hall.
Kellan, a man who had once stood at the peak of power and influence, now rested here, without anyone by his side to grieve for him.
There had been rumors that Pamela Gilbert, desperate to save her son, had searched everywhere for a woman willing to marry him in hopes of changing his fate. Yet not a single daughter from a prestigious family had been willing to step forward.
Before tragedy struck, wealthy socialites had competed for a place by his side. Afterward, every one of them vanished without a trace.
Alina suddenly realized the cruel irony of the situation.
She slowly approached the coffin before lowering herself to the floor beside it. Resting against the cold wood, she finally allowed the tears she had suppressed for so long to spill freely down her face.
"This world really is ugly. The people who fight the hardest and give the most never seem to receive the ending they deserve," Alina said in a raspy voice, a bitter hint of self-mockery woven into her words. "In the end, even the strongest and most powerful people are reduced to nothing more than lifeless bodies."
Alina had never been the type to pour out her thoughts, but standing here before someone who could no longer answer, she found herself wanting to say everything.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she continued, "If I'm destined to become a bride, I'd rather marry a decent man who's dead than spend my life with a man who's alive but rotten to the core."
No sooner had the sentence left her mouth than an angry shout exploded from behind her.
"Alina!" Alan charged into the church with the Hopkins family close behind. Judging by the look on his face, he had heard every single word she had said. Rage radiated from him. "What exactly is that supposed to mean? Are you seriously saying you'd choose a dead man over me?"
Adrian fixed her with a piercing stare. "Alina, tell me the truth. Were you the one who triggered the fire alarm?"
Alina stood up slowly and met Adrian's eyes without a trace of fear. "Yes. I did it."
Alan's expression changed instantly. She knew. She had witnessed everything that had happened.
Countless emotions surged through him at once. There was rage, there was shame, and underneath them all lurked an unsettling fear—a feeling that something important was slipping through his fingers, something he desperately didn't want to lose.
Jessica immediately moved forward, putting on a performance of righteous anger as she spoke. "Alina, how could you possibly do something like this? Your mother worked for our family for ten years. We never treated either of you badly, yet this is how you choose to repay our kindness?"
A cold smile appeared on Alina's face. "My mother worked and earned her wages honestly. She wasn't living off your family's charity. And the two of you are the ones who were sneaking around behind my back. What happened? You're bold enough to cheat but too ashamed to admit it publicly?"
Jessica's face instantly turned red with anger.
"That's enough!" Adrian interrupted sharply, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Alina, you're going back right now and finishing this wedding."
Alina looked at him. Then, with an unnervingly calm expression, she replied, "Fine. I'll get married."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the Hopkins family.
However, Adrian's eyes flashed with disdain. In his view, Alina was merely the daughter of a servant. Being accepted into the Hopkins family was already more than she could have hoped for. This entire act was nothing more than her trying to play hard to get.
He turned away, ready to end the discussion.
But then Alina's voice cut through the air again. "The man I'm going to marry is... Kellan Gilbert."
