I came home from abroad to save my nephew's company from going bust, and also to attend his wedding with his sweetheart.

But just as the banquet was about to start, a barrage of comments suddenly popped up before my eyes:

[Thank goodness the sweetheart is clever and came up with the idea of framing the substitute for poisoning! The male lead will definitely be over with the substitute after this!]

[Exactly! So what if the substitute has stayed by his side for ten years? The male lead still loves his sweetheart the most!]

Elaine Geston, decked out in a luxury wedding gown, strutted up to me with her nose in the air, looking smug.

"So you're the woman Nolan has cherished for ten years? I hate to break it to you, but you're just a substitute for me! You should get lost if you know what's good for you!"

I glanced down at my phone, checking the stock prices, not in the mood to deal with her.

She suddenly looked shocked. She picked up one of the two glasses of wine prepared for the newlyweds, sniffed it, then pointed a finger at me and yelled, "What a vile woman! You actually poisoned the wine! Just because Nolan loves me, you want to kill us both!"

Hearing this, the security guards instantly surrounded me, looking hostile.

I was totally baffled. I pointed at my nephew, who was chatting with guests outside the venue, and said, "What substitute? Ask your husband if he dares to treat his own aunt as a substitute. Does he want his whole family to beat him up? Does he want his company to go bankrupt?"

The comments went wild.

[Oh crap, she's not a substitute but his aunt? The sweetheart's messed up big time!]

"A blatant lie!"

Elaine sized me up from head to toe, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Nolan's grandma is over eighty, how could she have a daughter about Nolan's age?!"

She suddenly smiled triumphantly.

"You just don't have the guts to admit it because you're afraid I would mess with you!"

I stood up and said impatiently, "My mom had me pretty late, and my elder sister got pregnant young. Is it that weird for Nolan and I to be about the same age? If you don't believe me, just ask your husband and in-laws!"

But Elaine's logic continued to defy my expectations.

She pointed at my face and scoffed.

"Nice try. You think I'll let you see Nolan and his parents by saying that? I will never let that happen! Take a look at yourself in the mirror… Don't you think we look similar? And this necklace!"

She reached into her neckline and pulled out a necklace that looked very similar to the one I was wearing.

"This is the token of our love. Nolan gave it to me when I was 18! You even copied the necklace, and you still claim you're not imitating me?!"

The surrounding guests immediately started whispering, looking at me with contempt.

"She's definitely a substitute, it's as clear as day."

"I can't believe the homewrecker dares to show up at the wedding. Does she have a death wish?"

The comments also went into a frenzy:

[I almost fell for her lies! The necklace is irrefutable proof!]

[Too bad Master Nolan loves his sweetheart Elaine to death. The substitute is just humiliating herself!]

I rolled my eyes so hard my pupils almost reached the back of my head.

I designed that necklace years ago. The first one I made was flawed, and Nolan begged me for it to give to Elaine.

The one I wore was the completed final product.

As for the two of us looking alike… I gazed at Elaine with disdain.

"Has it never crossed your mind that maybe I influenced Nolan's beauty standards growing up, so he fell for someone who looked like me? After all, he's always thought I looked pretty. In a sense, you're my substitute."

Elaine refused to believe a single word I said and just thought I was being delusional.

She looked at me with a hint of arrogant pity.

"I know you must be really frustrated because you stayed by Nolan's side for ten years as a substitute for me but he's now marrying me. Even so, you can't resort to poisoning our wine to kill us both!"

I frowned and was about to say something when I was interrupted by a woman's wail.

"My poor daughter! You haven't even married Nolan yet and someone's already trying to poison you!"

She was a middle-aged woman who wore a designer coat but still exuded a crude vibe. She was Elaine's mother, Sandra.

I took a deep breath, and, out of respect for her being an elder, suppressed my anger and explained, "I didn't poison any..."

Before I could finish, Sandra's tear-stained face shifted instantly to a fierce expression. She turned to me and yelled, "Oh, really? You didn't poison the wine, huh? Then drink it. If you drink it, we'll believe you!"

I almost laughed out loud. What a set-up.

First, Elaine established the narrative that the frustrated substitute wanted to poison her and Nolan because Nolan was marrying someone else.

Then, Elaine's mother stepped forward to force the "substitute" to drink the poisoned wine, both to intimidate her and to hurt her.

I wonder where the real substitute was.

I quietly scanned the entire venue.

Sure enough, I found a girl wearing a mask, hiding in the shadows.

The miniature camera on her chest was flashing a faint red light.

What a clever girl.

I sighed and took out my phone to call the police.

"Since neither side trusts the other, let the police handle it. Oh, and we should also call Nolan and the whole family over to let them know about this..."

Elaine pointed at me and yelled, "It'll be too late when the police arrive! You would have removed the evidence by then! This kind of poison is volatile, so it must be used immediately after the packaging is opened! She just put the poison in, so the packaging must be on her!"

As soon as Elaine said that, Sandra lunged at me, trying to rip my clothes.

I was caught off guard and my phone was flung far away. I could only try desperately to protect my coat.

"Are you crazy? How dare you try to strip someone naked in public?! Elaine Geston, if you offend me, you'll never marry Nolan!"

Elaine snorted.

"The evidence will be found soon! You're done for! No one would fall for your empty threats! No one would fall for your lies!"

The comments were having a field day, cheering Sandra on.

[Good job, Mom! It doesn't matter if she did it or not, just plant the evidence in her pocket and nail her!]

[A mother's love is so pure. Sandra would do anything for her daughter!]

When I saw the comments, I tried even harder to stop Sandra from reaching into my clothes.

While we were tangled up, someone suddenly walked up to us.

Elaine immediately changed her attitude. She smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Alfred, what are you doing here? Did Nolan send you?"

I pried open Sandra's hand that was tightly clutching my collar and turned my head. I saw a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair in a suit.

I quickly asked him for help.

"Are you the butler? Call security! These people are trying to frame me, saying I poisoned the wine!"

Sandra pushed me hard and yelled, "This is my son-in-law's butler, Alfred! Show some respect!"

Then, she put on a smile and said to Alfred, "Alfred, this is the substitute that Nolan hid away for ten years! She poisoned the newlyweds' wine and tried to kill them both!"

Alfred looked at me with contempt.

"I see. So you're a vile woman who can't see the light of day. No wonder Master Nolan dumped you."

He turned to Elaine and Sandra and said kindly, "Since you caught her red-handed, you can deal with her however you want, but make it quick. Master Nolan is almost done, so don't delay the wedding!"

I was so mad I laughed.

What a gullible man.

The next second, I saw him secretly exchanging a glance with Sandra.

I instantly understood what was going on. I sneered at him.

"So that's why Nolan and my parents aren't here yet. You're holding them back. How much did Elaine Geston pay you? If you keep this up, you can forget about working for the Clark family!"

Alfred was enraged because his misdeed was exposed. He pointed at me and yelled, "Shut up, wench! You'll pay for what you did! Maids, hold her down and search her thoroughly!"

With Alfred's permission, Sandra led a group of maids over and surrounded me.

My coat was torn apart, revealing the evening gown I was wearing underneath.

My handbag and phone were snatched and thrown away.

I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. I gave up trying to be civil and slapped Sandra hard.

Sandra covered her face and fell to the floor, still holding a white box that she was trying to stuff in my coat.

Elaine screamed, "Mom!"

She threw herself next to Sandra, her eyes teary, and glared at me.

"You poisoned my wine, and now you hit my mother?!"

With a frown, I pointed at Sandra's hand angrily.

"She deserves it. She tried to stuff that box into my pocket! Who knows if she's trying to plant evidence to frame me?"

Sandra pointed at me and yelled, "You wench, now you're making up lies because I found the evidence on you!"

I was furious. "Fine, if you insist that's mine, let's call the police and have them check for fingerprints..."

Alfred instantly yelled at me furiously, "Enough! Stop acting innocent! We have evidence and witnesses, yet you're still trying to deny it!"

He turned to the guests in attendance and said loudly, "Everyone, I, Alfred Bane, have been working for the Clark family for three years, and I've never heard of Master Nolan having an aunt. I'm sorry for the commotion. We'll deal with this woman immediately!"

The comments were ecstatic:

[Great, we have official confirmation now. Let's see what else the evil substitute can say!]

[Alfred is awesome! No wonder Sandra hooked up with him!]

With Alfred's declaration, all my previous explanations became useless.

The surrounding guests stepped back to keep their distance from me, looking at me like I was trash.

Alfred swung his hand with a sneer. "Grab her!"

Instantly, a group of bodyguards in black rushed forward, each holding a stun baton.

I kept stepping back while trying to reason with them for the sake of my sister and nephew, but these people wouldn't listen to me at all.

I could only turn around and run to the door.

But before I could reach it, I heard Alfred shout behind me, "The servants over there, close the door!"

I heard the click of the door being locked.

My heart raced, and I quickly surveyed the surroundings.

Elaine and Alfred had controlled the entire venue. The only people who could save me were currently oblivious to my plight.

I gritted my teeth, tore off my necklace and watch and threw them into a corner while shouting loudly, "Anyone who's willing to take these tokens to Nolan Clark and tell him what's happening will be handsomely rewarded!"

After saying that, I ran to a smaller door in the opposite direction which led to a small room.

Alfred shouted, "Catch the liar! You will have the Clark family's gratitude!"

More and more people moved behind me.

I ran into the small room and locked the door with trembling fingers, not even having time to catch my breath.

The next second, with a loud crash, the door was kicked open by Alfred.

I fell heavily to the floor. The splintered wood cut my skin and drew blood.

He walked in with a sneer, grabbed my arm and dragged me out.

"You think you can run from me?! I'm in charge of this whole place!"

The comments were going crazy with excitement:

[Alfred is so reassuring. He's doing his best to protect our sweetheart Elaine!]

[I'm so glad he's there. Die, substitute!]