Chapter 4
By morning, my wedding photographs were everywhere.
Not the beautiful pictures I'd imagined.
Not the first kiss.
Not the dance beneath the chandelier.
Instead, strangers were sharing videos of me kneeling in the rain.
My soaked gown.
Diane pointing toward the gate.
Marcus standing behind her.
One video had already been viewed thousands of times.
The caption made me feel sick.
RICH BRIDE REFUSES TO HELP GROOM'S FAMILY AND GETS THROWN OUT.
I stared at my phone.
Then shut it off.
For a moment, I wanted to disappear.
I imagined my employees seeing those pictures.
My clients.
My friends.
People who knew nothing about the documents.
People who might believe I had abandoned Marcus because his family wasn't wealthy.
I covered my face.
Then someone knocked.
“Nia?”
My father's voice.
I looked up.
“Come in.”
Arthur entered carrying breakfast.
He placed the tray beside me.
Then studied my face.
“You saw the videos.”
I nodded.
My eyes filled.
“Everyone thinks I'm horrible.”
He sat beside me.
“Not everyone.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Dad, the comments…”
He took my hand.
“People are reacting to a story they haven't fully heard.”
I looked down.
He continued.
“You don't need to answer strangers while you're hurting.”
I swallowed.
“But my business—”
“We'll protect it with facts.”
His voice was calm.
Certain.
I leaned against him.
For a moment, I felt like the little girl who used to run into his office after school.
The girl who believed her father could solve everything.
But now I was twenty-eight.
And I knew he couldn't take away heartbreak.
He could only help me face it.
After breakfast, Camille arrived with a digital-forensics specialist named Aaron Brooks.
He explained that he needed to examine my laptop and relevant account records.
I gave him access through the appropriate process.
Then I watched him work.
For hours, he reviewed logs.
Document histories.
Account connections.
And electronic-signature records.
Finally, he looked at Camille.
“We've identified activity that needs deeper analysis.”
My heart tightened.
“What kind?”
He turned toward me.
“A copy of your signature image was accessed from a stored contract shortly before the first guarantee was created.”
I froze.
“Can you tell who accessed it?”
“Not conclusively from that alone.”
I swallowed.
Aaron continued.
“But the device history shows activity during the period you said Marcus used your laptop.”
My stomach dropped.
Camille leaned forward.
“And the revised authorization?”
Aaron's expression became serious.
“The submission appears to have been made through a separate account.”
I frowned.
“Whose account?”
He looked at me.
“An account associated with Holloway Heritage Holdings.”
My hands began shaking.
I remembered Marcus borrowing my laptop.
His smile.
The way he'd kissed my forehead afterward.
“Thanks, baby. You're always saving me.”
Had he been copying my signature while saying that?
I felt sick.
Camille touched my shoulder.
“We still need authenticated records and a complete investigation.”
I nodded.
But my heart was breaking.
Because every new fact made the man I'd loved seem more unfamiliar.
That afternoon, I met with my business manager, Jasmine Carter.
She'd worked with me since I opened Nia Bennett Interiors.
When I entered the office, she hurried toward me.
“Nia!”
She hugged me tightly.
I almost cried.
Jasmine pulled back.
“How are you?”
I tried smiling.
“Not great.”
Her eyes softened.
“I figured.”
We sat in my office.
I explained the disputed financial documents.
Her expression changed immediately.
“Wait.”
I looked up.
“What?”
“Marcus came here last Thursday.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
Jasmine nodded.
“He said you wanted him to collect some records.”
I stared at her.
“What records?”
“Company financial statements.”
My heart pounded.
“Did you give them to him?”
She looked ashamed.
“Only copies of documents he said you requested.”
I closed my eyes.
Jasmine's eyes filled.
“Nia, I'm sorry.”
I took a breath.
“You didn't know.”
She nodded weakly.
“He said you were busy with wedding preparations.”
I stared at the wall.
Of course.
Marcus had used my wedding to explain why I wasn't involved.
I looked at Jasmine.
“Did he request anything else?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“A list of company assets.”
I felt cold.
“Why?”
“He said you were reviewing insurance coverage.”
I covered my mouth.
Jasmine began crying.
“Nia, I should've called you.”
I squeezed her hand.
“We'll deal with it.”
But inside, I felt as though the floor was disappearing beneath me.
The documents.
The laptop.
The financial statements.
Everything had apparently been gathered before the wedding.
Someone had planned this carefully.
And I was terrified that the man I loved had helped.
Later that evening, my father returned from a meeting.
He looked tired.
I was sitting in the library, staring at the rain outside.
When he entered, I stood.
“Dad?”
He held a folder.
My stomach tightened.
“What did you find?”
He sat across from me.
Then opened it.
Inside was a report concerning Holloway Heritage Holdings.
The company was in serious financial trouble.
Several development projects had stalled.
Creditors were demanding payment.
And the proposed hotel redevelopment needed an enormous amount of outside funding.
I stared at the numbers.
“Marcus told me his business was growing.”
Arthur nodded.
“That's what he told us too.”
I swallowed.
“Was it a lie?”
My father took a breath.
“His company had legitimate work, but these records suggest significant financial distress.”
I looked down.
Then I noticed something.
A payment schedule.
A series of obligations.
And one deadline.
Monday.
The same deadline Marcus had mentioned in his messages.
My heart pounded.
“What happens Monday?”
Arthur leaned forward.
“A major creditor payment becomes due.”
I stared at him.
“How much?”
He hesitated.
“Nearly two million dollars.”
I froze.
Two million.
Suddenly, the pressure made sense.
The wedding.
The signature.
The urgency.
Marcus didn't simply want to invest in a project.
He needed money quickly.
I looked at my father.
“Did they plan to use my guarantee to cover the debt?”
He nodded slowly.
“That appears to be one of the possibilities.”
Tears filled my eyes.
I remembered Marcus holding my hands during our engagement.
Promising we'd build a future together.
I remembered him telling me money wasn't important.
That he loved me for who I was.
Now I wondered whether he'd been waiting for the moment my signature could save his company.
My phone vibrated.
A new message from Diane.
You have embarrassed my family enough.
I stared at it.
Then another arrived.
If Marcus loses everything, it will be because of your selfishness.
My chest tightened.
Then a third message appeared.
Your father thinks he can destroy us. Tell him we know things about his company too.
I froze.
I looked toward Arthur.
“Dad?”
He looked up.
I showed him the message.
His expression changed.
For a moment, something like fear crossed his face.
Then he reached for his phone.
“Camille needs to see this.”
I stared at him.
“What does she mean?”
He didn't answer immediately.
“Dad.”
He looked at me.
Then whispered something that made my stomach drop.
“Diane may be threatening to use confidential information about a project my company rejected.”
I stared at him.
“What information?”
He hesitated.
Then said quietly, “Something that could hurt people if it was taken out of context.”
May you like
And suddenly, I realized the Holloways weren't just desperate for money.
They were preparing to fight my father too.
