Chapter 4 - The Rehearsal Dinner
I froze at the top of the stairs, my heart pounding against my ribs.
My father stared at his phone as if it had transformed into a venomous snake.
"That's impossible!" he shouted at the device. "I haven't made any offshore transfers!"
My mother turned pale, her eyes darting nervously toward the front door as if calculating an escape route.
"We will sort this out later," my mother said loudly, her voice trembling just enough to betray her guilt.
"We have a rehearsal dinner to attend, and we cannot be late."
The stylists gently nudged me into the guest room, shutting the door on the family drama unfolding downstairs.
For the next hour, I was pampered in a way I had never experienced in my entire life.
When I finally looked in the mirror, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.
I was wearing a breathtaking emerald green gown that draped perfectly across my figure, paired with the diamond necklace Alexander had brought in the velvet box.
"You look like a queen," one of the stylists whispered, adjusting the hem slightly.
I walked back downstairs, and the entire house fell dead silent.
Alexander looked up from his phone, his jaw tightening slightly before a soft, adoring smile spread across his face.
"You are absolutely perfect," he said, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles.
Aunt Marlene scowled from the corner, wearing a dated floral dress that suddenly looked incredibly cheap.
We all filed out to the cars in tense silence, heading toward the Hawthorne Estate for the dinner.
When we arrived, the venue was already buzzing with guests, extended family, and Chloe's wealthy relatives.
The moment Alexander and I walked into the grand dining hall, every head turned in our direction.
Whispers erupted across the room as people recognized the famous billionaire walking arm-in-arm with the family outcast.
My mother immediately rushed over to Chloe's parents, desperately trying to control the narrative before we could speak to them.
I watched her pointing at me and whispering frantically, her face twisted in a bitter sneer.
We sat down at our assigned table, conveniently placed in the darkest corner of the room.
But before the first course could be served, a loud clinking of a glass echoed through the hall.
My mother stood at the head table, holding a microphone with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.
"I would like to make a toast to my beautiful future daughter-in-law," she announced into the mic.
She then shifted her gaze directly to me, her smile dropping into something sinister.
"And I also want to take a moment to introduce a very special surprise guest who just arrived for Emily."
The heavy oak doors at the back of the hall swung open with a loud creak.
A tall, handsome man in a cheap suit walked in, holding a bouquet of wilted roses.
He walked straight toward our table, completely ignoring Alexander, and dropped to one knee in front of me.
May you like
"Emily, baby, I know we had a fight, but I'm ready to forgive you," the strange man said loudly for the whole room to hear.
"Please, come back to me, your real boyfriend."
