SWNOVELS Chapter 263 Everything was Temporarily Settled
One of the policemen snapped a pair of handcuffs around Dorothy's wrists. She was still in a haze, and next to her, Marcella was crying hysterically. All of a sudden Aaron dragged Sophia to the stage, and she was immediately put in the spotlight.
"Look over there! That's Colin's ex-wife, Sophia Lo!"
"What a poor woman! Her happiness was ruined by Dorothy!"
But then, someone in the crowd cried, "Mr. Li! She's a good woman, don't lose your chance! Please, restore your marriage! Remarry her!"
The crowd of people then echoed, "Remarry her! Remarry her!"
Shocked, Sophia looked at the several shouting people. They were Herring, Wade, and some other acquaintances of theirs.
Dorothy took a long look at Sophia, and at her khaki colored coat, and black high-heeled shoes... "That woman! Sophia!"
When she saw her, because of the huge rage and shock, Dorothy coughed a mouthful of blood. The blood dripped down on her white wedding dress, and made it look like spring blooming plum blossoms... Because all the stage lights were focused on Sophia, no one noticed Dorothy's ill condition except her screaming mother.
It took Colin a while to realize what to do next. He walked up to Sophia on the stage, knelt down on one of his knees, and then took out a small velvet box out of his pocket.
Sophia held her breath. Her legs became weak, and she nearly fell down, but Aaron held her just in time.
"Sophia, I've misunderstood you in the past, and I didn't cherish you enough... Please, forgive me! Sophia, will you remarry me?"
Her mind was already blank from the moment Colin revealed the diamond ring in front of her. She still couldn't fully take in what Colin was saying to her, and what was happening around her. But, without any time to have any further thought, she heard Colin say again, "Sophia, I'm sorry! Please, forgive my ignorance! Give me another chance, let me make it up to you, please!"
Herring cried, "Sophia, accept his proposal! Say yes!"
Another person echoed, "Say yes, Sophia! What are you waiting for?"
"Sophia, promise Colin! Say yes!"
The hall was now filled with excitement, and many people cheered her.
Finally, Colin grasped Sophia's hand, and straightaway put the diamond ring on her finger.
He then held the flabbergasted woman in his arms, and whispered in her ear, "Sophia, I'll never give up on you! I swear!"
When she saw what was happening, Dorothy fainted, and her mother Marcella hysterically cried, as if her daughter was already dead.
Gregary Lien came back to his senses. He understood the terrible situation and was just about to run away! But some prosecutors suddenly appeared in front of him, and said, "Gregary Lien, someone reported that your company, Lien Group, is involved in crimes of money-laundering, illegal fund raising, and false accounting... Please come with us to the procuratorate!"
Without having any chance to protest, Gregary was then taken away by the prosecutors.
The people there then realized that someone had intentionally exposed the Lien family's affairs on the wedding day.
But they didn't know who that person was, yet...
They all looked at the man on the stage who was holding Sophia in his arms. It seemed that... Colin didn't seem to be affected by what had happened, and instead looked very happy now.
Two policemen then carried Dorothy away, and Marcella followed the policemen and hysterically yelled at them. Eventually, the policemen had nothing else to do but to arrest her as well, accusing her of obstructing police matters.
Everything settled down for the moment, and Colin let go of Sophia from his arms and took the microphone. He said to the guests, "I'm sorry that all of you came here for nothing. I will return twice of your cash gifts to each of you. I'll also pay for all of your travel expenses. Please bill all of them to me..."
(TN: Cash gift - In most regions of China, there is a custom of giving money as a gift to attend a wedding ceremony. The money is put in a red bag.)
One of the executives said, "Mr. Li, please don't be so humble! I'm still looking forward to your wedding with Sophia Lo!"
"That's right! Mr. Li, Miss Lo, I also wish you a happy marriage!" Said another.
"We must attend your next wedding ceremony!"
Colin smiled, and as he took Sophia's hand, he found that her hand was soaked in sweat. He said to the guests, "Thank you! We'll be glad to have all of you to attend our wedding some other day..." The guests had not only had watched a good show, but their cash gifts had also been returned. They had been indeed very lucky on that day.
The Lien Clan's reputation was now completely ruined, and some nosy and indiscreet people had also posted the video of the event on the Internet. Because Colin was famous, Sophia was getting more and more publicity, and the event soon became a hot viral topic on the Internet.
Many gossipers and nosy parkers kept discussing and spreading the video of the event, making both Sophia and Colin even more famous.
Dorothy Lien was also became well-known, but she had bad publicity.
Those who had misunderstood, or even abused Sophia, made their apologies on Sophia's Weibo page. All hoped that Colin and Sophia would restore their marriage as soon as possible.
Inside the hotel, Colin asked Aaron to escort Sophia back to the Redbud Mansion first. He and Herring then handled the other affairs, and gave the guests a good send-off.
When they arrived at the Redbud Mansion, Sophia asked Aaron, "What's going on? Aaron, tell me everything. When did you find Cora?"
Aaron sat on the sofa and answered all her inquiries. "We've known about Cora's whereabouts for a long time now. She had been nearly tortured to death by Dorothy's men! Because she hated Dorothy so much, she was more than willing to help us!"
Sophia asked, "The whole plan... was it set up by Colin beforehand?" She thought that if this was the case, then she would owe Colin everything.
Aaron nodded, and replied, "Yes, he had planned everything out long before. Colin's plan went so smoothly thanks to the Lien Clan's ignorance! But then you asked the policemen to arrest Dorothy at the wedding ceremony, something that Colin wasn't expecting."
Sophia then stiffened. "Was he angry?" She asked.
"Angry?" Aaron recalled Colin's facial expressions from earlier, and said, "Nope, not a bit. He actually seemed to be quite happy! You're asking about nonsense. How could he be angry? That was exactly what he wanted!"
When she heard him, Sophia felt relieved. "So who called the prosecutors?"
"Colin had someone secretly investigate the Lien Clan and Pei Clan's crimes. He was the one controlling the whole event behind the curtain. When I returned, he asked me to take over the investigation, and I discovered a lot of evidence to prove their crimes, and even without finding the chip, the evidence we had was already enough to destroy both the Lien, and the Pei Group! I've handed all the evidence I found to the prosecutors."
Sophia sighed, and said, "I've offered you no help in this, and in the end, it was you and Colin who defeated the Lien Clan."
She felt quite frustrated at the thought of her unusefulness.
"Sister, please, don't blame yourself. I told you, you don't need to be concerned about them. I'm the Lo Clan's unique son, and it's my responsibility. You just need to live happily with my brother-in-law!" Frustrated, Sophia curled her lips, and said, "Okay, I have to admit that I didn't have a better strategy than you and Colin did!"
Aaron stood up from the sofa, and said, "I'm going to pick up my brother-in-law. You'll discuss all the other things with him later. I have something more important to deal with."
Sophia was worried, and reminded him to be careful. "What's that? Aaron, please remember to put safety first!"
He patted her shoulder, and said, "Okay, don't worry." Just before he left, he also told her a secret.
"You should also know that grandpa is still alive!" After this, Aaron left the Redbud Mansion, and left Sophia in a complete state of shock. ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐