STIGMA

"Dad, Mom, Ashley, thank you for attending our engagement ceremony. Raymond and I are so happy that you're here with us. May I propose a toast everyone? For the start of our new life, for love, and for the family! Cheers!" the endearing girl proposed as she raised her glass with a beaming smile.

Wearing a flowing white off-the-shoulder, knee-length satin dress, the angel-faced woman was basking in infinite happiness. With a calm and contented expression, she was holding a man's arm intimately.

On the contrary, the man in white, tailored business suit, appeared to be uneasy. Looking at him, one would know that he was not happy. Instead of fixing his eyes on his radiant fiancee, he laid his eyes on a girl. With a simple shove of his hand, he tried to withdraw his hand from his wife-to-be, but the latter tightened her grip.

"Raymond!" The elegant middle-aged woman beside him called out his name casually, warning him to behave properly. Her voice was filled with mirth and a tinge of displeasure.

The woman's voice pulled Raymond Luo back from his thoughts. Holding on to his glass, he shifted his gaze from that girl to his fiancee reluctantly.

Forcing a faint smile on his face, he greeted his fiancee's parents respectfully, "Dad, Mom."

Despite his mother's thugs and warns, he couldn't stop himself from stealing glances at that girl occasionally.

Taking the absent look on Raymond's face, Lena Mu pinched his hand forcefully. Gnashing her teeth, she sneered at Ashley Mu who kept her head down with resentment in her eyes.

"What are you doing, Ashley? Lena and her fiancé are making a toast. Lift your glass, for goodness sake!" Peggy Su nudged Ashley who kept a low profile trying to be invisible. She handed a glass of wine to the shy girl.

"Ashley, thanking you for coming here," Lena Mu said to Ashley Mu in a soft tone as she raised her glass.

Timidly, Ashley Mu was forced to take the glass. Looking up at Lena Mu and Raymond Luo, she scoffed in her heart, 'One is handsome, and the other is pretty. A cheater and a bitch. They are perfect for each other.'

A faint smile climbed up the corners of her lips. Her smile was so dazzling that no one could look away from her whenever she flashed her perfect teeth. She said, "Congratulations! May you live happily forever!" With one swift swig, she emptied the glass of wine down her throat.

"Thank you, Ashley! For sure I and Raymond will live a happy life," Lena Mu replied sweetly, leaning her head on Raymond Luo's shoulder like a timid kitten. With that, she shifted her gaze from her fiance towards Ashley Mu. She gave her a provocative stare and looked at her from head to foot.

Feeling insulted by her criticizing stare, Ashley Mu gave a wider and merrier smile in response to her challenging behavior.

With an arrogant air, Lena Mu gave her sister a resentful stare and pulled her fiancé to another table to greet other guests.

Taken aback for a moment, Ashley Mu took a deep breath and joined her parents as they returned to their seats. When she faced her parents, her lips curved into a scoff. 'I know what they are up to. Today is Lena and Raymond's engagement party. They insisted on asking me to be here because they wanted me to give up on Raymond.

They are into talking to their friends, but now they stay with me. Are they afraid that I might ruin this betrothal ceremony?'

Sitting idly, Ashley Mu started to get bored. Turning to her parents, she said, "Dad, Mom, I am a little tired. I'd like to go home."

"No, you can't," Peggy Su declined sternly the moment she finished her statement.

"But, why?" Ashley Mu asked with a scowl. The response was unexpected, making her mulled in confusion, 'If she is worried that I might ruin this party, there is no need. Lena and Raymond are now engaged and I can do nothing about it. They are supposed to rest assured.

Or...

are they up to something behind my back?'

Out of the blue, her head was throbbing. She held her head with her hands, and a surge of heat ran through her body. 'What's going on? I am feeling dizzy. And my headache is killing me. Did I catch a fever?

I only drank one glass of wine. There is no way that I would be tipsy, ' she wondered, trying to keep sober.

Seeing her struggle, Peggy Su walked over to Ashley Mu and said, "What's the matter with, Ashley? You don't look good. I will take you to a room so you can have some rest." Without asking for her daughter's opinion, she helped her up and pulled her upstairs.

As they reached the second floor, Ashley Mu tried to free herself from her mother's grasp. She had a feeling that something was not right. "Let go of me!" she shouted as she braced herself. She was desperate to be left alone and fought her way out with all her might.

However, her attempt was in vain. She could barely stand, let alone get rid of Peggy's tight grip.