Chapter 527

The guests below craned their necks as Claude led Hannah forward, and instantly, the hall erupted in a storm of whispers.

The murmurs, once suppressed, now spilled out like water breaking through a dam.

"What on earth is happening? Two identical wedding gowns? Is Claude really planning to marry two women?"

"Heavens above! Poor Ms. Sandoval, what disgrace! What kind of fiancé flaunts another woman at his own engagement party, and that woman dressed exactly like his soon-to-be fiancée?"

"I can't make sense of this. Who is Claude truly getting engaged to? Who is that woman at his side? I've never seen her before. This is sheer madness! The Hobbes family will be the butt of every joke!"

Dragged forward under the spotlight, Hannah felt the heat of countless stares pressing down on her,and her chest swelled with anger. Lowering her voice, she hissed, "Claude, is this truly what you want? To make your own family a laughingstock? Do you really find such folly amusing?"

Claude turned toward her, a twisted smile curling with satisfaction. "Let them gape and comment. Their laughter means nothing to me. Anna, as long as you're by my side, I'm content."

He had stepped clean out of the realm of reason. Realizing words would only fall on deaf ears, Hannah pressed her lips tight, enduring as he dragged her to the center of the stage like a trophy.

On stage, the Hobbes family members had faces dark as thunderclouds.

Evelyn trembled with rage, finally losing her composure. She strode forward, her voice sharp yet low."Claude, this is outrageous! Take her off the stage at once!" Her finger stabbed toward Hannah, her eyes a storm of disdain and alarm.

Claude,however, turned to his mother with a calculatedly innocent expression, his voice even tinged with measured grievance. "Mom, I only wanted my sister Anna close by, to witness my moment of joy. Is that truly ao wrong? Plus, didn't you already agree with her presence?"

It was true-Evelyn had once consented to Hannah's attendance. But never, not in her worst imaginings,had she thought it would spiral into such an absurd scene. Claude had put Hannah in the same gown as his soon-to-be flancée and dragged her onto the stage in front of everyone. If word spread, both the Hobbes and Sandoval families would be ridiculed beyond repair.

"You've stalled this entire ceremony just to wait for her? Just so she could don this gown?" Evelyn's voice shook like a bowstring pulled too tight.

Claude dodged her fury, turning instead to the pale, trembling Bonnie beside him. In a voice dressed in false gentleness, he asked, "Bonnie, you agreed to this as well, didn't you? I said I wished Anna could bless us up close. You agreed, didn't you?"

Bonnie bit her lip until it nearly bled, her voice shrinking to a whisper. "Yes... Claude asked me, and l...agreed."

Bonnie dared not oppose Claude. His grip on her family's future was a chain she could not break.

Beside them, Terrell's face burned red with humiliation. He could bear no more of this circus. Waving impatiently, he barked, "Enough! End this nonsense! Haven't we lost enough face already? Officiant,begin the ceremony!"

Hannah seized the moment like a lifeline. Forcing a polite smile, she nodded slightly toward Claude and Bonnie.Her voice rang clear."My congratulations to you both. I've witnessed this precious moment with my own eyes. May you share harmony and long years together. I shall return to my seat and watch from the audience."

With that, she turned to leave.

But Claude's hand clamped firmly around her arm, holding her in place. His smile was soft, but his voice brooked no refusal. "Why the hurry, Anna? The most.important part has yet to come-the exchange of engagement rings. And as my 'family,' how could you possibly miss it?"

Hannah swallowed down her anger and the sting of humiliation, speaking as calmly as she could to draw the line. "Claude, this is your engagement with Ms. Sandoval. I'm only here to witness it. The ceremony is

complete. I'll sit below; there's no need for me to witness up close further."

Yet, Claude acted as if her words were carried away by the wind. Still clinging to her arm, he insisted, "No, I want you here until the very end. For I have something prepared for you, too."

His gaze flicked toward an assistant waiting nearby, who immediately stepped forward, presenting a velvet box with both hands.

At that instant, a spark lit in Hannah's mind. She snatched the microphone from the officiant's hand.

Her action drew every eye in the hall.

Steadying herself with a forced smile, Hannah announced, "It seems my brother is so overwhelmed with excitement that his words have grown incoherent. So, while we have the chance,allow me-as his sister-to guide the next part as host."

By becoming the officiant, she could wrest back control of the scene.