"Jason. Jason Wilmort." Sharon's voice trembled as she glared at him. "Heir to the Wilmort empire. Betrothed to me since childhood." Her eyes filled with fury and pain. "How could you be this heartless? I've always loved you, stood by you, and this is how you repay me?"
Her fists pounded weakly against his chest as her voice cracked. "You gave me hope… hope that we'd build a life together… and then shattered it like it meant nothing."
Before Jason could respond, a sharp slap cracked through the room. Sharon stumbled back.
"How dare you hit my husband?" Madina snapped, eyes blazing.
"Madina!" Jason barked at her, just as their father, Eli Moore, thundered, "Enough!"
"Dad," Madina whined, stepping back. But her father shot her a warning look.
"Don't cross the line."
Sharon turned to him, her eyes pleading. "Dad… Madina stole Jason from me."
Eli sighed heavily, patting her on the shoulder. "What are you crying about, dear? You should be happy."
Sharon blinked up at him. "Happy? About what?"
He gave a casual shrug. "Jason married into our family. Whether it's you or Madina, it doesn't matter. It's the same bloodline. Quit crying and be happy for your sister."
Her heart sank. "Dad!" she cried, but his indifference was louder than her pain. Liddy, her stepmother, wore a victorious smirk.
"You can stay and join us, or leave. But don't spoil the celebration," Liddy said coldly.
Sharon's eyes glistened with betrayal. She turned to grab her bag, refusing to break down in front of them.
"Wait a minute!" Shirley called, noticing something fall from Sharon's bag.
She bent down and picked up a small document. Her eyes widened. "Mum, Dad… Sharon is married."
The room froze.
"What?!" Madina and Sharon gasped in unison.
Eli snatched the paper from Shirley and stared at it in disbelief. "Sharon, what is the meaning of this?"
"Well, well, well," Madina drawled, snatching the paper and waving it mockingly. "Babe, while we were saying our vows, my dear sister here was tying the knot too."
She turned to Sharon with a feigned gasp. "Tell me you didn't marry some pauper just to spite Jason."
"This is bad," Eli muttered, shaking his head.
"You're so shameless, Shar," Shirley laughed, using Jason's old pet name for her.
Jason stepped forward, hesitant. "Shar…"
But Sharon yanked the certificate from Madina's hand and turned to their father, her voice calm but laced with fire.
"You never cared about what I wanted, so don't act shocked now. You chose them over me long ago."
Her gaze swept across the smug faces. "Honestly, I don't even know why I kept trying with this family."
She laughed bitterly, tears still streaking her cheeks. "But don't worry. You won't have to deal with me anymore."
She turned on her heel.
"Fuck you all."
Gasps filled the room as she stormed upstairs, the finality of her words hanging in the air like a storm cloud.
Liddy glanced at Eli. "Darling, don't you think we spoiled Sharon too much?"
Eli didn't answer. He simply walked away, furious.
Liddy smirked in satisfaction and turned to Jason. "Don't worry about what just happened, sweetheart. Everything will be fine."
Jason nodded hesitantly, but his eyes remained on the stairs where Sharon had disappeared.
LANCASTER MANSION
Ethan was in his study, flipping through documents when a knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in," he called, not looking up.
Jay stepped inside. "Good day, sir."
"Any news?" Ethan asked, still scribbling notes.
"Yes, sir. You received an invitation from the Wilmort family."
Ethan's brow arched. "What for?"
"They're celebrating their son's recent marriage and are hosting a party."
Ethan looked up, skeptical. "And why do you sound like that's unfortunate?"
Jay gave a small smile. "Well, sir, you've always said Jason Wilmort is spineless and easily manipulated. You don't even like him. Even though you do business with the Wilmort family, you've never shown up for their events."
Ethan leaned back, lips curling slightly. "You know me well, Jay. So I assume you're right. I'm not going."
But Jay didn't move.
Ethan didn't look up. "You're still standing there. Speak."
Jay cleared his throat. "Jason married Madina Moore."
The pen froze in Ethan's hand.
Jay continued carefully, "Your wife's younger sister."
Ethan was silent for a moment, then looked up.
"Which means… Sharon will be there."
Jay nodded once.
Ethan stood slowly, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Alright. I'll go." His voice was calm, but his eyes gleamed with something else. "After all, I need to see how my wife is doing."