Chapter 2
Marcus did not marry Vanessa that afternoon.
But the wedding did not end cleanly.
Nothing involving Vanessa ever did.
The moment Marcus said, “The ceremony is over,” she screamed.
Not cried.
Screamed.
“You’re choosing her?”
Marcus looked at her like he had never seen her before.
“My mother just showed me photographs of you kissing another man.”
“You don’t know the context.”
“What context makes that okay?”
Vanessa looked around at the guests.
Maybe she realized everyone was recording.
Her tone changed immediately.
“You’re humiliating me.”
I almost laughed.
I was still dripping water.
My suit was ruined.
My hair clung to my forehead.
But somehow Vanessa had become the victim.
Marcus stepped closer to her.
“What is Blue Harbor Holdings?”
“I told you. I don’t know.”
“You just reacted to the name.”
“I reacted because your mother is throwing accusations around.”
I pulled another document from the wet envelope.
The ink had started running.
“Then maybe this will help.”
Adrian Cole owned fifty-one percent of Blue Harbor.
Vanessa owned forty-nine.
Marcus stared.
“When did you create this company?”
She said nothing.
“Vanessa.”
“Eight months ago.”
His face drained.
“You were engaged to me.”
“It was an investment.”
“In what?”
Her eyes shifted.
“The future.”
I heard Marcus inhale sharply.
The land she had targeted was not ordinary property.
It was nearly sixty acres outside the city.
Raymond had inherited it from his father.
My late husband refused every developer who approached him.
He said the land belonged to family.
After he died, I became trustee.
Marcus would receive half ownership at thirty-five.
The rest remained mine.
Vanessa had spent the last year pushing Marcus to convince me to sell.
She said the property was useless.
I believed she wanted money.
Now I knew she wanted control.
Marcus took the document from me.
“Why would your company be trying to buy my father’s land?”
Vanessa wiped her face.
“Adrian handles investments.”
“So you know him.”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
“You told me you didn’t.”
“I panicked.”
Marcus held up the photograph.
“And you kissed him because you panicked?”
“No.”
“Then explain it.”
Vanessa looked toward her mother, Patricia.
Patricia had been sitting in the front row during the entire disaster.
Until that moment, she had stayed silent.
Now she stood.
“This is not the place.”
I turned toward her.
“You’re right.”
Her expression softened slightly.
“We should handle this privately.”
“No.”
I pointed toward the guests.
“This became public when your daughter turned a hose on me.”
Patricia’s face hardened.
“You came here looking for trouble.”
“I came here carrying evidence.”
“You’ve hated Vanessa from the beginning.”
That was a lie.
I had welcomed her.
The first Christmas she dated Marcus, I bought her the gold bracelet she wore at the wedding.
When they became engaged, I offered to pay for half the ceremony.
She refused.
Then demanded access to the family estate for wedding photographs.
I ignored the contradiction.
There had been many contradictions.
I saw them clearly now.
Marcus turned toward Patricia.
“Did you know about Adrian?”
She paused too long.
Vanessa saw it.
“Mom.”
That was enough.
Marcus stared.
“You knew?”
Patricia lifted her chin.
“I knew Vanessa had business interests.”
“The affair.”
“I never said affair.”
“You knew she was seeing him.”
Patricia looked away.
Marcus looked broken.
Not angry anymore.
Broken.
I wanted to hold him.
But he stepped backward before I could.
“I need everyone to leave.”
Vanessa grabbed his arm.
“Marcus.”
He pulled away.
“Don’t.”
“Please.”
“Don’t touch me.”
She froze.
“You don’t mean this.”
“I do.”
“What about everything we planned?”
“What about everything you hid?”
Vanessa’s face changed again.
Anger returned.
“You think your mother is innocent?”
I stared at her.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
She looked directly at Marcus.
“She has been hiding things from you too.”
My stomach tightened.
Vanessa smiled slightly.
There it was.
Another weapon.
Marcus turned toward me.
“Mom?”
I knew what she meant.
At least, I thought I did.
Raymond had left instructions involving the land.
Instructions I had not shared with Marcus yet.
Not because I wanted to deceive him.
Because Raymond asked me to wait until Marcus turned thirty-five.
But Vanessa knew something.
That worried me.
I chose my words carefully.
“Your father created conditions around the property.”
Marcus frowned.
“What conditions?”
Vanessa laughed.
“Ask her why she really won’t sell.”
“Shut up,” I said.
She smiled wider.
“So dignified now?”
I stepped toward her.
Marcus moved between us.
“Enough.”
He looked at me.
“What conditions?”
I swallowed.
“You were supposed to learn in three years.”
“Learn what?”
“Your father placed restrictions on your inheritance.”
His jaw tightened.
“What restrictions?”
I looked around.
Phones.
Guests.
Whispers.
This really was not the place.
“I’ll tell you everything tonight.”
Vanessa pointed at me.
“See?”
Marcus closed his eyes.
He was overwhelmed.
I understood.
In less than thirty minutes, he had discovered his fiancée was cheating, secretly owned a company trying to acquire his family property, and his mother had withheld information about his inheritance.
He walked toward the edge of the platform.
“I need everyone to go.”
This time, people listened.
Guests began leaving.
Some hugged Marcus.
Others avoided us.
Daniel approached me with a bruise forming near his elbow.
“I’m sorry.”
I looked at him.
“For what?”
“For putting my hands on you.”
I nodded.
“I’m sorry you fell.”
He almost smiled.
Then he lowered his voice.
“There’s something you should know.”
My attention sharpened.
“What?”
“Vanessa asked me to keep you away today.”
“I know.”
“No.”
He glanced toward her.
“She paid me.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“Five thousand dollars.”
I stared at him.
“To remove me?”
“To make sure you didn’t reach Marcus before the ceremony.”
I felt cold despite the afternoon sun.
“Why?”
“She said you were unstable.”
I looked at Vanessa.
She was arguing with Patricia.
Daniel continued.
“I believed her.”
“Why tell me now?”
“Because after seeing those documents…”
He swallowed.
“I think she was afraid you knew something.”
I nodded.
“I did.”
Daniel looked uneasy.
“There’s more.”
Of course there was.
“She also told me if anything went wrong, I should get Marcus into the honeymoon car immediately.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where was the honeymoon?”
“The airport.”
I frowned.
Marcus and Vanessa had planned to leave for Italy the next morning.
Not immediately.
“Daniel.”
“Yes?”
“When did that change?”
“Yesterday.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who changed it?”
“Vanessa.”
I walked quickly toward Marcus.
He was standing alone near the flowers.
“Where is your passport?”
He looked confused.
“What?”
“Your passport.”
“At the house.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa heard us.
Her head snapped around.
I looked at her.
Then at Patricia.
Both women went silent.
“Marcus,” I said slowly, “we’re going to your house.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see whether your passport is still there.”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“That’s ridiculous.”
I ignored her.
Marcus stared at her.
Then at me.
His expression changed.
He understood.
We left the destroyed wedding behind.
But when we reached Marcus’s house forty minutes later, the safe in his bedroom was open.
His passport was gone.
May you like
So were two company documents.
And the emergency key to his father’s land records.
