Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen
In the presence of Angelina, Chad didn't anticipate the unexpected quick kiss.
Being fully aware of Angelina's feelings towards him, he wore a worried expression.
Marlie tightens her grip on him. She cast an evil smirk toward the direction of Silvia and her gang and received disdainful glares from them.
Angelina's eyes swelled with tears and Chad noticed it.
Intending to politely free himself from Marlie's grip, Chad attempted to break free, but she was unwilling to grant him that opportunity.
His anger tried surfacing but with all the guests witnessing the scene, Chad had to force a smile towards Marlie and politely request an excuse. It's better not to ruin their family's reputation.
Silvia and her gang had no choice but to look on helplessly.
Chad left the banquet with Marlie for his office, who still clung to him tightly and maintained a sweet smile on her face. However, as soon as they were out of sight, she swiftly released him.
Although her face too darkened, Chad failed to notice hers since she turned her back towards him.
"What the hell happened down there, Charlie?" Chad inquired, trying to control his anger.
Marlie was also furious. He dares to question her. Yet, she managed to maintain composure and turned towards Chad with an innocent expression.
To live her life as her sister, Charlie, she had to control her anger, knowing that even assuming Charlie's identity wouldn't conceal her true emotions.
"I wanted to surprise you... My love," she muttered through clenched teeth.
"Your love?!" Chad responded in disbelief, frustratedly unbuttoning his suit. He carefully sat on the sofa in the room, oblivious to the disdainful glare Marlie shot at him.
"I don't like you calling me by that!" He said. "We have already signed the divorce papers." He continued.
"Why...?" Marlie questioned him.
Inwardly Charlie pondered why her sister would agree to divorce a man she loved so much.
"Do you desire to be with your mistress that much?" She asked and waited for Chad to confirm it.
However, Chad provided a different response to the question. "I don't have time to go through that with you again." He said. The topic of the divorce was something Chad refused to discuss, even when the real Charlie proposed it.
"Then I won't proceed with the divorce either," she snapped.
Chad abruptly stood up from his chair and rushed towards Marlie, catching her off guard and causing her to retreat against the wall.
Chad followed suit, pinning her closely to the wall, and Marlie couldn't help but shiver at their proximity.
Chad pounded both his hands against the wall in fury. "What did you just say?!" he exclaimed, his fury evident on his face. "Do I appear foolish to you?" He asked her with a dangerous gaze.
Marlie felt an indescribable emotion due to Chad's proximity. In an attempt to distance herself, she tried to slip away beneath his arm, but he prevented her and pushed her against the wall, holding one of her hands against it.
"You were the one who wanted the divorce so badly. And now, when it's almost finalized, you're here telling me you don't want it anymore?!" Chad exclaimed, tightening his grip on Marlie.
Marlie cried out in pain. He was hurting her. Chad released Marlie and turned away. She turned her back to him, holding her hand in fury.
"You'll leave once the divorce is settled," Chad declared, walking away from Marlie.
Marlie attempted to control her anger, but it persisted strongly.
"Why don't you just kick me out now?" She asked.
"You don't know how much I'm craving to do that but..." Chad refused to continue and headed towards the door to go downstairs for the party. However, Marlie's words stopped him in his tracks.
"Fine, go be with your mistress," Marlie said, expressing her frustration.
Chad turned his attention back to her. He grabbed Marlie's face in his hand. Turning it over to observe it thoroughly.
He felt something was off. Charlie wasn't the type to get on his bad side before.
"You know, there's something peculiar or different about you. I can't quite pinpoint it," he observed her reaction.
Apart from her facial expression and demeanor, something seemed off about her mood.
Marlie tried to dismiss his observation. "I'm just tired. Can I go rest now?" Marlie walked past Chad towards the doorknob, determined to leave before he could say anything, but she turned back to ask...
"Why didn't you tell me it was Audrey's engagement? If I had known, I would have given her a surprise she would never forget." She said sarcastically.
Chad scoffed irritably. "Don't act like you were on good terms with my sister!"
So Chad was well aware of the fights between them in the house.
Chad commanded, "Come downstairs when you're done."
His words only frustrated Marlie further. Why would she want to attend the celebration of her enemy? She wished she could crash the party and wipe the joy off Audrey's face.
"I'm not in the mood for a party," Marlie declared. She didn't want to pretend to be cheerful downstairs. She might even end up killing Audrey instead.
"You have no say in this. Just go downstairs, all the family is there. And, Charlie, I'm not in a good mood so don't annoy me further!" Chad warned, turning to face her. "You would not like it if I forced you."
Marlie scoffed at his statement. As if he had ever been gentle with her sister before.
"My only family is gone," Marlie said suddenly, a wave of sorrow washing over her face as she closed her eyes.
Confronting Chad was the last thing she wanted to do. Her previously mournful expression transformed into one of anger. Deep inside, thoughts of her sister's anguish fueled her rage.
"What did you just say?" Chad struggled to comprehend Marlie's words.
"Marlie...My little sister... She's... she's gone." Marlie lied through her teeth, now taking on the guise of Charlie.
Chad stood there speechless, trying to grasp the meaning behind Marlie's utterances.
Marlie conveyed to him that she couldn't go to the party with her sister gone, but Chad couldn't make out a single word as his own thoughts ran rampant.
Marlie swiftly exited the room, leaving Chad still standing dumbfounded.
Marlie's revelation caught Chad off guard, causing him to stumble backward. His own steps faltered, leading him to topple onto the ground.
Chad let out a frustrated smirk. "It cannot be. Not her! She can't leave me without knowing the truth!"
Cupping his ears, Chad attempted to block out Marlie's words, but they resounded loudly and clearly. The mere touch of his hands could not shield him from the sound as it reverberated in his mind.
"No, she was just lying." Chad desperately sought to convince himself that Marlie was being deceitful.
He grasped the couch's edge to prop himself up, but his trembling hands betrayed his inner turmoil, making it impossible to steady himself, resulting in him falling to both knees.
Meanwhile, Angelina and Audrey grew curious about Chad's prolonged absence from the office, with Marlie as the guest, who kept waiting for the engagement to proceed.
In the meantime, Marlie found herself unsure of which room Charlie shared with Chad as she wandered through the hallway.
"Excuse me, but which room is mine?" Marlie called out to a servant in the house.
The servant was puzzled as to why Marlie would be inquiring about her own room.
Marlie had to think swiftly and explain that she was simply switching rooms.
The servant assured her that they would prepare another room for her, and so she patiently waited for ten minutes before being escorted to her new quarters.
Every room in the mansion was spacious, and the one assigned to her was no exception, but Marlie couldn't care less if they had given her the kitchen to sleep in.
Meanwhile, Angelina knocked on the study room door to check if everything was alright.
Chad was inside, consumed by his own grief, paying no attention to anyone outside.
No one dared to open the door and intrude unless they had a death wish.
Silvia joined Angelina in knocking. As the only man of the house, it was his duty to offer his support before the engagement between Francis and Audrey could proceed.
Yet, Chad was not in the mood to concern himself with others at the moment.
Despite Audrey's tears and pleas for Chad not to ruin her engagement and bring disgrace upon her, he was unmoved and indifferent towards others.
Who cares for others' feelings when he was just told the devastating news of his life? Marlie was gone! His Marlie was time for good. Could anyone understand what he was going through a the moment? No!
Following the commotion in the house, there was no choice but to cancel the engagement.
A tear dropped from Chad's eyes when he fully grasped what Marlie said to him.
Chad wiped the tear from his face with a finger, and looking at it closely, he mocked sadly, "It was so easy for you to escape this cursed faith of ours, Marlie." With that, Chad's face returned to cold as usual.
With all the guests gone, Audrey was left in sorrow and anger.
As the drama unfolded, Marlie sat on the sofa, smirking with satisfaction."This is just the beginning, Audrey. We're just getting started. Happy engagement day sister-in-law. Well, I guess there will be no. Kew engagement." She said triumphantly.