Chapter 7 - Whispers Beneath the Ruined Canopy
A wave of sharp, venomous whispers broke out among the guests like a rising tide against the terrace balustrade.
"Did you see how she attacked that poor girl?" whispered the wife of a federal judge, pulling her pearls tight against her throat.
"She’s an absolute monster, completely unhinged," an investment banker remarked loudly enough for Victoria to hear every syllable.
Victoria cowered among the crushed roses, trying in vain to pull the stained folds of her torn skirt over her exposed knees.
From the edge of the lawn, Victoria’s mother, Eleanor, pushed through the crowd with a look of frantic desperation on her pinched face.
Eleanor was a seasoned social climber who had spent the last two years engineering her daughter’s marriage into the massive Vance fortune.
"Marcus! Marcus, darling, wait!" Eleanor cried out, her shrill voice trembling as she hurried toward the dessert wreckage.
"This is all just a terrible misunderstanding! The wedding stress simply overwhelmed poor Victoria’s nerves!"
Marcus turned slowly, his dark eyes locking onto his would-be mother-in-law with the cold precision of an executioner.
"Do not take another step toward my daughter, Eleanor," Marcus warned, his tone flat and deadlier than a loaded gun.
Eleanor froze mid-stride, her designer high heels hovering inches above a pool of raspberry filling on the stone.
"Look at what Victoria did to her!" Eleanor stammered, pointing a trembling finger at the frosting-soaked disaster.
"Your daughter provoked her! Maya has been sabotaging this wedding since the moment we announced the engagement!"
Before Marcus could respond, Maya gently pulled away from her father’s chest and stood upright on her own two feet.
Though her pale-blue satin dress was ruined and her hair remained matted with thick cream, her posture was remarkably steady.
She reached into the small beaded clutch purse she had managed to keep looped around her wrist throughout the entire attack.
With trembling but determined fingers, Maya pulled out her slim smartphone, its screen already illuminated with saved text messages.
"She didn't lose control because of wedding stress, Dad," Maya said, her voice clear and carrying across the hushed assembly.
"She attacked me because I told her five minutes ago that I was going to show you this."
Marcus looked down at his daughter, his brow furrowing as he reached out to take the device from her hand.
Victoria’s eyes widened in sheer panic from the floor, her frosting-covered jaw dropping as she recognized what Maya held.
"No! Marcus, don't look at that! She’s lying!" Victoria screamed, attempting to scramble toward him on all fours.
Two private estate security guards immediately stepped forward, blocking Victoria’s path with crossed arms and impassive faces.
Marcus looked down at the bright screen, his eyes scanning the thread of messages sent from Victoria’s private number that very morning.
May you like
The text read: If you don't sign over your mother's trust fund to me before the reception ends, I will make sure your father cuts you off forever.
A vein throbbed violently against Marcus’s temple as the full depths of Victoria’s treachery laid itself bare before his eyes.
