Chapter 18: Haven’t You Learned Your Lesson?

In the video, the woman pulled her hair to one side, showing her neck, but there was no birthmark.

Mia felt anxious. Stacey had told her to pretend to be Bianca at the hotel, where they’d catch her on camera. Then, someone would change the video to make it seem like it was from that night. But Mia missed one big thing—Bianca’s birthmark!

Stacey was shocked, too. She didn’t know about the birthmark.

This tiny detail was so small that not even Peter, Bianca’s dad, knew about it. But somehow, Dave did.

Bianca touched her neck and looked at Dave, surprised. Only someone very close to her would know about her birthmark. And it was in such a hidden spot. How could he have seen it?

With a stern look, Dave said to Mia, “Haven’t you learned your lesson? You’ve already tried to make Bianca look bad before. And now, you’ve given us fake information. I wonder how long you’ll be in trouble for this.”

“N-no! You’ve got it all wrong! I’m not the one behind this!” Mia panicked and pointed at Stacey. “She’s the one who planned everything! I just did what she told me to do!”

“What are you talking about? I don’t even know you!” Stacey cried, hiding her face in Peter’s chest. “Peter, why are they all accusing me? What will happen to our baby if something happens to me?”

Peter’s demeanor softened instantly at the mention of the baby.

“You’re not welcome here,” Peter told Mia sternly. “Please leave!”

Mia stomped her foot in anger, realizing she had been tricked by Stacey. She regretted not gathering evidence to expose Stacey as the mastermind. Now, she had no defense.

“You old fool! You deserve to be fooled!” Mia snapped.

Fuming with anger, Mia tried to leave, but Bianca stood in her path.

“Delete the video, or I’ll call the police,” Bianca demanded.

Reluctantly, Mia complied, knowing she had no other option with everyone watching. She shot Bianca a resentful look before hurrying out of the banquet hall.

“Peter, I’m so tired,” Stacey said, rubbing her forehead with a weary expression.

Concerned for Stacey and the baby, Peter quickly made a decision. He addressed the guests, “I’m sorry, everyone, but my wife needs rest. We’re going home now. Thank you all for coming.”

With the ceremony over and the drama settled, the guests began to leave, bidding farewell to Peter as they went.

Bianca felt a mix of sadness and disappointment as she watched her father leave with Stacey.

Despite the drama settling down, she felt drained and didn’t have the energy to stick around.

As Bianca headed for the exit, she accidentally tripped over something and almost fell. Luckily, Dave caught her just in time.

Looking back, she saw Carla sitting with a smug look, her leg stretched out. “Watch where you’re going, Bianca! You messed up my shoes,” Carla complained.

Feeling annoyed, Bianca snapped back, “You tripped me on purpose! Say sorry right now!”

But Carla refused, crossing her arms stubbornly. “I didn’t do anything. You bumped into my shoes because you weren’t paying attention. You owe me an apology!”

“I saw you trip her,” a deep voice interrupted. Dave held onto Bianca protectively, giving Carla a stern glare. “Say sorry to her immediately.”

“Why should I? She’s the one who…”

But before Carla could finish, Samuel stood up and slapped her across the face. Shocked and in tears, she cried out in pain.

Samuel wiped his forehead, his voice booming. “Apologize to Miss Scott right now!”

Carla was taken aback. Samuel had always been so kind to her. She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly so angry, but she didn’t want to upset him further. Holding her throbbing cheek, she reluctantly apologized to Bianca, “I’m sorry.”

“Sir, please accept my apologies for my partner’s behavior towards your fiancée,” Samuel said, bowing his head respectfully to Dave.

When Dave arrived, Samuel felt a sense of unease. But as he looked closer at Dave’s face, he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

Samuel had met Dave once at a fancy auction. Dave’s impressive look and confidence stuck with Samuel, making him remember his face.

Seeing Dave here surprised Samuel. He couldn’t understand why such an important person would be here, dealing with someone of lower status. It puzzled him.

Dave looked at Samuel and said, “You only need to say sorry to my fiancée, not me. I’m just a regular guy; you don’t need to bow to me.”

Samuel quickly understood what was going on and nodded a lot. He thought it would be smart to stay quiet about everything after seeing Dave and Bianca go.

But Carla wasn’t happy. She made a sad face and complained, “Why did you make me say sorry to her, Mr. Navarro?”

“Shut up!” Samuel’s voice was really scary, and Carla got scared.

“If you make them mad again, I’ll break up with you!”

****

Night had come, and the sky was dark with thick clouds. The wind made the leaves on the trees by the road shake, and it seemed like rain was coming.

Bianca and Dave walked together on foot away from the hotel as far as they could. Suddenly, Bianca stopped and took something wrapped in paper from her backpack.

She felt a bit hesitant to say goodbye to Dave. “Mr. Evans, it’s done. Here’s your payment. I thought about sending it to you electronically, but I thought it would be more genuine to give you the cash in person.”

“But I don’t have that much cash with me.” Bianca smiled awkwardly at him. “If this isn’t enough, I’ll send you more in a few days.”

Recently, Bianca’s bank card had gone over its limit. If she hadn’t received money from her Mom, she wouldn’t have felt confident making this promise now.

“Is it really over?” Dave asked, with a playful glint in his eyes. “Didn’t we just get engaged?”

Bianca laughed, pretending everything was fine. “I can manage on my own from here. It was nice working with you, Mr. Evans. We’re done with each other now.”

Dave’s expression was hard to read, and Bianca felt uneasy, afraid of misunderstanding something.

“I should go.” She looked down, took off the Cartier bracelet, and handed it to Dave. “Thanks for everything. Goodbye!”

She ran as fast as she could.

Bianca didn’t know how far she had gone. When she finally paused and glanced back, Dave was nowhere to be seen.

She couldn’t shake off the disappointment. Bianca slowed her pace, wandering aimlessly. Tonight’s events kept replaying in her mind. The disappointment in her father’s eyes hurt deeply.