I gifted them an $8.4 million Aspen estate. They banned me from the wedding. I said, “Understood.” Two hours later: 63 missed calls and a ringing doorbell.

The next morning, the day Julian was supposed to be married, the Aspen sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue.

I drove my vintage Bronco down the mountain and into town, with Julian sitting silently in the passenger seat. We pulled up to the luxury boutique hotel where Richard and Chloe had holed up.

When we walked into the lobby, it was a scene of chaos.

Richard was screaming at a hotel manager who was demanding a valid credit card for the three luxury suites they had occupied. Chloe was sitting on a velvet sofa, wearing dark sunglasses, aggressively typing on her phone.

When they saw us, Richard’s face flushed purple. He lunged forward.

"You!" Richard roared, pointing a trembling finger at me. "You destroyed me! You leaked those financials! My company is dead because of you!"

Brody, my security chief, stepped smoothly between me and Richard, resting his hand on his tactical belt. Richard wisely backed down.

Chloe stood up, yanking off her sunglasses. She glared at Julian with absolute disgust. "Are you here to gloat? Did mommy bring you down here to hold your hand?"

Julian stepped out from behind Brody. He looked taller today. The desperation was gone, replaced by a cold, hardened clarity.

"I came to get my grandmother's ring back," Julian said, his voice completely steady.

Chloe sneered. "Consider it payment for the emotional distress you and your psycho mother put me through."

"That ring is a family heirloom," I interjected calmly. "And since you canceled the engagement over the phone last night, legally, it must be returned. Unless you'd like me to have Marcus file grand larceny charges before you even check out of this hotel?"

Chloe’s jaw tightened. She looked at her father, who was currently being handed an eviction notice by the hotel manager. She aggressively twisted the flawless three-carat diamond off her finger and threw it at Julian’s chest.

It bounced off him and hit the carpet. Julian calmly bent down, picked it up, and slipped it into his pocket.