Of course, that would only happen under the pretext that the man giving the speech was not my husband.
Philippa took over the microphone. With a catch in her throat, she began praising Jason for being her mentor in her career.
She said the last time her father's company was in crisis, he was the one who pulled strings, mobilized connections, and raised emergency funds overnight.
"Meeting a man like him is the greatest blessing in my life."
A wave of nausea rose in my chest looking at their pretentious performance. They used my connections, killed my child, yet they were playing the sweet lovers without any regards of others.
The doctor had said that my pregnancy was unstable, yet Jason hadn't hesitated for a moment to make his move.
Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, Jason let go of Philippa's hand and got down on one knee, taking a ring out.
"Philippa, I know you don't care for formalities, but I love you. I want to give you the best. I would like to take advantage of today's networking event and propose to you. Will you marry me? I'll give you the grandest wedding! Will you be my wife?"
The venue broke into thunderous applause as the guests congratulated the couple.
Amid the cheers, I clearly heard Albert, who had once secured a project only because I introduced him, raise his glass and cheer, "Mr. Moore, what a truly loyal and devoted man! Congratulations on your family and career!"
Richard Leigh, whose son’s legal troubles were resolved through my connections, clapped enthusiastically and sighed.
"Mr. Moore is a lucky man to bag such a beautiful wife! You two are a match made in heaven!"
Michael Walton, who had repeatedly obtained government approvals only through my brother, stood up excitedly to make a toast to them.
"Mr. Moore, Ms. Sanders, may you two be happy together for all eternity! Don't forget to invite me to the wedding!"
Everyone there had once profited from me, yet they had completely chosen to ignore my existence. It was as if I had never existed in their lives before.
Right at that moment, Yvonne interrupted the happy cheering, "Mr. Moore, when did you divorce Rachel Kidman? How come I didn't hear about it?"
Her words were like a loud slap, shattering the illusion of happiness in an instant.
The crowd froze, and the hall fell into pin-drop silence.
Jason and Philippa looked flustered. Gone was their previous smug satisfaction.
Jason soon collected himself. He pulled Philippa closer to him while casting Yvonne an icy gaze.
"The woman I choose is my wife. No one else needs to be mentioned."
In front of the screen, I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. All those years, I had used all of my connections and resources to support him in his career.
He had once promised me that he had my back and he would be my strongest supporter. We were once the power couple of the business world.
In the end, I was just a person who should not have been brought up in front of him.
My heart prickled, but that pain soon turned into a burning rage.
Yvonne snickered and was about to continue when Albert immediately stepped in and said, "Ms. Shonda, it's a happy day today. Why bring all this up? Besides, Ms. Sanders is pregnant. If anything were to happen to the baby, no one can afford to bear this responsibility."
The guests raised their glasses once more.
"Congratulations! What a happy additional surprise for you, Mr. Moore!"
"I heard that Ms. Kidman couldn't give birth to a child. Someone has to take over the Moore family's business after all."
Philippa slowly got her courage back as she saw everyone siding with her. She replied demurely, "Thank you for your wishes. We'll invite everyone to our wedding."
Jason took the opportunity to double down on the promise. "All of you here are our witnesses! We'll surely send you a great gift!"
As the rapturous applause broke out, a shrill feedback screech tore through the microphones.
I slowly walked up on stage amid the silence. Looking at everyone's shocked faces, I smirked.
"Why did no one inform me to join in such an exciting wedding proposal?"
