4: 4

4

Clive pulled Joyce into his arms.

Without a second's hesitation, he carried her straight up to the hotel's top-floor luxury suite.

"Intervention therapy has to be handled with extreme care. It must never be cut off partway."

"Until we come out, no one is allowed in to interrupt."

Luke nodded and ordered the security guards to stand watch at the door.

Down in the hall, the guests cracked salted snacks and settled in to wait for the therapy to finish.

The press cameras were all pointed at me, and clips were already spreading online.

#Rich-family drama: groom abandons his bride at the wedding to treat another woman's psychological illness#

#The real heiress versus the fake one—who actually wins?#

Seeing me stay quiet, my mother dredged up the thin scrap of mother-daughter feeling she had.

"If you'd learned to behave earlier, none of this would have happened."

"Joyce is sensitive. We've spoiled her for eighteen years, and she can't take the slightest bit of hurt."

"You just came back. You're stubborn, you don't know how things work, and you should be giving way to her."

"When she comes down, go apologize on your own and smooth things over."

"A family keeps the peace. Face matters more than your little moods."

Whatever faint sympathy I'd had for her drained away as I looked at her.

"Mrs. Henson, if the same thing ever happened to you, would you keep the peace too?"

Luke jumped in, glaring at me with open displeasure.

"Of course. That's how the Hensons have always been. Joyce matters more than anything."

My father nodded in agreement.

"I raised Joyce for eighteen years. That bond runs deep. Even as my own flesh and blood, you have no right to push her down."

"Don't sit there with that sour face and embarrass the Hensons."

I said nothing, but the floating comments were losing their minds.

【Why isn't Ivy making a scene? Is she planning something?】

【Waiting for the reversal—come on, wreck these freaks!】

Using a bathroom trip as cover, I dialed the police.

If they wanted things exciting, I'd throw more fuel on the fire and make the next act far more exciting.

Back at the wedding.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

The minutes ticked by, and still there was no sign of movement upstairs.

Some of the guests were getting restless.

My mother couldn't sit still, glancing up at the elevator again and again.

"Why is it taking so long for them to come down?"

My father's face was tight, his voice edgy.

"Clive's skill wouldn't be this slow."

【Dying. The top-floor suite's gone dark—is it R-rated up there?】

【Snuck a peek. Clive's got real stamina.】

【Two hours minimum. And that's putting it modestly.】

The comments streamed by fast, and then the hotel doors burst open.

A squad of officers charged in, body cameras in hand.

"We've received a public report of illegal activity on this hotel's top floor."

"Cooperate with the inspection immediately. We're checking every room!"

The reporters' eyes lit up, cameras snapping like mad.

Luke called Clive at once, only to get a powered-off tone.

My mother pressed forward with a placating smile.

"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!"

"Upstairs is my daughter getting treatment. There's nothing illegal going on."

My father backed her up.

"That's right, psychological treatment. Stopping partway would only make it worse. Please, give us some leeway and don't disturb the patient!"

The officer's face was cold and set.

"No conduct stands above the law."

"Anyone who obstructs law enforcement will be charged with interfering with official duties!"

The three of them froze in place, faces uglier by the second.

【Hahaha the heroine plays it so well—killing with a borrowed knife, genius.】

【Her shining moment's coming—waiting for the cheating to get caught on camera!】

I covered my mouth, letting just the right amount of terror show.

"Oh my God……"

"They haven't opened the door or answered their phones this whole time. What if they've been taken by criminals?"

One line, and it hit everyone's worst fear.

"Right, something must have happened. Why else would both their phones be off?"

Sweat beaded on my father's forehead.

"Quick, get the spare key card, open the door!"

Luke rushed straight to the front desk.

The instant the door swiped open, the officers broke in.

Right behind them came dozens of cameras and phones, recording the whole thing live.

The next second, the scene inside was laid bare for everyone.

On the wide custom bed, the sheets were a tangled mess.

The bed was still shaking, the sight of it unspeakable.

Clive and Joyce were in the thick of it.