Chapter 2
Sabrina stayed silent, like I'd actually stunned her for a second.
But before I could even catch my breath, she burst out laughing and shot me a mocking look.
"Who do you think you are, threatening me? Don't flatter yourself," she sneered.
"Do you even know how much my husband loves me?
"He spent three years chasing me, promised I was the only one he cared about.
"Why would he ever cancel our wedding for just some distraction like you?
"He's only using you to satisfy himself, nothing more!
"Don't get carried away by his sweet nothings. He throws you a few compliments and suddenly you think you're all that?"
I was honestly a little surprised by how devoted Luke was to her.
After I went to college overseas, I hardly ever talked to him.
I just heard through the grapevine that he was chasing after some really pretty girl.
And he was determined to marry her, even with his folks totally against it.
Back then, he told me Sabrina was gentle and kind, but everyone was jealous of her and left her out, so she barely had any friends.
He didn't want his folks to look down on her, so he practically begged me to be her bridesmaid, just so they'd give her a chance.
He figured that, on my account, his folks wouldn't make things too hard for her.
But I never expected the real Sabrina to be like a totally different person from the one Luke described.
Seeing me stay quiet, Sabrina thought she'd gotten to me and sneered, "Honestly? Luke and I are already married. We got our marriage certificate ages ago.
"Legally, we're husband and wife. What about you?"
Her lips twisted into a sneer as she glanced at me.
"You've been with my husband for years, and you never even got to be his girlfriend," she mocked.
"You really think he'd dump me for you?
"I'll have a talk with him later.
"He can't just pamper you vixens like this. You're getting bold enough to walk all over me."
Worried Sabrina might interrupt me, I hurried to get my words out, "Luke and I are just friends.
"There's nothing shady between us. If you don't believe me, just call him and ask!
"He'll tell you exactly what our relationship is."
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my knee, and my legs buckled. I collapsed to my knees in front of Sabrina.
"Back in the day, you wouldn't even be allowed in the same room as me.
"You should be grateful you live in this day and age, so you can parade around like you're something.
"But let's get one thing straight—I'm Mrs. Greenwood. You will kneel before me when you talk.
"Mind your tone, beg me nicely, and maybe I'll let you step foot in the house."
Sabrina must be out of her mind.
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to my feet.
When she saw I just brushed her off, she flew into a rage.
"How dare you! Today, I'm going to have someone put you in your place," she snapped. "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and grab her."
Her family rushed at me, practically mobbing me.
There were so many of them, and they crowded the doorway, leaving me no way to escape.
Desperate not to get dragged into this mess, I had no choice but to invoke my parents.
"My dad is Kendrick Bowen, the richest man in Ashwick, and my mom is Iris Salvage, the top lawyer in Ashwick. Who dares lay a finger on me?
"Sabrina, cut it out right now. Out of respect for Luke, I'll let this go today," I warned.
"Otherwise, you'll be sorry."
The Clarke family, who had been itching to jump me, suddenly went quiet and turned to Sabrina, waiting for her next move.
It was clear they were intimidated by my background.
"If you're really the richest man's daughter, then I'm your mother!" Sabrina scoffed.
"Don't think you can fool me with your nonsense. Today, I'm going to make sure you understand the difference between a wife and a mistress.
"With me, you'd better keep your tail between your legs."
But the Clarke family still didn't dare lay a finger on me, which made Sabrina completely lose it—she started yelling at them.
"What, are you all a bunch of corpses? Did you not hear me or are you just pretending?" she shouted.
"Seriously, does she look like some billionaire's daughter to you?
"Please, my husband literally grew up with the richest man's real daughter.
"If she was really some heiress, do you think my husband would ever let her play bridesmaid for me? Not a chance!"
Sabrina shot her relatives a look of pure contempt, her face full of smugness.
"The Greenwood family and the Bowen family do a lot of business together. My husband and Mr. Bowen are really close," she boasted.
"If anything goes wrong, my husband will handle it. So what are you all afraid of?"
As they still hesitated, Sabrina's tone turned sharp as she threatened.
"Don't forget who made your lives so comfortable," she warned.
"If it weren't for me, you'd still be stuck farming in some backwater farm."
When their own interests were at stake, the Clarke family finally sprang into action, inching closer and closer to me.
My mind was still spinning, trying to make sense of what Sabrina had just said.
I spaced out for just a second, and suddenly they had me in a tight grip.
The real meaning behind Sabrina's words finally dawned on me—now I understood why she said, "Why would he ever let her be the bridesmaid?"
Sabrina tossed a roll of duct tape onto the floor.
Her voice dripped with malice as she spoke, "You don't know the customs around here, do you?
"As a bridesmaid, you're supposed to step in for the bride and let the groomsmen roughhouse with you.
"Even if things get a little out of hand, it's all part of the tradition," she said with a wicked grin.
"If my husband had you as his bridesmaid, it just means you don't really matter to him."
Sabrina lifted her chin, strutting around like she'd just won a fight.
"I'm just being generous. I don't want you ruining the wedding because you don't know the rules, so I guess I'll have someone show you how things are done around here," she said with a sneer.