"You are crazy! Do you really want to embarrass my daughter like this?" Mayor Qin fumed. "Don't forget that this wedding is not about you! This is about Sarah!"
"Sarah? So... So I will just go and act as if this scandal doesn't affect me at all to make it all about my daughter? Did you forget that I am the one in that scandal! My name is there! My face is all over the internet because of that damn video! And yet here you are still thinking about Sarah?"
"You—Have you lost your mind? If you won't attend tomorrow, it will only make them think that the rumors are true!" He approached her and held her shoulders. "You are coming with me tomorrow!"
*PAH!*
The loud slapping sound echoed inside the room. Almost immediately, the mayor's face darkened. "You— "
"I am calling Sarah and tell her to cancel the wedding."
"What are you talking about?"
Annabelle pushed her husband away from her. "After this scandal, my Sarah will surely suffer in that man's family. What will they think of my daughter? They will surely treat her unfairly! You don't understand it. Daniel only wanted to marry her because of her status. Did you see how he treats our daughter? If he is already treating her like this right now that you are still the mayor, what do you think would happen if you lose your power? If our family will crumble?" She strode towards the phone, but the Mayor was quick to grab it away from her hands.
"You are insane! The wedding will continue tomorrow! I will take care of this scandal and don't you dare do something about her wedding! Daniel Rogers will become my son-in-law no matter what happens!!!"
Seeing the Mayor's resolute expression, Annabelle gritted her teeth and poured herself a glass of whiskey from the bar in the Mayor's office. Then she started pacing again. If the Mayor can't fix this scandal, then her daughter will also suffer. It is better to just cancel this engagement and bring her daughter abroad. It is better to run away!
To her husband, this might be a cowardly choice. However, Annabelle knew how hard it would be to fix this problem. Especially since it was true.
Since her husband became the mayor, she had been accepting bribes from people and even companies. People who wanted permits for their companies and projects would approach her every time her husband decline them. They would give her bags, pieces of jewelry, shoes, and other expensive items. One of them even gifted her a car. Of course, some people would directly give her a blank cheque. That's right, she was accepting bribes and now the entire world knows about it.
Ir her own perspective, it is better to run away now and risk being arrested later on. She narrowed her eyes at her husband, who was busy talking to his assistant about this problem. "I am leaving!" she didn't wait for him to answer as she strode out of the room. Then she immediately booked two tickets to another country. This time, she wouldn't wait for her husband to fix the issue.
The damage has been done.
Even if they fix this issue, people will still look at her in a different light. Just the thought of her hypocrite friends, laughing at her behind her back was making his chest rise and fall rapidly.
"Mom?" Sarah's voice echoed on the other line as she dialed her number. "Are you alright? I just saw the news and— "
"Do you want to marry your Daniel Rogers?"
"Mom? What are you talking about?"
"I want to know if you really love that man! I saw how he treated you and I saw how you look at him! Now, I want to know… do you really love that man?"
For a few seconds, Annabelle could only hear her daughter's breathing. She frowned. "Sarah?" she called.
"Mother… you— "
"Do you want to leave this place?" she asked. "Do you want to run away… with me?"
"Mother, what are you talking about?"
"Tomorrow at nine, I will be waiting for you at the airport. Don't bother bringing some clothes, we can always buy them abroad. Bring your passport."
"Mother—" Before Sarah could finish her sentence, Annabelle already ended the call. She then contacted her lawyer and asked him to prepare some cash for her. This lawyer was particularly loyal to her, so she was confident that he wouldn't say anything to the mayor. Unbeknownst to him, the lawyer that she contacted was Gabriel's close friend.
"She wanted me to prepare cash for her. And some new bank accounts for her." The man smiled at Gabriel. "She wanted to meet me at eight… tomorrow morning."
"She's leaving," Gabriel sneered. "And she might bring her daughter with her." He drank the bourbon in his hand and smiled. "Then… meet her."
The man laughed. "The scandal tomorrow will surely cause tremors in this City. I am wondering if she would still have the time to meet me once we release the scandal tomorrow morning." Seeing him nod, the man continued. "Women are really something. I have never seen you scheme like this… since… forever. Who would have thought that one day, the brilliant lawyer Ting would fall for someone that would make him ruin people?" Gabriel Ting was known for helping people in need. Of course, his occupation would put him in some situations that required him to forget about his morals, however, he never once destroyed some people just like how he would destroy the Qin Family soon.
Gabriel smiled but said nothing. All this was actually thanks to Bella and Mo Li. Right now, he had all the bullets that he needed to fight against both the Qin Family and Daniel Rogers. And he isn't planning to waste any ammunition. "Oh, call Mr. Mo on your way out. I want to have breakfast with him and his wife tomorrow. I heard they will be leaving for their honeymoon soon."