Mollie cleared her throat into the microphone.
At this moment, Jonathon's heart was suspended in uncertainty. He worried that Mollie might use the microphone to say something he couldn't bear to hear, like confessing her feelings for Corey.
While Jonathon frowned, Mollie glanced at him with a smile.
"Today marks my grandfather's 80th birthday. As his cherished granddaughter, I first want to wish him boundless health and longevity. It's thanks to his perseverance that I could return to Norbury and to the family. In the days to come, I will repay his kindness with filial devotion."
Thunderous applause and cheers filled the room.
"Furthermore, it was during this return that l encountered my little stroke of luck that brought brightness, happiness, and warmth to my life. Here, I want to tell him..."Jonathon's nails dug into his palm, leaving dreadful red marks.
Onstage, the girl's eyes glistened like stars as she confessed her love to the one her heart adored.
"My love is pure and adorable, complex yet simple. He's the best person l've ever met in my life! Meeting him must have depleted all the luck I had in this lifetime..."
Her description contradicted her earlier assessment of Jonathon as "scheming, stubborn, fierce, and selfish."
So, the person she was talking about could only be about that rascal Corey. Jonathon's face displayed a thick mixture of jealousy and irritation.
How audacious of her! She was unabashedly confessing her feelings for another man in his presence!
He couldn't bear to listen any longer!
But before he could take a step, Mollie gave him a radiant smile and asked, "Mr. Hudson, you've taught me what love is. I want to be with you. Will you accept me?" Jonathon thought he heard a resounding thud as he stood there, dumbfounded.
His girl...wasn't confessing to another man... She was professing her feelings to him?!
"Mr. Hudson? That dazed look on your face... Does it mean you want to reject me?"
The familiar voice through the microphone jolted Jonathon back to reality. He strode onto the stage and, without hesitation, pulled Mollie into his arms and kissed her passionately. This was his response.
Applause and whistles erupted like thunder.
The corners of Lawrence's mouth curled up in a doting smile as he quietly marvelled at the open-mindedness of the youth nowadays. After the deep kiss, Mollie's face blushed like a ripe apple in autumn. She had thought her public confession was daring enough, only to find Jonathon even more audacious. Coughing lightly, she hastily led Jonathon off the stage.
"Congratulations!" Well-wishing guests showered them with warm greetings.
Only Stefanie's face alternated between white and red.
With feigned composure, she pulled Mollie aside.
"Mollie, what are you doing? Corey is still waiting for you!"
Mollie smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress and spoke casually yet innocently, "Stefanie, can't you see the love between Mr. Hudson and me? Why must you push me to elope with Corey?" She really couldn't stand Stefanie who always acted like some cheap b*tch. She raised her voice a little, revealing her genuine impatience.
This was heard all too clearly by the nearby Jonathon.
He cast a piercing eagle-like gaze at Stefanie and hissed, "It seems like someone is sick of living..."
Theo who stood beside him immediately felt the chills. He quickly attributed his younger daughter's actions to immaturity before apologising to Jonathon while chalking it up to a misunderstanding.
Jonathon looked at Mollie's furrowed brows and contemplated whether to say something more when a piercing scream suddenly echoed through the hall.
The sound came from the inner corridor.
A waiter hurriedly dashed out from within before long.
Behind him, the door to the lounge directly opposite the banquet hall slowly creaked open. The faint sound of someone catching their breath could be heard then.
Guests began to gossip in hushed tones. Who would dare to be so bold as to engage in such activities during Lawrence's birthday celebration?
No one stepped forward to expose the situation. They all waited patiently, curious about how the situation would unfold and how it would eventually be resolved.
It wasn't until Louise's angry voice echoed.
"Mollie Hays! Do you have no shame? How could you do such a thing at Grandpa's birthday celebration?"
Jonathon's expression darkened, and he lifted his foot to approach the woman for an argument.
However, Mollie grabbed his wrist and uttered, "Don't be hasty. The real show is just beginning." Inside the lounge.
The lights went out, enveloping the room in darkness.
Corey rose from the bed with a satisfied grin, while the woman beneath him remained playfully attached.
"Good girl," he muttered as he absentmindedly groped her.
See, he had been waiting in this lounge for Mollie all day just to sleep with her tonight. If not for Jonathon's interference with the engagement plans, he wouldn't have resorted to such a time-consuming and nerve-wracking scheme. After all, it wasn't a difficult task to find women with good looks and figures outside.
After a slapping sound resounded, he switched on the room's light, ready to bask in the glory of his victory.
But what he saw made his hair stand on end. This... was not Mollie!
Did someone switch her out for someone else?
And... why was Louise going off at him at the door?
"Mr. Hays brought you back to the family to take care of you, and yet, you have the heart to engage in such disgraceful acts during his birthday celebration? How do you expect us to maintain the reputation of the Hays family with your actions?"
Corey proceeded to glance around the room and then towards the doorway. He was utterly baffled then.Theo could only think that his wife might have gone crazy. How could Mollie, who was clearly standing next to Jonathon outside, engage in disgraceful behaviour?
"Don't hurl accusations as you please. You're the one without shame, not me!"
Louise perceived the solemn plea as biased towards Mollie. With that, her insults escalated.
"You've raised quite the daughter!" Others found themselves puzzled.
Mollie's lips curled into a smile.
Louise, dazzled by the Mirage Dust Mollie got from Cloud Space, saw the woman in the room as mollie herself.