Chapter 26
After signing the divorce agreement, Pearl vanished without a trace in Machodean. No one expected her to reappear like this. She looked absolutely stunning with her confident demeanor.
Lucas was also taken aback by her presence, and a faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. His eyes seemed glued to her, unable to look away. Pearl was undeniably stealing the spotlight from all the men in the room.
Even Marc, who was usually unflappable, showed a hint of astonishment. He had no idea that she could fly a helicopter.
Pearl, under the scrutiny of everyone’s gaze, walked confidently up to Phoenix without glancing around. She crouched down slowly, shedding her seemingly cold aura, and transformed into a picture of gentleness.
“Phoenix, you really frightened me. Let’s not do this.”
Phoenix, who was usually so dominant and bossy, showed a different side when Pearl appeared. She grabbed Pearl’s hand with a mix of surprise and amazement in her eyes. “You scared me. Flying a plane is so dangerous, and you dared to do it?”
“Well, you came up to the rooftop, which is also high and dangerous.” Pearl wrinkled her nose, looking a bit miffed.
Phoenix leaned in close and whispered, “I didn’t actually intend to jump down. I just wanted to scare that brat a bit. He shouldn’t have insisted on marrying that horrible woman. I wanted to teach him a lesson!”
Pearl nodded, conveying her understanding. “Let’s go downstairs then. It’s windy up here, and catching a cold wouldn’t be worth it.”
Pearl covered Phoenix’s legs with a thin blanket she had personally sewn for her. Phoenix liked it and always kept it on her lap. Phoenix had a much better temperament compared to Marc. No matter how kind Pearl was to Marc, he never appreciated it.
Phoenix nodded obediently. In front of Pearl, she was always very gentle, completely
devoid of her usual dominance.
1/5
0
M
Chapter 26
11 14:30
Marc watched Phoenix and Pearl, who were like mother and daughter, and felt a strange
mixture of emotions.
He did not know why, but when Pearl first entered the Males family, everyone disliked her. However, as time passed, he could not fathom what kind of magic she had worked. All of a sudden, everyone began to like her, and they occasionally stood by her side, joining her in accusing him, which irritated him immensely.
He felt that she was deliberately trying to please the family, and he disliked such worldly and insincere behavior. So, the more the family praised her, the more he felt a sense of rebellion and grew to dislike her.
But at this very moment, he suddenly realized that his family members were all very intelligent and experienced in the ways of the world. Whether it was his mother or his grandparents, there was no way they could be deceived by someone who was insincere. If Pearl were truly trying to please them or putting on a false front, they would see through it
at a glance.
Clarissa stood among the crowd, watching this scene, consumed by jealousy.
She was supposed to be Phoenix’s daughter–in–law, but it seemed like Phoenix and Pearl were the true family. Today was her wedding day, and she was supposed to be the star, but Pearl had managed to steal her spotlight.
“Mom!”
Clarissa shouted dramatically, holding her wedding gown as she rushed toward Phoenix, her face filled with anxiety. “Why are you being so unreasonable? Can’t we have a civil conversation? You don’t have to take it this far. This will embarrass me, and Marc will be condemned by everyone for being a terrible son!”
Her words instantly turned the peaceful atmosphere icy once again. She had single- handedly made the entire situation awkward.
Clarissa was fully committed to her act, crying with fake tears streaming down her face.
Pearl and Phoenix exchanged disgusted glances and said in unison, “Could you please shut up?”
M
Chapter 26
“And who do you think you’re calling ‘mom? Stop being so presumptuous!”
ax 14:38
Clarissa, reprimanded like this, stiffened for a moment. When she met Phoenix’s icy gaze, she instinctively sought help from Marc, but he showed no intention of coming to her aid.
Moreover, she realized with fear that there was no warmth left in Marc’s gaze.
This made her heart incredibly anxious. As Pearl pushed Phoenix’s wheelchair towards the exit, Clarissa panicked and suddenly stood up, pointing at Pearl while shouting, “I know! It’s you! Everything that happened today, it’s all your doing!”
“Clarissa,” Marc called his fiancée’s name with a deep tone. “If you have no evidence, don’t make baseless accusations.”
Not only did Marc address her by her name, but his words were clearly in defense of Pearl. This only added to Clarissa’s growing unease, as she felt like she might lose him.
She believed she was not making baseless claims. What was supposed to be a beautiful wedding had turned into a mess. Someone clearly was conspiring against her. Since she had returned to Machodean not long ago, she had not made any enemies. The only person she had a conflict with was Pearl. Moreover, Pearl’s high–profile appearance made everyone think she was trying to steal Marc away.
“Pearl, if you have the guts to do something like this, then have the guts to admit it. How dare you do it but not own up to it?” Clarissa pointed at Pearl. Whether or not Pearl did this, she was determined to make her take the blame.
1
If she did not do this, she felt she might never be able to marry into the Males family.
Pearl, supporting Phoenix’s wheelchair, calmly said, “I did it. So what?”
Marc looked towards Pearl, his expression startled. He had not expected Pearl to actually
admit to it.
Just yesterday, she had pretended not to know him, adopting an attitude of wanting a complete and permanent separation. He did not understand why she was suddenly making a scene like this.
Clarissa was also taken aback, not anticipating that Pearl would confess so readily.
14:30
Chapter 20
Pearl did not see the importance of whether she admitted it or not. Even though it was Hubert who did it, he did it on her behalf, and it was not much different from her doing It herself. So, she decided to admit it straightforwardly.
Clarissa immediately took the moral high ground, scolding Pearl, “You have no shame!”
Pearl chuckled. “And how about you? Is stealing someone else’s husband a matter of shame? You’ve been living such a promiscuous life outside, juggling multiple relationships. Now that you’re tired of playing around, you want to marry an honest man. Aren’t you despicable?”
Marc furrowed his brow.
He vaguely felt that Pearl was referring to him as the so–called honest man.
Clarissa quickly glanced in Marc’s direction and saw his darkening expression. Her heart tightened, and she could not help but cry, “Marc, don’t listen to her nonsense. How could I be that kind of person? It’s all Pearl smearing me! I–I’ll sue you!”
“You want to sue. Go ahead. You have the right to file a lawsuit. But from what I know, the Santos family is currently drowning in lawsuits, owing millions that your family hasn’t paid off yet. I wonder if you even have the money for lawyer fees. Need me to lend you some?” Pearl didn’t care about her threats. “Whenever you decide to take legal action, just let me know. My legal team is always ready to welcome you.”
She could not be bothered to argue with Clarissa any longer. In her eyes, Clarissa was just playing the victim, and arguing with her was pointless. Pearl pushed Phoenix off the rooftop.
Clarissa was trembling with anger, unable to understand why Pearl, a girl from an ordinary village family with no apparent advantages, had the audacity to provoke her repeatedly and shamelessly talk about her “legal team.”
Pearl’s tone was as if she were a wealthy heiress, which Clarissa found laughable.
Blinded by rage, Clarissa never considered that if Pearl were truly just an ordinary village girl, she could not have possibly learned to fly a plane.
“Marc, look at Pearl. She’s gone too far!” Clarissa approached Marc, urging him to scold
Chapter 26
Pearl. “I don’t care. I’ll definitely hire a lawyer to sue her! She invaded my privacy, damaged my reputation, and ruined my wedding! I’ll make sure she spends the rest of her life in prison!”
Marc, looking at Clarissa’s tear–stained face with a distorted expression, felt that her face was now utterly repulsive, far from the person he remembered. He could tolerate her drama and vanity, but he could not tolerate her using his genuine feelings to deceive him.
“Clarissa,” he said in a deep voice, “let’s break up.”
