Chapter 22

The surroundings quieted down instantly.

Esme and Presley looked at the couple in shock. Then, they stared at each other in disbelief.

“Are… are you Mr. Valentine?”

Esme mustered up her courage and asked.

Beau smiled and placed his hand on Eliza’s shoulder, “Yes, that’s me.”

Presley was so shocked she couldn’t even speak!

“How is this possible?” she thought.

The whole reason Presley forced Eliza to get married in Esme’s stead was that Mr. Valentine was a cruel and ugly monster!

Rumors had it that the fire had wrecked him, both inside and out.

Now, the monster was standing before them, but he was nothing as the rumors described. Beau had incredibly handsome looks which radiated his intimidating aura.

“Honey, let me introduce you to my family.”

Eliza wrapped her arm around Beau and smiled proudly. “This person here is my stepmother, Presley Stafford. The other one is my stepsister, Esme Lawson.”

Beau raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Oh, my apologies. I didn’t know they are your family.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t make things difficult for you.” He shifted his gaze to the ring on Esme’s finger.

“However, you still have to return that ring to me. It’s a wedding gift I prepared for my wife.”

Esme gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in anger.

That ring should have belonged to her!

She should’ve been the one married to Beau.

“Eliza, that b*tch! How dare she snatch my man away!” Esme thought. 2 “Since we‘re a family, we shouldn’t be that hard on each other right?”

Presley walked towards Beau and laughed sheepishly, “Mr. Valentine, you’re a rich man. I’m sure a ten karat ring means nothing to you.”

“Can you treat it as a gift to Esme instead?”

Eliza frowned. How could these people be that shameless? Her request was just preposterous! That was a ten-karat ring! It wasn’t cheap!

“I’m sorry.”

Beau glanced at Presley. “I don’t have the habit of gifting.” I “Besides, I specially prepared this ring for my wife.” He looked calmly at Esme. “And…” “You don’t deserve it.” Esme’s complexion turned pale as she backed off, “Why do you have to be so rude?”

“Why don’t you think about what you‘ve done to Eliza?” Beau said while smiling.

Esme looked into Beau’s eyes. Facing his intimidating aura, a chill went down her spine.

It was as if he could see through all her secrets with his penetrating gaze.

She quickly lowered her head. “I don’t understand what you mean.” Beau continued smiling and said, “I thought Matthew has made things clear with you today.” Esme trembled with fear.

Finally, she was on the same page with Beau.

Beau was teaching her a lesson after what she did to Eliza yesterday. “I thought he hates women and tortured his previous two fiances before,” Esme thought. “Why is he so kind to Eliza?”

“Miss Lawson.”

Beau said sternly, “Are you planning to return the ring to me?”

Esme bit her lower lip. Even though she was reluctant to give up the ring, she still did as told. The Lawson family could not afford to offend Mr. Valentine any further than this. Because of what Esme did, Valentine’s Group had already reduced half the amount of funds distributed to the Lawson family.

Finally, she returned the ring to Beau.

Eliza heaved in a deep breath. She could feel the weight falling off her shoulders.

She turned around as she planned to ask the police officer for Demarion’s whereabouts.

“Eliza.”

Beau pulled her back into his arms.

She slammed her cheeks against his chest almost instantly.

Covering her painful nose, Beau held her right hand before she could say anything further.

Then, he slid the ring into her index finger. 2 The way he put on the ring for her was gentle and elegant. He was so charming everyone just couldn’t get their eyes off him.

Staring at his face, Eliza was stunned beyond words. “Now is the time for the bride and groom to exchange rings!”

Suddenly, a child’s voice echoed from beside.

Eliza came to her senses and looked for the source of the sound. Less than two meters away, Demarion was taking pictures of them with his phone while smiling happily.

The surrounding police officers also gave them a round of applause.

Looking at the strangers beaming with joy while congratulating her marriage, Eliza was flushed red.

She was so embarrassed that she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.

Suddenly, Beau pulled her into his warm embrace. “You should lean on me, or else others will notice that you’re blushing,”

Beau chuckled as he said with a low voice.

Feeling nervous, Eliza gritted her teeth. She knew that he was laughing at her!

However, there was nothing she could use to cover her face now.

Enjoying the warmth of his body, Eliza closed her eyes and leaned on his chest.

The two of them were so close that she could hear the rhythm of his heartbeat and his breathing.

After a long time, the surroundings quieted down and the air seemed fresher than before.

“Mommy, how long do you want to stay in daddy’s arms?” Demarion asked while beaming from ear to ear.

Only then did Eliza snap back to reality.

They were already at the entrance of the police station.

She stood straight and harrumphed awkwardly, “Shall we go home now?”

“Okay.”

The butler said respectfully, “Sir, everything is resolved now.”

“Judging from the fact that Esme is your stepsister, Mr. Valentine has forgiven her for what she did to you. However, she still has to give a public apology.”

Eliza nodded. She knew that this was the best way to resolve the matter.

After all, Beau couldn’t reveal that he had two children. Furthermore, Esme had a reputation to keep as well.

However, she still had to record a public apology due to her crime of swindling money from underage children.

That was enough to teach Esme a lesson.

Taking a deep breath, she held Demarion’s hand as she led him to the car. She said happily, “What shall we eat tonight? I’ll cook for you!”

Beau didn’t move an inch as he stared at Eliza, who looked really adorable. He smiled and asked, “Are you hurt anywhere today?”

“No, I’m not.”

At the mention of work, Eliza felt slightly depressed. “The higher-ups in Parson Media prohibited me to work as a stuntwoman. I don’t know what’s with them.”

“I was standing under the hot sun working as a stand-in for the entire day. The money I earned today is not even half of a stuntwoman.”

Filled with indignation, she clenched her fists and said, “I must find out which one of them is making things difficult for me on purpose.

Beau was just speechless. He couldn’t tell her that he was the one behind it.

Inside the police station.

With the help of the police, Esme finished recording her public apology.

“Eliza, that b*tch!”

Coming out of the police station, Presley complained while walking, “If I knew that Mr. Valentine was such a young and handsome man. I wouldn’t have forced Eliza to get married “We just lost a ten-karat diamond ring! Just thinking about it infuriates me!” “That should’ve belonged to you, Esme!” “It’s okay, mom.”

Esme narrowed her eyes and looked ahead. “I can just snatch everything away from Eliza. It’s no big deal.”