Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex’s "Uncle" - Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Poisoned Words
Rowan didn’t mention Zara by name—not even once.

But somehow, every word felt like a slap to her face.

Zara’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Selina… the woman in Rowan’s Twitter photo was Selina!

And Rowan said it was his favorite design in recent years.

That meant Selina’s dress wasn’t a knockoff—it was a custom piece, carefully crafted by Rowan himself.

But what had she just done?

Zara’s face turned ghostly pale, her head shaking in panic.

No. No. This wasn’t what Angelica told her.

“She said—she swore—Rowan would never design for someone like Selina… Angelica wouldn’t lie to me…”

That was the whole reason Zara felt bold enough to come after Selina in the first place.

“This is your fault! You must’ve bribed him or something, didn’t you?! I knew you were that kind of trash, Selina—say something!”

Selina didn’t even bother looking at her.

“If you still can’t figure out who really set you up… I’ve got nothing to say.”

Just then, a staff member approached quickly, face stern.

“Miss Brooks, due to your actions, Mr. Rowan has raised objections to today’s event. We’re very sorry—but we’ll have to ask you to leave.”

He said “ask,” but there was no politeness in his tone.

Security didn’t hesitate to escort her out.

Zara knew it was over. She’d crossed Rowan—and that meant the end of her career.

No more gigs, no brand deals, no TV appearances…

The fashion world and the design world would blacklist her together.

And it was all because of Selina.

Zara was thrown out the door before people dared to whisper again.

“If Angelica hadn’t misled Zara, she wouldn’t have come at Selina so hard.”

“Yeah, Angelica told her in a Twitter chat that Rowan would never design for Selina. That’s why Zara thought she could call her out. But now that Rowan’s spoken up, Zara’s screwed—and Angelica walks away clean.”

“Don’t say that. Angelica would never go after her own sister. Zara just jumped to conclusions.”

“Exactly. Angelica only made a couple comments—Zara believed them. That’s on her.”

“But I thought Angelica loved her sister. If that’s true, why would she keep hinting Selina wears knockoffs? Why keep acting like Selina’s not good enough?”

“Angelica meant well. Come on, Selina’s never been high society. Who knows what she did to get Rowan’s attention?”

The crowd broke into heated debate.

Selina leaned against a nearby wall and let out a cold laugh.

“What’s going on over here? Why do I hear people talking about me?”

The moment was cut short by a soft, familiar voice.

Everyone turned.

Angelica had just entered, arm in arm with Joe, with Kyle following behind. The three of them stepped confidently into the venue.

The murmuring stopped instantly. People looked at each other, silently.

They all knew the truth—that Zara’s attack on Selina had been Angelica’s idea.

But what could they do?

Angelica was the heiress of the Morris family. And the Morrises always had her back.

Who would dare go against that?

Joe frowned slightly.

“What happened just now?”

As the chairman of Morris Group spoke, no one dared ignore him.

Finally, someone stepped forward, nervously.

“There was… a conflict between Zara and Selina. Zara accused Selina of wearing a knockoff. But Rowan publicly refuted it. Zara said she only did it because Miss Angelica told her…”

Selina again?

Joe felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Why was Selina at the center of everything?

Angelica had said Selina was always causing her trouble—and from Joe’s point of view, that actually seemed true.

And now?

Selina had dragged Angelica into public gossip. Again.

Joe was still the chairman of a major corporation—he’d seen his fair share of drama. He wasn’t about to go toe-to-toe with a younger person over something like this.

But Kyle? Kyle couldn’t hold it in.

His precious little sister was being dragged into a scandal, publicly attacked and insulted—for no reason!

“You’ve got a bad reputation, made enemies everywhere, and now you’re blaming Angelica for it? Selina, maybe if people hate you, it’s time to look in the mirror!”

Selina nearly laughed out loud.

She had to admit—these two from the Morris family were model father and brother.

But when it came to Angelica? Their brains went straight out the window.

“Don’t be angry, Kyle,” Angelica stepped forward, looking worried. “This might just be a misunderstanding on Selina’s part.”

“I already asked Zara about what happened. I never meant for any of this. Zara was too impulsive, and Selina has a bit of a temper, so…”

“I’m really sorry for wasting everyone’s time. I’ll explain everything to Mr. Rowan myself. Dad, Kyle—it’s okay. It doesn’t matter if people say a few bad things about me.”

Her thoughtful, self-sacrificing act left Joe and Kyle deeply moved.

Their precious Angelica… What had she gone through growing up to make her this considerate, this mature?

Kyle could barely hold it together.

“Angelica might forgive you, let it go. But that doesn’t mean the Morris family will! Apologize to her. Now!”

He didn’t care who Zara was. She was nothing.

All he cared about was that someone had dragged his sister into a mess.

In Kyle’s eyes, outsiders were always wrong. Even if Angelica set a building on fire, she’d have her reasons.

The room went quiet.

Selina suddenly gave a low laugh and glanced sideways at him.

“Then maybe you can tell me, Mr. Morris—what exactly did I do wrong?”

“I was publicly accused of wearing knockoffs by Angelica’s friend. Zara even showed their private messages, where Angelica hinted over and over that I ‘love fake designer goods.’ That’s what gave Zara the nerve to create this whole scene and nearly get me kicked out. If Rowan hadn’t stepped in…”

“I’m the only victim in this situation—and now I’m the one who has to apologize? I heard you got into an overseas university on special admission. What did you even study abroad? Just how to use your family name to bully people?”

“You—” Kyle’s face turned bright red, shaking with rage.

Selina had dragged Angelica into public scrutiny—how could that possibly be right?

Who even was Selina? Just some nobody from the countryside.

Even marrying Logan hadn’t earned her the Reid family’s full approval.

How could she possibly compare to Angelica?

If she had any sense, she would’ve smoothed things over herself. But no—she had to force Angelica to speak up. She had no right!

Kyle’s anger boiled over. His voice trembled with fury.

“You… you’re shameless! No self-respect! No wonder it’s a wild child whose mother died! No wonder the Clark family didn’t want someone like you!”

Selina’s expression suddenly turned razor sharp.

Joe and Kyle both flinched from the force of it.

“Mr. Morris,” she said coldly, “my mother was killed—by Angelica’s adoptive mother. Katie Morris. Watch. Your. Mouth.”

Angelica’s face suddenly changed. “Selina, don’t—”

Selina cut her off.

“Angelica, you always say you suffered so much in the Clark family. So now it’s my fault?”

“Why don’t you ask the people around you—over the years, who really wronged who?”

Selina laughed, bitter and cold.

“You’ve enjoyed all the resources from the Clark family and your homewrecker of a mother, and now you want to step on my mom’s grave to climb even higher?”

“You got no shame?”