CHANCE TO RAISE THE VOICE OF REVENGE

< Althair Starlight Hotel

UTC+6 0718 PM

Festive Hall, Lobby >

A bright light made her eyes blind to the room, shining straight at her. In front of her, a microphone. The room waiting for her to raise her voice. Angel stood on the podium, wondering for a moment how she got here. Just two minutes ago, she had been sitting like any other guest pleasantly and comfortably at her table, enjoying a sandwich while Alexander was still gone, together with Spencer. But then the MC just had to ruin the party, coming up on stage and announcing, "Well, well, well. I hope we've all having a good time. Friends and family of the bride and groom all gathered here, and among them a surprising guest we didn't think would show: how about it, Angelica? Wanna come up and give your greetings to the bride and groom? All, let's give a hand to the maid of honor: Angelica Storm!"

There hadn't been a choice from that point on. And now here she was. Everyone staring at her. An internal sigh later, she finally raised her voice.

"For those who wonder about it, I didn't mean to be here. Yet I am. I am the best friend of the bride and when I first met young Jenny in college, I thought she was pretty. Pretty pathetic. Asking me to be her friend because she had none. But she was pretty. Pretty much the biggest coward I've ever seen. She didn't even have the guts to tell me this to my face; she merely wrote it in a letter that she didn't hand over herself but placed in my locker during a break. When I was about to throw the letter away, she darted out behind me and pleaded for me to read it. She looked at me and I couldn't say no. Because she was pretty. Pretty pitiful. So somehow…we became friends. We hung out during breaks; we took trips together; we joined the same photography club; and eventually, we even became roommates. She was…like a puppy or an annoying little sister that refused to leave me alone. Even after college, we maintained close ties. Because she called me nearly every single day. She told me everything about her day, her worries, and her highlights. I thought I knew her inside out, being used as her diary. But…this illusion broke apart as did our relationship because, and who would guess, a man. My former boyfriend and the current groom of this wedding." She paused. The room was dead silent. She glanced over to Jenny and Joffrey. Jenny looked shell-shocked; Joffrey simply boiling mad or embarrassed. It was hard to tell, but it did leave her with a sense of satisfaction. It was hard to hold back the smile. "Joffrey, you see, was a charmer. In college, one of the most eligible bachelors and a decent athlete. We met and dated. Seemingly, young Jenny, though, fell for him. It was the one secret she never told me, even though she had every chance. Those two worked their way from being classmates to friends to cheaters behind my back. And now, they're married. All that's left for me to say is: Congratulations…and there's no need to say sorry to anyone. Joffrey, we two would never have worked out anyway. And Jenny, you needn't apologize for having feelings. That would be truly pathetic. There's no need to keep secrets that will surface sooner or later. That's true cowardice. On that note, congratulations on the baby." Jenny turned red. Some rumors started stirring the crowd. "And...I was wrong. You're not pitiful, you are in truth one of the most beautiful souls I've seen in this world. I can say this from the bottom of my heart: I wish you two all the happiness you can get in this world. Thank you for the invite. Cheers!"

She raised her glass and the crowd followed suit, awkwardly.

Among them, a young girl stopped recording on her phone and uploaded the video on her social media feed with the comment, "Revenge of the maid of honor: Angelica turns wedding crowd to stone, must-watch crowd reactions! So funny!"