Chapter 352

No.1

Nearby, Penelope was heard sobbing. “Isabella, I’m begging you. Please forgive Victoria. She’s going to be torn apart by the public! You’re the only one who can help her now!”

All eyes turned to Isabella standing calmly by the door.

She had removed all her wedding accessories.

Her hair fell loose and wild around her shoulders.

She looked beautifully disheveled, like a storm.

Victoria’s eyes widened in realization.

Isabella… Isabella was here!

This had to be her doing. It was all her plan.

She made her the bridesmaid on purpose.

She designed the wedding in Victoria’s favorite theme.

No.2

She said those triggering words to push her toward Alexander.

Victoria never intended to seek him out.

But Isabella’s sharp words broke her control.

Victoria scrambled to her feet, pointing accusingly. “Isabella! How could you do this to me? You’re pure evil!”

“Evil?” Isabella let out a cold laugh. “You’re calling me evil after what you’ve done? Victoria Kensington, if you wanted my diamond mine so badly, you could have just asked. I would have given it to you. Why ruin my wedding day? Do you know how long I’ve planned for this?”

“I canceled all my projects. I lost millions in endorsements. All I wanted was to marry Alexander and live a simple life. Why did you have to destroy everything?”

Isabella’s voice trembled with raw pain and fury.

Victoria shook her head violently. “No! You planned this from the start! It’s all a lie! You never loved Alexander! You set up those cameras! You designed this trap to ruin me! You—”

Before she could finish, Eleanor’s hand struck her cheek again.

Victoria stumbled backward, her face stinging.

No.3

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

She touched her lip, staring at Eleanor in disbelief. “Mother… you hit me? Again?”

Eleanor had never raised a hand to her before today.

Now she had been slapped twice.

“How can you show no remorse after such a shameful act?” Eleanor cried out. “How can you still blame Isabella? What happened to the daughter I raised?”

The woman before her felt like a stranger.

“All of you blame me,” Victoria rasped, her voice breaking. “But I never wanted this to happen!”

“It was Isabella! She set everything up! She planted cameras in this room! She never intended to marry Alexander! This whole wedding was a trap! I’m telling the truth!”

Isabella’s gaze turned icy. “It’s easy to check who installed the cameras. But even if I did, did I force you into bed with Alexander? Did I tell you to plot against me and steal what’s mine?”

“Y-You…!” Victoria stammered, turning desperately toward Alexander who knelt nearby.

No.4

“Alexander, speak! Think carefully. In the past month, did Isabella ever truly love you? Was her intention to marry you even real?”

All eyes focused on Alexander.

Kneeling, Alexander felt utterly humiliated and defeated. The moment he saw Isabella in her wedding dress, an absurd thought crossed his mind—he genuinely wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, to make her his real wife! Then Victoria showed up. He couldn't control his urges. Everything spiraled when Victoria hugged and kissed him. She kept professing her love, her pain.

“Just one more time. You’ll be married for at least a month after this. I won’t disturb you until then,” she had whispered.

He fell for it. He genuinely pitied her, wanted to comfort her. This one mistake ruined everything—his wedding, their reputations. What could he say now? What was left?

Alexander had never knelt before. Yet there he was, on the floor, punched by his father Victor. Publicly shamed in front of everyone. Including Isabella.

Seeing his silence, Margaret rushed forward and slapped him. “What are you doing? Speak! Apologize to Isabella! Beg for her forgiveness!”

“No need. Forgiveness doesn’t exist in my life. Not now, not ever. From this moment, I want nothing to do with them.” Isabella’s words were icy, final. She turned to leave. Her retreating figure was mesmerizing, yet cold and proud.

Realizing their ticket to wealth was walking away, Margaret shoved Alexander urgently. He instinctively stood, grabbing Isabella’s wrist. “Isabella, let me explain! What can I do to earn your forgiveness? Tell me. I’ll do anything to make this wedding happen. Anything.”

He spoke with desperate sincerity. Part of him truly didn’t want to let her go. He felt if he did, he’d never get her back. Also, it was better to pin the blame on Victoria. Their reputations were already tarnished. If Isabella forgave him, the public might move on. If she refused, they’d hate him, boycott him. He had to win her back, continue the ceremony.

No.5

Beside him, Victoria’s heart shattered. The man she loved was begging another woman right in front of her. He didn’t care about her feelings at all! She’d been slapped twice, yet he didn’t defend her. He didn’t want to confess their love. All he wanted was Isabella!

It drove her insane. She could no longer hold back. “Alexander, why are you begging her? Don’t you believe me either? Why would there be hidden cameras here? Why would she suddenly agree to marry you? It was all—”

“Enough!” Alexander cut her off furiously.

Lately, Isabella’s temper had softened. She’d given up many opportunities for him. So what if this was all Isabella’s plan? If Victoria hadn’t sought him out, hadn’t seduced him, why would he have done this on his wedding day? Victoria was useless. A constant disappointment. Alexander reached a conclusion. A final decision.

Alexander spun toward Victoria. “Apologize. Now. To Isabella.”

“Apologize? Alexander? Are you serious? You want me to apologize to her?” Victoria’s face drained of all color. She could fake remorse and play the victim on any other occasion. But not this one.

This was Isabella’s doing. These were clearly her traps, her schemes. And now she was supposed to apologize?

Alexander used to loathe Isabella just as much as she did. Why was he suddenly demanding this?

His gaze was unyielding. “Yes. When you make a mistake, you apologize. We shouldn’t be together. Let’s end it, right here, right now, in front of Isabella.”

This was the only way to salvage the wedding. The only way to control the damage.

No.6

He turned back to Isabella. “It’s true. Victoria and I made a terrible mistake. I am deeply sorry. If you’re concerned about your assets, we can sign a prenuptial agreement immediately.”

Madam Whitmore elbowed him sharply. “Don’t be a fool, Alexander! What are you saying? Isabella will forgive you once you’ve shown true remorse. We’re about to be family. Families don’t keep score like this. You’ll only make things more difficult. Isn’t that right, Isabella?” She offered Isabella a strained, hopeful smile.

Isabella’s expression remained cold. “Haven’t I been clear? I said I will never forgive you! I want nothing more to do with any of you. Ever!”

Victoria felt pure hatred burn through her. She wanted to lunge at Isabella and silence her forever. Alexander and his mother were already begging. Why was she still so arrogantly stubborn? Did she get off on torturing everyone? What more did she possibly want?

Flustered, Madam Whitmore turned to Eleanor. “Eleanor, please, talk some sense into your daughter. There’s no need to destroy our families’ bond over this. What good will it do? Think of the media frenzy. The headlines will be brutal.”

Eleanor and Richard Montgomery were seething. They couldn’t accept that their seemingly pure daughter was actually this deceitful and vile. Yet, they had to consider the bigger picture. If the wedding was truly called off, the fallout would be catastrophic. The family’s reputation was on the line.

Eleanor grasped Isabella’s hand, her voice pleading. “Isabella, your sister is absolutely at fault here. You can punish her any way you see fit. But there are too many reporters here today. Please, reconsider. Take back what you said.”

“You must understand you represent the entire Montgomery family,” Richard added sternly. He shot a disgusted glance at Victoria. “If the alliance with the Whitmores is broken, the consequences will be severe. And yes, Victoria made a colossal error. We will deal with her ourselves. You can oversee her punishment. But she is still family. If the world shames her, they shame all of us. Only your public forgiveness can limit the damage.”

Victoria listened in stunned disbelief. They weren’t concerned for her. They were worried about the stain she would leave on the family name. They were handing her over to Isabella for punishment. Isabella had already engineered her complete humiliation. Was she now to be Isabella’s plaything? To be tormented and degraded at her whim?

Victoria was utterly powerless.

No.7

Eleanor was now clutching Isabella’s arm, her desperation palpable. “Isabella, I’m begging you. Please. Remember I’m your mother. Remember I saved your life. Please, let this go. Let the wedding continue. Just tell everyone you forgive her. Please.”

Isabella was the last thread holding the Montgomerys and Whitmores together. Victoria was already a lost cause. If Isabella refused to forgive, the familial bond would shatter, incurring immense costs. Furthermore, without Isabella’s public declaration of forgiveness, Victoria would be torn apart by the court of public opinion. Her career would be over.

Eleanor was using the life debt as her final bargaining chip.

Isabella frowned, watching her mother debase herself for the sake of damage control. Correction: mostly for Victoria’s sake. Ultimately, even though Eleanor was heartbroken, it was because Victoria faced global scorn.