Chapter 4

The morning of what was supposed to be my wedding day, I was standing on the balcony of Chloe's penthouse, which was now our penthouse. The city spread out below us, clean and sharp in the morning light. My phone buzzed. It was a text from a number I had blocked, but the preview was unmistakable. Olivia.

I'm at the estate. It's beautiful. Everything is ready. I know you're just angry, but don't be late. I'll be waiting at the altar. I'll forgive you.

I deleted the message without opening it.

"She's still at it?" Chloe asked, coming to stand beside me. She handed me a cup of coffee. She was already dressed in a sharp business suit. Our "honeymoon" was a board meeting to finalize the merger.

"She's persistent," I said, taking a sip of the coffee. "She's convinced this is all a show and I'm going to run back to her."

"Her ego must be a fascinating case study," Chloe remarked dryly. "Are you ready for this?"

"I am," I said. And I meant it.

At the sprawling seaside estate, Olivia Hayes was a vision in white. Her custom-made designer gown flowed around her as she greeted guests, her smile bright and confident. Daniel Reed stood beside her, looking uncomfortable in a rented tuxedo.

She kept checking her watch, her eyes scanning the long driveway. Ethan was late, but that was fine. He was probably making a grand entrance. He always was a bit of a showman. She imagined him pulling up in his new supercar, getting out, and begging for her forgiveness in front of everyone. The thought made her smile. It would be the perfect dramatic reconciliation.

"He'll be here," she whispered to Daniel, who was fidgeting with his collar. "He just needs to make a point."

"Are you sure about this, Liv?" Daniel mumbled. "What if he actually married that Davis woman?"

"Don't be an idiot," she hissed. "It was a press release to scare me. He loves me. Now smile, my family is watching."

As the ceremony time approached, a nervous buzz began to ripple through the guests. The bride was here, the groom was here... but it was the wrong groom. And the man who had paid for everything was nowhere to be seen.

Then, several guests started murmuring, looking at their phones. A well-known tech journalist, a guest Olivia had personally invited to cover her "perfect" wedding, suddenly stood up, his face a mask of shock.

"Oh my god," he said aloud. "It's real."

He turned his phone around. The screen showed the headline from a major news outlet, published just minutes ago: "Tech Titans Unite: Ethan Miller and Chloe Davis Announce Surprise Marriage and Corporate Merger."

Beneath the headline was a photo. It was of me and Chloe, leaving the city clerk's office yesterday. We weren't smiling, but we looked like a united front. A power couple.

The phone was passed around like a hot potato. The news spread through the crowd in a wave of whispers and gasps.

Olivia snatched a phone from a cousin's hand. She stared at the picture, her mind refusing to accept it.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, this is a deepfake. It's a trick. He's trying to ruin my day because he's hurt."

She looked at her father. "Dad, tell them it's not real!"

Her father, a man who had always indulged her, just looked at the floor, his face grim. He knew Ethan. He knew this was no trick.

"The ceremony will continue!" Olivia announced, her voice high and strained. "With Daniel! As planned! Ethan will come to his senses later!"

The officiant looked bewildered, but he cleared his throat and began. The air was thick with tension and embarrassment. The guests were no longer watching the bride; they were watching the entrance to the estate, as if expecting a SWAT team to arrive.

They didn't have to wait long.

Just as the officiant asked if anyone had any objections, two sleek black cars pulled up the driveway. But they weren't guests. They were police cars.

Two uniformed officers got out and walked calmly toward the altar.

"Daniel Reed?" one of the officers asked, his voice calm but firm.

Daniel looked like a cornered animal. "Yes?"

"You're under arrest on suspicion of fraud."

A collective gasp went through the crowd. Olivia rushed forward. "Fraud? What are you talking about? This is my wedding!"

"We have a signed complaint from Mr. Ethan Miller," the officer continued, "supported by evidence that you have been extorting money from him under false pretenses, specifically regarding the fabricated terminal illness and dying wish of your mother, Helen Reed, who is, in fact, alive and well in Arizona."

Daniel turned white as a sheet. "It's a misunderstanding!"

"You can explain it downtown," the officer said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

"No!" Olivia screamed, trying to get between them. "You can't do this! This is a lie! Ethan is just being vindictive!"

"Ma'am, please step back," the second officer said sternly. "Interfering with an arrest is a crime."

Daniel didn't resist. He just looked at Olivia, his face a mess of fear and confusion. As they led him away in handcuffs, past all the horrified guests, Olivia's family descended on her.

"What have you done?" her mother cried, her face contorted with shame. "You've ruined us! The whole city will be talking about this!"

"You lied to us!" her brother shouted. "You said Ethan was fine with this!"

Olivia was surrounded, a chorus of angry, accusatory voices pressing in on her. She was a queen on a crumbling throne, her perfect day collapsing into a public nightmare.

And then, it got worse.

A well-dressed man in a suit, someone no one recognized, walked up to the front. He was carrying a simple manila envelope.

"A wedding gift," he said, his voice carrying over the chaos, "from Mr. Ethan Miller."

He handed the envelope to the wedding planner, who was staring at the scene with wide, terrified eyes.

"Mr. Miller's instructions were to play the enclosed data file on the main presentation screen," the man said. "As his final contribution to the celebration."

Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.