Jordan swallowed hard. "Chief Simmons, she… how could she be from your village? You must be mistaken."
The onlookers frowned.
Now that the villagers had arrived, those who'd been watching the spectacle followed them inside.
"What kind of logic is that? Just because Luna isn't from Clearwater Village, you think you can treat her like this?"
"Exactly! Grown men ganging up on a woman on her wedding day—have you no shame?"
With backup finally here, others who'd been too scared to speak up joined in.
My mother-in-law rushed over. The moment she saw Chief Simmons, her face twisted.
"Let's talk this out! It's all a misunderstanding!"
"Chief Simmons, right? Kids will be kids. Luna, hurry and tell him—if you keep this up, you'll miss the auspicious hour!"
She shot me frantic, meaningful looks.
Jordan panicked too. "Luna! What are you standing there for? Don't tell me you actually want to cause a scene today?"
"Come on, it was just a joke! Don't blow this out of proportion!"
His scolding almost made me laugh.
Chief Simmons's face was ashen. He turned to me, asking what I wanted to do.
"Luna, this kind of man is an animal. Do you really still want to marry him?"
Everyone held their breath.
I stared coldly at those disgusting men and spoke, word by word:
"The wedding is off. And I want them to pay for this."
Now Jordan really started to get scared. He screamed and kept backing up.
Everyone present was from villages within ten miles, and nobody didn't know Clearwater Village.
The local folks cracked their knuckles and got ready.
Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped Jordan hard across the face.
He was furious but didn't dare say a word.
Chief Simmons gave me a look, signaling me to step back.
The villagers swarmed up all at once. The scene was spectacular. The animals who'd been shouting about stripping us to "inspect the goods" were stripped naked themselves and thrown outside the yard.
In the freezing snow and ice, their faces were bruised and swollen, shivering from the cold.
The men who'd been so arrogant just moments ago turned into cowering dogs under absolute force.
Leon's contemptuous posture was gone. He dropped to his knees and begged for mercy.
But that was nowhere near enough to put out my anger!
The thuds of fists hitting flesh made them completely quiet.
A flash of hatred passed through Jordan's eyes. "This is a group assault! Aren't you afraid we'll call the cops?"