CHAPTER 5
Officer Ramirez didn't hesitate for another second; he pulled Natalie's arms behind her back, clicking heavy steel handcuffs over her delicate wrists right in front of the five-tiered wedding cake.
Her mother began screaming obscenities at the police, while the bridesmaids frantically scattered like rats abandoning a sinking ship, trying to distance themselves from the scandal.
"Jackson, help me!" Natalie wailed as the officers began guiding her down the red-carpeted aisle toward the ballroom exit. "Call our lawyers! Use the trust money!"
I stepped down from the stage, standing directly in her path as she was escorted past the head table.
"There is no trust money, Natalie," I said softly, my voice steady, calm, and filled with the unyielding authority of a woman who had built an empire from nothing. "Forty-five minutes ago, I officially revoked the wire transfer and removed Jackson as a beneficiary until he learns the value of family honor."
Natalie’s face drained of all color, her knees buckling as she realized her entire eighteen-month scheme had earned her nothing but a jail cell and total public humiliation.
"You ruined me!" she screamed, her voice echoing down the grand hallway as the heavy doors closed behind her. "You ruined my life!"
Jackson stood alone in the center of the stage, surrounded by ruined flowers, spilled wine, and five hundred staring guests, looking smaller than he had ever looked in his life.
He turned toward me, tears welling in his eyes as he looked at my silver wig and the resolute expression on my face.
May you like
"Mom..." Jackson choked out, taking a slow, painful step toward me. "I... I didn't know... I swear to God I didn't know she was capable of something so evil."
"You didn't want to know, Jackson," I replied gently, my heart breaking for the boy I raised, even as I held my ground. "Because you were too busy looking at the luxury she promised you."
