Chapter 2 - The Velvet Cage
Marcus dragged Clara through the VIP exit and into the lavish bridal suite on the second floor, slamming and locking the heavy door behind them. The muffled screams and chaotic murmurs of the ballroom were instantly cut off, leaving a suffocating silence.
"Marcus, you're hurting me," Clara gasped, pulling her arm away. His fingernails had left red crescents on her pale skin.
"I'm protecting you," Marcus snapped, pacing the room like a caged panther. He pulled his phone from his tuxedo pocket, dialing furiously. "It’s a smear campaign. A rival real estate firm hired a junkie to crash the wedding and tank our stock."
Clara was the head of public relations for the Sterling Corporation. Her entire career was built on reading people, identifying lies, and spinning the truth. She watched Marcus. He wasn't acting like a man who had just been wrongly accused; he was acting like a man who had been caught.
"He knew about the necklace, Marcus," Clara said softly, her PR instincts kicking into overdrive. "He said to look at the clasp."
"It's a lie!" Marcus yelled, slamming his hand against a marble table. He took a deep breath, smoothing his hair, trying to recover the billionaire charm. "Clara, please. You know how these people are. They want to tear us down."
Clara didn't answer. Slowly, she reached behind her neck. Her fingers fumbled with the intricate platinum clasp of the emerald pendant. She unhooked it and brought the heavy jewel to the light of the vanity mirror.
There, wedged deeply into the intricate filigree of the platinum clasp, was a tiny, dried dark red smear.
It was blood.
Clara’s stomach plummeted. "Marcus," she whispered, holding the necklace up. "Whose blood is this?"
Marcus froze. The textbook smile vanished completely, replaced by a cold, dead stare. "Put the necklace down, Clara. You're being hysterical."
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"I am the head of PR," Clara said, stepping backward toward the door. "I am going to call the police to clear this up."
"You aren't calling anyone," Marcus said, stepping between her and the exit. "You are my wife. You are going to go back out there, you are going to smile, and you are going to tell the press that a mentally ill man tried to ruin our wedding. If you don't, Clara, you will find out just how powerful my family really is."
