Chapter 3 - The Debt Collector
Greg's face turned completely white as he stared at the folded paper in Daniel's hand.
Allison grabbed her new husband's arm, her perfectly manicured nails digging into his expensive suit jacket.
"Greg, what is he talking about?" she demanded, her voice shrill and panicked.
Greg could not even form a coherent sentence, his eyes darting frantically toward the ballroom exits.
My father quickly stepped between them, desperately trying to salvage his golden child's perfect day.
"Mr. Reyes, whatever business Gregory has with you can surely wait until Monday morning," my father pleaded.
Daniel let out a dark, humorless laugh that sent a shiver down my spine.
"I do not wait for men who steal from their own clients to pay off offshore betting syndicates," Daniel stated loudly.
The crowd erupted into furious whispers, and several of Greg's wealthy banking clients in the audience immediately stood up in outrage.
Allison burst into tears, her flawless makeup ruining as she realized her fairy-tale marriage was a total fraud.
I stood tall beside my husband, feeling a warm, unfamiliar sense of total invincibility.
For decades, my family had built their entire identity on an illusion of flawless superiority.
Tonight, Daniel and I were ripping the curtain down and exposing the rot underneath.
My father turned his furious glare toward me, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"You planned this, you vindictive little witch," he hissed, taking a threatening step forward.
"You brought this monster here to ruin your sister's wedding because you are bitterly jealous of her!"
I did not flinch, nor did I look away from the man who had pushed me into a freezing fountain just an hour ago.
"I brought my husband here to introduce him to my family," I replied calmly.
"It is not my fault that your carefully constructed lives are built entirely on lies and stolen money."
My father sneered, puffing out his chest in a desperate attempt to assert dominance.
"My life is built on a real estate empire that I built with my own two bare hands!" he shouted proudly.
Daniel smoothly pulled his sleek smartphone from his inner pocket and tapped the screen once.
"You mean the real estate empire that officially filed for bankruptcy protection exactly fourteen minutes ago?" Daniel asked.
My father froze, the absolute certainty in his eyes shattering into a million pieces.
May you like
Daniel smiled coldly and looked directly into my father's terrified eyes.
"Check your email, Richard, because I just authorized the hostile takeover of your entire legacy."
