Worship The Ground You Walk On

At the luxurious banquet, guests were toasting each other. The delicacies and fine wines made an extravagant scene.

Claudia was an illegitimate daughter, but she came from a rich family. She had been on enough occasions like this since she was a little girl, but she always disliked them because she was a quiet and peacefu lady.

She became even more isolated when she was unable to speak.

She let Ben hold her wrist tightly, and dragged her to socialize with different people. She heard those people's compliments and watched their flattering smiles, and then she smiled back. After a while, her face muscle felt stiff.

Finally, they ran into Ben's best buddy, Sean Dunphy. They had a nice drink together. Claudia took the opportunity and got away from the banquet. She needed to get some fresh air.

She found a nice place to catch a breath, but soon she heard a woman with a low but shrill voice asking her.

"You must be lonely staying here alone."

Claudia turned back and saw Amber walking towards her.

They were both from the Evans family, and they shared the same Dad. Amber was the elder sister. She was the flower that was admired and cherished by the family, while Claudia was like repellent grass that nobody cared about.

"You should be grateful that Ben would let a mute and a bastard be here with him. Do you understand?"

Amber's arrogance was like a fire that was going to swallow everybody.

She approached Claudia and cast a disdainful glance at her. The red wine in her glass was swirling as she moved. The color of the wine perfectly matched her lipstick.

Claudia didn't want to be here and be ridiculed. As she was about to leave, Amber stopped her and said, "Ben and I grew up together. We've known each other for ages, you know that, right?" Claudia also had known Ben since they were kids.

The two sisters were both his childhood friends.

That was no surprise.

Claudia looked at Amber with disappointment in her eyes.

"That was why most people thought Ben and I would make a perfect couple," Amber whispered slowly.

Then she opened her mouth like a vicious snake and uttered a few words into Claudia's ears.

"I'll be the one Ben loves the most! You don't deserve him!"

Claudia turned her face away from Amber. She was clenching her fists so firmly that her nails scratched her palm.

"I don't deserve him?"

She wouldn't have ended up so miserably weren't it for Amber and her mother's vicious set-up which turned her into a mute. She and Ben could have had a much better relationship. Amber leaned to Claudia and whispered to her in a low voice that only the two could hear, "You are just his so-called wife. You've never been the one that's in his heart."

Claudia paused for a second. Before she said anything, Amber started to tilt the glass in her hand.

Cold wine poured down from the glass. It looked beautiful.

Claudia took a step back to avoid it, but when she looked aside, she was astonished.

Amber was pouring the wine on herself.

Claudia wondered what she was doing.

In that white low-cut full dress today, Amber looked so pure and innocent, like an angel. She poured a whole glass of wine on herself, right on her chest... Claudia suddenly understood what she was doing.

She noticed a sly smirk on Amber's face. The next moment, Amber stuffed the glass in Claudia's hand.

Before Claudia threw it away, Amber was already screaming.

"Ah!"

She wasn't screaming too loud, but it was loud enough for people around them to hear. They all came to check on them.

Amber looked so innocent. She had been acting like a gentle lady in public. She was very good at playing the victim.

"What are you doing, Claudia? How could you do this to me?"

Other people all gathered around to watch the drama.

They were so glad that the orderly banquet seemed to have had a little show going on.

Ben was standing near them. The scream attracted his attention, too.

Amber ran up to him and leaned on him like an injured kitten. She said, "It's my fault. I might have offended Claudia. She was so mad and poured the wine on me..." Claudia stood aside and watched Amber in embarrassment, wondering why this woman was so good at acting.

Ben looked aside at her with a cold look. People could read anger in his dark and penetrating eyes.

Amber was still trying to be nice. She said, "It's OK, Ben. It's all my fault. Please don't blame her for this. I'll just wash it away in the restroom."

When Claudia heard those sarcastic words that she didn't want to hear anymore, she turned back and was about to leave.

Just by them, Ben grabbed her arm.

His big palm held her slender wrist. His eyes looked as cold as ice. Then he asked, "You want to leave?"

Those cold words hit Claudia's heart hard.

"Forgive her, Ben, for the sake of your baby. It's been hard for her these days." Ben knew that Amber was acting nice and innocent.

Claudia stood there silently and said nothing. Then she heard Ben said:

"Claudia, you should go."

Claudia looked at him in a daze. Sharp pain is spreading in her heart.

"Don't drive her away! Ben, what are you doing?" Amber was still trying to pretend. She pulled his arm gently and said, "I will be cursed if your marriage breaks because of me!"

Ben turned sideways. There were flames of rage in his eyes. Then he looked at Claudia indifferently and left.

Seeing him leave, Amber raised her head proudly and said, "Didn't you hear it? Ben asked you to leave!" Amber deliberately cast a glance at Claudia before she left. Her gaze was filled with contempt and disdain. Claudia could hear other people gossiping while she saw the two leaving.

"It seems that Ben had no feelings for this woman."

"Why would he? She's a mute! She's been lucky enough to have married Ben. It would seem a bit ungrateful if she asked for more."

"Being handicapped and a bastard, she may have a mute baby. We don't know that."

Claudia was standing there, listening to those mean words, feeling as if her heart had been crushed into pieces and gone with the wind.0000