Chapter 7 - The Masterpiece
It was an absolute bloodbath.
Groomsmen were pulling Julian off Marcus. Chloe was sobbing loudly at the altar, ruining her perfect makeup. Investors were fleeing the tent, shouting into their cell phones. Eleanor Vance was being fanned by two waitresses, demanding her heart medication.
I stood in the center of the room, completely untouched by the chaos, watching the empire of lies crumble into dust.
Julian broke free from the groomsmen, his tuxedo torn, his face covered in champagne and scratches. He looked at the wreckage of his life—his bankrupt company, his cheating wife, his shattered reputation—and then he looked at me.
"You ruined me!" he sobbed, pointing a shaking finger at me. "You ruined my life!"
"No, Julian," I said softly, my voice cutting through the noise. "You ruined your own life. I just provided the lighting."
I turned my back on him.
Sebastian wrapped a protective arm around my waist, pulling me close against his solid frame. "Are you satisfied, Mrs. Cole?" he asked, a hint of a proud smirk playing on his lips.
"More than you know," I replied.
We walked back up the aisle, exactly the way we had come. The few guests who weren't fleeing or fighting parted for us like the Red Sea. They looked at me not with pity, but with absolute awe and terror.
May you like
As we reached the exit of the marquee, the flashing red and blue lights of police cruisers and black FBI Suburbans began pulling into the grand driveway. Sebastian’s legal team had submitted the embezzlement files to the SEC and local authorities an hour ago.
Timing is everything.
