Lucas was furious. Though he had stayed away at first, he had heard everything. How dare Dave shove Skylar and accuse her of being a murderer?
Lucas shoved Franklin aside, who was offering help as he tightly gripped his cane.
Everyone could see how angry Lucas was.
"Dave, what the hell are you doing? Help Skylar up immediately!"
As Lucas spoke, the room went silent. Everyone was too scared to speak and didn't dare to upset him.
Only his grandson, Dave, dared to challenge him bluntly.
Looking into Lucas's furious eyes, Dave said, "Grandpa, didn't you see what just happened? I refuse to marry a murderer, and I don’t want a murderer near me."
"A murderer? She’s going to be your wife and my granddaughter-in-law!" Lucas’s voice trembled in rage.
Franklin rushed to help him, but Lucas shoved him again.
"Why don't you ask Skylar Larson what she did?"
Dave looked at Skylar’s pale face, shook his head, and said, "If you don't want your actions to be exposed, then don’t act in the first place."
Lucas was furious. His prized grandson, the heir to the Evans Group, was defying him and publicly accusing Skylar. It was more outrageous than anything he had ever seen!
"Dave, stop this nonsense and apologize to Skylar right now!"
Lucas turned to Bianca with a look of bitterness. "If you just want to marry someone else, you shouldn’t embarrass Skylar like this. Do you think I don't know what kind of person she is?"
Everyone present was from the city’s elite, and Dave was ruining Skylar’s reputation!
He was destroying the future wife he had chosen for him!
Struggling to calm down, Lucas thought about the consequences. Skylar was the bride he had proudly shown off to everyone. If she was labeled a murderer, it would be a huge blow to his pride.
His reputation and the Evans Group would be damaged too.
"Dave, you’re being foolish!"
Dave looked at Lucas and sighed. "The truth will come out soon."
Lucas shook his head, thinking Dave was acting recklessly.
"I’ve known Skylar since she was young. How could I not know her? She’s well-mannered, kind, intelligent, respectful, and pure. All the praise people give her is true. How can you accuse her of murder without any proof?"
All the guests stared at Skylar, who had fallen to the ground. She looked almost angelic, just as Lucas had described.
The silence lingered, and then all eyes turned to Bianca. The silent accusation filled in the air.
Everyone believed it was Bianca’s manipulation.
Bianca just stood still and looked calm as her eyes scanned the crowd.
"I swear, I didn't. I really didn't," Skylar gasped, hiding her inner panic with a serene expression.
If Lucas knew the truth about her, he'd be deeply disappointed.
She wasn’t the woman Lucas thought she was anymore.
She even slept with Reece to manipulate him. She would do anything to get what she wanted. If she hadn’t hired someone to kill Reece, none of this would have happened.
All she wanted was the life she dreamed of. Was that so wrong? After all, everyone is selfish in their own way. If Bianca hadn’t gotten involved, she wouldn’t have had to go this far.
Skylar glared at Bianca, ready to deny everything, betting that Bianca had no proof.
Bianca might have found something, and it seemed like she had definitely influenced Dave. Skylar thought that must be it.
But in the next moment, her illusion was shattered.
Seeing that Skylar showed no remorse and kept pretending she didn’t know anything, Dave lost his patience.
"Skylar, I thought you'd admit everything to avoid more shame. But since you're being stubborn, don’t blame me for being tough with you."
Dave knew exactly why Lucas was angry. The drama at the wedding would become the biggest gossip, the most scandalous and humiliating story about the Evans Group today.
With a wave of Dave’s hand, a server stepped out from behind a marble column.
Skylar froze in panic at the sudden change.
People often show their true selves when afraid.
She took a step back without thinking. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to keep up the act—it was just her body reacting on its own.
She never expected the person walking toward her to be Reece.
Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?
Skylar clearly remembered the photo the killer had sent—Reece was covered in blood.
“No… this isn’t possible. Reece is dead.”
Her face turned pale. Her whole body shook.
“This can’t be real. You’re supposed to be dead!”
Reece stood in front of her and looked at her with contempt. He was no longer the man who had once been blinded by love.
"I'm not dead. Are you disappointed?"
As soon as Reece said that, the nearby guests couldn’t hold back their whispers.
Lucas watched everything unfold, completely stunned and confused.
This time, he didn’t push the butler away when he came to support him. It felt like the whole world was spinning.
“What’s going on? Can someone please explain this to me?”
Then Lucas turned to Reece. “Reece, why are you dressed like that? And why are you even here?”
Reece looked at the older man, bowed respectfully, and said, “Mr. Evans, please let me explain. I’m directly involved in this. Skylar tried to have me killed.”
He had once been blinded by love. As the memories rushed back, he closed his eyes, as if saying goodbye to the person he used to be.
Finally, he gathered all his strength and began to speak. “Here’s what happened. A few days ago, Skylar asked me to meet her at a bar. She told me Dave had left her. She knew how I felt about her. She got me drunk on purpose… and seduced me. We ended up sleeping together.”
Gasps echoed around the room. All eyes turned to Skylar.
Lucas’s previous compliments now felt like a cruel joke.
Skylar's face went pale, then flushed with shame.
"Enough! Stop talking!" she shouted.
Reece ignored her and looked at Lucas. “After that night, I became her pawn. To her, I was just a tool she could use and throw away.”
“She promised to run away with me once everything worked out. That’s the only reason I agreed to lie in court. I went against my own morals and gave false testimony. Just so Bianca would lose the case and be buried in debt.”
“I did it all because I believed Skylar would choose me in the end.”
Tears filled Reece’s eyes. It was hard to tell if it was from anger or regret.
“Instead of keeping her promise, she paid someone to kill me.”