Chapter 4
I watched as every bit of color vanished from Daisy's face in a heartbeat.
The face that had been flushed with excitement was now as white as a sheet of paper.
She covered her mouth, and there were no longer tears of joy in her eyes, only extreme terror and panic.
The man who was still on one knee also noticed something was wrong with her.
He followed her gaze and turned around to see me.
He frowned slightly, clearly irritated by the interruption, sizing me up.
I didn't even spare him a glance.
My eyes stayed locked on Daisy's face.
I stopped in my tracks and raised my glass of wine to her.
I smiled even brighter.
"Congrats," I said.
My voice wasn't loud, but in that weird silence, it cut through the room, clear enough for everyone to hear.
"But," I paused, glancing around at the once familiar but now completely unfamiliar faces at the main table.
Finally, my gaze returned to Daisy's pale face, and I asked slowly, "Did you forget to get a divorce from your current husband first?"
The whole hall went dead silent.
My words shattered the lifeless, heavy silence filling the space.
In the entire Azure Hotel ballroom, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Everyone's eyes, like searchlights, swept back and forth between me, Daisy, and the man who was still on one knee.
Daisy's lips were trembling, but she couldn't say a single word.
Her eyes were full of pleading, begging me not to say another word.
The man kneeling finally realized what was happening.
His face darkened, but he kept his composure.
He stood up slowly, straightening his suit with effortless grace, as if the kneeling had never happened.
He put the diamond ring back in its box and snapped it shut.
That snap rang out in the dead-silent hall, sounding extra harsh in all that quiet.
He looked down at me with a cold, superior look.
"Sir, I think you've got it all wrong," he said.
His voice was calm, with an air of authority.
"This is Aguirre Group's private brand launch. You're a waiter. Don't go spouting nonsense and mess up our event," he said.
I had heard of the Aguirre Group. It was one of the biggest real estate developers in the city.
So he was Aguirre.
No, his last name was Aguirre.
The A on the backdrop stood for Aguirre.
Aguirre was trying to use his status to put me in my place.
He wanted everyone to see me as some lowly waiter, spouting nonsense and trying to shake them down for cash.
What a clever tactic.
Daisy seemed to grab a lifeline and immediately echoed, "That's right. I don't even know you. Get out of here."
"Security! Where's security?" Daisy screamed, her voice twisted with terror.
The once familiar face now looked hideous to me.
Stuart snapped out of his shock on stage and grabbed the mic.
He yelled, "Security. Get this troublemaker out of here!"
Several uniformed security guards immediately rushed toward me from the entrance.
The looks on my classmates' faces shifted from shock to pure contempt, like they were here for the show.
They would rather believe I was a madman than admit that the carefully planned celebration they had participated in was a dirty scandal of infidelity.
A victorious smile appeared on that Aguirre guy's face.
He thought he had everything under control.
I laughed.
I met his gaze, then turned to Daisy.
"You don't know me?" I asked.
Her eyes darted away, and she dared not look at me.
"It's fine," I said.
I nodded and took my phone out of my pocket.
I didn't unlock it. I held the screen toward them.
On the screen was my lock screen wallpaper.
It was my wedding photo with Daisy.
In the photo, we were wearing formal attire and smiling sweetly on a lawn in the sunlight.
Everyone here today had witnessed that moment for themselves.
The moment Daisy saw the photo, she staggered, barely able to stay on her feet.
That Aguirre guy's eyes narrowed suddenly.
His smile froze on his face.
The classmates around us all saw the photo clearly.
Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Oh my god. Is that really Randal?" one of them whispered.
"What's he doing here? And why is he dressed like a waiter?" another asked.
"So, Daisy is still married?" someone else murmured.
"Wait, was that a proposal just now? This is insane," someone blurted out.
The crowd's opinion shifted in a heartbeat.
All the contemptuous gazes shifted from me to Daisy and that man.
Daisy's face drained of all life.