Chapter 3 3

Janey stood at the entrance to the bridal suite. The Wedding Coordinator, a woman with a headset and a clipboard, was buzzing around her like an agitated fly.

"Five minutes to touch-ups, Miss Roy. Then the photos. Then the procession. Please, we are on a tight schedule."

From the end of the corridor, a man came running. He was red-faced, sweating profusely in a tuxedo that was straining at the buttons.

Marcus Roy. Her father.

He didn't look at her face. He didn't look at the dress. He grabbed her bare arm, his fingers wet and clammy.

"Where is he? Where is Austin? I need to see him!"

Janey looked at the hand on her arm. The man who had sold her to cover his gambling debts and failed investments.

"He's busy, Father," she said coolly.

"The stock is dropping!" Marcus hissed, spit flying from his lips. "The board is pressuring me. You have to get him to sign the addendum! The one about the Roy family trust!"

Janey pulled her arm away. "Compose yourself. There are cameras."

Marcus blinked, stunned by her tone. Before he could shout, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

Austin was coming back down the hall, flanked by his CFO and two security guards. He looked furious.

Marcus's face transformed into a mask of pathetic desperation. He lunged forward.

"Austin! My boy! About the-"

A security guard stepped in front of Marcus, blocking him with a massive shoulder. Austin didn't even break stride. He looked straight ahead, ignoring his future father-in-law completely.

Janey saw the opportunity.

She pushed past the Coordinator. She ignored her father. She gathered her heavy skirt in one hand and walked directly into Austin's path.

The guards moved to intercept.

Austin held up a hand. They stopped.

He looked down at her. "Again?"

Janey stepped into the circle of his influence. She didn't whisper this time. She spoke with the precision of a ticker tape.

"Vanguard Tech is a shell company," she said.

Austin went still. "Excuse me?"

"The entity shorting the Roy Group stock right now. It's Vanguard Tech. If you trace their IP, it bounces, but the funding is coming from a trust in the Cayman Islands."

Austin's eyes narrowed to slits. "Go on."

"It's Carter Hayes," Janey said. The name tasted like ash in her mouth. "It's his personal slush fund. The short squeeze will peak in ten minutes, right before the ceremony begins."

Austin stared at her. Carter Hayes was their biggest rival. And, as far as Austin knew, Doria's heartbroken ex-boyfriend.

"Why tell me?" Austin asked, his voice low. "He's your... friend."

"He is a liability," Janey corrected. "If you buy the dip now, you'll own the majority share of his debt by the time we say 'I do'. You'll make back half the merger fee."

Austin looked at her for a long, silent moment. He was assessing her value. He was calculating the risk.

He turned to his CFO.

"Run it," he barked. "Check the Cayman connection. Trace Vanguard Tech. If she's right, buy everything. Crush the short."

The CFO nodded, eyeing Janey with a mixture of shock and respect, and hurried away tapping on his tablet.

Marcus, who had been watching from the sidelines with his mouth open, finally found his voice.

"Janey! What did you say to him?"

Austin turned to Marcus. His lip curled.

"You raised a dangerous daughter, Roy," Austin said. "Though I doubt you had anything to do with it."

He leaned in close to Janey, his breath stirring the loose strands of hair by her ear.

"If you're wrong," he whispered, "tonight is your funeral."

"Have the champagne ready, boss," Janey replied, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Austin pulled back. For a second, something flickered in his eyes. Not trust. But interest.

He walked away.

Janey turned back to the bridal suite. She didn't look at her father. She opened the door and stepped inside, shutting out the noise of the hallway.