Chapter 7 - THE CORPORATE TAKEOVER
The silence that followed was absolute, a void that seemed to suck the very oxygen out of the grand ballroom.
"That’s impossible," David stuttered, his hands shaking so hard he had to clasp them together to hide it.
"Check your stock ticker, David. It’s been plummeting for the last ten minutes," Elena said, gesturing to the giant screen.
Every eye in the room snapped to the large screen behind the altar, which usually displayed wedding photos in loop.
Now, it showed a jagged red line plummeting toward zero, the symbol of their company flickering with 'TRADING HALTED.'
The Older Woman collapsed into a chair, the velvet gown pooling around her like a puddle of midnight blue ink.
"You ruined us," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant, rising roar of sirens approaching the building.
"I didn't ruin you," Elena corrected, her tone devoid of malice, purely professional. "You built a house of cards on lies."
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The Bride was hyperventilating, her emerald gown now stained with smudged makeup, her wedding day a catastrophic public failure.
"Get her out of here," the Older Woman commanded, pointing at Elena, but the security guards were already hesitating.
