After Lilia announced the shocking news, the entire hall was enveloped in silence. In the next instant, the guests immediately got excited and made a huge fuss. None of them believed that a man who had never been close to any woman like Jean was actually married!
Lilia waited for the commotion to subside before speaking again. "I know that this announcement is hard to accept, but it is the truth. We purposely hid our marriage to prevent a fuss like this, but the situation has changed."
The guests stopped talking to themselves and focused their attention on Lilia. They didn't want to miss a word.
"If there are a lot of rumors about who my lover is because we didn't announce our marriage, then I will clarify it. I will call the media and announce our marriage to the public. As for William, who was mentioned by Miss Sara..."
Lilia paused for a moment and glanced at Sara. The woman looked so shaken that she couldn't hear a word.
"… I will admit that we used to date. But our relationship ended three years ago. What William was doing and with whom he was dating now is no longer my business. I don't know why Miss Sara insisted I couldn't forget him. I apologize to everyone for the inconvenience."
When Lilia finished speaking, Sara finally recovered from the shock. The woman glared at Lilia, but there was fear in her gaze.
"Lilia Pangestu! Enough with your bullshit! How could you be the daughter-in-law of the honorable Widjaya Family?! You don't deserve that! You're just a cheap artist from the wretched entertainment world!" Sara screamed uncontrollably.
She waited until Lilia gave up and admitted that the model was just lying about her marital status. But Lilia calmly stared back at her. Her confident expression made Sara even more panicked.
She turned to Sasha with a look of despair, but the woman looked away instead. Why didn't Sasha tell her about this?! Didn't she say that Lilia was just a woman who snatched Jean from her with cheap seduction?! That's why Sara agreed to help her humiliate Lilia in front of everyone!
"Liar! You are all liars!" Sara shouted. "This is impossible! How could a woman like you...!"
"Shut up."
The cold voice immediately made Sara pause. She slowly turned her head towards Jean as the man finally spoke up for the first time.
"Lilia is an amazing woman." He stepped forward and pulled Lilia to her feet. His arms were wrapped around his wife's waist in natural movements. "She was always polite, no matter who she was talking to. She has a strong stance and a maturity beyond her years. Lilia isn't a cheap woman who likes to make trouble for other people."
Jean's gaze fell on Sara. If a gaze could kill, that woman would be lying lifeless on the floor by now.
"She is the wife I love, Lilia Widjaya." Jean announced aloud.
For a moment, no one there could make a sound. They all stared at the couple with a mixture of surprise and admiration.
"That's why..." Jean continued, looking down on Sara. The corner of his mouth lifted into a cold smile. "I will not forgive anyone who insults my wife."
Sara didn't have enough energy to be afraid anymore. She could only sit on the floor with a body shaking violently.
"Sara Hartanto, who are you that you dare insult Lilia in front of everyone?" Jean continued coldly. "I will hold you accountable, dear madame the third grandchild of the Hartanto family."
Right after Jean said that, Lauren came back carrying a laptop. The butler appeared from among the crowd and walked over to James. The two of them exchanged words for a moment before Lauren turned towards the guests. He put up the laptop screen for everyone to see, then he pressed the 'play' button.
The footage showed Lilia's figure as she walked into the bathroom. In just a few moments, Sara caught up with her inside. What happened next was also recorded quite clearly, even though the door was only half open. More importantly, the voices of the two women were perfectly recorded.
"Do you think just because you can attend tonight's event, the Widjaya Family will acknowledge you? Seriously!"
"Do you think you are worthy of a man like Jean Widjaya?! You are just a cheap artist from the entertainment world! You are the one who should remember who you really are!"
Every spicy remark made by Sara was clearly recorded in the video. The guests then frowned upon hearing that. They all watched as Sara threw herself to the floor, then shouted out loud for attention.
James and Irene's faces turned dark when they saw the contents of the video. Jean also looked away from the laptop screen to cast a sharp gaze at Sara. There was only one thing that came to their mind.
The Widjaya family could not be looked down upon by others.
James stepped forward with an expression full of anger. He pointed at the crowd and said, "Jefferson Hartanto! This incident made me believe that your family hasn't properly educated its members! What kind of young lady would dare to insult the Widjaya Family's daughter-in-law like this, hmm?"
After James said that, a man stepped out from among the crowd of guests. Jefferson walked over to James with a heavy sigh. At the same time, Jenny also appeared from the opposite direction.
When Sara saw her uncle emerge from the crowd, she became even more panicked. Sara had no idea that Jefferson had been watching it all from the crowd from before. She had lost the position of director of Hartanto Entertainment due to her mistake with Rina. Now, she caused an incident with the Widjaya Family's daughter-in-law. Sara felt that she wouldn't be able to get away this time.
Sara looked up and met her uncle's eyes. "Un-Uncle Jeff…" she reached out with a desperate expression.
Jefferson did not move to help her, but there were other hands holding Sara's arm. The hand helped Sara to her feet softly. She turned her head in thanks, but the words caught in her throat as she saw who helped her.
Jenny smiled gently as she patted Sara on the shoulder. After confirming that the young woman could stand steady, Jenny turned her gaze to James.
"Mr. James, you have some truth in your words about the upbringing of our family. I apologize on Sara's behalf to Lilia and the Widjaya Family for this incident. This is entirely our family's fault for failing to properly educate Sara." Jenny said, bowing to James.
Although the woman humbled herself apologetically, she did not lose her elegant appearance. Her assertiveness in admitting mistakes made James' anger subside a little.
Jefferson shot Sara a sharp gaze. Then he walked over to James and tapped him on the shoulder. "James, I'm really sorry. I'll fix Sara's behavior after this incident." he said with sincerity.
After Jenny said her part, she let go of Sara and approached Lilia as the victim of this incident. The middle-aged woman held Lilia's hand while saying, "Lilia, I apologize once again for this incident. Because of our mistake, you were not only insulted, but also slandered in front of everyone. But you don't have to worry.. Aunt Jenny will surely make up for this."
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