Chapter 56: Chapter 56: She Wants to Personally Bury This Wedding
Jude Sheridan strode up to Jessica Keller, his face cold, and violently grabbed her wrist. He paid no mind to her pregnancy, his actions rough.
"Who let you come here? Get the hell out."
The violent tug sent Jessica Keller stumbling. Weighed down by the intricate design of her wedding dress, she fell to the ground in a graceless heap.
The mocking faces of the guests, all watching the drama unfold, combined with Jude Sheridan’s explosive rage, made her incredibly tense.
She could no longer care about saving face. Sitting on the ground, she burst into loud, painful sobs.
Jude Sheridan’s face was dark as he grabbed her arm and began to drag her outside.
Mrs. Sheridan saw what was happening and rushed over to stop him.
"Jude! Jessica is pregnant with your child! You’ll hurt the baby if you keep being so rough!!"
Jude Sheridan’s expression was vicious. He flung his mother aside as she rushed toward him, furious.
"You get the hell out, too."
Mrs. Sheridan cried out with a yelp as she fell to the ground.
Sheridan family relatives rushed forward to help her up. They also pulled Jessica Keller aside, worried Jude might lose control and do something drastic.
Jude Sheridan stared at the chaos unfolding before him, his head pounding as if it were about to split open.
He frantically scanned the crowd for Cecilia Croft. Zane Keller wasn’t there either.
Mrs. Sheridan didn’t have Zane Keller’s contact information, and Zane Keller had no idea she was even in the city.
Only Jessica Keller knew how to contact Zane Keller. They were from the same clan, both part of the Keller family.
A flicker of hatred crossed his eyes as he glared in disgust at Jessica Keller, who was hiding behind his relatives.
"Where’s Cecilia? Where did you hide her?"
’They must have hidden her. That’s the only reason she wouldn’t be at the wedding.’
’He refused to believe Cecilia would leave him.’
’She had no family. He was all she had.’
Jude had never treated Jessica this way before. Terrified, all she could do was cry and frantically shake her head, denying she had anything to do with the situation.
In the midst of the uproar, the screen on the ceremonial stage suddenly lit up.
A video clip, taken from a bike-mounted camera, began to play.
In the high-definition video, Jude Sheridan had his arms around Jessica Keller, the two locked in a passionate kiss.
After the video ended, a series of photos appeared on the screen. One showed Jude Sheridan with his head resting on Jessica Keller’s stomach. Displayed alongside it was a close-up of a pregnancy test report.
The guests erupted in a flurry of hushed discussions.
The color drained from Jude Sheridan’s handsome face.
Realizing Cecilia Croft knew everything, his whole body went stiff. The panic and rage in his eyes were impossible to conceal.
He roared, "Shut it off!"
The screen went black.
Then, someone spotted Cecilia Croft on the second-floor balcony and let out a gasp.
All eyes in the room turned toward her.
There she was, her graceful figure leaning lightly against the railing. Her long, elegant fingers cradled a wine glass, and a faint, knowing smile played on her lips.
In her black dress and red lipstick, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
She watched the chaotic scene below as if she were a mere spectator, and she even seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Upon closer inspection, the guests noticed she had a white chrysanthemum pinned to her dress.
She didn’t look like she was attending a wedding. She looked like she was attending a funeral.
’She was going to bury this wedding herself.’
Seeing that Cecilia had orchestrated this whole farce yet remained so infuriatingly calm on the balcony, Mrs. Sheridan was so enraged she saw red.
’My son can’t be the only one whose reputation is ruined today!’
"Cecilia Croft, you’ve already been sullied by other men, so what’s all this fuss about? My Jude isn’t disgusted by you and is still willing to marry you! You should be on your knees thanking the heavens! How dare you make such a mockery of this! Aren’t you afraid I’ll release that video of you?"
Cecilia Croft’s beautiful eyes curved into a smile, but as her gaze fell upon Mrs. Sheridan, it held no warmth whatsoever.
"What video? Why don’t you play it and let everyone have a look?"
As she spoke, she began a slow, deliberate descent down the stairs, radiating an imperious aura of someone in complete command.
Mrs. Sheridan’s expression froze. She didn’t have a video.
And with Zane Keller absent, she had no way to intimidate Cecilia Croft.
When Jude Sheridan saw her descending the stairs, completely unharmed and with no signs of being forced, he felt a fresh wave of relief.
He took a step toward Cecilia Croft.
Jessica Keller saw this and bit her lip hard. Realizing that if Jude went to Cecilia, she would lose her last chance, she quickly grabbed his arm.
"Jude, my stomach feels strange... Can you take me to the hospital?"
Jude Sheridan’s face darkened as he flung her hand away.
Jessica Keller stumbled, and would have fallen if not for a guest nearby who steadied her.
"Jude..." Jessica Keller’s voice was filled with despair.
Without sparing her another glance, Jude Sheridan walked up to Cecilia Croft. He suppressed his anger and spoke in a soft voice.
"Cecilia, please let me explain. What happened between her and me was a total accident. I..."
Cecilia Croft cut him off with a smile, her eyes full of scorn.
"Do you like it? It’s the surprise I prepared just for you."
Jude Sheridan’s brow furrowed. With his eyes holding a mixture of suppressed anger and helplessness, he lowered his voice.
"Cecilia, I know you’re furious. Just give me some time. I’ll handle everything and break things off with her for good. Give me one more chance. I swear it will never happen again."
"Today is our wedding day. All these guests are here, including some of Vantage’s business partners. If you keep this up, I’m worried about what it will do to Vantage’s..."
When he brought up Vantage, Cecilia’s expression didn’t so much as flicker. She cut him off, her voice utterly calm, "I know."
Hearing this, Jude Sheridan breathed a private sigh of relief, thinking he had smoothed things over.
He reached for her hand, but Cecilia deftly moved her wrist, evading his touch.
"It is precisely because I knew today was our wedding that I planned all of this so meticulously."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Jessica Keller, standing nearby in her own exquisite wedding gown.
"I wonder, will this wedding be forever etched in your memories? Will Ms. Keller, on this very day, at this very hour, every year for the rest of her life, think of this wedding? Remember this wedding?"
At these words, the expressions of both Jessica Keller and Jude Sheridan changed dramatically.
Because those were the exact words Jude Sheridan had whispered to Jessica Keller in the fitting room, the first time he had taken her to see Cecilia’s wedding dress.
"Cecilia..."
’He never imagined she’d found out so long ago.’ The last vestiges of anger in Jude Sheridan’s eyes were completely consumed by panic.
Seeing her son so completely under Cecilia Croft’s thumb, Mrs. Sheridan gritted her teeth and spoke up indignantly.
"Cecilia Croft! My Jude just made the same mistake any man would make! A successful man like him can’t be expected to only have one woman. Besides, you were already used and abused by those men last night! What right do you have to be so high and mighty..."
Jessica Keller never thought Mrs. Sheridan would air such dirty laundry in public and quickly reached out to stop her.
"Mrs. Sheridan, please, stop."
Cecilia Croft remained standing in place, her expression impassive as she calmly observed Mrs. Sheridan’s display of impotent fury.
Jude Sheridan’s face was grim as he bellowed at his mother.
"Just get out! All of you!"
At his words, Mrs. Sheridan’s face crumpled in a look of heartbreak. She began to curse at him, throwing a hysterical tantrum.
"Jude, you’re telling your own mother to get the hell out? For a used, broken woman?"
"Let me tell you straight—she slept with other men last night! And it wasn’t just one man, either!"
