"You're lying!'
Ace's eyes were as keen and shrewd as an eagle's. He sneered at Ruby and added, "Didn't you just tell me you've admired me for a long time?"
"Then how is it possible that you've never heard of my ex-wife's name?"
"I…" Ruby was stunned, speechless. Being a veteran of the entertainment world, she was used to pulling words out of her *ss, and everyone would accept whatever she said without batting an eyelid. She never expected Ace to be so perceptive that he could immediately catch the inconsistency in her speech. For a second, she was completely at a loss for what to do.
Then in a hasty bid to save face, she blurted, "What… What I meant was that I've never personally met Ms. Pierce, but of course, I've heard of her. After all, your CP 'Moran My Pierce' is really popular online. Lots of people in the entertainment industry are fans of that site."
"Because you admire me…" Ace ruthlessly interjected, coldly staring at Ruby. "You must be jealous of her because of how close she is to me.
That's why you targeted her from the start. You took that damaging photo of her with ulterior motives. You then led everyone to believe that she was the one to push Cecilia into the sea, am I correct?"
At that moment, Ruby was so flustered that her face was crimson red. Barely able to handle the mounting pressure, she only managed to stammer, "No! That's not true! I didn't do that! I…"
Being the most sought-after celebrity, Ruby was no stranger to high society. She had been mingling with the upper echelons of the professional world, yet this was her first time being rendered completely at a loss.
Perhaps it was because Ace had such an intimidating aura. His eyes could seemingly penetrate all manner of lies or deception, and now, all her hidden cards were laid bare for him to see!
"Did you really think that just by eliminating Joanna, you'd easily take her place and get what you want?"
Ace's freezing gaze was full of disdain. He sniggered and added, "Even without Joanna, a cunning and calculative woman like you would never catch my eye, so stop wasting your time and effort."
All these years, there had been such a continuous flow of women trying to latch onto him that he lost count. There was, at this point, no trickery in this world that he had not seen.
Ruby was indeed pretty, but her beauty in no way made up for her cutthroat ambitious nature. There was just too much greed in her eyes. She was not pure enough.
But to be fair to her, all of the women who threw themselves at him had too much greed in their eyes. All of them except Joanna.
There were no ulterior motives, no greed in Joanna's crystal clear eyes. They were as pure and innocent as a baby's…
That was the main reason why Joanna had a special place in Ace's heart.
Ruby watched as Ace coldly walked away from her. She clenched her fists and bitterly yelled, "I never knew that you could be so cocky, Mr. Moran!"
His vicious words had been a huge slap in her face, filling her with shame and humiliation. She was the queen of the movie industry, after all. She had been used to everyone admiring her and showering her with praises. Never in her life had she been treated so brutally!
"I had indeed been admiring you," she continued, "but you really are just so cocky and arrogant that you're pushing everyone away. No wonder your first love dumped you! No wonder your ex-wife divorced you!"
Ace stopped in his tracks. He never expected Ruby to have the audacity to poke at his sore spot.
"And your ex-wife might not be as innocent as you might think, Mr. Moran. If she was, how could Miss Cecilia and I both accuse her at the same time?"
She then sneered and added, "Think about it. Do you really think that it makes sense for Miss Cecelia to risk her own life just to slander a woman that means nothing to her?"
Ace frowned deeply. Ruby's questioning had really thrown him off balance.
Joanna Pierce… Did you really push Cecilia? Why were you unwilling to explain yourself? Was it because you were ashamed
This whole incident had been plaguing Ace's mind, and he knew he would not be at peace until he found out the truth.
He took a deep breath and decided that the best course of action would be to ask the person directly involved in the matter-Cecilia.
Cecilia had been sent to the hospital to receive emergency treatment, and her life was now out of danger, but because she was drowning in the water for too long, there were concerns that she might've damaged her brain, heart, and lungs, and she had to remain hospitalized for a few more days for observation.
All the guests had now left, with only Cecilia's parents, Christopher, and Ethan remaining at the hospital with her. They were all standing outside the door to her private ward amid a tense and heavy atmosphere.
Cecilia's mother was wringing her hands and staring cautiously at Christopher. She then fumblingly said, "Chris… There were too many people earlier, so I couldn't really speak to you frankly, but now that everyone's gone, why don't we sit down and have a proper talk about the things between you and Cecy?"
Christopher kept his hands in his pockets, but his eyes remained kind and gentle. He seemed to be his old mellow, and affable self.
"What would you like to talk about?" he asked her in a calm voice.
"You must know that Cecy has always been an indecisive girl, but she can also sometimes be a little headstrong. As her mother, I can sense that after all these years, Ace still has a special place in her
heart…"
"Nonsense!" Cecilia's father interrupted her with a frown, glaring violently at his wife. Then his expression softened as he turned to Christopher and told him, "If everything had gone according to plan, I'd have raised my glass to your happiness and called you my son-in-law by now, Chris. Don't listen to my wife. She's talking nonsense. I know for a fact that Cecy has no feelings left for Ace Moran, but she is a gentle soul. She felt that she had once hurt Ace, and she is unable to forgive herself until now. The truth is, the person she loves the most is still you. So don't worry. Once Cecy has gotten better, we'll find another suitable and auspicious date for the wedding, and everything will fall into place."
"Yes, yes, that's right! My husband is absolutely right! I was using the wrong words just now. I didn't mean that Ace holds a special place in Cecy's heart, only that she still regrets hurting him. As for her feelings for you, that was pure and deep, for sure! You mustn't let this misunderstanding stand in the way of your happiness as a couple!"
Cecilia's parents were no fools. They knew that Christopher's family was highly respected in the City and that this was probably the best family that their daughter could marry. Naturally, they weren't about to let her miss out on this opportunity so easily.
Christopher's clean-cut face revealed little emotion, rendering him inscrutable. All he did was reply in a flat voice, "You've misunderstood me. I announced the ending of my relationship with Cecilia today, not because of her, much less Ace. It's a decision that I've made myself after a long consideration."
"The truth is," he continued, "I've long noticed that Cecilia and I aren't compatible with one another. But at the time, I guess we were just too enmeshed in our feelings, or perhaps a better way to put it is that we both sacrificed too much for our feelings to give it all up. In fact, I should thank Cecy, because her courage helped me to finally make this decision."
"Wh… What?"
Both of Cecilia's parents were dumbfounded. They never expected Christopher to actually change his mind about their daughter. After all, he had loved Cecilia so much in the past! How could he change so easily and suddenly?
"Chris!" yelled Ethan. He could no longer take it. It was the first time that he ever raised his voice at Christopher, who he always respected like his own big brother. "Are you out of your mind? Do you know what you're talking about? I can't believe all that bullsh*t you just spewed! You sounded like a total scumbag!"
"Have you forgotten how well Ace and Cecy were getting along back then? They were even discussing marriage! If you hadn't shown up, they'd probably be having their second baby right now! You made Cecy's feelings for Ace waver for a while, till she decided to dump Ace. And now that Ace finally managed to let go of Cecy, you're saying you want to break up with her! You're such a scumbag that I really want to beat you up right now!"
"You're right," Christopher took a breath and helplessly admitted. "I really am a scumbag. If beating me up could lessen the pain I've caused Cecy, I'll gladly accept it!" "You!"
Ethan was taken aback, completely at a loss for what to do.