Chapter 7 - The Collapse of IllusionThe room erupted into absolute chaos.
"This is insane!" Julian screamed, his face turning a brilliant shade of crimson as he grabbed my blazer lapels. "You can't do this! I paid for—"
"You paid for nothing, Julian," I said, not even flinching as I brushed his hands off my jacket as if flicking away a piece of lint. "Your checking accounts were frozen three days ago by the bank. Your credit cards are maxed out at $48,000. Every single fork, flower, and fold of fabric in this estate was paid for by wire transfers originating from my corporate account."
I turned to face the doorway, where a dozen relatives—Aunt Brenda, cousin Tyler, and several others who had laughed at me in the group chat—had crowded into the hallway, drawn by the shouting.
"Did you all bring your checkbooks?" I called out loudly enough for the entire hallway to hear. "Because if you want to see Julian get married today, somebody needs to wire $110,000 right now to cover my expenses. Otherwise... well, the party's over."
Mom rushed forward, grabbing my arm with claws dug deep. "Evelyn, listen to yourself! We are your family! You can't humiliate your own flesh and blood in front of society!"
"Funny," I whispered, leaning in close so only she could hear. "That’s exactly what you said yesterday when Dad liked Julian’s text calling me a loser. Family helps family, right? Well, my family rate has gone up."
Julian stumbled back against the vanity, staring at Chloe in sheer panic. "Chloe... your trust fund... transfer the money, pay her off!"
Chloe’s face went chalk white. She dropped her bouquet to the floor. The hydrangeas scattered like fallen snow.
"My... my trust fund isn't available," she stammered, looking away.
"What do you mean it's not available?!" Julian yelled, grabbing her shoulders. "You said it unlocked at the wedding!"
"There is no trust fund, Julian!" Chloe shrieked, finally snapping under the pressure. "My family lost everything in the real estate crash three years ago! I thought... I thought your family was rich!"
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The silence in the bridal suite was so absolute you could hear the distant hum of the refrigerators in the catering tent.
Dad clutched his chest, swaying backward. Cousin Tyler caught him by the elbow. The illusion had shattered into a million jagged pieces.
