Chapter 21 The Charity Party
At 6 am, Guadalupe left her parents‘ home.
Usually, at this time, her dad would be out for his morning exercise, and her mom would be preparing breakfast. But today, none of them were up. They stayed up late till 2 am, which was quite late for them.
So, she left a note on the fridge and sneaked out in disguise to hail a taxi to Taniyah’s home.
Taniyah opened the door with dark circles under her eyes.
“Desmond is such a scumbag! A total jerk! How could he do that to you?!
“And Belinda and Elyse, those bitches!”
Ever since Taniyah received the call from Guadalupe and heard about what happened to her, she had been furious and was on the verge of killing those people.
Taniyah looked agitated while Guadalupe remained unusually calm.
She entered the house, changed into slippers, and said, “Do you have anything in the fridge? I’ll make breakfast.”
Taniyah was amazed by her light mood. “Seriously? You are in the mood for breakfast now?”
Guadalupe took off her coat and put it aside. Then, she
pressed Taniyah, who was furious, onto the couch. “Why not?
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Chapter 21 The Charity Party
We’ve got to eat first and then handle those scumbags.”
After saying so, she took her hands back.
“Wait…” Taniyah held her hands and stared at them. There were deep red marks on her wrists. Taniyah felt a chill and asked, “Did they actually tie you up in that situation? I get it now; they are really desperate to ruin you.”
“Yep.” Guadalupe smiled bitterly. “They were.”
“I knew Belinda was a vicious bitch, but how come Ezequiel also…” Taniyah took a deep breath and choked. “If he doesn’t love you anymore, just split up. Does he have to be so cruel to you? You’ve been together for 8 years. I mean 8 years! He only met that woman for around 6 months, and he would do such a thing to you! I just couldn’t get it!”
“Well, to please his new lover, he would simply do anything.”
“What about the time he searched for you everywhere and acted as if he cared about you so much?!”
Guadalupe thought, “Cared about me?”
Then she said, “Do you know that he will be engaged to Belinda tonight?”
“What?!”
Taniyah was shocked and turned to Guadalupe, “But you guys are still married! Wait…” A bad conjecture popped into her mind. “Did he already know that you had him sign the divorce agreement?”
Guadalupe compressed her lips and said, “It’s possible.”
Chapter 21 The Chanty Party
Taniyah continued, “Do you think that he had set you up from the beginning? He and his mom, one to coax you, the other to deliberately provoke you into divorce. That way, once the divorce settlement and compensation agreement are in
effect, he will not only get his divorce but will not have to pay you a dime.
“If you don’t agree to settle with him, he will blackmail you with the video clip. You have no way out but to endure. After that, he can marry Belinda with nothing to worry about.
“He’s such a horrible man…”
Guadalupe fell into deep thoughts.
She wondered, “Is it really like that?”
But then, she thought about Desmond’s behavior and what Belinda had said last night, something simply didn’t add up. “Tani, I need you to do something for me.”
All Taniyah wanted to do now was to punish that two–timer and that bitch, so she said, “Just say it, and I’ll do anything for you!”
It was 7 pm, in the ballroom of Muirmont Hotel.
Gorgeous crystal chandeliers, flowing classical music, and elegantly dressed men and women mingling with wine glasses in hand, all blend into a classic tableau of the social scene.
This charity dinner was organized by Elyse, and she invited half of the city’s elite. Especially the Graham family, who came to show their support.
The way the two families interacted with each other made it
Chapter 21 The Charity Party
clear to the public that they would soon be united by marriage.
Belinda had been holding onto Desmond’s arm through the evening. From time to time, she would glance down at her phone.
She wondered, “What’s the matter with those guys?
Why didn’t they pick up the phone and also hadn’t sent me the video yet?
Did they fail the task?
It can’t be. They had tied her up and put her to bed, so how could they fail? Even if they had failed, Guadalupe would have turned up here by now, looking for her. Or, could it be that they accidentally killed her and so they went hiding themselves?”
She pouted and was a little disappointed.
It wouldn’t be fun if she simply died like this. She wanted her to suffer and live a life worse than death.
At this time, Elyse walked over. “Linda, let me introduce you to my friends.”
With a smile on her face, she took Belinda away. As they walked, she asked, “Is it done? Has she signed the compensation agreement yet?”
Belinda paused for a moment, then, she said confidently, “Yes. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”
“That’s great! I knew you could manage it!” Elyse was overjoyed.
“Well, it’s just a small trick. I’m glad that I can be of help to you.”
“You’re such a good girl! And you’ll soon be my daughter–in- law.”
“Yeah, I know.”
They looked at each other and smiled.
Belinda thought, “Since Guadalupe is dead, that agreement will be of no use anyway.”
After Desmond chatted with a few friends, he went to the balcony for some fresh air.
He lit a cigarette. While smoking, he made a call, “Is she still at her parents‘ home and hasn’t gone anywhere yet? OK, I see.”
He frowned and hung up the phone. After he finished the cigarette, he returned to the ballroom.
“Des, which one is better? The pink diamond set donated by Mrs. Fritz, or this ring from Mrs. Dunlap?” Belinda walked over with light steps and kept talking to him with the auction catalog in her hands.
“They both look great to me.”
Desmond couldn’t care less about such a thing and took a glance at the catalog.
He almost looked away from the catalog, but then, he looked back with his eyes darkened.
That set of pink diamonds looked so familiar to him…
apter 21. The Chanty Party
Chapter
“Give me the catalog.”
“Sure.” Belinda thought he was going to help her choose and handed it to him happily.
Desmond flipped to the page with the pink diamond set on it.
As he had a closer look, he frowned deeper. He didn’t make a mistake. It was the set of pink diamonds he ordered from abroad last year for their anniversary and it was unique.
Since when did it belong to Mrs. Fritz?
He suddenly remembered the empty cabinets in the dressing
room.
“We share the same taste. I like the pink diamond set too! Mrs. Fritz is already an old lady and it didn’t fit her anymore.” Belinda kept chattering and didn’t notice that Desmond’s face had darkened.
Desmond couldn’t go to Mrs. Fritz with the catalog at such an event. So, he took a picture and sent it to Guadalupe, but then he realized that she had blocked him.
So he called her, and his number was blocked too.
He began to have a bad feeling about it. “Just enjoy yourse… I’ve got to go first.”
“What?” Belinda was stunned. Watching him leave, she quickly pulled his arm. “You can’t leave yet. Tonight will be important to us.”
“Important? Why?” Desmond frowned and was puzzled.
At this time, Elyse, as the host of the charity dinner, took the
Chapter 21 The Charity Party
stage to give a speech. “Everyone, before the charity auction starts, I have something important to announce.” As she said so, she and Madeline glanced at each other. Then, she continues with an excited tone, “Desmond, my son, will be engaged to Belinda. Later, I will bid for the most expensive item as a gift to my future daughter–in–law.”
The ballroom erupted in congratulatory applause.
With waves of blessings, everyone looked at Desmond and Belinda.
The Harrison family and the Graham family were both delighted.
Belinda was so excited that she was about to cry…
However, Desmond was in a daze with his mind buzzing.
He had no idea that he would be engaged to Belinda. This was so absurd!
At the entrance of the ballroom stood a woman in a crimson sheer gown with a train, her long hair flowing like silk, her makeup cool yet rich and gaudy.
Tall and slender, with a delicate, graceful figure, she entered with a swaying gait. The sheer train of her dress and the tw crimson ribbons that bound her hands floated in the air like a mist of blood across the sky.
She was stunning.
All the socialites in the ballroom fell into the shade in comparison with her.
However, her beauty also carried an aura of killing intent.
Chapter 21 The Charity Party
“Guadalupe!”
