Chapter 5 The Spectacle

Elsie strode back with the gown clutched to her chest, moving straight toward Khloe with an eager bounce in her step.

Jared, Corrine, and Paula lingered close, trading the kind of polished pleasantries only soon-to-be in-laws could muster.

Elsie hurried the last few steps. "Khloe, your dress is here. You should get changed now."

Khloe lifted a hand, fingertips brushing the fabric lightly before closing around it. She raised the gown and gave it a delicate shake.

A cascade of white shimmered-rhinestones catching the light-until the movement revealed jagged slits and torn seams, scattered across the skirt like claw marks.

Elsie went rigid, eyes blown wide.

She could've sworn the dress had been perfect when she'd picked it up.

Jared's temper snapped instantly. "What happened to this?" he barked, fury sharpening his words as his glare pinned Elsie in place.

"I-I don't know," Elsie sputtered, her face draining of color. "I just got it from the dressing room!"

Khloe's brows knitted, a faint crease forming above her delicate features as bewilderment washed over her face. "Mr. Barnett... did something happen to my gown?" she asked, her voice small but steady.

Corrine's eyes sharpened, catching the entire ploy instantly. With a tight smile, she hooked her fingers around Jared's arm. "Let's not make a scene," she murmured, giving his arm a subtle tug meant to rein him in. "There are too many people watching. We still have the spare dress-I'll have someone bring it over. The ceremony will go on."

Her gaze sliced toward Khloe, cool and assessing. Fortunately, she'd secured a duplicate pink dress so nothing could slip out of her control. A blind woman daring to be part of the Barnett family? Corrine intended to make sure every step of Khloe's humiliation unfolded perfectly.

"Well, what on earth are you standing around for?" Jared barked, his deep voice ringing with the practiced command of a man who'd led boardrooms and households alike.

A staff member hurried off to fetch the spare gown, leaving Corrine and Paula circling Khloe with soft, sugary voices, pretending to calm her while carefully steering the moment back under control.

Khloe hadn't meant to start a full-blown scene-she'd only intended to rattle Elsie a bit-but the storm she sparked looked ready to be patched over with practiced ease.

Right then, Leo strolled into the hall in a crisp black suit, nodding politely as he greeted the guests drifting past him.

Corrine's face brightened the instant she spotted her tall, impeccably groomed son. She swept toward him and pulled him over to Jared with barely contained pride. "Jared, doesn't our son look incredibly sharp today?" she remarked, almost glowing as she presented Leo like a prize.

Jared gave Leo, his dutiful, well-mannered son, a quick once-over. Compliments never came easily to him, so all he offered was a low, approving grunt.

Corrine, satisfied that most of the important guests had arrived, brightened and tapped Leo's shoulder lightly. "Go ahead and let your dad see the document you and Khloe picked up."

Khloe tipped her chin down, a thin, icy curve touching her lips. So they'd finally arrived at this moment.

Leo's gaze slid toward Elsie beside Khloe. Her eyes glimmered with a subtle red tint, the fallout from the ruined dress still weighing on her.

He'd find a way to soothe her later.

Pulling his attention away, Leo steadied his tone and addressed Jared with practiced ease. "Dad, I already tucked mine away. Khloe still has her copy-she can show you."

The document he'd secured earlier at the clerk's office had been passed to Elsie in a subtle gesture of commitment.

Every head shifted toward Khloe.

Paula and Elsie traded a sharp, knowing look, their mouths pressed thin as barely contained excitement shimmered in their eyes. What a show this would be.

Khloe was moments away from being torn apart in front of the entire wedding party-ridiculed, humiliated, maybe even tossed out by Jared himself.

With a steady breath, Khloe slipped a hand into her handbag and produced a paper. She offered it to Jared with quiet composure.

"Here you go, Mr. Barnett."

While no one paid attention, Leo eased himself closer to Elsie, hovering at her side as if he were seconds away from proudly announcing their relationship.

Jared unfolded the document-and his entire demeanor shifted in an instant. A harsh shadow swept over his face, his features tightening as if struck by a sudden, violent storm.

"Khloe," he snapped, his tone slicing through the hum of conversation. "Why in the world are you married to James Elliott?" He hurled the paper back toward Khloe, the sharp crack reverberating across the hall.

Heads turned immediately, curiosity flaring as guests drifted closer, eager for the scandal about to erupt.