Heaven above you

On the eve of the National Day holiday, I unexpectedly received a message from my long-quiet high school class group.[Carlee, aren't you going to say anything about Violette's wedding? Are you pretending not to see?]Seeing the flood of messages, I realized that Violette Barton, the beauty queen of our high school, was getting married on the National Day holiday and had invited all of our classmates to the wedding.I replied: [I'm currently abroad, so I won't be able to attend.]No sooner had I sent the message than her loyal defenders in the group started attacking me.[Carlee, are you too scared to show up?][Back then, you stole 5,000 dollars in tutoring fees from Violette, and she didn't even hold it against you. Now, you won't even send a congratulations, pretending you're overseas. Shameless!]Violette tried to defuse the tension, messaging: [Oh, that's all in the past. I've long forgotten about it. Carlee, don't take it to heart. You absolutely must come to my wedding.]As soon as she said that, everyone in the group started praising her for being so beautiful and kind, admiring her for not holding a grudge against a so-called "thief" like me.I thought to myself, "What a joke. She falsely accused me of stealing back then, and I haven't even settled the score. Now she's playing innocent in the group."Scrolling to the top of the chat, I stared at the groom's name. The more I looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.Then it hit me. "Isn't this Anthony Patel?I'm his father's cousin. He should be calling me 'aunt'!"I chuckled coldly and replied: [Fine, I'll definitely come to your wedding!]After sending that message, I immediately packed my bags and booked a flight back to the country.When my mom heard I was attending Anthony's wedding, she urged me to be polite and buy some gifts to represent our family.After all, Anthony worked under my mother, and over the years, he had made quite a bit of money for our company.I thought to myself, "Anthony's certainly capable, but his taste in women is terrible. How could he choose Violette?"Though that was what I thought, I still had the butler prepare some expensive gifts to load into the car.After landing, I had the driver take me straight to the wedding venue.Upon arrival, I immediately spotted Violette basking in the admiration of those around her."Violette, you truly deserve to be our class beauty. All these years and you're still so gorgeous, and you married such an accomplished man. He's already a vice president at Sunray Group at such a young age!""Exactly! If it weren't for Violette, we wouldn't even have the chance to attend a wedding at such a high-class hotel!""Right! My husband works at Sunray Group too. I heard Violette's husband will be promoted to president next month. Congratulations! You'll soon be the president's wife!"Everyone started praising her, and Violette couldn't hide her delight.When they noticed I had arrived, the same people who had been flattering her instantly changed their expressions, their faces now filled with disdain."Carlee, you actually had the nerve to show up?""Yeah, since when do thieves have such thick skin? You dare show up at the wedding of your victim?""Showing up is one thing, but don't you know it's customary to bring a gift to a wedding?""Ugh, she's a habitual thief. How could she have money for a gift? Look at her, wearing all that fake designer stuff. Bet she stole it, too."They all considered me a "thief", treating me like I was worthless.I laughed inwardly. That 5,000 dollars they accused me of stealing was actually the money my mother had given me for attending a concert. I hadn't even had the chance to spend it before Violette accused me of theft.Later, our homeroom teacher got to the bottom of it and asked me not to make a fuss. She said Violette's family was struggling, and 5,000 dollars meant a lot to them.Out of respect for our teacher, I let it go and gave Violette the money.But instead of being grateful, she had never revealed the truth all these years.I didn't want to argue with them. I was just waiting for the server to bring up the gifts I had prepared so I could leave right after handing them over.After waiting for what felt like forever, no one had brought the gifts, so I decided to head downstairs to check.Suddenly, Violette rushed over and slapped me hard across the face."Carlee, you still haven't kicked your habit of stealing, have you? Did you really think you could steal my ring and just run?"

The slap left me reeling, and the smudge of lipstick dragged a long streak across my cheek."What gives you the right to accuse me of stealing?" I demanded."When we went to the back for photos, you were the only one who stayed in the front hall. Who else could it be?" Violette accused, shaking her purse, which had been left in the hall and was now empty."I can't believe it. After all these years, you haven't changed one bit!" she continued her tirade."That ring was a ten-carat diamond Anthony specially bought for me overseas, worth millions of dollars!"As soon as she said that, everyone's eyes turned toward me."You shameless woman! Violette was just pleading on your behalf, telling us not to blame you, and what do you do? You stole her wedding ring!" someone angrily shouted."A thief is always a thief. Some things never change. Let's teach her a lesson! We have to stand up for Violette!"With that rallying cry, Violette's supporters rushed toward me, each delivering a slap to my face.My hair fell loose in an instant, and I felt two of my teeth get knocked out.But that wasn't enough. They violently ripped off my expensive gemstone earrings and necklace, as well as my designer watch.Blood immediately trickled from my ears, and my neck bore deep scratches from their claws."Don't hold back! If this bitch doesn't return Violette's ring, we won't stop!" someone shouted."I didn't steal..."I tried to explain, but they were like wild animals, too frenzied to hear me out.They didn't just slap me; they kicked me to the ground. My dress was torn to shreds.I had never been humiliated like this in my life. I struggled to cover myself, desperate to preserve some dignity.But they didn't even allow me that.One after another, they poured bottles of ice-cold wine and champagne, fresh from the cellar, over my body and face.The chill made me start to shiver. I tried to hug myself for warmth, but my arms wouldn't respond."Carlee, you better admit that you took the ring. Since we're old classmates, I might be willing to let this slide," Violette said coldly, her eyes devoid of any warmth.Just as I was about to speak, someone suddenly shouted, "Mr. Greville is here!"Wendell Greville had been our homeroom teacher in high school. As soon as he walked in, he greeted Violette with overflowing enthusiasm."Violette, you haven't changed a bit after all these years, still as beautiful as ever," Wendell praised.Violette offered a fake smile in return, then roughly grabbed my hair, forcing my bruised face toward Wendell."Mr. Greville, you arrived just in time. You can settle this for everyone. Back then, wasn't it Carlee who stole my 5,000 dollars?" she asked sharply.Wendell, clearly startled by the sight of my battered face, averted his eyes.I had hoped he would finally tell the truth, but to my shock, he said, "Oh, wasn't that matter settled long ago?"I kept quiet at the time to protect Carlee's dignity, but yes, she did take Violette's 5,000 dollars."After hearing his words, everyone sneered at me, spitting in my face.

"Since Mr. Greville has said so, stop pretending to be naive, Carlee. Consider the 5,000 dollars a gift. Now hand over my ring!" Violette's voice was sharp with command.I sneered inwardly, realizing that Wendell had also been bought by Violette.Before coming to the wedding, I had already asked my butler to investigate the supporters in our class group who rallied behind Violette.They were only doing it because she had married Anthony and became the vice president's wife of Sunray Group, thinking that aligning with her would benefit them. They were eager to help her exact revenge on me.Even Wendell wasn't exempt. He sided with Violette purely because he wanted Sunray Group to invest in building a new facility for his school.What they didn't know was that they were backing the wrong person, and they had offended someone they should never have crossed!"You know very well whether I took the ring or not. As for that 5,000 dollars, it was you who..." I began to expose the truth.Before I could finish, Violette rushed over and slapped me twice, then signaled to her supporters.In no time, the group dragged me out of the hotel lobby and into the street.At that moment, a hotel staff member who had been retrieving gifts from my car saw the scene unfold, his jaw dropping in shock."Ms. Patel, what happened to you?" he asked with concern.I was bruised all over, blood pooling in my mouth, making it impossible to respond.Violette and her followers noticed the staff talking to me, and when they saw the gifts he was holding, they quickly guessed that the nearby Mercedes was mine."This tramp drives such a fancy car? She must become someone's mistress. I bet some old man gave it to her," someone jeered."My ring is worth millions. This car is nothing compared to it. Smash it! It's not even worth a fraction of my ring!" Violette ordered.Without hesitation, they grabbed bricks from the ground and began smashing the car.The windows, engine, and headlights were shattered in an instant.But they weren't done. They tore open the gift boxes from the trunk. Soon, bottles of luxury perfume and a ruby necklace were tossed out."What kind of cheap garbage are these? You really dare bring this as a gift?" they cursed as they destroyed everything.Next, they forced the car doors open, slashing the seats and tearing apart the upholstery. Finally, they found a photo frame hidden deep inside the trunk.My heart sank.It was the only photograph of me and my late father, with a handwritten message on the back. There wasn't another copy in the world!"I knew it! This slut is just some old man's mistress. This photo proves it!" someone yelled."Look! There's even a note from the old man... 'To my dearest Carlee, wishing you everlasting happiness.' Ugh, how disgusting!" another mocked.With a loud crack, the frame was smashed to pieces.I struggled to get up, wanting to stop them, but it was too late.Shards of glass scattered all over me.The photo was torn into pieces, the fragments raining down on my head.

With tear-filled eyes, I tried desperately to gather the broken pieces of the photo. Violette, however, planted her stiletto heel squarely on my hand."Carlee, even now you refuse to admit you stole my ring? And here you are, still trying to piece together that ridiculous photo of you and that old man. How pathetic!" she taunted.Fury surged through me, and I spat through clenched teeth, "Violette, just wait! I won't let this go!"After hearing my words, the crowd around us erupted in laughter."Oh, did I hear that right? A mistress, being kept by some old man, actually threatening the future wife of a company president? You're beyond ridiculous!" someone sneered."Exactly! Who do you think you are? One word from Violette, and you'll be run out of Shangaria! And you still have the nerve to threaten us?" another voice chimed in."This little tramp hasn't learned her lesson. Let's keep going!" Violette commanded.At her signal, Violette and her followers brought out a large bucket of red paint from the hotel, clearly intending to pour it all over me.Just at that moment, a luxurious Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up slowly to the hotel entrance.Stepping out of the car was none other than the groom of the day, Anthony."Mr. Patel really lives up to his title as Sunray Group's vice president. This is what a real luxury car looks like. Carlee, that mistress, can only drive a low-end Mercedes by pleasing old men!" someone flattered."Violette, you're one lucky woman. Once you become the president's wife, don't forget the help we gave you today!" another person added, eager to win favor.Violette beamed with satisfaction. "Don't worry, I remember everyone who's helped me today. Once Anthony becomes president, you'll all be rewarded."Upon hearing this, her supporters quickly showered her with gratitude, each one desperate not to miss out on the benefits.Violette basked in the praise, clearly enjoying every moment.She ran into Anthony's arms, pretending to cry as she complained."Honey, you're finally here. Our wedding ring was stolen!"Anthony's face darkened with a frown. "Who dares to steal our wedding ring? They must have a death wish!"Don't cry, baby. I'll make sure justice is served for you.""It's okay, honey. I've already given the thief a good lesson. She's so stubborn. No matter how much I tortured her, she wouldn't admit it."And if she doesn't hand over the ring, what's going to happen to our wedding?"Anthony's expression turned to pure rage at her words, ready to take matters into his own hands.He marched toward me with purpose, his voice booming. "Is this the tramp who stole the ring?"Everyone nodded eagerly, phones at the ready to record the moment, excited to see how Anthony would punish me.By now, my hair was a tangled mess, and my face had been beaten nearly beyond recognition.Anthony grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head up. But when he finally saw my face, he recoiled in shock, stumbling back onto the ground."Aunt Carlee? How... how could it be you?"

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