Chapter 361
As a participant, Winnie politely declined those asking for her socials and calmly stood beside Alan, looking down at her phone.
Alan couldn't see what she was typing since her screen was privacy-protected. It seemed mysterious. "You see over there, Bob, my uncle," Alan suddenly pointed out.
Winnie looked over and saw Lawrence standing next to Bob. In that moment, something flickered in Winnie's heart.
"They look really similar, don't you think so?" Alan seemed to guess her thoughts and smirked. "Well, more like my dad. Bob seems to have opened up to Lawrence."
Even though Winnie was not familiar with Trento City, she understood that Bob held significant power as the Minister of Defense and was a key figure in the country's foremost prominent family. Then, Mr. Ordelia's smug expression from earlier came to mind. Three years prior, Darcy had alluded to Lawrence having a complex identity. As events unfolded, it appeared to ring true.
"So, that's Mars," Alan pointed out again. "Rumor has it that he's my uncle's adopted son."
Winnie squinted her eyes and indeed saw Mars walking toward Bob, nodding respectfully, but with his bold expression still evident.
"It's surely quite lively today." Alan clicked his tongue. "This insignificant Lymington has gained attention solely due to Lawrence, attracting numerous influential figures from Trento City."
"I didn't invite you," a cold male voice came from beside them. Lawrence had just finished entertaining a few wealthy merchants. Holding his wine glass elegantly, he cast a cold gaze toward Alan. In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Winnie, and his gaze slightly shifted. He lightly parted his lips and addressed her, "I didn't invite you either. What are you doing here?"
Thinking about how the two of them had only tangled with each other last night, a fleeting trace of complexity passed through Winnie's face. She straightened her hair and showed him two invitation cards. "Since you didn't invite me, someone else definitely did. If I, your ex-wife, have to witness your wedding, I had no choice but to come."
Lawrence's expression slightly stiffened. He hadn't anticipated putting her in such an embarrassing situation, nor had he bothered with the wedding invitations; Darcy had handled all of that. His pupils narrowed slightly as he prepared to speak, but before he could, Winnie didn't give him a chance. Instead, she calmly walked toward the other side, arm in arm with Alan.
In Lawrence's profound gaze, he noticed the ribbon on her neck. Her neck was slender and beautiful, as white as a swan, and he had left heavy marks on it last night which explained why she was covering it with a ribbon.
"Lawrence, if you keep looking at her like that, I will suspect who you really want to marry today." Benjamin walked over helplessly and reminded him, "Darcy must be getting anxious inside. Since you've decided to get married, live a good life with your bride. There are no regrets in this world. You must go through with this wedding and ceremony."
Lawrence tightly pursed his lips as he bitterly smiled. Furrowing his brow, he spoke coldly, "I never intended to marry Winnie. It's impossible. I also know that today I am marrying Darcy."
Benjamin breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see him still clear-headed. "Let's go, you should go meet Darcy."
The sound of church bells chimed, and a melodious music filled the air. Amidst the wedding march and the fluttering petals, Darcy, in her bejeweled wedding gown and wearing a crown, walked gracefully from the other end of the lawn toward Lawrence.
The man in the black suit looked perfect and tall, his handsome features outstanding from every angle, as if bestowed by God. His stern figure exuded a sense of mature athleticism. Darcy's dream had always been to become the heir of the Rodriguez family and marry the future ruler of Trento City.
She had worked hard and strived for so many years, and she was finally marrying Lawrence. She was officially Mrs. Rodriguez.
Darcy's gaze quickly glanced at Winnie from the crowd. A flash of triumph crossed her eyes. She had been competing with Winnie for so long, and in the end, she was the winner. She knew that Lawrence had slept with that woman again last night; she could hear it in his hoarse voice through the phone.
However, it didn't matter because from then on Lawrence would belong entirely to her. She would have children with him and have everything he owned.
Winnie can't get anything. Not only that, but Darcy had carefully set up everything so that Winnie's downfall would happen on that day. A fleeting smile appeared on the corner of Darcy's mouth as she gracefully walked to the altar, facing Lawrence. The deep black eyes of the man made her heart race and her face blush.
She said affectionately, "Lawrence, I am finally going to marry you." Although the woman's eyes were glistening with tears, Lawrence was not moved. Throughout, he knew he was going to marry Darcy.
Over the past three years, he had tried hard to fall in love with her. She was a woman who had given too much for him. But at that moment, facing the wedding, all he felt was a heavy stone weighing on him, making him cold and numb. It seemed that the woman sitting in the audience finally made him understand that love was not something one could control, nor dictate with one's heart. He could control everything and was proud of his ability to self-control, yet he was unable to control his heart.
Darcy saw him glance at Winnie from the corner of his eye, prompting her to immediately softened her tone. "It would be wonderful if Madam Rodriguez could wake up," she said. "After all, I saved her, and now we're becoming a family. She would surely be pleased, don't you think?" In reality, she was subtly reminding him of the favor she had done by donating a kidney to his mother. Lawrence snapped back to reality, meeting her gaze with a hint of emotion.
Darcy glanced coldly at Winnie, who was still troubling Mr. Rodriguez's heart at the wedding. She thought to herself, 'Just wait, once the vows are over, I will have the evidence of you stealing the chip projected on the big screen. Ha, even the police will applaud me.'
The priest delivered his speech, "Lawrence, do you willingly take Darcy as your wife? Whether in poverty or wealth, in sickness or in health, will you wholeheartedly care for her and cherish her? Do you consent?"
All eyes in the room turned to the stage. Darcy also looked affectionately at the man.
Lawrence lowered his hand and furrowed his brows, "I..."
Before he could say the last two words, the deep voice of a man from the massive screen behind them suddenly overwhelmed their surroundings. Unbeknownst to them, the large screen, which had been playing their love story, suddenly changed.
Darcy was stunned, furrowing her brows. She was still thinking about how the servants were handling things, and it wasn't time to expose Winnie's guilt yet. But along with the rest of the guests at the wedding, she turned her head and was shocked, her face quickly paling.
"Um... no... I don't want it..." On the large screen, the incredibly exciting scene, with a woman fully exposed, left the entire audience and numerous dignitaries dumbfounded.
It was Darcy's face displayed on the screen. She was being pinned down by a man, only half of his profile visible.
The audience began murmuring to one another and pointing at the screen, clearly taken aback.
"Oh my god, that's Darcy, today's bride!"
"Focus, the male lead is not the groom, it's not Lawrence!"
"Are you saying that Darcy cheated before the wedding?"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Darcy's face turned pale and stiff. Finally, she reacted and immediately shouted, "It's not me! Stop it, who did this?!"
Mr. and Mrs. Ordelia couldn't believe it either. It was their daughter being displayed on the screen, engaging in such embarrassing acts. But reacting quickly, they stood up in shock. "This isn't Darcy, it must be manipulated. Lawrence, quickly have them stop it! Staff, turn off the screen!"
After a gasp from the crowd, chaos ensued as the staff rushed over to unplug the power. But the power seemed to malfunction and couldn't be cut off at all.
Darcy completely panicked, feeling overwhelmed. She nervously glanced at Lawrence, then shifted her gaze to the large screen. Lawrence's expression remained unreadable as the video continued to play, one after another.
The audience continued to exclaim as the videos played on.
"This seems to be a compilation of videos. Each one has a timestamp, probably from the surveillance footage. The latest one was from yesterday."
"Darcy is impressive, having sex with another man the day before the wedding!"
"The same person is the lover, and there are so many different positions."
"Did Lawrence's bride really cheat?!"
Discussions arose, but the volume was lowered as everyone feared and looked at Lawrence who remained silent.
"No, it's not true! Lawrence, listen to me, this is definitely manipulated. I have never betrayed you; someone is trying to harm me." Darcy's eyes reddened, and she immediately rushed over, wanting to embrace the man and explain herself.