Raeleigh was still holding the cake but she had no way of refusing. In the end, she was pulled forward.
Jepherson was dressed in black from head to toe and had a blue rose boutonniere pinned to the lapel of his suit jacket. He walked up to the stage, picked up the microphone and greeted his guests. When he did, Everyone in the room turned to look at him.
Just as Raeleigh was about to take a bite of her cake, Jepherson turned to face her and planted his lips on hers, kissing away the cream on her lips. Raeleigh immediately knew that he was up to something.
"What are you up to?"
"I'm going to make an announcement."
Jepherson gave her a smile before turning around and looking at the guests below the stage.
"Good evening, I'm delighted to announce that the Richards Group has already achieved its first quarter target. I would like to thank you for your time and effort, and for coming and celebrating with us. We look forward to your continued support for the Richards Group in the coming years."
Additionally..."
Jepherson pulled Raeleigh over. "I have someone I would like to introduce to everyone. This lady right here is Raeleigh Anson. She's one of our company's automotive designers. She is also my wife."
Raeleigh nearly dropped her cake. Everyone below the stage was wide- eyed in shock. They hadn't expected Jepherson to make such an announcement at the banquet.
Santiago, who was standing in the distance, started clapping. The crowd turned their heads over to Santiago before following his lead.
As the applause rang out, Raeleigh felt like she was stuck in a dream. If she wasn't holding a cake in her hand, she would definitely have had to pinch herself to make sure that she was not dreaming.
She desperately wanted to wake up from this dream.
"Next up, I would like everyone to join me on the dance floor. Let's enjoy ourselves tonight," Jepherson continued. Just as he was about to lead Raeleigh off the stage, a woman was pushed into the banquet hall, which caught everyone by surprise.
The crowd started to make way for the newcomer.
Santiago immediately noticed that something was amiss and looked in the direction of the crowd.
When Santiago saw that it was Stella, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he quickly walked up to her.
Stella was sat in a wheelchair, her eyes fixed on Jepherson and Raeleigh. Neither Jepherson nor Raeleigh smiled as their gazes reflected the shock in their bones.
No one could smile at such an abrupt appearance.
When Raeleigh saw Stella, she immediately turned towards Jepherson who was calmly staring at Stella.
Stella laughed below the stage. "If you two are a married couple, what does that make me?"
Everyone around them was shocked to hear her say that. What was going on?
Raeleigh remained silent as it wasn't the time for her to say anything. Although she had her own opinions regarding this, she chose to stay quiet.
While Santiago was standing amongst the crowd, Jepherson retorted, "There's nothing between us."
Stella took out a stack of photos and tossed it towards the crowd. "Oh, really?"
One of the photos fell at Santiago's feet. He frowned when he saw them - they were the same pictures that Stella had taken a few months ago. However, he was sure that he had deleted all the photos. How could she have them?
Could she had made a copy?
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