Chapter 13 - The Second DressI turned to Robert.
“What does that mean?”
He looked uncomfortable.
Finally, he said:
“Your mother did.”
I stared.
“She died three years ago.”
“Yes.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“Tell her.”
Robert sighed.
“Your mother prepaid a contingency bridal account.”
“A what?”
“She knew Vanessa had interfered with important events before.”
The ballroom disappeared around me.
“She left instructions with a bridal designer. If you ever married, and if there was any emergency involving your gown, a backup could be released.”
I looked down at the satin dress.
The one I thought I bought three weeks ago.
“I paid for this.”
“You paid the deposit.”
“And the rest?”
“Covered by the account.”
My mother had planned for Vanessa to hurt me even after Mom was gone.
That should have felt loving.
Instead, it broke something in me.
Vanessa folded her arms.
“See?”
I looked at her.
“See what?”
“She always expected me to be the villain.”
Robert spoke before I could.
“She expected both of you to be yourselves.”
Vanessa snapped:
“You worshipped her.”
“I audited her too.”
That silenced her.
Robert turned to me.
“Your mother did not trust family more than evidence.”
That sentence mattered.
Then Maya received a call.
Martin had formally begun cooperating.
He claimed Vanessa directed the North Bridge transfers.
Vanessa’s attorney arrived ten minutes later.
The reception became two events at once.
A wedding downstairs.
An investigation in side rooms.
I hated it.
So I made a choice.
“No more interviews in the ballroom.”
Maya agreed.
Daniel asked the band to play.
People slowly returned to their tables.
Vanessa was escorted to a private conference room with counsel.
I danced with Daniel.
My second dress moved beautifully.
Halfway through the song, I cried.
He held me.
“Dress?”
“No.”
“Your mom?”
“Yes.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes.”
“Company?”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“That’s an efficient breakdown.”
I laughed into his shoulder.
Then Lena approached the dance floor.
She looked worried.
“What?”
She showed me her phone.
Someone had just logged into my secure evidence folder.
From a device registered to me.
I froze.
“My phone is in my hand.”
Lena nodded.
“The other one isn’t.”
The hidden evidence phone.
May you like
The one from the bridal-suite drawer.
Was gone.
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