I Canceled Our Wedding After Reading Minds

At my wedding reception, my twin sister, Beatrice Spencer, catches my bridal bouquet. Her face lights up with excitement as she takes the stage to give her speech, wishing me and my fiance, Julian Hudson, a lifetime of happiness. However, out of nowhere, I hear her inner thoughts. [If my fragile health hadn't robbed me of the ability to have children, Jules would never have made this woman his bride!] I turn to look at Julian, only to find him gazing at Beatrice tenderly. The very next second, his inner voice echoes in my mind as well. [Once Clara gives birth to my child, I'll divorce her and marry Bea!] If that's how they want to play it, I'm not going through with this marriage! Chapter 1 I kept my eyes fixed on my twin sister, Beatrice Spencer, as she finished her speech and returned to her seat below the stage. Although we were twins, we were polar opposites in both appearance and personality. Perhaps it was because she was born frail, but she had monopolized all of our parents' love and affection ever since we were children. At that moment, Beatrice was gazing affectionately at my fiance, Julian Hudson. When their eyes met across the room, I actually caught a glimpse of overwhelming love in Julian's eyes—a man who was always so composed that he rarely let his emotions show. However, the moment he turned his head to look at me, his fiancee, his gaze instantly turned cold. "What are you waiting for? This is the very last step. Let's get the ceremony over with!" he urged impatiently. Right after saying that, he picked up a glass of wine and stiffly shoved it into my hand. I instinctively yanked my hand back. In a split second, all eyes were on me. Looking at his visibly displeased expression, I heard his inner thoughts again. [I've already agreed to marry her. What is she trying to pull now?] I had poured my heart and soul into him all these years, only to find that, in his eyes, my love was somehow nothing more than an unreasonable fit of my own making. I couldn't help but let out a derisive chuckle. I ripped the engagement ring off my finger and hurled it onto the ground. "I'm not marrying you!" As soon as my words fell, the lively and festive wedding hall instantly erupted. "What on earth has gotten into you, Clara?" Julian was the first to recover. His forehead creased and his thin lips pressed into a tight line as he looked at me with a stern expression. Whenever he wore that expression, he was on the verge of losing his temper. If this had happened in the past, I would've already panicked and hurriedly apologized to him. However, now that I'd heard his real thoughts, I finally understood that all the wholehearted effort I had poured into him had been nothing more than a cruel joke I had played on myself. "Do you not understand what I just said? In that case, I'll repeat myself—I am not marrying you!" The guests began whispering among themselves. After all, it was no secret that I was head over heels for Julian. Julian, on the other hand, couldn't believe that I would give up this golden opportunity to marry him. "Clara, you'd better think this through. If you don't marry me today, we're through!" I snorted, ripped the veil right off my head, and spat out, "We're through, then. You are no longer worth my time, Julian Hudson!" As soon as those words rolled off my tongue, a figure abruptly rushed onto the stage. With a sharp, resounding crack, a blinding sting flared across my cheek. My mother, Olivia Dunn, glared at me venomously, her face contorted with rage. "Have you not embarrassed yourself enough? Hurry up and apologize to Julian!" My father, Ethan Spencer, followed right behind her. The resentful look in his eyes made it seem as though I wasn't their biological daughter, but rather their sworn enemy. "Mom, Dad, listen—" I was just about to defend myself when Beatrice cut me off. She sauntered over, affectionately linked her arm with Mom's, and said softly, "Don't be mad at Clara, Mom. I'm sure she didn't mean to embarrass us in public." Growing up, she had always behaved just like this. On the surface, it seemed as though she was speaking up for me, but in reality, everything she said only fueled Mom and Dad's anger. Chapter 2 Sure enough, the very next second, Mom shot daggers at me. "Clara, apologize to Julian right this instant! If not, get out of our house!" Swallowing the lump in my throat, I was about to speak up for myself when, out of nowhere, I heard Mom's inner thoughts. [If I had known this child would turn out to be such a nuisance, I would've strangled her when she was little!] In an instant, my eyes widened in disbelief. I couldn't believe my ears. Mom had always favored Beatrice. I always assumed it was just because she was frail and needed more care. But never in my worst nightmares did I imagine that she actually wanted me dead. I took a deep breath and forced myself to remain calm. "I won't be apologizing to him!" I stated firmly. "In that case, get out of our house! From this moment on, you're no longer a daughter of mine!" Dad's furious roar rang in my ears. Then, I heard his innermost thoughts, dripping with sheer disgust. [Such a useless piece of trash. As expected of a bastard child.] Beatrice, who was standing beside us, reached out to grab my arm. She even put on her best worried expression. "Don't say things you'll regret, Clara. Mom and Dad are just doing this for your own good." Yet, I clearly heard the triumphant voice inside her heart. [You should've been kicked out of this house ages ago. I'm the only little princess in this family. People like you were born to be trampled under my feet!] As I took in the gloating look in Beatrice's eyes, a sharp pain pierced through my heart. The man I loved the most didn't give a damn about me, whereas the family I was closest to actually wished I were dead. Since all of them detested me so much, I would no longer cling to this place or these people. "In that case, let's divide the family assets. I want my share of Spencer Group!" "What a joke! You want a share of Spencer Group? What's the meaning of this, Clara? I'm the chairman of the company. What makes you think you can make such demands?" Dad was the first to jump up in opposition, his face flushing crimson. I took my time and made sure every word hit home. "Because I joined the company the second I graduated. Because I was the one who built Spencer Group from an unknown little company into a publicly listed one. Because I own 35% of the company's shares!" Dad's eyes widened with disbelief. "How the hell do you have 35% of the shares?" After all, he only owned 30% of the company's shares. I curled the corners of my lips into a mocking smile. Spencer Group was mired in crises in its early days and bled shares to survive. I knew this had always been a thorn in Dad's side, so over the years, I quietly bought the shares back behind the scenes. I had initially planned to give them to him as a huge surprise for his birthday in a couple of days. But looking at Mom and Dad now, they were simply unworthy of receiving my heartfelt gesture. "As it stands, I'm the largest shareholder of Spencer Group. If you want to kick me out of this family, you'd better be prepared to say goodbye to the company." The lot of them who had been aggressive and thundering with rage just a moment ago instantly exchanged glances, completely at a loss for words. I couldn't care less about what was going through their minds at that moment. I took a step forward, prepared to leave. Just then, Julian rushed over and grabbed my wrist. He looked at me with a sullen, dark expression. "Are you sure you want to do this, Clara?" I cocked my brow and retorted, "I can do whatever I want. Who do you think you are?" Julian clearly hadn't expected me, the woman who had catered to his every whim, to suddenly act like a totally different person and actually talk back to him. His face went through a whole spectrum of colors from anger. Realizing that things were going south, Beatrice hurried over. "You've crossed the line, Clara! If you're angry, you can take it out on me! Why are you snapping at Jules?" Julian looked at Beatrice affectionately. Then, he gently pulled her behind him to protect her. "Clara, if you're pissed off, you can take it out on me, but leave Bea out of this." Chapter 3 I felt disgusted as I watched Julian and Beatrice protect each other. "Jules and Bea. My, you two sure call each other by quite affectionate nicknames. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the two of you were a thing." The moment those words left my mouth, Julian's expression instantly stiffened. Beatrice hurriedly defended herself. "What are you on about, Clara? Jules and I are just like siblings. How could you slander us?" Yet, I could hear her inner thoughts as she gloated. [So what if Clara catches on? Jules still loves me the most!] As if something had just occurred to him, Julian plastered an arrogant, confident smile on his face. "Cut it out. So long as you apologize to Bea, I'll pretend none of this ever happened. The wedding will proceed as planned, and you can still become the lady of the Hudson family." I laughed until tears welled up in my eyes. I found his words utterly preposterous. I paid him no mind and walked straight to the front of the stage. I snatched the microphone from the officiant and declared, "I hereby call off my wedding with Julian. From this moment on, Julian Hudson and I, Clara Spencer, have absolutely nothing to do with each other!" "Who gave you permission to do this, you ungrateful wretch?" Dad was the first to snap out of it. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he rushed over to wrench the microphone from my grasp. I loosened my grip, and the microphone dropped to the ground with a loud clatter, triggering a deafening, ear-splitting feedback loop through the room. "You're the one who disowned me. So, you have absolutely no right to boss me around now! As for the division of our family assets, I'll have my lawyer visit you in a few days to discuss it." Having said that, I no longer cared about the expressions on everyone's faces. Without a backward glance, I left the banquet hall. … The moment I returned to the company, I convened a board meeting and announced to everyone that I was the company's largest shareholder. According to the company's regulations, the largest shareholder had the right to dismiss the sitting chairman. Without the slightest hesitation, I stripped Dad of his position as chairman right then and there. The shareholders in attendance voted almost unanimously in my favor. After all, to them, it didn't matter who sat in the chairman's seat. The only thing that mattered to them was how much they could receive in dividends at the end of the year. Compared to Dad, who rarely showed his face at the company all year, I was clearly the one they trusted. After all, I was the one who had been pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into the company day and night. I'd just settled into the chairman's chair when Dad's call came through. The moment the call connected, his furious roar blasted through the phone. "Clara Spencer, you ingrate, how dare you remove me from my position?" I responded calmly, "The largest shareholder has the right to veto company decisions and make personnel changes at any time. You're the one who came up with this rule. Surely you haven't forgotten it already?" Dad was stumped. It took him quite a while to regain his composure and soften his tone. "We're family, Clara. Your mother and I were just upset, so we said some things we didn't mean. If you have a problem with us, we can sit down and resolve it properly. There's no need to take things this far." I sneered inwardly. Since intimidation didn't work, he was resorting to using the family card now. "Dad, you made yourself crystal clear when you kicked me out of the house. How could I possibly defy you? As for the specific details of the division of our family assets, I'll settle the score with you thoroughly on your birthday!" "Clara, you ungrateful wretch! I should have strangled you the day you were born! You—" I hung up on him before he could finish his tirade. Still, doubt and confusion filled my heart. Beatrice and I were both their flesh and blood. Why had Mom and Dad favored Beatrice ever since we were children? Was it seriously just because she had always been frail? Unable to shake my suspicions, I immediately contacted a private investigator I was familiar with and hired him to help me investigate the truth. I had just set my phone down on the desk when the doors to my office swung open, and Julian and Beatrice swaggered in. Chapter 4 My secretary hurried in after them, looking flustered and distressed. She hurriedly apologized to me. "I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Spencer. They insisted on barging in. I tried everything I could to stop them, but I couldn't hold them back." My expression remained placid as I waved my hand dismissively. "It's fine. It was my oversight; I forgot to tell everyone that from now on, neither these two nor dogs are allowed inside our company." Julian, who had never been humiliated like this before, instantly flushed crimson. "Clara Spencer, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" I arched my brow and looked at him with a half-smile. "What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? Are you having trouble understanding plain Aelish now?" "Why you…" Julian was so enraged by my words that he was at a loss for words. After holding back for a good while, he gritted out, "Clara Spencer, if you know what's good for you, you'll hand the chairman's position back to Mr. Spencer right now, get the hell out of Spencer Group, and never show your face in front of Bea again. If not, I'll make you regret it!" I almost laughed out loud when I heard that. "Let's get one thing straight, Julian Hudson," I spat out. "I'm the chairwoman of Spencer Group now. From here on out, every single partnership between Spencer Group and Hudson Group has to be approved by me. Who do you think you are, trying to boss me around?" I was well aware that the Hudsons' current prestige was nothing but a facade. Behind closed doors, they were hemorrhaging money. This cooperation with Spencer Group was likely Hudson Group's only chance to make a comeback, so there was no way he would give it up so easily. Noticing how Julian was left utterly tongue-tied by my retort, Beatrice glared at me with nothing but malice and resentment in her eyes. "Don't be angry on my behalf, Jules. I'm her older sister. If she wants to take her anger out on me, I'll just have to accept it." Julian gazed at her tenderly and said gently, "I'm sorry you have to go through this, Bea." His inner thoughts echoed loud and clear in my mind. [Bea's so good to me. She even risked her own life to save mine, yet I can't even protect her now. I'm so useless!] I watched their disgusting performance with cold indifference before showing them the door without a shred of hesitation. When the two of them saw how resolute I was and realized there wasn't the slightest chance I would budge, they had no choice but to slink away with their tails between their legs. After Beatrice and Julian left, I couldn't help but dwell on Julian's inner thoughts from earlier. When had Beatrice ever saved him? As far as I could remember, Julian had only ever had one close brush with death. At the time, my family and the Hudsons were complete strangers. By a twist of fate, Julian and I got kidnapped together. While we were trying to escape, Julian ran out of strength and almost passed out. I was the one who risked my life, pushing myself to my limit, before finally managing to get him out alive. That incident was what led my family to form a solid business partnership with the Hudsons. I was the one who risked my life to save him back then, yet Julian was convinced it was Beatrice. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. My biased parents must've taken advantage of the time I was unconscious and made up lies to deceive the Hudson family, all so their precious Beatrice could win their gratitude. I had always wondered what Julian saw in Beatrice when she could never hold a candle to me. Now, everything finally made sense. I almost couldn't wait to see the look on Julian's face when he learned the truth. … On the eve of Dad's birthday, I finally heard back from my private investigator. I had a hunch that the reason Mom and Dad favored Beatrice so much was likely because I wasn't their biological daughter. However, when I opened the dossier, the truth written in black and white confirmed otherwise. I was undeniably their flesh and blood. Mystified, I flipped open the next report. Yet, the information recorded on it hit me like a sledgehammer. Beatrice didn't share a single drop of blood with Mom and Dad. In other words, Beatrice and I weren't twins. There was absolutely no blood relation between us.