Chapter 157: In Hurry To Reach

Justin’s grip on the phone tightened, veins bulging on his hand as if he might crush the device. His gaze darkened, a storm brewing in his expression.

"Stop the car," he ordered coldly.

The driver immediately pulled over to the side of the road. Justin stepped out, shrugging off his suit jacket and tossing it into the car.

"Noah, find us a route with fewer signals and less traffic," Justin instructed.

Noah, already anticipating what was on his mind, began working swiftly on his tablet. The driver, one of Justin’s bodyguards, quickly exited the vehicle to make room for his boss. Justin slid behind the wheel while the bodyguard climbed into the passenger seat.

Noah connected the tablet to the car’s screen, setting the optimal route. The bodyguard glanced at the map and gave directions. "Mr. Harper, take the next left."

The luxury car roared to life, accelerating at full speed, leaving stunned pedestrians in its wake.

"Contact a doctor," Justin instructed curtly, his focus sharp as he drove like a force of nature.

"On it, Mr. Harper," Noah said, already dialling the doctor’s number even before Justin gave the order.

Everything was in place—now all they had to do was get to the hotel. What would normally take over half an hour in traffic, Justin covered in barely ten minutes.

The car sped through the streets at such a reckless pace that traffic police began tailing them, but Justin didn’t care.

When they reached the hotel, Justin jumped out of the car and rushed inside. Noah followed closely, heading straight to the reception desk. He placed a sleek black-and-gold card on the counter.

Recognising the card, the receptionist asked no questions. Without a word, Noah sprinted after Justin, who was impatiently waiting for the elevator.

Meanwhile, the driver stayed behind to handle the traffic police that had followed them to the hotel.

Inside the elevator, Justin’s heart pounded violently, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Only he knew how desperate those ten minutes behind the wheel had been—every second feeling suffocating, as if he hadn’t been fast enough to reach her. If anything happened to Natalie, he was ready to unleash hell on those responsible. He didn’t even need to guess who was behind it.

The elevator doors slid open, and Justin stormed into the suite. The sight before him shattered his heart into a thousand pieces—Natalie curled up on the floor in pain.

Now, seeing her resting peacefully at last, he finally allowed himself to breathe. Yet, the rage within him simmered. The thought of punishing those who hurt her consumed him, driving him to the edge.

The guests were enjoying their meal, chatting with members of the city’s elite from various sectors. The lively conversations filled the hall, but soon, strange noises drew their attention. All heads turned toward the large screens around the event hall.

The display, which had been showing live footage of the engaged couple, abruptly switched to a shocking scene: a woman in bed, moaning loudly, with two men engaged in explicit acts with her.

The entire room froze in stunned silence. Gasps rippled through the crowd as people processed what they were seeing.

Briena and Clara’s eyes widened in disbelief, recognizing the woman on the screen. To their horror, it wasn’t Natalie—it was Lily.

"What is going on?" Sephina demanded coldly, turning toward her son, Jay, who was equally dumbfounded.

"Turn it off. Now!" Jay barked at the security team.

But by the time security reached the control room, the damage was done. Everyone in the hall had seen the incriminating footage.

Sephina seethed with fury. Her gaze shifted to Briena, knowing Lily was her friend. Briena wore a pitiful expression, pretending to be just as clueless as everyone else.

Sephina felt a small wave of relief knowing she had sent Albert back to the hospital earlier, sparing him from witnessing the scandal.

The Browns were just as stunned, exchanging glances before turning to Briena, silently holding her accountable for Lily’s actions.

The hall remained heavy with silence as guests whispered among themselves, struggling to return to their earlier conversations.

Jay gestured to the emcee, who hurried onto the stage with a playful laugh.

"Well, someone seems to be in a mood to celebrate even more enthusiastically than our lovely couple of the night!" the emcee joked, attempting to ease the tension. "Let’s move on and enjoy this beautiful event. I hope everyone’s enjoying the specially prepared dishes."

The emcee’s light-hearted comment broke the awkward silence, and the guests gradually resumed their conversations, though whispers about the incident persisted.

Meanwhile, the Ford and Brown families gathered in a private room, where tensions were running high.

"Briena, what was that?" Amelia demanded, her tone sharp with displeasure. "Isn’t Lily your friend? What kind of friends do you keep to bring us this kind of humiliation?"

Tears welled in Briena’s eyes. "I’m so sorry! I didn’t know she was that kind of person. I never thought she’d ruin the most important day of my life."

Clara jumped to her daughter’s defense. "Amelia, we are just as shocked as you are. Can’t you see how hurt Briena is? This is her engagement day!"

Amelia frowned, still upset. "I don’t want you associating with girls like her. You’re not allowed to be around her anymore."

"I understand, Mother. I won’t..." Briena’s voice cracked, and she began to cry.

Ivan, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke. "Mother, this isn’t Briena’s fault. We shouldn’t blame her. She can’t control what other people choose to do."

Amelia exhaled, her anger softening. "Alright, but I don’t want any more scandals. I just want this wedding to happen smoothly, without any more trouble."

"Don’t worry," Ivan assured.

Clara and Briena felt relieved to here it, and at the same time, Briena was glad that Ivan defended her. Now she could see, he was entirely on her side.

’Only if that Video had Natalie in it, it would have been perfect," Briena seethed inside with hatred, ’What was that idiot Lily doing there?’