Chapter 2 - The Judge's GambitBefore Caleb could formulate a response that wouldn't utterly destroy his respectable new image in front of his father-in-law, Judge Davies intervened with a chillingly polite smile.
"Mr. Costa," the judge said, extending a hand that Roman looked at for three full seconds before casually sliding his hands into his pockets, leaving the judge hanging. The older man didn’t flinch, though a muscle in his jaw twitched. "An unexpected pleasure. I assume your presence here tonight isn't just about charity or companionship. Men like you don't attend society weddings unless a ledger needs balancing."
"You credit me with too much administrative zeal, Judge," Roman replied, his gaze unreadable. "Sometimes a man just likes to see where his investments are planted."
"Investments?" Khloe chimed in, stepping forward. She had finally made her way down the dais, her diamond-encrusted veil sweeping the floor. Her smile was sharp, dripping with condescension. She looked me up and down, sneering at my dress. "I didn't realize Sadi was an investment property. Though I suppose, given her pedigree, renting herself out for the evening was the only way she could afford a dress like that."
The room went quiet again. Several guests near us choked back gasps, waiting to see how Roman Costa would react to a direct insult hurled at his date.
I felt my heart spike. This was the exact trap Caleb’s mother and people like Khloe had spent years setting for me—making me feel small, poor, and disposable. I opened my mouth to deliver a cutting response, but Roman moved faster.
"Khloe, correct?" Roman’s voice was dangerously soft. He tilted his head, looking at the bride as if she were a particularly dull insect pinned to a board. "You have your father’s eyes and your mother’s lack of discretion. Let me give you a piece of advice, free of charge: never mock an asset you haven’t audited. Sadi didn't rent this dress. And she certainly isn't rented. You might want to ask your new husband whose name is actually on the title of the townhouse you're standing in tonight."
May you like
Caleb flinched violently.
I stared at Roman in shock. The townhouse? Caleb had told me he sold it to pay off his initial debts. But Roman’s words hung in the air like a detonation, instantly cracking the pristine facade of the Reynolds-Davies wedding.
