Chapter 2 - The Cracks in the Glass TowerDaniel tried to recover. He forced a strained, tight laugh that sounded more like a dry cough, attempting to wave it off as child's imagination for the benefit of his wealthy investors and elite colleagues.
"Well, kids have a funny way of exaggerating time, don't they?" Daniel chuckled into his own lapel mic, trying to gently take the microphone back. "Work gets hectic, buddy. But daddy loves you."
Ethan didn't let go of the mic. He pulled it back, planting his feet firmly on the stage.
"You missed my birthday too," Ethan said, his voice dropping an octave, steady and chillingly matter-of-fact. "Mom made blueberry pancakes. We waited until the candles melted. You texted a picture of a cake from a meeting in Tokyo. But Mom checked your public Instagram later. You weren't in Tokyo. You were at a yacht party in San Francisco with investors."
A collective murmur erupted through Table Nineteen and rippled outward. Whispers flared up among Seattle’s elite. Prominent venture capitalists exchange uneasy glances. Daniel’s face drained of color, his skin turning a pale, sickly ash under the amber stage lights.
Madeline stepped forward, her silk gown rustling in the tense quiet. She looked directly at Daniel, her voice cutting through the murmurs like a scalpel.
"Daniel," Madeline said, her tone dangerously calm. "Is that true?"
Daniel swallowed hard, his throat dry. "Madeline, honey, please. This is a private family matter being blown out of proportion by—"
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"By a six-year-old who just told the truth in front of three hundred witnesses," Madeline interrupted, her eyes flashing with a sudden, fierce fire. She turned to face the audience, lifting her chin. "Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served. Please enjoy yourselves. But Daniel and I need a moment."
She didn't wait for an answer. She turned on her heel, hoisted her heavy wedding dress, and marched straight down the side aisle toward the grand bridal suite exit, leaving the multi-millionaire tech mogul stranded alone on his wedding stage.
