Chapter 2 - The Upstairs Bride
The words hung in the dusty air of my flower shop like a death sentence.
Graham was the groom in Ballroom A.
He had left me standing beneath a cheap arch in Ballroom C so he could marry a wealthy woman directly above my head.
"You are lying," I whispered, though my heart already knew the terrifying truth.
Silas Thorne pulled a sleek smartphone from his pocket and tapped the screen twice.
He slid the phone across the wooden counter toward me.
It was a high-resolution photograph taken from the back of a lavish, orchid-draped ballroom.
Graham Vale, wearing a tuxedo that cost more than my entire shop, was kissing a stunning blonde woman at the altar.
The timestamp on the photo was exactly 4:15 PM.
That was exactly ten minutes after Graham had kissed my forehead and told me to wait.
A wave of intense nausea hit me, forcing me to close my eyes.
"Who is she?" I asked, my voice cracking under the weight of the humiliation.
Silas retrieved his phone and slipped it back into his tailored jacket.
"Her name is Victoria Sterling, heir to the Sterling real estate empire."
I remembered the security guards stationed throughout the hotel lobby and the imported roses I had envied.
"Why are you involved in this?" I asked, looking up at the dangerous man standing in my shop.
"I am a private security consultant hired by the Sterling family to vet their new son-in-law."
Silas walked slowly toward the door, his heavy footsteps echoing on the wooden floorboards.
"I found the irregularities in his background too late to stop the ceremony."
He paused at the door and looked back at me.
"But I did find out how he funded his entire fabricated billionaire persona."
I looked down at the forged deed in my hands.
"He used my shop," I said, feeling tears finally prick the corners of my eyes.
Silas shook his head slowly.
"He didn't just use your shop, June."
May you like
Silas pulled open the glass door, letting the cold evening wind blow inside.
"He used your social security number to open six offshore credit accounts, and they just defaulted."
