Inside the magnificent Portman Ritz-Carlton ballroom, Emily Harper—still in her pristine white wedding gown—publicly rejected the marriage!
The entire hall exploded in shock!
Ever since Jeff revealed his identity as Chairman Sterling, Emily's heart had been wavering.
Later, seeing so many powerful figures bow down to Jeff, it became crystal clear: Jeff Sterling was practically the emperor of Riverforge!
Her former husband was now a business titan revered by everyone!
How could Emily possibly feel at ease marrying Ryan Caldwell after witnessing all of this?
Emily had never truly liked Ryan—that spoiled playboy. He wasn't as handsome as Jeff, nor as gentle or caring. Ryan's only real advantage was his family background, which could help the Harpers climb higher.
Now, compared to Jeff, even that single advantage had vanished.
Therefore, Emily rejected Ryan on the spot, without the slightest hesitation!
Suddenly, Emily—still in her flowing white gown—ran off the stage with tears streaming down her face, threw herself into Jeff's arms, and cried out:
"Jeff, I love you!"
The noise in the hall grew deafening!
"My God! The bride just ran off the stage and hugged another man—at her own wedding!"
"Haha, this is absolute chaos."
On stage, Ryan Caldwell Jr.—still in his tailored tuxedo—turned completely ashen!
Jeff sat quietly in his seat, feeling Emily's desperate embrace. His emotions were a tangled storm.
There was a flicker of old joy and pride… but far more hatred and cold anger.
He remembered that night at the Grand Meridian Hotel, standing in front of Ryan and Emily in his cheap delivery uniform while Emily coldly told him he wasn't even fit to step foot inside.
Neither of them could have imagined the tables would turn so completely.
Victoria Lang, seated beside Jeff, lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and smiled with quiet satisfaction.
"Emily Harper… Emily Harper… do you really think Jeff will forgive you now that you've come crawling back?"
As a woman, Victoria almost wanted to lean over and whisper: "If only you'd known this would happen."
Ryan Caldwell Sr., as the host, was shaking—face, hands, everything.
His own daughter-in-law had just publicly run into another man's arms and declared her love—at the wedding!
This was humiliation.
This was utter disgrace to the entire Caldwell family!
Where was their dignity?!
At that moment, Robert suddenly stepped forward, yanked Emily out of Jeff's arms, and slapped her hard across the face!
Snap!
Robert hissed urgently, "Are you insane?! By humiliating the Caldwells like this, are you trying to drag the entire Harper family down with you?!"
Robert understood exactly how serious this was: Emily had just publicly shamed the Caldwell family in front of Riverforge's elite. The Caldwells were not people who would simply let this slide.
But Susan hurried over, wrapped her arms protectively around Emily, and snapped at Robert:
"Robert! Why did you hit your own daughter?! Emily and Jeff were married for three years—they built real feelings! Choosing Jeff was the right thing to do. Besides… isn't Jeff a chairman now?"
"You… you foolish woman, shut your mouth!"
Robert was furious and raised his hand again, ready to slap Susan.
Robert already knew Jeff would never take Emily back. He hadn't come to steal the bride at all.
No matter how much Emily begged, it was useless.
Now that Emily had legally married into the Caldwell family, the only path forward—for the moment—was to stay married to Ryan.
Otherwise, they would offend both Jeff and the Caldwells, ending up with enemies on both sides.
Jeff said nothing about the Harper family drama.
These three people—Emily, Robert, Susan—used to be his wife, father-in-law, and mother-in-law.
Now none of it mattered to him anymore.
Jeff stood up from his seat, calmly buttoned his suit jacket, and said:
"It truly is the most extravagant wedding in Riverforge—no wonder Young Master Caldwell insisted I come to witness it."
"I've seen enough. I still have business at the company, so I'll be leaving now."
Victoria Lang stubbed out her cigarette, stood, and said, "I should go too."
Grant Harrison, who had been at the same table, quickly rose as well: "Chairman Sterling, Ms. Lang—wait for me. I won't be drinking this wedding champagne. I'll leave with you."
After the three of them departed, guests from other tables also began approaching Ryan Caldwell Sr. to say goodbye.
"Mr. Caldwell, I have urgent business at the company—I'll have to leave now."
"My team just called; sorry, I have to head out."
"…"
Before long, the once-packed wedding hall was reduced to only two tables of people.
Both tables consisted entirely of Caldwell relatives.
Basically, all of Ryan's business partners had already left.
Those who follow the strong receive help; those who go against them receive none. These people were all very pragmatic.
Knowing Jeff had a conflict with the Caldwells, who would dare stay close to them?
If they lingered and word reached Jeff, they might end up like those dozens of unlucky entrepreneurs whose companies were bankrupted overnight—who knew when they'd be next?
"Ahhh!"
Ryan Jr. grabbed a chair and smashed it onto the table.
A wedding that cost millions to host ended with almost no one left in attendance!
Seeing this, Ryan Caldwell Sr. remained outwardly calm and said, "Ryan, take Emily back to your new house. Today is your big day. You two shouldn't dwell on these things. Your mother and I will handle the rest!"
Then he turned to Emily: "Emily, I know you want to run back to Jeff's arms, but you've seen it yourself—he doesn't want you anymore. Since you're already a daughter-in-law of the Caldwell family, you should accept your place!"
"Though our Caldwell family can't compare to Jeff's level, we still have assets worth several billion—that's still far above your Harper family! Being a Caldwell daughter-in-law is not a bad position for you!"
Emily bit her lip and stayed silent.
Afterward, Emily and Ryan Jr. left in one car, while Ryan Caldwell Sr. and Laura left in another.
Crescent Bay Residences.
Emily and Ryan returned to their lavishly decorated new home, but neither spoke.
After arriving, Emily sat in the living room in a daze—still in her wedding gown, still wearing her makeup, not even changing her shoes.
Ryan had been furious with Emily ever since she hugged Jeff at the wedding, humiliating him in front of everyone.
But seeing her breathtaking beauty even now, Ryan thought to himself, "Anyway, I'm no saint—so I might as well sweet-talk her first. It would be a real waste not to enjoy such a stunning woman for a few nights."
Ryan removed Emily's heels, then went to the bathroom to fill the tub, and said, "Honey, the bath is ready. Go soak."
Ryan reached out to take her hand, but Emily shook him off.
Emily said, "Don't touch me! Tonight we sleep in separate rooms!"
"What?"
Ryan had married Emily because he lusted after her body, yet now Emily refused to let him touch her.
Ryan had previously mocked Jeff for never sleeping with Emily in three years of marriage.
Now Ryan found himself facing the exact same fate!
Ryan exploded: "Emily Harper! Do you still think you're some untouched virgin? Still playing innocent? Do you think acting like this will get Jeff back? Stop daydreaming!"