Chapter 18

The guests in the room began murmuring in bewilderment. "Isn't that Brandon Slewman? What on earth is he doing here?" "There's no way the Lesterfields invited him. Their family and the Slewman family have been feuding for generations." "Look at Dillon Lesterfield's face—he's absolutely furious." Brandon ignored the stares and walked onto the stage. His eyes were fixed only on Roxanne. Stopping before her, his voice trembled as he said, "I've come to take you back, Roxanne. Come home with me." Roxanne was so dumbstruck that she couldn't form words. Her mind was racing with questions. She wondered why Brandon was here and how he even knew she had gone to Fleurkenstein. "Did he say 'come home' just now? Had he really come all this way just for me? No, that's impossible," Roxanne thought. Brandon was supposed to be living happily ever after with Nicole right now, so there was no need for him to have come looking for her. To him, her leaving should be a cause for celebration. Roxanne took a step back and consciously chose to stand close to Julian. Then, she rejected Brandon using her coldest tone. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Slewman, but I know there's never been any connection between our families. So, please don't ruin my engagement." Brandon's eyes widened. He had never seen such a distant look on Roxanne's face before. Additionally, she was acting as though she felt nothing for him and even seemed unwilling to acknowledge their shared history. It made Brandon feel as if he had been punched in the gut. He couldn't bear the way she was acting toward him, so he immediately stepped forward to grab her wrist. "This isn't the right place for this conversation. Just come with me first, and I'll explain everything to you," he requested. Before Roxanne could say a word, Julian shielded her and stopped Brandon. "Roxanne is my fiancée, Mr. Slewman. So, even if you want to speak to her in private, shouldn't you get permission from me, her fiancé, first? Brandon's eyes darkened at the word "fiancé". Chuckling darkly, he retorted, "Fiancé? You think that means something? You don't even know what Roxanne and I are to each other. Yet, you said that to me?" Roxanne's face was full of unease. She didn't want her family to know about her secret marriage to Brandon, so much so that her fear was apparent in her eyes. Dillon and Martha exchanged suspicious glances, clearly sensing that something was off. At that moment, Bridget and Ezra immediately rushed over to Roxanne to protect her, especially Ezra. He straight away shoved Brandon back and snapped, "Stay away from my sister, Slewman. Isn't it enough that your family has spent years sinisterly scheming and sabotaging us? Now you have to show up and ruin my sister's engagement? What are you trying to pull?" But Brandon obstinately refused to leave, and his eyes stayed locked on Roxanne's. "Tell them, Roxanne. We shouldn't have kept our relationship secret, and you can't get engaged today," he said. However, Roxanne held Julian's bicep and firmly said, "I don't want to see him, Julian. Make him leave." Instantly emboldened, Julian exchanged glances with Ezra, and then they nodded toward the security team within the room. Upon being signaled, seven to eight bodyguards stepped onto the stage and dragged Brandon off it. But even while being forcefully escorted out, he still didn't give up. "Roxanne! I know you're still angry with me, but if you just give me a chance to explain, I'll tell you everything. I won't let you leave me! As long as I don't sign the papers, we'll never be divorced!" he yelled. The present guests collectively gasped in shock. Roxanne and Brandon were married? Once they saw that Brandon had been escorted out of the villa, the Lesterfields looked dumbfounded as they turned to Roxanne. Julian and his family wore equally shocked expressions too. Knowing she couldn't hide it from them any longer, she dejectedly said to her family, "I'm sorry. I've made a mistake. I'll explain everything to you all. I promise."