Timothy gently patted Wendy's hand and turned to the guests with a calm smile.

"Everyone, Wendy and I aren't blood-related. I was adopted by the Hudson family when I was young. I worked hard all these years before I finally felt worthy enough to hold her hand. Please, give us your blessings."

Wendy stepped forward as well.

"Tim never wanted to bring up his past. It's only because of this ungrateful troublemaker that we have to explain," she said. "Today's my wedding. Fine if you won't offer your blessing, but why come here just to cause a scene?"

A glass of wine was thrown straight at my face, red liquid running down my hair and collar as curses followed from every direction. I sneered and wiped the wine from my face.

Ungrateful? That word suited Timothy Zuckerman far better.

The three of us were about the same age, and we had been inseparable as children.

Back then, when the Hudson family found out he wasn't their biological son, they planned to send him back to the orphanage. I was the one who begged my parents to take him in.

We ate at the same table, lived under the same roof, and grew up together. After graduation, I even funded his startup and helped him build his career from the ground up.

He knew full well that Wendy and I were married, yet he still destroyed our relationship. If anyone was an ingrate, it was Timothy.

At that thought, I grabbed a glass of wine from a nearby table and flung it straight at Timothy. "I should be the one splashing wine here. Back then, when you were kneeling outside the Miller residence, begging my parents to take you in, you weren't so cocky.

"You cried and swore you'd repay me for the rest of your life, but now, you stole my wife—your niece. Is this how you repay me?"

For a brief second, the room fell silent. Then, an even louder laughter erupted.

"Wait. The Millers? You've got to be kidding. A broke nobody pretending to be the heir of the richest family in the country. He probably heard the real heir rarely stayed in the country and thought he could bluff his way through."

Timothy listened to the laughter and donned a smug smile. "Oh, Jake. You don't actually believe changing your last name makes you the heir of the Miller family, do you?

"All these years, I pitied your poor background, so I never said much about Wendy sponsoring you. But what you've done today is overboard. Do you have any idea how much gossip this will bring down on her?"

As soon as he finished, guests around us chimed in.

"Don't worry. We'll all be your witnesses! This lunatic barged in, assaulted you, and even tried to fake someone else's identity!"

Seeing the crowd on their side, Wendy finally relaxed. She even smiled, then pointed at me. "If I'd known you'd turn out like this, I would've donated that money to stray dogs instead… Security, throw this madman out!"

The guards who had been waiting nearby rushed forward at once. I grabbed a bottle of red wine from the table and smashed it onto the floor. "Lay a finger on me if you dare! Wendy, think about what will happen to your parents."

Her face dropped instantly.

Her parents, Luther Hudson and Janet Cole, had always thought highly of me, not just because I was the heir of the Millers, but because their family had risen with my family's backing.

For these two to secretly hold a wedding behind their backs was practically asking for trouble.

I smirked and said coldly, "My family helped build yours from the ground up. Say, what do you think will happen to Timothy when they find out about this wedding?"

Timothy's face stiffened. He was about to speak when a voice rang out from the entrance. "Mr. and Mrs. Hudson have arrived!"

At the sound of the announcement, everyone turned to look. Luther and Janet entered slowly. Their eyes swept over the chaos scattered across the floor, and Luther's face darkened instantly.

He looked up at the three of us on the stage, his gaze full of anger. I smiled to myself, thinking Wendy had dug her own grave this time. "Mr. Hudson, you came at just the right time. Wendy—"

A sharp slap landed across my face. "It's you again, you madman! Didn't I tell you to stay away from my daughter?"

The sting of the blow left me frozen in place. When I turned my head, I saw Wendy and Timothy smirking at me with unmasked mockery. They had known all along.

Two soft chuckles echoed through what was supposed to be a solemn wedding. Every eye in the room was on me, waiting to see me humiliated.

Janet pointed at me and shrilled, "All these years, Wendy has been supporting your studies, but apparently, it isn't enough for you. Marrying her? Dream on!"

Seeing my shocked expression, Luther let out a dismissive laugh. He leaned closer and whispered, "I know what you're thinking, but you'd better face reality. Your father has been dead for three years.

"Without a leader, your family will be absorbed by us sooner or later. Now, be smart and leave. After they get married, I might let you see Wendy again."

I couldn't help but laugh. Dead? Who said my father was dead?

Years ago, he had been ambushed by enemies and had been recovering abroad ever since. On the surface, the Miller family might look leaderless, but behind the scenes, Dad still had full control.

A wave of domestic media rumors had apparently convinced Luther that Dad was gone. But that was fine. I finally had a clear view of their true colors.

"You're so full of yourself, Mr. Hudson. But when it comes to my family matters, I don't think you know the full story."

Wendy's voice rang out from behind me. "So what if you're really a Miller? They're finished. If you're going to commit identity fraud, at least pick a better person."

The guests around us laughed along.

"He probably knew of the Miller family's wealth on a surface level and thought no one would call him out."

"Right? He must've heard the old news. The Millers have been struggling for years now."

"Why does anyone expect a broke nobody to know about the death of the Miller patriarch? Give me a break!"

I looked at Wendy calmly. "Remind me again—who made the Hudson family what it is today?"

She paused for a moment at my words.

Timothy stepped forward. "It wasn't like the Hudsons didn't work for it themselves. Are you saying it's all because of you? We built the major industries across the country with our blood, sweat, and tears!"

How hilarious.

Back then, the Hudson family only ran a small manufacturing company. It was only after linking up with my family that they expanded, fueled by our investments.

Now, they actually thought they had achieved all that on their own. What a bunch of ungrateful parasites.

The guests began to murmur, noticing my insistence.

"Those clothes on him… They seem really expensive, though."

"You're right. Maybe they're legit."

"It's hard to say. I mean, how could a broke student afford an outfit like that?"

"That's enough! Why are we wasting time on a lunatic?" Wendy snapped, pointing at my clothes with an icy glare. "We've sponsored you all these years, hoping you'd excel at your studies, yet you spent it all on designer clothes.

"You ruined my wedding and tried to smear my reputation. What did I do to deserve this?"

Her furious words immediately silenced the guests. Even Janet glared at me, fuming. "Take his clothes off! He doesn't deserve anything from our family!"

I looked at the oncoming guards and frowned. "Fine. Whatever the amount you've spent on me, I'll give it all back to you now!"

Seeing that I was finally conceding, Wendy wore a satisfied smirk. "Give it back to me? You ungrateful fool, wouldn't all that money be coming from us anyway?"

I glared at her smug face and gritted my teeth. "Name a price. I'll pay triple."

The room erupted. Laughter bounced against the walls, ringing loudly.

"Did I hear that right? That fraud wants to pay triple?"

"Maybe he's planning to sell his parents' organs."

I ignored the snickers around me and fixed my gaze on Wendy. She looked back at me, her tone full of disdain as she uttered a number.

"50 million dollars—that's the money we've spent on you all these years. Triple that amount will be 150 million dollars. Can you even afford it?"

The room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. That number was astronomical.

"That much money? The Hudsons are a charity organization at this point."

"No wonder this poor loser dares to act so brazenly. The Hudsons have spoiled him."

"He took that much money and said he would pay it all back? Not even his family's life insurance money combined could add up to 50 million dollars."

Wendy, smug as she had been, taunted me. "Well? If you can't afford it, get the hell out of here. I'll forget about ever sponsoring an ingrate like you."

I laughed in anger. What gave them the nerve to speak like that?

Dad had just returned to the country yesterday, so I was curious to see what would happen if I actually sent the money. Would they dare to take it?

After texting Dad and getting his reply ten minutes later, I put my phone away.

Timothy slowly stepped toward me. "Why do this to yourself, Jake?"

I fixed him with a cold glare.

He reached out and lightly tapped my cheek, leaning close to whisper, "150 million dollars… That's basically all the cash flow your family has right now, isn't it? My advice—stop trying to save face and start facing reality. Your daddy's long been picked clean."

My anger boiled over. I grabbed a glass of red wine from the side and smashed it against his head. Somehow, my hand had found its way around his neck.

"You're supposed to wait for your turn while I deal with them, but you're already asking for a beating!"

I was ready to tighten my grip when the bodyguards swiftly pinned me to the ground.

"Jake Miller, you lunatic! How could you hurt Tim?"

"Chop off his hand!" Luther commanded. "That should teach him a painful lesson!"

The bodyguards' aggression heightened as they locked me in place. A sharp dagger soon appeared before my eyes.

"My dad will be here any minute!" I shouted. "You'd better think twice!"

Luther sneered. "Look at you, stubborn as a bull. It's time for your lesson."

No sooner had his words fallen than the blade penetrated my palm. A sharp crack of the bones sounded in the air. I gritted my teeth, holding back any sound that tried to escape my lips.

They were ready to finish the job when a sudden, loud rumble interrupted them. All heads turned in the same direction.

"That's… the Millers' chopper!"