Chapter 1 - The Blood on the Silk
I didn’t wipe the blood from my nose. I let it drip onto the pristine white bodice of my ten-thousand-dollar wedding gown, watching the crimson bloom against the silk like ink on parchment.
The ballroom was an amphitheater of horrified silence. Derek stood beside me, his champagne glass halfway to his lips, his smirk freezing as he realized the room wasn't laughing anymore. His mother, Patricia, reached out to pat his arm, her mouth opening and closing like a landed fish.
"Claire," Derek murmured, his voice dropping into that familiar, low warning tone. "Take a napkin and clean yourself up. You’re making a scene."
I didn't answer him. Instead, I reached for the wireless microphone sitting on the head table next to our ruined, four-tier cake.
The feedback squealed through the high-end speakers, shattering the stillness. Two hundred wealthy investors, politicians, and high-society family members flinched.
"Thank you all for coming," I said into the microphone. My voice didn't tremble. It was colder than the ice sculpture melting near the bar. "Derek wanted to make sure tonight was unforgettable. I think he succeeded."
Derek’s face flushed dark red. He reached out to grab my arm, but I stepped backward, pointing the microphone directly at him.
"Don't touch me," I said clearly, the words echoing off the crystal chandeliers.
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"Cut the mic!" Patricia screamed from her seat, her diamonds flashing. "Somebody turn that off!"
Before anyone could move, Lena stepped out from the shadows near the service door, holding a tablet high in the air. "It's already live-streamed to the company board, Patricia," Lena announced, her voice ringing with absolute precision. "Every single shareholder just saw the groom assault his bride."
