CHAPTER 197: CHAPTER 197: ENGAGEMENT BANQUET: SETTLING ALL SCORES!

"Mom, let’s quickly tell Damien this news!" Rachel Shaw anxiously searched for her phone.

Penelope Page held her hand down, "No, we should be cautious about this. At least go for a check-up first, to avoid giving Damien false hope."

Rachel Shaw was so excited that she forgot this important detail.

But she had a feeling that she was indeed pregnant.

Clutching her pounding chest, Rachel Shaw calmed down, and suddenly, the unease in her heart vanished into thin air.

With this child, what did she have to fear?

From now on, the Lancaster Family would have to treat her like royalty.

Rachel Shaw touched her abdomen and laughed out loud; this child came at the perfect time.

Seraphina Kennedy always said she was the Lancaster Family’s lucky star. With this child, wouldn’t Seraphina think so even more?

Rachel Shaw couldn’t wait to tell Damien Lancaster the good news.

"It’s about time, let’s head over. Why isn’t Damien here yet?"

"He might be waiting for you in the ballroom."

Rachel Shaw happily lifted her skirt and walked out.

She wore a form-fitting white silk gown, with perfect makeup on her face and an exquisite hairstyle; tonight, Rachel Shaw was undoubtedly beautiful.

She straightened her back, displaying a graceful smile, and as she walked through, she was accompanied by countless cheers and the clicking of shutter buttons from the journalists.

Rachel Shaw thoroughly enjoyed this feeling, the sense of glory that only the Lancaster Family could bring her.

Rachel Shaw stopped in the center of the ballroom.

"Congratulations, Eldest Miss Shaw."

"Eldest Miss Shaw looks stunning."

Rachel Shaw smiled in response to these compliments.

She looked up, trying to find Damien Lancaster, but she couldn’t see him anywhere.

Gregory Lancaster and Seraphina Kennedy approached Rachel Shaw, clearly pleased with her today.

"Uncle and Aunt."

Seraphina Kennedy laughed, "You’re still calling us Uncle and Aunt now?"

Rachel Shaw shyly smiled, "Dad... Mom!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the lights in the ballroom dimmed.

Everyone was suddenly taken aback.

"What’s going on?"

"Why did the lights go out?"

"Is there some kind of surprise planned?"

The next moment, two spotlights shone down, one on Rachel Shaw and the other on Gregory Lancaster.

All eyes followed, focused on the two of them. Gregory Lancaster frowned, "What’s happening?"

Then, the large screen at the front lit up, showing a big red double happiness symbol, with the names of the couple on either side: Rachel Shaw and... Gregory Lancaster!

Immediately, the whole room erupted!

Rachel Shaw stared in shock, "What is this?"

Gregory Lancaster urgently took two steps forward, his brows furrowed tightly. How on earth was his name up there?

He was engaged to Rachel Shaw!

Gregory Lancaster flew into a rage, "Who did this?"

The crowd was abuzz, "Oh my! Isn’t this supposed to be First Young Master Lancaster and Eldest Miss Shaw’s engagement party? How did it become President Lancaster and Eldest Miss Shaw’s engagement party?"

"It really seems so! The poster at the entrance also had their names on it!"

"So, the one getting engaged to Eldest Miss Shaw today is Gregory Lancaster, President Lancaster? Is that for real?"

Rachel Shaw frantically turned to look at Gregory Lancaster. Gregory Lancaster was equally puzzled, as the two spotlights above them stayed firmly on them, making it seem like they were indeed the protagonists of the night!

Rachel Shaw was on the verge of a breakdown!

The one who was supposed to be engaged to her was supposed to be Damien Lancaster, how did it become Gregory Lancaster!

What the...?

On the second-floor railing stood a tall figure, a man with a cold expression, calmly watching the chaos below.

The lights came back on.

"Ivy Summers! Was it you?" Rachel Shaw turned to Ivy Summers, immediately directing her accusations toward Ivy Summers, "You’re the one causing trouble!"

Ivy Summers casually shrugged with a smile.

Innocent!

Her gift hadn’t even been presented yet.

Amidst the ongoing chatter and noise, the large screen at the front flickered again.

"What is that?"

"Oh my gosh! How could there be such photos!"

"Is that Eldest Miss Shaw? How could Eldest Miss Shaw..."

Rachel Shaw’s horrified gaze turned to see her own selfie pictures displayed prominently on the big screen. The frightening thing was that the selfies were quite revealing, showing her skin above her chest, with red marks all over from being sucked on.

Rachel Shaw tensed up all over.

Immediately, an unspeakable sound played out—moaning and groaning of a man and woman resounded!

The video was dark, revealing nothing, but the sounds were unmistakably clear!

Upon careful listening, it was undoubtedly her voice.

Rachel Shaw staggered and almost lost her balance.

"That sound is Eldest Miss Shaw’s, isn’t it? She sounds so... raunchy."

"How did these photos and videos come about? Judging by the angles, she took them herself. Did she release them herself?"

"Who’s the guy with her? First Young Master Lancaster?"

"First Young Master Lancaster is famously abstinent; how could he make such a ridiculous video with her."

"So, you’re saying the person in the video isn’t First Young Master Lancaster? Oh my God! What have I discovered!"

The people around were all covering their mouths in shock, looking at Rachel Shaw with a knowing expression.

"Stop looking! Stop looking!" Rachel Shaw screamed in terror, her face pale, "Don’t look!"

How could this video and these photos appear here, how could they be here!

"What’s going on?" Seraphina Kennedy looked at Rachel Shaw, "Rachel Shaw, what’s the deal with these photos and videos?"

Rachel Shaw kept shaking her head, "I don’t know, I didn’t do this!"

"If it wasn’t you, then is the person in the video you? Who’s the person with you?"

"It’s... it’s Damien!"

Seraphina Kennedy frowned deeply, "Are you saying Damien made this kind of video with you? Impossible! My son doesn’t have such a fetish!"

Filming while doing it, is he a pervert?

"I..." Rachel Shaw was at a loss for words.

What could she possibly say?

Should she publicly say she secretly filmed the video to disgust Ivy Summers?

That would be too... shameful!

Ivy Summers!

Rachel Shaw thought of Ivy Summers, suddenly pushed away from the people surrounding her, and pointed at Ivy Summers who was sitting there calmly, "It’s her, she released the video!"

Ivy Summers raised an eyebrow, "Me?"

"It’s you!"

"Do you have proof?" Ivy Summers calmly countered, "These are private photos, how could I have them?"

"Because... because..."

Because she sent them to her!

But Rachel Shaw couldn’t say it!

It wouldn’t matter even if she did, since the video was already out there, her face was already lost, what’s the point of finding out who released it?

Rachel Shaw’s eyes turned red, on the verge of tears.

Gregory Lancaster frowned tightly, "Ridiculous! What is going on? Why did you film such a video? Have you done something to betray Damien?"

"I haven’t! Dad, I haven’t done anything to betray Damien, the person in the video is... Damien! This video was taken that day when I was with Damien."

Rachel Shaw had no choice; at the very least, she couldn’t be seen as cheating, so she confessed.

"Are you sure it’s me?"

A man’s voice sounded, Damien Lancaster slowly walked down the stairs, dressed in a white shirt, dark suit, exuding a calm, icy, noble aura.

He walked down step by step, not treading on the light of redemption, but on a countdown to doom.

On another part of the second floor, a woman sat quietly, resting her chin on her hand, "Mom, is that Mr. Lancaster?"

The woman’s mother looked over, nodded, "Yes, I heard he was the one competing with your father for the ring that day."

"So it’s him!"

The woman picked up her phone, snapped a photo of the man, and smiled satisfactorily, murmuring, "This trip to Aethelgard wasn’t fruitless."

...

Rachel Shaw saw Damien Lancaster arriving, lifted her skirt and immediately stepped forward, "Damien, help me explain, the person in the video is us..."

Damien Lancaster’s gaze fell on her, the air seemed to freeze, "Are you sure the person with you was me?"

"I..." Being questioned like this by Damien Lancaster, Rachel Shaw suddenly didn’t know how to answer.

Damien Lancaster raised an eyebrow, "You spiked the drink so much you don’t even know who you went to bed with, huh."

Rachel Shaw paused, widened her eyes, her mind went blank, "You... you knew?"

"You thought your scheme was clever?"

Ever since she entered that villa, her every move had been under surveillance.

Rachel Shaw’s eyes remained wide open, the whole person as if plunged into an ice cellar.

"You knew all along, so why did you willingly enter the room... no, wait!" Rachel Shaw realized something.

If Damien Lancaster was monitoring her, guarding against her, knowing everything she did, how could he possibly be with her?

So those two nights...

Something exploded in Rachel Shaw’s brain, she couldn’t believe it, kept shaking her head.

"Impossible... impossible! You couldn’t do this to me! How could you do this to me! Damien, it must be fake, right? Those two nights it was you, right? The person with me was you, right?"

Damien Lancaster looked at her coldly.

Rachel Shaw’s tears streamed down as she looked at this indifferent man, she understood everything.

She thought it was strange how Damien Lancaster could be so passionate with her even when the drug hadn’t taken effect.

She wondered how she could be forgiven so easily!

It turns out... it turns out she wasn’t forgiven.

But rather, this man had never intended to let her go from that day on!

"Why? Why do this to me? Since you already planned it all, why agree to get engaged to me?"

Why?

Because while Damien Lancaster was in a coma, they announced the engagement news.

If that’s the case, whoever announced it, takes responsibility.

"I love you so much, why do you have to do this to me? I obviously love you so much, why do you have to do this to me?"

Damien Lancaster’s dark eyes looked at her, "Do you dare say what you’ve done?"

Rachel Shaw’s breath caught, and even her sobs stopped.

Phillip Shaw and Penelope Page finally snapped out of the chaos and hurriedly stepped forward, "Damien, could there be a misunderstanding, everyone’s watching, why not finish the engagement banquet and discuss it at home?"

Damien Lancaster chuckled lightly, "What? Does the Shaw Family have something they can’t say out in the open?"