"Mmm, ah...Hurry up, fast! I—I'm almost there..."
Ava Clarke wore a face of embarrassment, she did not expect to overhear her sister's intimate moments in her trip to the restroom. However, as she was about to turn and leave, she heard another familiar voice—
"Babe, lower your voice a bit..."
In that moment, Ava thought her hearing was failing.
"I won't lower my voice, I want to shout... Christian, I want, I want..."
Ava could no longer deceive herself, her heart suddenly freezing in her chest.
Christian Montgomery, her fiance, today's groom, was currently having a grand time with her sister...
—"Everything that is yours, I will snatch away!"
Rosie Clarke, her sister's once said words, suddenly echoed in her ears.
However, Ava cannot afford to make a scene today and it galled her. She could take the hit to her own pride, but the Clarke family's face cannot be lost.
The Clarke Corporation currently cannot withstand any negative public backlash.
Ever since her father fell sick and she took over the Corporation, she could no longer give into her impulsive actions.
Ava hurriedly left the restroom, her face full of confusion...
"Miss, the wedding is about to start, but we can't find Mr. Montgomery," the wedding planner said anxiously, blocking Ava's path.
Mr. Montgomery...
The sound of the name instantly ignited Ava's wrath, akin to a dam bursting, sweeping through her chest. "If he can't be found, then don't bother! Without him, I can still get married!"
But Ava was wrong.
All of the men she had reached out to, upon hearing the news of her wanting to marry, believed she was just fooling around and laughed off her words as a funny joke.
As Ava was spinning in frustration, the door behind her was forced open and a man barged in.
"Who are you? Get out!"
"Shhh—"
The man motioned for silence at his lips. Before anyone could say anything, shouts could be heard from outside the room. "Richard Ward, you better come out right now.... Today, you have to give me an explanation… "
So, he was in debt to a woman!
With a disdainful smile, Ava was about to shout, but the man covered her mouth and tightly held her in his embrace.
Instantly, the man's heartbeat pulsed through her thin wedding dress, directly striking her back; a refreshing mint aroma tickled her nose — impossible to deny.
Ava was in a trance!
The woman's piercing scream from outside brought Ava back to her senses, reminding her to resist as she struggled and jabbed him with her elbows.
But the man held her even tighter, "Such a fiery bride, be careful the groom might not want you!"
His taunting words stabbed Ava. She struggled and squirmed. She was unaware of the type of consequences such squirming could bring forth, until the man growled, "Stop moving!"
Finally, Ava noticed the hard pillar pressed against her back—
"Aah! You're such a ruffian..." she shrieked.
"I'm not a ruffian. I'm a pauper who can't even afford a woman's service fee," the man explained with a sheepish laugh and slipped out the door before the woman outside could disappear.
"Ruffian, ruffian..." The man was already gone, but Ava was still screaming.
It felt as if a piece of her buttock had been burned off, still sensing the warm imprint of the iron rod.
Outside the door, the man’s admittedly good looking lips curved into a wicked smile. His 'accidental' intrusion was far from accidental. He had gone through a great deal of trouble for this and wished his last words could sink into Ava’s heart.
Despite not wanting to, her wedding had begun. Ava brushed her veil and looked around, the temporary groom was nowhere to be found. The man standing at the altar waiting for her was still Christian Montgomery. His hypocritical face was so repulsive, Ava had to muster all her strength not to charge at him and tear him to pieces.
Step by step, Ava approached the man who had betrayed her. That’s when she spotted the man on the seat to her right. Her face flushed instantly and her feet froze.
Was that the lecherous man? What was he doing at her wedding?
Before she could give it much thought, she felt a familiar sourness to her bottom - the very same spot she had once been poked the man’s tool!
"Beautiful bride, we meet again," the man spoke in a flippant yet sensual manner.
In the heat of her anger, Ava hadn't noticed how handsome this man really was. His features were finely crafted to perfection, seeming as if they were sculpted by an artist.
Until now, she had always thought Christian was the most attractive, but now she realized there were always others even more outstanding.
"I'm here to avoid debt. Don't expose me!" The man's amorous whisper didn't seem to carry a specific purpose, yet it seemed to serve as a subtle reminder for her.
Suddenly, the words he once said echoed in Ava's ears, "I'm not a ruffian. I'm a deadbeat. So poor that I can't even afford a woman's service fee!"
This sentence filled Ava's ears. Before she could understand what was going on, her hand was suddenly seized by a large one. "Ava, it's time, our wedding is about to start."
Unbeknownst to her, Christian had already approached her and was looking at her affectionately.
Reacting uncontrollably, she jerked her hand away, "Don't touch me!"
Christian's face instantly turned reddish, "Ava..."
The large wedding hall quieted down. They could almost hear everyone's heartbeat in the ensuing silence.
Bearing the questioning gazes of everyone present, Christian's voice was weak, "Ava, stop making a scene. We are about to get married."
"Married?" Ava laughed coldly, "Yes, getting married, but not us…"
With a swift move, she impulsively pulled the man next to her, laughing as she turned to Christian. "I'm sorry, the groom today isn't you! You've been replaced.
Upon hearing this, Christian's face turned ashen like he had been hit by frost, and the surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion.
The man, however, remained calm. He leaned in and whispered into Ava's ear, "Bride, isn't your joke a little too much?"
Ava's face went through a slight change. How could she have forgotten that this man was just impulsively pulled over? If he rejects now, she would be the one humiliated.
Thus, Ava held onto the man even tighter. Standing on her toes, she put her lips next to his ear, "I've hired you, name your price…" As she said so, she brushed against him in a provocative manner.
"Hired me..? Can you afford my price?" The man replied in an amused voice.
The corner of the man's mouth twitched slightly, a motion that to Ava, signified his rejection. Her lips moved quietly beside his, muttering unclearly, "No backing out, or I'll expose your true colors!"
His lips were as soft as silk as they brushed the edge of her lips teasingly, causing her heart to flutter.
Richard couldn't help but reveal a satisfied curve of his mouth, though he quickly feigned an extremely wronged expression, acting purposefully in a pitiful manner.
The onlookers who had been shocked, now gasped as they watched the couple kiss, full of amazement!
Standing there like a puppet, Christian seemed to have never imagined that things could go this far, and then he looked at Ava with a plea in his eyes, "Ava, stop joking around, we..."
"Joking?" Ava abruptly cut off his words. If it wasn't for the sake of preserving the Clarke family's dignity, she really wanted to publicly expose his despicable behavior.
"My dear, since this gentleman believes we're joking, why don't we let him witness our wedding?" Richard took over the conversation.
"Alright!" Without any hesitation, Ava held onto the man beside her, and they slowly walked towards the altar.
When the couple had finished the wedding ceremony, and guests clamored for the groom to kiss the bride, Christian finally understood that he had truly been defeated.
"Ava, you're ruthless! You'll regret this!" Frustrated, he yelled and left in defeat.
Still at the altar, Ava's heart clenched tightly as her beautiful eyes slowly closed. The corner of the Richard's lips curved upward, his alluring lips pressing onto hers.
The next second, his moist tongue probed into her mouth, tightly sucking onto hers...
