Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex’s "Uncle" - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Failed Accusation Chapter 22: The Failed Accusation No one expected Selina to open the door at that moment.

Katie’s eyes flickered with calculation.

Selina seemed hesitant, unwilling to open the door fully, and there was even the faint sound of a man’s voice inside.

It appeared that Mr.

Perez was still there!

Katie quickly donned her “kind stepmother” persona.

“Selina, as long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.

James was just worried about you.

Open the door and let us come in.” Selina’s gaze lazily swept across the crowd.

“Open the door?

That won’t do.” Her response was like a match igniting a fuse, prompting disapproving murmurs from the group.

“This is shameless!

Even now, she’s acting like this.

All for a bit of money, selling her body!” “Seriously, Mr.

Perez?

How could he?

I guess those rumors about Selina having affairs are true.

She’s unworthy of being Natalia’s sister.” Katie felt triumphant.

Selina’s life was destined to be nothing more than a stepping stone for Natalia-a final contribution to the Clark family’s prestige.

Just like her mother, Selina would meet a life of humiliation and disgrace.

Yet Katie maintained her fake tearful demeanor, softly sobbing.

“Please, stop saying such things.

It’s my fault as her stepmother for failing to guide her properly.

She’s my daughter too, my flesh and blood.

How could this happen to her?” James’s expression darkened.

“Selina, what are you hiding in that room?

Open the door now!” Selina chuckled softly.

“Father, are you sure you want me to open the door?” James had to ensure Selina married Perez.

Otherwise, the 50 million would never come through.

There was no more effective way to force her compliance than catching her “in the act” in front of everyone.

He raised his voice deliberately.

“Of course!

You’ve already disgraced us, and you still won’t admit it?

What other option do you have but to marry Perez?

Open the door-I’ll discuss the marriage arrangements with him myself!” The bystanders exchanged knowing looks and shook their heads.

Everyone knew Mr.

Clark didn’t favor his eldest daughter, but wasn’t he being considerate?

If rumors about Selina and Perez spread, no one would marry her.

Marrying Perez was her only path forward.

Feigning difficulty, Selina sighed.

“Opening the door isn’t impossible…

but I’m afraid the people inside aren’t ones you’d want to offend.” A few socialites eager to please Katie chimed in with venomous sneers.

“The eldest Miss Clark-could there be more than one man inside?

Spent the night entertaining several, did she?

Honestly, children without mothers have no shame.

If it were me, I’d die of embarrassment.” “Mr.

Clark, you really need to discipline this daughter of yours.

Promiscuous to the core-what is she not capable of?” James’s anger boiled over.

Lifting his foot, he kicked the slightly ajar door wide open.

“I’ll see for myself who it is I supposedly can’t offend-” His words caught in his throat as his face paled, frozen in place.

Everyone turned to look into the room.

The large, pristine bed was perfectly made, untouched.

In the luxurious suite, three people sat on the sofa, leisurely playing cards.

Hearing the commotion, two of them-a man and a woman-turned their heads, smirking with amused, meaningful expressions.

“Mr.

Clark,” the man drawled, his tone dripping with mockery, “we’re just playing cards in Miss Clark’s room.

Do you have a problem with that?” The crowd was stunned.

This was nothing like they’d imagined!

Where was Selina entertaining a man?

She’d been playing cards the entire time?

And the people in the room…

The man furthest in the back had an aura of authority, though his face wasn’t visible.

He was clearly no ordinary individual.

The two closer to the door were unmistakable.

One was Ethan Drake, the eldest son of the Drake family and head of Drake Group’s hospitals.

The other was Alice Drake, the true heir of the Drake family.

James’s heart sank as his expression shifted rapidly.

Wait-where was Mr.

Perez?

Why were the people in the room suddenly members of the Drake family?

Where had Mr.

Perez gone?!

Katie and Natalia were on the verge of losing their composure, their eyes darting around the room in disbelief.

Impossible.

It was impossible!

They had seen Mr.

Perez escort Selina upstairs.

With the drug in her system, there was no way Selina could have resisted.

What on earth had happened?!

The noblewomen who had sided with Katie moments ago were now trembling.

Alice and Ethan were not people they could afford to offend.

If they’d known, they would never have spoken in Katie’s favor!

Selina, satisfied with the changing expressions on their faces, sighed dramatically.

“Father, I told you, the people in this room aren’t ones you can afford to offend.

And now, you’ve interrupted Miss Drake and Mr.

Drake while they were enjoying a game of cards.

Even if I wanted to plead on your behalf, I wouldn’t know where to begin.” Ethan glanced at Logan, then squinted at James, feigning ignorance.

“Given the situation, does Mr.

Clark think Miss Clark was doing something…

inappropriate in this room?” Alice and Ethan had been summoned by Logan via a single call.

Taking the express route, they had entered the room through a side door from the adjacent suite and staged their card-playing scene.

It took only a glance for the siblings to understand the scheme: James and his mistress had attempted to sell Selina to Mr.

Perez for 50 million, intending to destroy her reputation in the process.

Alice tossed the deck of cards onto the table and narrowed her eyes.

“So the rumors are true-Mr.

Clark doesn’t care for the daughter born of his first wife.

Imagine threatening to disown her over a simple card game.

How shameless.” James broke into a cold sweat.

He shot Katie a furious glare.

Everything had been perfectly arranged, but now Mr.

Perez was nowhere to be found, and offending the Drake siblings was out of the question.

There was no way to explain himself!

Katie clenched her teeth, fuming internally.

Somehow, Selina had managed to escape this trap.

If there had been three random men in the room, Katie could have framed her for debauchery.

But with Alice in the room?

She couldn’t possibly claim the Drake family’s heiress had some scandalous relationship with Selina.

Her only option now was to smooth things over and plot again later to deliver Selina to Mr.

Perez.

With that thought, Katie forced a smile.

“Miss Drake, you’ve misunderstood!

James was just overly worried about Selina and said something foolish.

As parents, how could we not care deeply for our daughter…” Alice cut her off coldly.

“Who are you?” Katie faltered, her tone turning fawning.

“I’m James’s…” “Mr.

Clark’s mistress?” Alice sneered.

“A mistress has no right to shamelessly claim Miss Clark as your child.

Have some self-respect.

Don’t go around clinging to family ties that don’t exist.” A deathly silence fell over the room.

Katie’s entire body trembled with rage.

Selina’s friends were just as vile as she was!

She wasn’t a mistress-how dare they!

Vile, wretched people!

Just as Katie opened her mouth to curse, Natalia grabbed her hand, taking a deep breath before stepping forward, her tone conciliatory.

“Miss Drake, it’s not like that.

Mother was just too worried about my sister and misspoke.

Please don’t take it to heart.

Since you’re still playing cards, we won’t disturb you further.” Natalia turned to Selina, her voice gentle but laced with insinuation.

“Sister, today is Father’s birthday.

While you’re with your friends, don’t forget to come down and spend some time with him.” Selina’s lips curved into a cold smile.

Natalia never missed an opportunity to paint her as unfilial, even now.

But Selina wasn’t about to let her succeed.

James coughed awkwardly.

“Selina, Natalia’s right.

When you finish your game, come downstairs.

We’ll head out first.” The group, thoroughly humiliated, was preparing to retreat when a cool, commanding male voice echoed through the room.

“Does Mr.

Clark think this matter is over?” The sudden words froze everyone in their tracks.

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