"Lila, is it true what your sister said? Are you really that shameless?"
A shrill voice cut through the crowd, the guest's glare slicing into Lila like a blade.
"What?" Lila gasped, feigning shock, her eyes wide with mock panic.
Vanessa's lips curled into a smug smirk, her eyes glinting with triumph. Pathetic fool. A few words, and you're already crumbling. You'll never outsmart me.
She smoothed her gown, casting a glance at the man in the spotlight.
Lu Zhe stood bathed in golden light, a prince carved from marble—elegant, untouchable, and devastatingly perfect. A man like him belonged to her, Vanessa—not some lowborn foster girl with no name or power.
Anyone who stands in my way will be crushed, Vanessa vowed, her delicate features masking a venomous heart. Lila would be ruined, or she'd never rest.
But then, Lila's lips twitched into a chilling smile.
"Sister, you mean… those temporary tattoo stickers that wash off with water?"
"Exactly!" Vanessa sneered, seizing the bait. "You were obsessed with them, weren't you? What, suddenly tongue-tied? Your lies are falling apart!"
Lila's smile widened, unhurried and razor-sharp. "Oh, Vanessa, you should take a closer look at that video."
The room fell silent, every eye glued to her.
On the massive screen, a man and woman stumbled into a bathroom, their forms blurred by heavy mosaics. But one detail stood out: a dark mark on the woman's neck, untouched by the water streaming over it.
That wasn't a tattoo sticker. It was a birthmark.
The crowd erupted.
"That mark didn't wash off!"
"So Vanessa lied?"
"She staged this at an engagement party? That's vile!"
Jo An, Lila's foster father, turned ashen, his voice booming, "Lila, shut up! Get out of here!"
The scandal was a slap to the Jo family's honor. He cursed the day he'd brought this girl home from the orphanage.
But Lila stood tall, her composure unshaken. She lifted her chin, her voice steady and piercing: "Dad, no need to rush me out. I just have one question—since that woman was in the shower, why didn't her 'tattoo' wash off? Vanessa, care to explain? Do you even believe your own story?"
The crowd's gaze swung back to the screen, gasps rippling through the room.
Lu Zhe's dark eyes fixed on Lila, the fiancée he barely knew, clouded by rumors of her selfishness and scheming.
Today, she was different. Nothing like Vanessa's tales or the gossip he'd heard.
His fingers tightened around his grandfather's jade pendant, his brow furrowing. Maybe… I misjudged her.
The司仪, sweating bullets, stammered, "Uh, folks, it seems… this was a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? It's a setup!"
"No way Lu Zhe's fiancée would do that!"
"Whoever did this needs to be exposed!"
The tide turned, and Lila basked in it.
Vanessa and Susan's faces drained of color, their hands clammy with dread.
Vanessa stared at Lila, her mind reeling. This isn't the sniveling weakling I know. Who is she?
As the situation spiraled, Vanessa switched gears, her voice dripping with fake concern: "I'm her sister! Of course I want the truth to clear my sister's name!"
Susan chimed in, nodding furiously: "Exactly! Lila's always been so sweet and dutiful. We'll find the real culprit!"
Lila's laugh was icy, cutting through their charade.
Last life, I fell for your crocodile tears. This time, I'm no one's fool.
"But that woman's face—it's identical to mine," Lila said, her voice soft but lethal. "If it's not me… then who could it be?"
The room exploded.
"Plastic surgery?"
"Or someone made up to look like her!"
"This is straight-up evil!"
"Call the cops! Get to the bottom of this!"
At the word "cops," Vanessa and Susan nearly collapsed, their bribes to the projectionist flashing through their minds. If the police dug deeper, they were done for.
Vanessa forced a smile, her voice shaky: "Lila, maybe you offended someone? Or… maybe it's a Jo family rival?"
Jo An frowned, latching onto the excuse: "Could be that shady company we turned down last month. They're vindictive enough to pull this."
Lila's smile was pure venom. "A rival? Then we definitely need the police. We can't let the real culprit slip away, can we?"
Vanessa's face twitched. "It's… just a misunderstanding…"
Lila clutched her face, fake sobs trembling through her. "Boo-hoo… my engagement was supposed to be perfect, but someone ruined it! Am I not allowed to be happy?"
Her pitiful act drew a wave of sympathy.
"Jo An, you can't let this slide!"
"Support Lila! Call the cops!"
"Find the snake behind this!"
The crowd roared, the atmosphere electric.
Lila gauged the moment and straightened, her tears vanishing. "Dad, I know who did it."
Jo An's eyes widened. "You know? Who?!"
Lila leaned in, whispering a few words in his ear.
Vanessa and Susan exchanged panicked glances, their hearts sinking.
Game over, Lila thought, her eyes glinting with icy triumph.
Vanessa, Susan—this is just the beginning. Your downfall is coming.