Cecilia's mother then turned to Christopher. "Take your bride to the hospital, Chris, and hurry up, will you? If she stays a moment longer, I fear someone might beat her to death!"
"Of course," Christopher replied. "But I'd like to take the opportunity to publicly announce that the wedding between Cecilia and I has been canceled. Our relationship as a couple ends today as well. I deeply apologize for dragging everyone into this mess and wasting your time today, but rest assured, you will be fully compensated by my family and I."
This threw the crowd into an uproar.
Ethan was flustered and anxiously tried to help save Christopher's situation. "What the hell are you talking about, Chris? Are you seriously canceling the wedding and breaking up with Cecy right now? Don't you think that's a bit too cruel? Tell me it's not true. Tell me you're just joking to lighten up the atmosphere."
But Christopher said nothing in reply. He picked Cecilia up in his arms and carried her away.
The crowd followed closely behind them before dispersing, ignoring everything that had just happened.
In the end, only Ace, Joanna, and the celebrity Ruby were left on the beach.
"Ms. Pierce," Ruby said in a contrived voice, "I was only speaking the truth just now. You don't blame me, do you?"
"You borrowed someone else's hand to attack your real target," Joanna sneered. "Pretty impressive, I must say. Your intention to eliminate me is plain to see, Miss Ruby. You must be overjoyed with your success right now. But I do wonder… there have never been any grievances between you and me, so why do you keep trying to bring me down, time and time again?"
" Ms. Pierce!" Ruby clutched her chest, her face a picture of innocence." What have I done for you to so viciously sling mud at me? It was a matter of life and death! You're not actually blaming me for telling the truth, are you?"
Joanna could see through her sham from a mile away. Hence, she held nothing back and bluntly exposed her. "Don't forget that you're a public figure yourself, Miss Ruby. So if you're interested in my ex-husband, you should just pluck up your courage and boldly pursue him. There's no point in wasting your time with these insidious tricks and schemes. Instead of trying to get rid of me, why don't you surpass me by using your own strengths?"
Joanna then looked Ruby up and down, then smirked. "You have a nice figure, you know, especially that slim waist of yours. Our Mr. Moran here has a fetish for tiny waists. If you display your assets a little more often, you might be stronger than any rival blocking your way!"
"You…" Ruby did not expect to get this kind of response from Joanna. She was so embarrassed that her face turned beet red. "It's true that I admire Mr. Moran very much, but I've never had the intention to harm you."
After speaking, she took a deep breath and sucked her tummy in, making her waist appear even tinier than it already was. Then, she shyly and seductively gazed at Ace.
Was she so easily tricked?!
Joanna had no idea that Ruby could be this shameless and unreserved. She was, after all, the youngest film superstar and the most popular celebrity in the entertainment industry! How could she not know to be a little subtler? How could she be so vulgar?
"Mr. Moran," Joanna nudged at Ace and boldly teased him, "why don't you say something? Miss Ruby just confessed her feelings for you! You can't leave a celebrity like that hanging!"
Ace was visibly upset. A chilling expression emerged on his chiseled face that would easily freeze anyone in their tracks, and his eyes stared dead at Joanna.
He was obviously waiting for her to explain what just happened, and was not in the mood to joke around with her!
But Joanna remained completely unfazed. Dangerously dancing at the edge of the tiger's mouth, she continued to tease him. "Why don't you two shake hands and consider yourselves officially introduced? Don't forget me when you get together and pay me the matchmaker's fee! Hahahaha…
"Ah!"
Ace grabbed Joanna's arm violently and gripped it tight. It hurt so much that she grimaced. "Are you out of your mind, Ace Moran?! Do you want to get beaten up? I'm warning you-let go of me!"
But Ace only clenched his grip on her arm. His eyes turned savage as he demanded an answer.
"Explain yourself!
Joanna's lips curled up, but her expression was cold. In a moment, her heart froze into ice.
She assumed that Ace would never have to ask such a stupid question, but since he had actually blurted it out, it was clear that a vast chasm had opened up between them, forever separating them from each other, no matter if he believed it or not…
"I have nothing to explain," replied Joanna. "If you trust me, I don't have to say a word, and you'd still trust me. But if you don't believe me, it won't matter even if I explain everything to you till my mouth gets dry. I could dig out my heart and show it to you, and you still won't believe me."
Joanna forcefully yanked her hand from him. There was only calm diffidence on her flawless face. Then, as if not caring at all what Ace thought of her, she added, "Do whatever you want. I'm leaving!"
Then she turned on her heels and left without having the slightest feeling left for the man, not giving a jot of what he thought of her. So what if he thought she was a vicious murderer? To him, she was bad enough in the first place, so why bother worrying about it?
Ace stared at Joanna walking away, seemingly carefree and unbothered. His brows were tightly knitted. He was inconsolably enraged, partly due to the fact that Cecilia nearly drowned, and partly from his frustration of losing control.
He had always prided himself on effortlessly keeping everything under his control, but right now, he had absolutely no control over Joanna Pierce. Setting aside the fact that he had no idea if Joanna had really pushed Cecilia into the sea, what boiled his blood was Joanna's obtuseness, where she refused to explain herself. Her complete indifference towards him irrationally set his teeth on edge!
Dusk had fallen. The ambery sun slowly descended below the sea on the horizon. Light was disappearing, and it was getting dark everywhere.
There were now only Ace and Ruby on the beach. Ruby was secretly delighted, knowing that her chance had finally come.
She worked up her courage and slowly approached Ace, gingerly asking him, "Do you have some time to spare, Mr. Moran? There's something that I need to tell you."
Ace's turned to her with eyes cold and frigid, and he asked her in a displeased tone, "Do we know each other?"
Having never paid much attention to the entertainment industry, he naturally had no idea that Ruby was currently the hottest, most sought-after celebrity with a vast influence in pop culture and a sea of rabid fans.
"You might not know me," said Ruby, while gazing at Ace with twinkling eyes, every little gesture of hers coquettish and flirty, "but I've been admiring you from afar for a long time. Perhaps you're not aware that I will be working with Moran Group soon, and we're going to be bumping into each other a lot."
"Oh, really?"
Ace narrowed his eyes and studied the woman.
Indeed, Ruby was nearly flawless. She had perfect bone structures and looked like a purely natural beauty, not the kind that resulted from surgeries and botox. Her eyebrows were thin and delicate, her nose bridge was narrow and straight, and yet the most striking features on her face were her lips—shapely yet dainty like a cherry. They were slapped with the color of vermillion that one might see in old paintings, perfectly extrapolating the soft delicacy of a rose that was full of classic charm.
"Yes," Ruby replied with a gentle smile. Then, in a tone that suggested neither false modesty nor boastful pride, she added, "Because I will become the next spokesperson for Moran Group. From now on, we'll have a lot of opportunities to bump into each other. I look forward to it, Mr. Moran. I wonder if you feel the same?"
Ruby had full confidence in her appearance and even meticulously studied Ace's likes and preferences. One could even say that the path she had taken so far had been calculated to mold herself into the ideal woman for Ace Moran. It would not be an exaggeration to say that each step Ruby took in her entertainment career was solely done to achieve the ultimate goal of climbing into Ace's arms.
After all, wasn't that where all female celebrities ended up anyway- married to rich and powerful men?
Ace, however, was nothing but disinterested. He could see through Ruby's true intentions at a simple glance and had no intention of humoring her. Thus, all he did was bluntly ask, "What's going on between you and Joanna?"
Ruby's smile stiffened. She awkwardly replied, "What… What do you mean, Mr. Moran?"
"I saw how you vehemently targeted her just now, so I assumed there's something going on between you two. Do you mind telling me about it?"
"That's not true!" Ruby argued defensively. Her eyes flickered, ashamed that Ace managed to see through her deceit. "To be perfectly honest, I'd never even heard of Ms. Pierce's name before today. All I did was speak the truth about what I saw. I'd harbor absolutely no animosity towards someone I consider a stranger!