Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

"H-How does she know my name? And... what’s with that look in her eyes?"

Maria felt a chill run down her spine.

Clara still wore that harmless smile, yet something about her calm demeanor made Maria uneasy.

For a brief moment, a wave of restlessness crept into her heart.

She quickly buried it.

She’s just trying to scare me.

Straightening her posture, Maria lifted her chin.

"You certainly have some nerve," she said coldly. "But knowing my name doesn’t change anything."

She took a step closer.

"Right now, you’re nothing but a nuisance."

Her voice turned sharper.

"And if you don’t leave this venue immediately, you can forget about having a career in this industry."

Maria wasn’t particularly concerned about how Clara knew her name.

She had spent years working beside Ruby and often accompanied her to public events. It wasn’t impossible that someone had recognized her.

That explanation was enough for her.

A smug smile returned to her face.

"As long as I’m here," she declared confidently, "you won’t find work anywhere."

Satisfied with her warning, Maria turned to walk away.

"I didn’t do anything."

Clara’s calm voice echoed through the silent hall.

Maria stopped in her tracks.

Slowly, she turned around.

"What did you just say?"

Her patience was hanging by a thread.

Clara met her furious gaze without the slightest hint of fear.

"I said," she repeated evenly, "I didn’t do anything."

Maria laughed bitterly.

"You’re still denying it?"

"I have no reason to lie."

Maria’s expression darkened.

"The broken display is right behind you!"

"It is."

"And you expect everyone to believe you’re innocent?"

Clara folded her arms across her chest.

"I’m only stating the truth."

The more composed Clara remained, the angrier Maria became.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to keep her temper in check.

"You’ve caused trouble since the moment you arrived," Maria snapped. "First the juice, now this. Yet you’re still refusing to admit your mistake."

"I’ll apologize for accidents that are my fault," Clara replied calmly.

She paused before adding,

"But I won’t admit to something I didn’t do."

Not far away, Jaden silently observed the confrontation.

His brows remained knitted together.

From where he stood, the situation seemed obvious.

Clara had been standing beside the shattered display.

Naturally, he assumed she was responsible.

Yet what puzzled him wasn’t the broken glass.

It was Clara herself.

Why is she refusing to back down?

One apology would end this.

Instead, she stood her ground despite Maria openly threatening her career.

Is she out of her mind?

Across the hall, hidden among the kitchen staff, Tim felt cold sweat trickle down his back.

His fingers unconsciously curled into fists.

She isn’t...

She isn’t going to expose me, is she?

When he shoved Clara, he had made sure no one was looking.

At least...

He thought no one had been looking.

Now, as Clara continued insisting she wasn’t responsible, uneasiness settled deep inside him.

For the first time since the incident, Tim wasn’t worried about Clara.

He was worried that the truth might come out.

Maria was reaching the end of her patience.

She had always hated being challenged, especially by someone she considered beneath her.

To her, Clara was nothing more than a temporary staff member.

Yet this very woman stood before her with her chin held high, refusing to be intimidated.

It felt as though Clara was looking down on her.

The calmness in Clara’s eyes only fueled Maria’s anger.

"Who do you think you are?" Maria snapped. "You’re just a lowly waitress!"

In a fit of rage, she raised her hand.

"I’m going to teach you some manners—"

Before her hand could come down, someone grabbed her wrist.

Maria froze. So did everyone else.

Every pair of eyes turned toward the unexpected figure.

Maria looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"H-Hannah?"

Without saying a word, Hannah tightened her grip and forcefully pushed Maria’s hand away.

Caught off guard, Maria stumbled back two steps before regaining her balance.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Hannah stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of Clara, shielding her from Maria.

Her gaze was cold and unwavering.

"What if I told you she’s telling the truth?"

The hall fell silent. Maria frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Hannah didn’t take her eyes off her. "I mean exactly what I said."

She spoke each word with quiet certainty. "It wasn’t her who broke the display."

Clara stared at Hannah in disbelief. She instinctively touched her face, still trying to process what had just happened.

Why is she protecting me?

She had expected everyone to blame her.

The last person she expected to stand up for her was Hannah.

Meanwhile, Maria’s eyes narrowed.

Seeing Hannah defend an ordinary waitress only made her angrier.

Then, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

A slow, malicious smile spread across her face.

"Oh... now I understand," Maria said mockingly, looking directly at Hannah.

"So that’s why you’re here."

She folded her arms.

"You came to ruin this wedding, didn’t you? And this waitress is your accomplice."

Hannah’s expression remained calm, but there was a flash of coldness in her eyes.

Instead of getting angry, she let out a quiet laugh.

Maria frowned.

"What’s so funny?"

"You," Hannah replied without hesitation.

"The confidence with which you make up stories is almost impressive."

Before Maria could respond, Ruby hurried down from the stage, pushing through the crowd.

The moment she saw Hannah standing beside Clara, her face darkened.

"Hannah!" she shouted. "Is it true? Did you come here just to create trouble?"

A few seconds later, Helena, Alaric, and Eric also arrived.

Helena looked at Hannah with open disdain.

"I knew it," she said. "You’ve caused enough problems already."

She deliberately raised her voice so everyone nearby could hear.

"Haven’t you accepted reality yet? You and Eric are over."

She slipped her arm around Eric’s.

"Move on, Hannah. Stop clinging to the past and let Eric be with the woman who’s truly right for him."

A murmur spread through the crowd as curious eyes turned toward Hannah, waiting to hear how she would respond.

Maria glanced around the hall and smirked.

Seeing both Helena and Ruby openly blame Hannah filled her with satisfaction.

Everything was unfolding exactly the way she wanted.

Ruby, meanwhile, was seething with anger.

"I never should have invited you!" she snapped, marching toward Hannah. "I only invited you because of our past. I thought we could put everything behind us."

She shook her head in disappointment.

"But if I’d known you were coming here to ruin my wedding, I would never have sent you an invitation."

Of course, it was a lie.

Ruby had invited Hannah for one reason alone.

She wanted Hannah to watch the man she once loved marry someone else.

She wanted to see her heart break.

She wanted Hannah to leave this hall humiliated.

Maria immediately stepped in to support her.

"Miss Ruby has done nothing wrong," she declared loudly. "She only wished you well."

She pointed accusingly at Hannah.

"You’re the one who came here with bad intentions."

The two women exchanged satisfied looks.

They believed Hannah had finally been cornered.

To their surprise...

Hannah didn’t look angry.

She didn’t even look offended.

Instead, she smiled. A calm, almost pitying smile.

"You two are right," Hannah said, her composed voice echoing through the silent hall.

"I did come here with a purpose."

A murmur spread through the guests.

Ruby folded her arms triumphantly.

"I knew it."

Hannah’s gaze swept across the crowd before settling briefly on Maria.

Then it shifted to Helena.

"But not for the reason you’re trying so desperately to invent."

Helena frowned.

Hannah’s smile disappeared.

"And Aunt Helena..."

She emphasized the word Aunt just enough to make it sound ironic.

"You were just telling me to move on."

She gave a small nod.

"I did."

"I moved on the day I caught your son sleeping with Ruby while he was still engaged to me."

A deafening gasp rippled through the hall.

Every eye turned toward Eric and Ruby.

Helena’s face drained of color.

Hannah continued without the slightest hesitation.

"Or have you forgotten?"

She held Helena’s stunned gaze.

"I still remember the look on your son’s face. And I certainly remember that it was the reason our engagement was called off."

A faint smirk appeared on her lips. "If your memory has become selective, I’d be happy to remind you of every detail."

Helena’s lips trembled. "You..."

Before she could speak, Ruby hurriedly stepped forward.

"W-What nonsense are you talking about?" she said, forcing a laugh. "Everyone knows you’re making this up because you can’t accept reality."

Hannah slowly turned to look at her.

"Are you really going to deny it?"

Ruby’s confident expression wavered.

"Weren’t you the one chasing Eric even though you knew he was engaged to me?"

The coldness in Hannah’s eyes made Ruby instinctively take a step back.

Eric finally stepped forward. "Hannah, that’s enough." He grabbed her wrist. "How long are you going to keep dragging up the past? Stop embarrassing yourself."

Hannah looked down at his hand before calmly pulling it away.

"Embarrassing myself?" She let out a quiet laugh. "No, Eric."

Her gaze hardened. "If anyone should be embarrassed... It’s you."

The hall fell completely silent. Hannah looked him straight in the eye.

"You stood on this stage pretending to be an honorable man." Her voice was calm, yet every word struck like a hammer.

"Yet today you’re marrying Ruby..." She paused just long enough for the silence to become unbearable. "...after sharing your bed with Maria."