Chapter 178 Completely Ruined
Sawyer's tuxedo hung half-unbuttoned, his white dress shirtrumpled and loose against his frame. His dress pants had slipped down slightly as he leaned back against the lounge sofa. Before him, a long-haired woman knelt on the floor.
Indecent sounds filled the room. Sawyer's fingers tangled in the woman's hair as a groan tore from somewhere deep in his chest. "I love you... I love you, Cassie."
Cassidy lifted her head from his lap, her delicate face glistening with moisture. She rose to press her lips against his.
"Sawyer... I love you too."
The kiss stretched on, endless and consuming. When Cassidy sensed the moment was right, she looped her arms around his neck, deliberately brushing against him as she whispered in her most seductive voice, "Sawyer, don't get married. Please?"
The word 'married' struck like lightning, jolting Sawyer back to reality.
He still held Cassidy close, but shook his head with visible difficulty. "Cassie, you don't understand. For someone in my position, finding the woman I truly love is the greatest fortune I could ask for. But I was born into duty—family legacy, family honor. My marriage was never mine to decide."
Tears streamed down Cassidy's face. "Then what about me? What am I to you? You get your perfect, respectable marriage, and I'm just... what? Your dirty little secret? Sawyer, I won't do it. I want to be with you out in the open!"
That day, after she'd flipped the switch that sent Molly plummeting from the balcony, she'd slipped away from the apartment while Anthony wasn't paying attention.
She knew that with her own capabilities, there was no way she could avoid both Anthony and the police. So the moment she escaped, she went straight to find Sawyer.
His old apartment would obviously be a dead end, so she took a desperate gamble and headed to the Tucker Mansion instead. She'd crouched in the bushes outside for an entire day before finally spotting Sawyer emerging from the estate.
She threw herself at him, begging him to save her. She pinned Molly's death on Arabella, claiming Anthony wanted her dead to protect Arabella. If they caught her, she'd be sacrificed to clear Arabella's name.
Sawyer had always been tender-hearted toward her. Unable to bear seeing her so desperate, he brought her to another secret property and helped cover her tracks, ensuring her safety.
She hadn't been in a rush at first. She figured she'd settle in and gradually work on him. She was eighty percent certain she could make Sawyer break with his family for her sake.
Whether he broke with them or not, Sawyer was still the Tucker family's only heir. They'd never truly abandon him. At worst, he'd suffer for a bit before being welcomed back.
And when that happened, she'd be Mrs. Tucker. Forget Arabella—even Anthony wouldn't be worth her notice. When the time came, she could collect on every bit of suffering she'd endured, with interest.
But she never imagined Sawyer would actually get married! Skipping all the introductorysteps, jumping straight from engagement to wedding.
The day she arrived, Sawyer had been scheduled to accompany his bride for her wedding dress fitting.
The bride's name was Shelly, the only daughter of Majestic City's third-tier elite family. Though they couldn't compare to the Tucker family, they were still leagues above Cassidy.
Facing a match like this, she didn't stand a chance!
Backed into a corner, Cassidy had no choice but to offer herself. Fortunately, Sawyer's willpower crumbled when faced with her, allowing her to succeed easily.
During this time, she'd exhausted every trick in her arsenal to please him. And Sawyer had gradually shifted from deliberately maintaining distance to no longer suppressing his feelings.
But he still wouldn't budge on the marriage. He'd even planned it all out—after the wedding, he'd set up a property for her near the newlywed home, and he'd visit whenever he could.
Objectively speaking, for someone of Sawyer's status to go this far meant he truly loved her.
But this wasn't what Cassidy wanted. She wanted to be Mrs. Tucker. Without that title, she'd never turn her life around.
So today, on Sawyer's wedding day, she'd dressed to the nines and shown up too.
Her plan was simple: make Sawyer miss his entrance, and the wedding would fall apart. She refused to believe the bride would have the spine to continue the ceremony alone.
And now... she glanced at her watch. Half an hour had passed since the ceremony began. Sawyer had definitely missed his own wedding.
A slight smile curved Cassidy's lips as she pressed herself closer to Sawyer, whispering softly, "Fine. I won't push you anymore. I know someone like me could never be worthy of you. Go ahead and get married."
She didn't dare say anything like 'if you get married, I'll leave and never see you again' anymore. She'd discovered Sawyer would actually agree to that.
He loved her, trusted her completely without reservation, yet he always maintained one line in the sand—his own escape route. He would get married, to someone from a suitable family, and no matter how much he loved her, he'd never abandon that ultimate goal.
This was probably the cruel rationality men possessed when it came to love. After all, not everyone was as easy to fool as Anthony had been back then.
Sawyer pressed a tender kiss to her cheek, making a solemn vow. "Cassie, I promise you—you're the only one I'll ever love."
Cassidy turned her face away, unwilling to look at him anymore. A single tear slid down her cheek.
The sight of her like this nearly broke Sawyer's heart. But the wedding was the Tucker family's top priority. No matter how much it hurt, he could only tear his gaze away and focus on getting dressed, picking up his belt to fasten it.
When he checked the time again, shock jolted through him. It was already past noon!
The ceremony had been scheduled to start at eleven-thirty. According to the timeline, he was supposed to be on stage at eleven-forty, taking his bride's hand before all the guests. But now, half an hour had passed since his entrance.
In that instant, only two words filled Sawyer's mind.
Ruined. Completely ruined.
The Tucker family honor he'd tried so desperately to protect, the family dignity—all ruined. All because of one moment of indulgence with Cassidy, he'd missed something this critical.
Thinking of how furious his father and grandfather would be, cold sweat broke out across Sawyer's back.
Meanwhile, outside, the wedding had descended into chaos.
With the groom nowhere to be found, even a silver-tongued host couldn't salvage this disaster. He simply gave up, had the band play some soothing music, and sat back to let the families sort out their mess.
The bride had already been pulled off the stage by her father and now sat in the bride's family section, listening to relatives and friends hurl insults at the groom. Shelly's expression remained numb.
This was just a meaningless business arrangement anyway. Whether it succeeded or failed, she didn't care. If the marriage went through, she wouldn't be the one profiting. If it didn't, she wouldn't be the one humiliated.
But her parents had been publicly embarrassed in front of all these people. Their resentment toward the Tucker family was sky-high.
The Tucker family had sent Sawyer's father and uncle to smooth things over with the bride's side, but they weren't having it. The whole scene was painfully awkward.
Meanwhile, Sawyer's mother, along with several other Tucker family women, headed backstage to find him. Evelyn felt for her cousin and apologized to Chloe before following along. Seeing an opportunity for Anthony and Evelyn to discuss business, Rachel grabbed Anthony, who'd just arrived, and followed too.
The backstage area had numerous rooms, most with doors standing open. Even the closed ones could be unlocked by staff. They quickly searched down to the last room.
Before anyone could approach, a woman's voice drifted out from inside.
"Sawyer, I know you have to get married today. You have your responsibilities, your obligations. But can't you think about me too? That baby I was carrying was yours. I got pregnant for you, I had a miscarriage for you. That kind of pain—can't you have some sympathy for me?"
Then came Sawyer's anguished voice. "Cassie, I do love you. I need you to understand that. I won't let you down—"
Outside the door, Sawyer's mother couldn't take anymore. She turned to the staff member. "Open this door."
The attendant hurried to comply.
The door swung open, revealing two people staring back in panicked shock. Sawyer stood there in his groom's tuxedo, hand-in-hand with the disheveled Cassidy, the picture of tortured romance.
The Tucker family women's expressions turned grim.
Sawyer's mother charged forward and delivered a vicious slap across Cassidy's face. "You shameless bitch! Look at yourself—chasing after my son like some kind of ghost that won't stay buried!"
The blow snapped Cassidy's face to the side. She clutched her cheek, the very picture of pitiful suffering. Sawyer stepped in front of her, frowning. "Mom..."
His mother stared at him with profound disappointment, fury radiating from every pore. "How could you be so foolish? Do you even remember what day this is? For this cheap woman, you left your bride standing out there alone. Sawyer, are you even human?"
Guilt flashed through Sawyer's eyes. "Mom, I know I messed up. I'll explain everything to Shelly and my in-laws later. This isn't Cassie's fault—it was my mistake..."
His mother gave him a look beyond words. After a long moment, she snapped, "Now's not the time to assign blame. Get out there right now and finish this wedding. I'll deal with you later!"
Sawyer nodded quickly and rushed out.
Sawyer's mother didn't spare Cassidy a single glance. She turned to face the other family women, and Evelyn standing at the back with a dark expression, letting out a heavy sigh. "Sawyer's been foolish. I'm sorry you all had to witness this embarrassment."
The other women were all Tucker family, so naturally they wouldn't spread gossip. But she couldn't help worrying about Evelyn and the Watson siblings behind her.
Evelyn met Sawyer's mother's eyes, her tone less than friendly. "I'm definitely telling Shelly about this. But I'll do you the favor of not making a bigger scene today. If Shelly's willing to continue the ceremony, you can work it out amongst yourselves. If she's not, the Tucker family can clean up their own mess."
With that, she turned and left.
Sawyer's mother could only swallow her indignation. After a glance at the Watson siblings, she wasted no more time and hurried after Evelyn.
Rachel fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Anthony, so when she was pregnant before, the baby wasn't even yours."
Only now did Cassidy realize Anthony and Rachel were there too!
Her head shot up in disbelief, meeting Anthony's cold, violent gaze head-on. Terror seized her and she shrank back, scrambling away.
Anthony's voice was flat. "Rachel, go back out."
Rachel looked worried. "Anthony, this is still Tucker family territory. Our main priority today is the company project. Let's not create unnecessary complications."
As far as she was concerned, Cassidy was just useless trash. Disgusting, sure, but ultimately worthless—not worth wasting more energy on.
But for Anthony, Cassidy's existence was a mark of shame. She'd been cheating on him all along, even back when their relationship had seemed inseparable! That kind of humiliation—no man could tolerate it.
Anthony's voice hardened. "Go. I'll be out in a minute."
Rachel could only nod and leave reluctantly.
Under Cassidy's terrified gaze, Anthony stalked toward her step by step, grabbed her by the collar, and yanked her up viciously. "That baby was Sawyer's, wasn't it?"
Cassidy shook her head frantically. "No, let me explain..."
"At this point, what could you possibly say that I'd want to hear?" Anthony hurled her into a pile of storage items, his gaze slicing over her like a blade as he sneered. "Look at yourself—absolutely shameless. I really underestimated you, Cassidy. No wonder I could never track you down. Turns out you'd crawled right back to the Tucker family!"
He crouched down, staring coldly at the panic in her eyes as his lips twisted into a cruel smile. "So tell me—how should I deal with you this time? You killed Molly, tried to frame me for it, plus everything else you've done. Death by a thousand cuts would be too good for..."
Before he could finish, Rachel's panicked voice cut through from outside. "Anthony, stop! The microphone's on—everyone outside can hear you!"
Anthony's expression changed instantly. He straightened, immediately spotting the small microphone clipped to the groom's vest in the corner.
In the main hall, complete chaos had already erupted.
At first, the guests had simply heard the speakers crackle to life. Then came the shocking revelation.
The Tucker family's heir, Sawyer—known throughout society as an upstanding gentleman—was keeping a mistress. Not only that, he'd been fooling around with her in the backstage area during his own wedding, causing him to miss the ceremony! And if that wasn't enough, the mistress had gotten pregnant with his child and then had a miscarriage!
What kind of explosive scandal was this?
The Spring family's side was visibly furious. The Tucker family quickly sent people to shut off the microphone, but before anyone could reach it, Sawyer and his group emerged.
The Tucker family breathed a sigh of relief. Humiliation aside, they had no choice but to drag Sawyer over to the Spring family to personally apologize to Shelly and her parents.
But just then, a man's voice came through the microphone.
Anthony had done business in Majestic City for years—plenty of guests recognized his voice. And from what he was saying... Sawyer's mistress had been involved with Anthony too? And there was a murder case involved?
Oh my God, this news was getting too dangerous to listen to!