Chapter 48 thank God it's not her

A blanket was tossed over the woman's lower half.

Nathaniel's face had darkened to a stormy expression, his jaw set so tightly he didn't speak a word.

"Out! Everyone, get out now!" Felix, sensing the brewing trouble, quickly started to clear the room.

"Why are we being tossed out?" someone protested.

"I've always heard rumors that Mr. Martin was a bit wild, and seeing this today... well, the rumors don't lie. Just makes you wonder who the woman in the bed is, doesn't it?"

"Wait a minute! Mr. Ford just stormed in, furious. Could it be his new wife, the one everyone's been talking about?"

"Wow, if that's true, the Ford family's reputation will hit rock bottom."

The crowd murmured and speculated while Nathaniel trembled slightly.

He composed himself and moved slowly towards the bed, his face grim...

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if it indeed was his woman. What a mess this would turn into if it was!

"Hey, why are all these people here suddenly?"

Just as everyone was peering intently, a sweet voice floated from outside.

Nathaniel stopped dead in his tracks and quickly turned around.

Towering over the crowd, his gaze found a girl at the back.

There was Celeste, in a long black dress, her hair elegantly styled up, looking dignified with a particularly radiant smile.

Nathaniel's eyes narrowed, and he immediately pushed through the crowd to pull her into his arms, holding her tight.

"Thank God... thank God it's not her."

"Mr. Ford, what are you doing here?" Celeste nestled into his chest, trying to stay out of sight of the others.

Once they reached a quieter corner, she looked up and smiled at Nathaniel, "Did you come to get me, Mr. Ford?"

"Yes! I heard you were here... I feared something might have happened to you."

Nathaniel gazed into her eyes, still clear and beautiful, her smile as infectious as ever, showing no sign of distress.

He didn't believe Celeste could cheat, but he feared she might have been set up, and was terrified that it could have been her in that room... he swore he would have blinded everyone there if it had been.

"Oh, she seems to be waking up!"

The door had been opened, letting fresh air in, speeding up the dispersal of the drug.

Ava, who had been unconscious, suddenly awoke.

She found herself being stared at by about a dozen prominent people from Sea City, all unabashedly eyeing her...

"Ah!!" Ava realized her exposed state and quickly grabbed the blanket to cover herself.

But her earlier state of undress had already been seen by everyone.

"Why bother covering up now? After everything that's happened, why the act?"

"Edward really went all out, even sending his daughter to Elias's bed. What a pervert."

"Maybe she liked it too..."

"I didn't!" Ava's eyes instantly filled with tears when she heard the accusation.

She gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, completely baffled by the turn of events.

It was supposed to be Celeste caught with Elias, not her. Celeste was the one who should have been publicly shamed and rejected by Nathaniel... Why was she in this mess?

Why had the drug failed to affect Celeste?

As Elias came to his senses and realized he was holding Ava, not Celeste, he frowned deeply and pushed her away.

"Why is it you? Weren't you supposed to bring me your sister, Celeste?"

"Mr. Martin, choose your words carefully!" Felix interjected sharply. "Celeste is Mrs. Ford now, and you shouldn't speak so recklessly!"

"Mrs. Ford?!"

Elias was stunned, and so were the others who were hearing this news for the first time.

"The eldest Sterling daughter, raised in the countryside, is married to Nathaniel? And Elias and Ava plotted against her?"

"How could they dare?"

"If Nathaniel gets angry, the Martin family might not survive..."

Hearing the whispers around him, Elias felt a sense of alarm.

He looked up and saw Nathaniel standing coldly in the corner.

A single glance from him bore a crushing weight.

It was true.

Nathaniel had been holding Celeste.

Elias was filled with fear.

How had he been so bold as to desire Nathaniel's wife? Offending Nathaniel could spell disaster for the entire Martin family!

With a swift motion, Elias slapped Ava across the face, his voice filled with menace, "You fool, this was all your stupid idea! If Mr. Ford blames us, I swear I'll kill you."

"It wasn't..." Ava, clutching her face, tried to respond, but Elias slapped her again.

"You deliberately hid the fact that she was Mrs. Ford, trying to set me up? Damn you!"

"Ah!" After several more slaps, Ava was dizzy and collapsed onto the bed, powerless to do anything but watch as Elias hurriedly dressed and scrambled to apologize to Nathaniel.

He bowed deeply to Nathaniel.

"Mr. Ford! It was all a misunderstanding, please don't hold it against us."

"A misunderstanding?" Nathaniel's voice was chilling, and his expression deadly serious.

If it weren't for Celeste being late today, she would have been the one in that horrific situation!