Chapter 27
When Tina heard Laurel defending her, she immediately put on a wounded expression. Her tears fell at just the right moment, making her look pitiful and innocent.
“Luke, why would Teves do something like that? My friend saw Vespera at a hotel and, by chance, watched her go into a room right after a bunch of men walked in. One of them is a notorious man—whore—and he even has HIV.”
“At first, I wasn’t going to say anything. But she was way out of line just now!”
“Love doesn’t work on a first-come, first-served basis. Who cares if you’re married? The two of you have no feelings for each other. We’re the ones in love, and she’s the third wheel! She should be the one to back off!”
Tina’s outrageous logic left many in the room feeling disgusted, especially the married ladies. It was part of their daily routine to deal with mistresses. Rather than sparking resonance, her words only made them want to spit on her. It was hard to believe someone could be this shameless. They didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the Sowle family, so they could only suppress themselves and stay silent.
“Could you take responsibility for what you just said?” Luke’s expression remained dark, showing no sign of easing. It was clear he was asking if she had framed Vespera.
“I swear! I swear on my life! If I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!” Tina declared in a firm voice, putting on a whole act as if she were true gold that feared no fire.
She glanced at Vespera and secretly rejoiced. She assumed Vespera had no evidence to prove otherwise. If she did, she wouldn’t have stayed silent. There was no way for her to contact those people. Vespera had been toyed with all night. She was too weak to track them down.
Even if Vespera spoke up and Luke was furious now, he wouldn’t want her anymore once he calmed down. Tina was already celebrating her victory. She made a convincing declaration, causing the onlookers to waver slightly. Seeing Tina like this, Claire was suddenly furious. She unleashed every wicked insult she could think of at Vespera. Meanwhile, Felicia had remained silent from the start.
Vespera stayed calm throughout the entire ordeal. When they had finished saying their piece, she gracefully stepped toward the center of the banquet hall.
“Struck by lightning and dying a horrible death,” she recited, her gaze fixed on Tina. “I guess karma doesn’t scare you at all.” She shook her head.
She reached into her purse and took out her phone. After a few taps, Tina’s voice echoed through the entire banquet hall.
“I guess Luke isn’t picking up your calls. Are you satisfied with the hunky men arranged for you? Let you in on a little secret: not only are they freaky in bed, but one of them has HIV. I’ll give you a shot of kneron to add to the fun.”
“Tomorrow, the interesting footage of your little ‘group activity’ with eight men will be released online. Oh right! To celebrate, Luke and I will be announcing our engagement tomorrow night.”
“Even if you feel wronged and call the cops, it’ll be useless. In Halewick, crushing you is as easy as squashing an ant for our families.”
“I stole your man and your position in the company. From now on, I’ll live a happy, smooth-sailing life with Luke until we grow old together. As for you, you’ll die a slow, painful death. Hahaha…”
Tina’s vicious, twisted laughter echoed through the banquet hall. The Sowle family members tried to snatch Vespera’s phone midway through the audio, but a male guest stopped them.
Her behavior has truly gone too far. When the recording ended, silence filled the room as they were once again stunned by Tina’s audacity and lack of shame. Even Luke and Felicia looked at her with disdain.
Tina’s face turned as pale as a ghost. Seeing the murderous look in Luke’s eyes sent a chill down her spine, and she instinctively hid behind her two brothers. She was dumbfounded that Vespera had recorded her. At this point, there was nothing left to say. It struck her that Luke might abandon her.
Out of nowhere, she pointed at Felicia and burst into tears.
“Mrs. Munoz made me do it!” screamed Tina.
Everyone except Vespera was stunned by Tina’s statement. She had dropped yet another bomb.