Chapter 2 The Arrogant Lady
Damon jumped at the sound of gunshots coming from inside the cathedral.
"Damn it, I hope this isn't a shooting," he muttered, rushing to the cathedral doors and pushing them open. The scene inside left him stunned.
Olivia was wielding a double-barreled shotgun, firing at her family members. But instead of bullets, the gun was shooting paintballs.
"Olivia, do you have any idea what you're doing? Stop this immediately!"
"My God, my clothes! My date! Olivia, I'm going to kill you!"
"Olivia, I command you to stop this right now!"
Nathan, Seraphina, and Aurora were darting around the Cathedral, clutching their heads. Although the paintballs wouldn't kill, they still hurt when they hit.
"Dad, Aunt Seraphina, Aurora, what are you all saying? Aren't we family? On such a joyous day, we should be even more festive!"
Olivia wore a sinister smile, continuing to fire until the gun was empty.
Just when Nathan let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he no longer had to endure the pain of being hit by paintballs, the barrel of a shotgun came down hard on his head.
"Come on, Dad! We haven't played baseball in ages. On this happy occasion, let's play together!" Olivia flipped the gun around, gripping the barrel with both hands and using the stock as a makeshift bat as she chased after the three of them.
"Damn it, you crazy woman, stop!" Nathan finally found an opportunity to grab the shotgun from Olivia's hands. He raised his palm, ready to slap her across the face.
Olivia instinctively started to dodge, but then noticed Damon standing in the doorway. She immediately stopped and lifted her face defiantly.
"Stop!" Damon rushed forward and caught Nathan's wrist.
"Mr. Cooper, what are you doing? I'm disciplining my daughter. Are you interfering?" Nathan glared furiously at the butler.
Damon gave Nathan a cool look, his tone chilly with disdain. "Mr. Smith, I need to remind you that Ms. Smith is now our CEO's wife. She's about to meet his mother, and it would be most disrespectful for her to arrive with a handprint on her face."
Nathan instantly calmed down. He glanced at Olivia, who was staring back at him with a triumphant look.
"Dad, what are you waiting for? Come discipline me! If a slap isn't satisfying enough, you can hit my head with the gun barrel. Make me bleed if you'd like." Olivia thrust her head forward, right in front of Nathan's face.
Nathan's fists clenched tightly, his teeth grinding audibly, but he didn't dare strike her.
"You're behaving nothing like a proper lady. More like a common thug," Damon frowned at Olivia's behavior. "Mrs. Howard, your conduct is rather inappropriate."
"I don't care. A wedding should be festive, shouldn't it?" Olivia shrugged.
With Damon standing between them, she couldn't continue her assault on her loathsome family members.
Damon looked at the three paint-covered people with distaste.
"Well then, everyone, I need to take Mrs. Howard to meet our matriarch. The rest of you should go home and clean up."
With that, Damon escorted Olivia out of the cathedral. Before leaving, she turned and made a face at Nathan, Seraphina, and Aurora.
"This is infuriating! How can such a woman exist?" Seraphina stomped her foot in anger.
"I'll get revenge! I'll make her pay for every bit of this humiliation," Aurora screeched.
"Both of you, shut up!" Nathan glared fiercely at his wife and daughter.
"Don't forget Olivia's current status. If we offend her, that crazy woman might do something extreme, like burn down the Howard Manor. Then she'd bring us all down with her!"
"That's impossible! Not unless she wants to sacrifice her brother," Aurora retorted with a cold smile, crossing her arms.
Nathan gave Aurora an icy stare.
"You idiot! You'd better pray that sickly boy stays healthy, or Olivia will truly lose her mind."
Aurora, intimidated by Nathan's glare, fell silent. Seraphina, seeing her husband's extreme irritation, didn't want to become the target of his anger.
"Let's go. We need to get home and clean up," Nathan said coldly as he walked out of the cathedral.
Seraphina and Aurora followed closely behind, carefully avoiding the gaze of anyone they knew as they hurried to their car and sped home.
Meanwhile, Damon brought Olivia to the Howard Manor. The estate was enormous—it took several minutes just to drive from the entrance gate to the main house.
When the car finally stopped, Olivia stepped out of the passenger seat, still wearing her wedding dress.
'Not even a welcoming party. Is Matthew so insignificant in this family, or is it just me who doesn't matter?' Olivia thought sarcastically.
Suddenly, an elegant woman holding a small dog emerged from the house, followed by several maids. The woman wore a purple robe and carried herself with nobility, standing at the top of the steps and gently stroking her Chihuahua's head while looking Olivia up and down like she was appraising a piece of merchandise.
"Madam, Mrs. Olivia Howard has arrived," Damon announced with a respectful bow.
'So this is Celeste Howard, Matthew's mother? She's certainly well-preserved. How could such a beautiful woman give birth to such an ugly son? How hideous must his father have been?' Olivia mused while curtseying.
"Mother, hello. I'm Olivia."
The Chihuahua in Celeste's arms barked twice at Olivia, letting out a low, threatening growl.
Celeste examined Olivia from head to toe, leaning back slightly while stroking her pet dog's back with increasing speed.
"Is your family too poor to afford proper clothes? You look like a beggar," she remarked coldly.
Olivia glanced down at her wedding dress. During her earlier chase and fight with her family in the cathedral, the dress had become torn and her hair disheveled, giving her a rather unkempt appearance.
"I was saying goodbye to my family. Everyone was quite emotional and crying. The dress probably got caught during our embraces," Olivia lied, looking toward Damon with pleading eyes.
'Please, help me with this lie.'
Damon hesitated briefly before nodding. "Yes, that's what happened."
Celeste looked at Olivia, her disgust almost palpable. She stroked her dog with increasing force, causing the Chihuahua to look up at her in confusion.
"I don't care how you behave in your family, but here you'll follow our rules. First rule: dirty clothes are not allowed in the house."
Celeste glanced at one of the maid behind her.
"Mira, get her some clean clothes. She can change in the car before coming inside."
The elderly maid Mira Parker nodded and went upstairs.
'Looks like my life in this family won't be easy. Even the dog despises me,' Olivia thought, sensing Celeste's arrogance. She had expected this—what kind of normal mother wouldn't attend her son's wedding?
Suddenly, Olivia noticed a small red patch on the Chihuahua's back leg, right where Celeste's hand was about to touch.
'This should be interesting,' Olivia thought with a slight smile, counting down in her head.
'Three, two, one...'
Celeste suddenly let out a piercing scream.