RSVP to My Wedding... and Bring My Husband
Audrey Vance! Lana's getting married today—why aren't you there?
Scrolling through the messages, I realized it was Lana Hayes, our former queen bee. Our entire class had gathered for her wedding.
"Sorry, my company's been swamped," I replied professionally.
The group instantly attacked:
"Too busy? You never post online—must be failing!"
"Just admit you’re embarrassed!"
Lana tagged me: "Remember our bet? That my husband would outshine yours?"
"I don’t recall," I answered honestly.
The others mocked:
"Lana’s husband is a Fortune 500 CEO! He sent 100 luxury cars to her hometown!"
"Too ashamed to compare? Or too broke to afford a gift?"
Lana then posted a wedding photo—and my blood ran cold.
Her groom was Brandon Hayes.
My husband.
"I’ll be there," I typed, my fingers steady. "Wouldn’t miss your ‘happy moment’ for the world."
1
No sooner had I replied to Lana than I received a text from Brandon: "Wife, I'm going back to my hometown to see my parents today. I've already made your food and put it in the fridge. Just heat it up when you're ready to eat." It ended with: "Darling, I'll love you forever."
Brandon had been my husband for three years, a man who had moved into my home with nothing to his name. He always took care of my every need, anticipating everything. Even when he left, he never forgot to prepare for my daily necessities. I used to be touched by these thoughtful gestures. But now, they only struck me as laughable.
I abruptly ended my video conference and, following the wedding location Lana had shared in the group, drove toward her hometown. From a distance, I could see a colossal red banner hanging above Lana's family home: "A Warm Welcome to Mr. Brandon Hayes, CEO of Evergreen Group, for the Wedding Procession!"
Beneath the banner, Lana stood in a pristine, custom-designed wedding gown, eagerly awaiting her groom. Around her clustered our old high school classmates.
"Lana, you kept this so quiet! To think your man is the CEO of the Evergreen Group, and you only let us know on your wedding day!"
"Seriously! Mr. Hayes is a renowned entrepreneur. You're so clever, Lana, to marry such an outstanding, high-caliber man!"
"Lana, you're about to become a wealthy socialite. Don't forget us old classmates when you're rich and famous!"
Even our old high school teacher fawned over Lana: "Lana, the moment I first saw you, I knew you'd achieve great things. That's why I never scolded you, even when your grades weren't great. I knew you were destined for wealth, you didn't need grades to speak for you!"
Amidst the chorus of praise, Lana’s lips curved into a triumphant smile, her eyes gleaming with pride and satisfaction. Brandon, who had moved into my home years ago, had always seemed somewhat idle. To give him purpose and experience, I had entrusted him with the management of Evergreen Group, my smallest company. It never occurred to me that this would become the very source of Lana's inflated ego.
As I arrived, the classmates, who had been so eager to flatter, instantly frowned, their gazes filled with disdain. One of Lana's closest sidekicks, spotting the car behind me, immediately rushed over, sneering: "Audrey Vance, you are so vain! You actually rented a Bentley just to come to Lana's wedding and put on airs?"
Hearing this, others joined in, their voices dripping with contempt: "No wonder she dared to show up. So, she just wanted to show off? That car rental must cost at least three months of your salary!"
"Some people just love to live beyond their means. No matter how much you pretend to be rich, can you really be richer than Lana's husband?!"
"Exactly! Is it so hard to admit someone's better than you? Why go to all the trouble of renting a car just to show off your petty jealousy?"
Facing their denigration, my expression remained unchanged. "This is my car."
No sooner had the words left my lips than Lana suddenly walked up to me. She lashed out, a stinging slap across my face.
"Your car? This is clearly my husband's car! I've suspected for a while that my husband was keeping a mistress, and I can't believe it's you, you cheap tramp! You shameless wretch, how dare you drive my husband's car to my wedding to provoke me, his rightful wife?"
2
Lana's outburst made our classmates' eyes widen in shock. "Lana, this is your husband's car? Seriously?"
Lana's face was full of haughty pride. "Of course it is! How could it be fake?" She then pulled out her phone and displayed several photos of her and Brandon. Some showed them intimately close in the car, others lounging on the hood, leaning against each other. The car's interior details and license plate were clearly visible in the pictures. It was identical to my car.
At this, the crowd buzzed with confirmation. "It really is Lana's husband's car. So, Audrey is definitely the mistress!"
Lana's eyebrows shot up in fury, and she spat, her voice sharp and cold: "No wonder you haven't posted on social media in years. Turns out you've been busy playing mistress."
Hearing this, others glared at me. "I never would've thought it! Audrey Vance looks so respectable on the surface, but she's actually engaging in such despicable affairs."
"Seriously! I even thought she was some cool, aloof scholar in high school and wrote her a love letter. Thinking about it now makes me sick!"
"Some people act so high and mighty and innocent, but behind closed doors, who knows how loose they are? The moment they see a rich man, they go wild, practically begging for attention!"
"And she even dares to drive her sugar daddy's car right in front of the rightful wife to provoke her! I think she's just jealous that Lana married well and came here deliberately to ruin the wedding!"
Even our high school teacher looked at me with disdain, declaring, "Audrey Vance, from now on, when you're out there, never say you were my student. I certainly never taught a student with such moral depravity!"
The crowd's incessant chatter and condemnation drew many onlookers, who pointed and whispered about me. Some even pulled out their phones to take pictures and videos, and a few even spat in my direction.
I calmly removed my jacket, worth tens of thousands, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. Then, I faced Lana directly. "I advise you to ask Brandon Hayes very clearly: who exactly is the mistress, and who is the rightful wife?"
No sooner had the words left my lips than Lana swung again, slapping me across the face. "You need to ask? Can't you see it's Brandon and my wedding day?" She then looked at the car behind me, angrily cursing, "I detest mistresses! Every mistress in the world deserves to die!" With that, she pulled out a key and savagely scratched several large letters onto the side of my car: "Mistress Dies!"
I glanced at the stark, ugly words, my voice chillingly clear. "You'll realize very soon just how ironic those four words are."
My words only enraged Lana further. "You wretched tramp! You steal my man and then you have the nerve to mock me with your sneering sarcasm? The thought of my husband's car being driven by a filthy hussy like you makes me sick!" With that, she picked up a brick from the roadside and began to violently smash my car. The windows, the headlights, the hood – nothing was spared.
"Lana is going to be the CEO's wife of the Evergreen Group! We can't let her be bullied by a low-class mistress like Audrey!" someone in the crowd of classmates yelled.
Instantly, everyone else began grabbing whatever they could find – rocks, sticks, bottles – and threw themselves into smashing my car. After they shattered the windows, they even climbed inside, wildly slashing at the car seats and interior. The once pristine luxury car was transformed into a pile of mangled scrap metal in mere moments.
I watched these frenzied people, my gaze icy. "I hope you'll be just as happy and enthusiastic when it comes time for compensation." No one paid any attention to my warning; they treated me as if I were invisible.
Just then, one of Lana's cronies smashed open the trunk and gasped, "Everyone, look! She's got a lot of good stuff hidden in her trunk!"
Lana walked over, pulled out a painting, and scoffed. "A cheap woman who sells her body for money, pretending to be a collector, putting on airs of elegance?"
Seeing this, I couldn't help but warn them. "These things are worth far more than my car, especially that painting and calligraphy. I advise you not to mess with them." The items in the trunk were collectibles I had acquired from auctions but hadn't yet found a place for.
Lana's fury only intensified at my words. "This painting is a desecration being collected by a wretch like you! Trash like you only deserves trash!" With that, she tore the painting to shreds right in front of me. After ripping it, she threw it on the ground and stomped on it with her foot.
Our high school teacher, upon closer inspection of the painting, gasped: "This painting… it looks like a genuine Qi Baishi! I heard the starting bid at auction was over three hundred million!"
Lana retorted indignantly, "So what if it's three hundred million? It's all my husband's money anyway! My husband's money is my money. What's wrong with me smashing my own property?"
Her words left me speechless. Not only was Brandon a man who had married into my family with nothing, but even after I put him in charge of Evergreen Group, his incompetence had caused the company's market value to drop by nearly half. If he weren't my husband, I would have fired him long ago. Yet, Lana and these old classmates saw him as a formidable CEO, idolizing him.
With Lana leading the charge in tearing up the painting, the other classmates, unwilling to be outdone, also began smashing and ripping apart the collectibles in my trunk. Good advice falls on deaf ears when dealing with those bent on self-destruction. Since they were consumed by their frenzy, I saw no point in saying anything further. I simply pulled out my phone, intending to call the police.
Just as my finger touched the dial screen, Lana rushed over, snatched my phone, and slammed it to the ground. "Still trying to call the police? You're just a mistress who only knows how to seduce men. What nerve do you have?" As she spoke, her gaze suddenly fell upon my neck, and her eyes lit up. "That jade pendant necklace you're wearing doesn't look cheap. Did you buy it with my husband's money too?" With that, she yanked hard, tearing the necklace from my neck. Lana's movements were so swift and violent, I had no time to react. The necklace was in her hand in an instant.
Seeing this, my face paled. "Give me back my necklace!"
3
Seeing my sudden panic, Lana sneered at me. "So agitated? Looks like this necklace is worth a fortune, huh?"
I panicked even more. "It's not valuable in terms of money, but it's incredibly important to me! Give it back!" As I spoke, I reached out to snatch it back. This jade pendant necklace was a protective charm my mother had risked her life to obtain for me.
I had been frail and sickly since childhood. At four years old, I was hospitalized, critically ill and unconscious. Even the doctors told my parents to prepare for the worst. My mother couldn't accept it, so she went to a temple to pray for me. To show her sincerity, she walked barefoot, kowtowing every step of the way, from the foot of the mountain to the summit, in the scorching heat of a 40-degree Celsius summer. She knelt until her knees bled and bone showed through, until her head was broken and bleeding, her consciousness fading, before finally obtaining this jade pendant necklace. Perhaps heaven itself was moved by my mother's devotion. I, who had been in a coma, miraculously awoke. But my mother fell ill from that day and never recovered. Before she died, she placed the necklace in my hand, strictly instructing me to keep it safe. I cherished this necklace immensely, carrying it with me everywhere since childhood. It was something my mother had given her life for, and it was my absolute untouchable line. I would never allow anyone to damage it!
"The more you want it, the more I'll destroy it!" Before I could even touch it, Lana threw the necklace forcefully to the ground. With a sharp crack, the jade pendant shattered, breaking into countless fragments, scattering everywhere.
"No!" Watching the only thing my mother had given her life for shatter like that, my heart twisted in agony. I couldn't breathe.
"You're an animal!" I couldn't take it anymore. I slapped Lana across the face.
"You filthy tramp, you dare hit me?" Lana clutched her face, screaming hysterically. "Teach this wretch a lesson, a severe one! Whoever satisfies me the most, I'll give them a million dollars!"
At her words, the classmates, who already disliked me, immediately started punching and kicking me. "How dare you hit Lana? She's the future wife of the CEO of Evergreen Group! Do you even deserve to breathe the same air as her?!"
"Exactly! So what if she broke your necklace? You probably earned it by sleeping around anyway. Just go serve a few more men, problem solved! Why are you so dramatic?"
"Shameless mistress! Seducing other people's husbands is bad enough, but daring to hit the legitimate wife? Do you really think us old classmates are pushovers?" Even the teacher couldn't resist sneaking in a few kicks.
I was beaten to the ground, trembling with rage, gritting my teeth. "You'll regret this!"
At my words, the group of classmates erupted in laughter, as if they'd heard the funniest joke imaginable. "Laughing my ass off! Do you still think this is high school? Still think you're superior because you were a straight-A student?"
"Exactly! You're nothing but trash discarded by society now! You're already making money by sleeping around, and you still dare to threaten us?"
"A mistress should know her place! When you get hit, you stand at attention!"
"You shameless hussy! You're so desperate to steal another woman's man, even from an old classmate. Aren't you embarrassed? If I were you, I'd just smash my head into a wall and die!"
They held me down, relentlessly mocking and humiliating me. The onlookers also freely criticized me, spitting at me repeatedly. Lana, emboldened by the crowd's support, stepped forward and placed her foot on my face. "Regret?" she crowed wildly. "I've never regretted anything in my life! I'm just waiting to see how you, you wretched mistress, could possibly make me regret this!"
No sooner had the words left her lips than a hundred luxury cars roared into view, screeching to a halt before the crowd. Then, Brandon Hayes emerged from one of them, accompanied by a retinue of men in sharp suits...
4
The sudden, grand, and overwhelming display brought the chaotic scene to an abrupt, deafening silence. All eyes were drawn to the arriving procession. Those who had been holding me down immediately released me, straightened up, and stared. Lana, too, quickly removed her foot, adopting an air of gentle, demure grace.
Brandon, with his handsome features and impeccable tailored suit, exuded an extraordinary presence. His arrival instantly commanded the attention of everyone present.
"Is that Mr. Hayes from Evergreen Group?"
"Yes, that's him! He truly is a CEO, isn't he? What an extravagant display for a wedding pickup!"
"It's so magnificent! I wouldn't even dare to dream of so many luxury cars!"
"And he's so handsome too! Rich and attractive, no wonder that wretched Ms. Vance would stoop to being his mistress."
"Lana is truly blessed, marrying so well. I'm dying of envy!"
Amidst everyone's envious praises, Lana beamed, proudly stepping forward to link her arm through Brandon's. "Darling, you're finally here! I couldn't wait to marry you."
Brandon gave Lana a doting smile and pulled her into a warm embrace. "My clingy little thing. I just love how you can't be without me, my sweet bride."
Seeing this, the old classmates swarmed forward, their faces twisted into fawning smiles.
"Mr. Hayes, it's an honor. I own a small advertising company. If Evergreen Group ever has advertising needs, could you perhaps consider us first? Here's my business card."
"Mr. Hayes, this is a new product our company developed. It's complimentary for you to try. If you like it, please give us some feedback!"
"Mr. Hayes, it's a pleasure. I was Lana's classmate for three years in high school. I've long admired your reputation. Do you think Evergreen Group has any suitable open positions? I'm willing to learn anything!"
"Mr. Hayes..."
In an instant, all the former classmates jostled and squeezed around Brandon, vying for his attention, using every conceivable method to promote themselves. Watching my former peers grovel and fawn over Brandon, Lana's smile widened even further. She reveled in this feeling of superiority.
Brandon, meanwhile, merely instructed his assistant to take all the business cards and samples, seemingly accustomed to such displays.
Just then, Lana's mother stepped forward, smiling at Brandon. "My dear son-in-law, we've specially prepared some fine tea for you. Please come inside and have a rest."
Brandon glanced at his watch. "Perhaps not. It's getting late. I've already booked the hotel and banquet hall. With all these cars, there should be enough room for everyone to go together."
"Yes, yes, of course, let's head over then." The crowd nodded eagerly, heading towards the gleaming luxury cars. The thought of riding in such opulent vehicles to attend the wedding of the Evergreen Group CEO ignited sparks of excitement in their eyes. It was as if they had already reached the pinnacle of their lives.
However, just as everyone was about to get into the cars, the piercing wail of police sirens rapidly approached from the distance. Immediately after, a group of police officers quickly disembarked from their vehicles, their voices stern: "Freeze! We've received a report of a public disturbance and assault here!"
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