Lucy's instigation immediately made the people who were on Joanna's side immediately switch stances.
With that, Joanna turned into a criminal in their eyes. Everyone began calling her a cruel witch, apart from… Ace and Christopher.
"Silence!" Christopher put up a serious face and approached Joanna.
He then brought out the ring he had prepared for Cecilia, handing it to Ace. "Ace, put this ring on Miss Pierce."
The intelligent Ace instantly understood what Christopher was trying to do, and he nodded gently.
He grabbed Joanna's hand without saying anything, attempting to put the ring on the woman's finger.
Joanna started backing away out of anxiousness. "What are you doing? You can't just put a ring on anybody! Get it off me!"
"Wear it!" Ace demanded.
Hence, the two started struggling to achieve their individual wishes, looking as if they were in a fight.
Ding ding ding…
The bells started chiming again, as it was the perfect time to watch the sunset. As the golden ball of fire slowly descended into the horizon, the famous prophecy was once again announced within the church…
"As the sun sets, the couple shall be blessed by the goddess of the sea, as long as they exchange rings. They will be forever bound to each other, and live the rest of their lives in peace!"
Ace managed to put the ring onto Joanna's ring finger by this point, but had also stumbled backward due to the woman's sheer strength.
Taking this chance, the man pretended to trip and fall, and the moment was captured with Christopher's phone.
The photo was able to prove that Joanna's words had some truth in them, as it looked uncannily similar to the photo of her and Cecelia's 'fight.'
"As you can see, it might not have been a fight at all. It might really be due to the fact that Miss Pierce was refusing to accept something. So, this shows that she could be telling the truth." Christopher said, clearly defending Joanna.
Only then was the woman able to realize their efforts. She looked towards Ace with eyes filled with gratitude but was somehow unable to say a single thanks.
However, Ace still looked rather smug. "You don't have to thank me. If the myth is true, then we'd be bound for life. You'll have plenty of chances to thank me."
Joanna was speechless. 'Oh god, I need to get myself checked. Why the heck would I ever expect anything good from him?!'
'He's basically just a big sly fox. He can dream on if he thinks he can trap me with a mere ring!'
Ruby had not expected Ace to step in and defend Joanna, let alone the groom himself. For a moment, her mind completely ran out of tricks.
After falling silent for a few seconds, she spoke up once more. "But I saw Miss Pierce throwing that necklace into the sea! She might really hold resentment towards Miss Cecelia, which gives her the motive to harm the bride!"
Joanna nodded. "I did throw that necklace away because Miss Cecelia told me I could deal with it however I wanted. I didn't want to hold onto it anyway, so I just threw it away."
Ethan snapped. "So you admit it! Do you know how important that necklace is to Cecy?! You god- damned witch!"
Joanna shrugged. "I have no idea."
She then thought to herself, 'It's just some token of their love, right? If it really was that important, why would she force it onto me then?'
Ace's expression grew colder as well. "How could you throw it away?!"
Just as Joanna was about to retort, one of the employees came running over, audibly distressed.
"Help! Help!"
Everyone immediately looked toward the employee.
The male employee's forehead was covered in sweat, as he tried his best to catch his breath. "The… winding bank… We found Miss Cecelia's shoe around the cliffside of the winding bank! She must've fallen into the ocean!"
The winding bank was quite a famous sightseeing spot within the area, as it was formed by a short mountain range in the shape of the letter 'C.' Moreover, it was known for its treacherous terrains as well.
"She fell into the sea?!" Ethan howled. "But Cecy doesn't know how to swim! We need to save her right now!"
He was the first to rush out, with Christopher and Ace following behind.
Joanna, on the other hand, froze slightly. She then followed a group of curious guests to the site.
The tides around the bank were actually rather calm. However, with the sun already set, there wasn't enough light for them to locate Cecilia well.
Joanna observed the heels placed neatly at the edge of the cliff and tried analyzing the situation. 'Could it be that Miss Cecelia found her shoes too tiring to walk in, and intentionally placed them here while she went somewhere else to have some fun?"
"How is that possible?!" Ruby acted as if she were superglue, sticking by Joanna's side as she spoke in a haughty tone.
"Everyone knows how considerate Miss Cecelia is. Why would she not attend her own wedding just to fool around? Do you think she'd ever make everyone panic like this?"
"Are you feeling guilty about your actions, Miss Pierce? Are you trying to stall some time and divert our attention away from the truth, just so you can achieve your hidden goal?"
Joanna was about to explode right then and there, her expression as cold as ice. "Hmm, I wonder why I myself have no clue what these hidden goals are!"
"If I were to guess, you must've pushed Miss Cecelia off the cliff with your own two hands! If something were to happen to her, you'd be the biggest suspect!" Ruby accused, her words leading to an uproar.
"That's right. It must've been her!" Cecilia's mother lunged at Joanna, her eyes reddening as she tried to attack her. "You heartless wench! Why would you ever do this to my daughter? Give her back!"
Joanna understood how a mother would feel rageful in such a situation, so she wasn't mad at her reaction at all. She didn't even try to dodge but instead shrugged helplessly.
"Yeah, Mrs. Cecelia. I have no idea why I'd have to do this to your daughter too. I have no reason to! Do you think I'd become a murderer overnight just because I felt like it?"
Cecilia's mother had lost all sense of rationality then, unable to converse in a reasonable way. All she did was lash out at the woman uncontrollably.
"I don't care! I know you did this to her! There are photos as proof! Not only did you hit my daughter, but you pushed her off a cliff… You have to pay! I'll make you pay!"
A barrage of punches came raining down on Joanna, so she instinctively protected her stomach with her hands. This time, however, she mounted a counterattack. "I'm going to fight back if you keep this
up! I'm warning you!"
This reaction brought her right back into the spotlight again. Everyone seemed certain that she was the villain of this story, and continuously insulted her. Some even came to help Cecilia's mother out by swinging toward the woman as well.
"Call the cops right now! We have to throw this wretched woman in jail!"
"What are we waiting for?! Let's beat her to death!"
Many of Cecilia's family and friends started joining in, having set their minds to take matters into their own hands. They wanted her to pay with her life. Joanna couldn't handle such discrimination anymore.
She balled her fists up, intending to teach these people a lesson.
"Try hitting her. I dare you!" Ace dragged Joanna backward and shielded her with his own body. He then glared coldly at those who jumped in for a fight, his chilling aura clearly frightening them.
Cecilia's mother was on the verge of a breakdown, wailing. "Step aside, Ace! You've once dated our beloved Cecy. You mustn't protect her murderer!"
Ace's perfectly sculpted face was painted with a layer of frost. "You have no proof, so don't falsely accuse someone of such a serious crime. She's mine, so don't you even think about harming a single hair on her head."
Ethan, also convinced that Joanna was Cecilia's murderer, glared at Ace with a furious gaze. "The truth is as clear as day! What more proof do we need?! Besides, you're divorced! What does she have anything to do with you? Why are you defending her so much?!"
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