Chapter 280
She didn't know how much time had passed when the ballroom lights dimmed, and the music turned soft and melodious.
The wedding ceremony was officially beginning.
Charles finally made his appearance.
Almost the instant he stepped on stage, Charles's gaze locked precisely onto Willow's location.
He knew Willow too well—knew that in this kind of setting, she'd definitely find somewhere to hide.
Their eyes met. Willow's heart sank completely, realizing he hadn't abandoned his earlier plans.
On stage, the emcee began hosting the proceedings.
Charles cooperated through each step of the ceremony, but his gaze never left Willow.
Willow couldn't help standing up, wanting to move elsewhere and escape his line of sight.
Suddenly, a server approached her respectfully. "Are you Ms. Spencer?"
Willow nodded, confused.
The server produced a room key card. "Mr. Lancaster asked me to give this to you. He said if you get tired, you can rest in this room."
Before Willow could react, the server placed the key card in her hand and turned to leave.
Willow held the key card, glancing back at Charles on stage in his impeccable attire. She felt like she'd been plunged into an icy abyss.
Though she'd hidden herself in a corner and the server had spoken quietly, she still had the illusion that every eye in the room had turned toward her, everyone silently condemning her, calling her shameless.
Another wedding night—Charles wanted to turn her into what Rachel had been back then.
Just imagining that scenario made Willow's stomach turn.
The speaker on stage changed from Charles to Sterling.
Sterling's low, magnetic voice pulled Willow back to her senses.
Willow found herself unconsciously staring at Sterling on stage for a long time.
Since that night, Sterling still hadn't been sleeping well. Traces of dark circles were faintly visible on his face.
As if sensing her gaze, Sterling's eyes swept in her direction.
Willow snapped to attention. Before he could spot her, she looked away, casually turning her head and taking a glass of champagne from a passing server's tray. She held it without drinking.
Sterling's gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before slowly moving away.
Willow quietly exhaled in relief, absently setting the glass on a nearby table before looking back toward the stage.
Mayor Brian Thompson was giving the final speech. When he mentioned his daughter was about to be married, Brian's eyes reddened, and his voice caught with emotion.
He looked like an irreproachable father.
A thought suddenly surfaced in Willow's mind.
If he knew his daughter was marrying such scum, what would he do?
Once the thought appeared, she couldn't shake it.
Willow stood in her corner, gripping the room key card tightly.
If she showed this to the mayor, would he believe what she had to say?
If he believed her, Charles and Ophelia's marriage would naturally be called off.
Without the Thompson family's backing, Charles could never return to the Lancaster Group.
In just a few minutes, Willow's thoughts raced through countless possibilities.
When she came back to herself, the ceremony had ended. Charles was surrounded by guests, toasting each one in turn.
Brian was nowhere near him.
The idea grew stronger and stronger in Willow's mind. She clutched the room key card, searching the crowd for Brian's figure.
"You're Willow Spencer?" A somewhat familiar female voice spoke beside her ear.
Willow turned to see Ophelia, who'd been in her white wedding dress just moments ago, now changed into different clothes, standing beside her with an ambiguous expression, looking her up and down.
"Ms. Thompson." Willow was inwardly on guard but responded politely.
She couldn't think of any reason Ophelia would seek her out.
The only possibility was that Ophelia knew about Charles's intentions and had come to confront her.
Ophelia's gaze settled on her face, her tone unreadable. "You're prettier than those photos online. No wonder Charles can't get over you."
Willow didn't respond, unsure what she could even say.
Though she, too, was a victim, her presence at this wedding was indeed inappropriate given her identity.
"What did Charles have someone give you just now?" Ophelia asked.
Willow's grip on the room key tightened. For a moment, she didn't know how to answer.
No matter how you looked at it, the fact remained that Charles had someone give her a room key during his wedding ceremony.
Even though nothing had happened yet, and she'd been planning to expose Charles's dark intentions, being questioned first by Charles's bride still gave Willow the humiliating feeling of being caught in bed, stripped bare.
"A room key? Did I guess right?" Ophelia reached out directly and grabbed Willow's wrist.
The key card Willow hadn't had time to hide appeared before both their eyes.
"Ms. Thompson, it's not what you think. I..." Willow tried to explain.
Ophelia took the key card from her hand, letting out a contemptuous snort. "Charles has some nerve—really thinks I'm a fool."
"Were you planning to find my father?" She'd seen Willow heading in her father's direction when she approached.
Willow pressed her lips together and nodded. "I had no intention of going along with him. I just have unavoidable reasons. I'm sorry."
In those few seconds, she'd already composed herself emotionally.
Ophelia studied her for a few extra moments before pocketing the room key. "Don't waste your energy. My dad won't help you."
Willow frowned. "It's not just about me..."
"He won't help me either," Ophelia said. "Otherwise, why do you think I'm in this arranged marriage with Charles? You think that with my dad's position, he doesn't know Charles was married before? Knowing he just got divorced not long ago, he still agreed to marry his daughter to a man on his second marriage. From beginning to end, all he cares about is the Lancaster family. No matter what Charles does, as long as he's backed by the Lancaster family, this marriage won't be called off."
Her tone carried faint self-mockery. "You thought he seemed reluctant to see me go when he was speaking earlier, right? That was all an act. If he couldn't put on a show, how do you think he made it to mayor?"
Willow's expression darkened as well.
According to Ophelia's account, their two families' alliance would continue no matter what.
Brian wouldn't help her—so what else could she do?
"So instead of going to him, come to me," Ophelia said, curving her lips at Willow.
Willow pulled herself from her thoughts, looking at her with confusion.
Ophelia produced another room key card from somewhere and held it out to her.
Not knowing what Ophelia intended, Willow hesitated without taking it.
"Someone gave me this key card. I don't know what's in the room," Ophelia said, taking Willow's hand and pressing the card into it. "But it's definitely better than what Charles arranged for you. As for Charles's key—I'll hold onto that for now."
Someone...
Willow looked at the key card in her hand, Sterling's face involuntarily surfacing in her mind.
Ophelia hadn't specified who, but Willow just felt certain it was Sterling's arrangement.