Chapter 4 - The Groom's Betrayal
Julian Thorne looked at Charlotte sobbing on the floor in her ruined two-hundred-thousand-dollar gown, his eyes void of all affection, stripped down to raw, calculating greed.
He slowly reached down to his left hand, twisting off the platinum wedding band he had put on thirty minutes prior.
He tossed the ring onto Charlotte’s lap, letting the metal bounce off her lace bodice and roll into the dirt on the floor.
“The wedding is off,” Julian announced coldly, his voice echoing across the silent ballroom.
Charlotte’s head snapped up, her mascara running in thick black streaks down her cheeks as she stared at her fiancé in utter disbelief.
“Julian… no! We just said our vows!” Charlotte screamed, grabbing the hem of his tuxedo trousers with desperate hands.
“I love you! We can rebuild the money together! You promised to cherish me forever!”
Julian pulled his leg away with violent disgust, kicking her hands off his polished leather shoes as if she were a street beggar.
“I promised to marry the heiress to the Montgomery fortune, Charlotte,” Julian sneered, his handsome face contorted with unvarnished cruelty.
“I didn't sign up to marry the bankrupt daughter of a convicted embezzler.”
Richard Thorne stepped beside his son, glaring at Charles with murderous contempt.
“Your family is blacklisted from every boardroom, every club, and every charity foundation on the East Coast, Charles,” Richard spat.
“Our attorneys will file fraud and breach of contract lawsuits against your firm before the courthouse opens on Monday.”
Julian and his entire family turned their backs on the altar, marching down the center aisle and exiting the ballroom through the side doors.
Charlotte threw herself onto the floor, wailing into the carpet, completely abandoned by the high-society man she had bragged about for twelve months.
My father stood frozen near the stage, watching his final hope of financial salvation walk out the door.
He looked at me, his eyes wide and bloodshot, suddenly trying to summon the pathetic facade of a loving, remorseful parent.
“Vivienne… my darling daughter…” Charles whispered, taking a trembling step toward me with his hands outstretched.
“You wouldn't do this to your own family… I did everything for your future… you know how much I love you!”
Dominic stepped forward, blocking Charles with his broad frame, his eyes flashing with a lethal, terrifying darkness.
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“Do not speak her name with that filthy mouth, Charles,” Dominic growled in a low, dangerous whisper.
“Because the only thing you are going to see from your daughter tonight is the video playing on that grand screen.”
