Chapter 4 - THE RECEPTION WITHOUT A BRIDE
Canceling a wedding does not cancel two hundred and twelve dinners.
That was the first absurd problem I faced.
The kitchen had already prepared lobster.
The champagne was chilled.
The band had arrived from New York.
Eight thousand dollars’ worth of flowers were arranged throughout the ballroom.
At four twenty-three, I sat in a private sitting room with my mother, Jenna, Ryan, and the wedding coordinator while people outside tried to decide whether they were supposed to leave.
Marissa, the coordinator, looked traumatized.
“I have never had this happen before.”
Mom gave her a sympathetic glance.
“I imagine that is generally good for business.”
Marissa looked like she might cry.
I almost did.
Not because of Noah.
Because three minutes earlier I had walked past the ballroom and seen my grandmother’s handwritten place card sitting at an empty seat.
She had died six months before the wedding.
I had insisted on keeping a place for her.
That was the first thing that made the day feel truly lost.
Ryan noticed.
Of course he did.
He quietly pulled the door closed.
“What do you want done with the reception?”
I rubbed my temples.
“People traveled here.”
“So feed them.”
I looked up.
Mom blinked.
Ryan shrugged.
“The food is paid for.”
Marissa straightened.
“You want to hold the reception?”
“No speeches,” I said immediately.
“No first dance.”
“Absolutely not.”
“No cake cutting.”
Mom said, “We are eating that cake.”
I stared at her.
She lifted one shoulder.
“It cost two thousand dollars.”
For the first time since the garden, I laughed properly.
It hurt.
But it was real.
Then someone knocked.
Grant Harper entered before Marissa could stop him.
He closed the door behind him.
Ryan’s expression cooled.
Grant looked older than he had an hour earlier.
“Kate.”
“Mr. Harper.”
“I’m sorry.”
I waited.
He seemed to realize two words were not enough.
“What Noah did was unacceptable.”
My mother folded her arms.
Grant continued carefully.
“But I think what happened outside became unnecessarily public.”
There it was.
Ryan looked at the ceiling.
I almost admired how predictable they were.
Grant took one step closer.
“There are reporters among the guests.”
“There are always reporters around your family.”
“Yes, which is why I’m asking everyone to handle this calmly.”
I stared at him.
“I was calm.”
“You made accusations.”
“I described what happened.”
“About Lucy. About their relationship.”
“Would you prefer I lie?”
“No.”
Grant exhaled.
“I would prefer we not turn a personal tragedy into a public scandal.”
My mother spoke.
“Your son did that when he took mock wedding photographs with another woman.”
Grant’s eyes flicked toward her.
Mom smiled without warmth.
“Hello, Grant.”
Ryan pushed away from the wall.
“Dad, don’t.”
“I’m trying to protect everyone.”
“No. You’re trying to protect Noah.”
Grant’s jaw tightened.
“He is your brother.”
“Yes.”
“Family loyalty should mean something.”
Ryan’s gaze sharpened.
“Then perhaps Noah should have shown some to the woman he was marrying.”
The door opened again.
This time Noah walked in.
Lucy was behind him.
And she was still wearing white.
My body went perfectly still.
Noah glanced at Ryan.
“Can we have the room?”
“No,” I said.
He looked at me.
“I need to talk to you.”
“You are.”
“In private.”
“This is private enough.”
Lucy hovered behind him.
Her eyes were red.
Her makeup remained flawless.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
I looked at her dress.
“No, you’re not.”
She recoiled.
“Kate.”
“You wore white to my wedding.”
“My luggage—”
“Don’t.”
She stopped.
“I saw the garment bag in your hotel room yesterday.”
Lucy’s mouth closed.
Noah frowned at her.
I continued.
“It had your name embroidered on the handle.”
Mom murmured, “Oh, good Lord.”
Lucy’s face drained.
I hadn’t known what was in the bag.
Not until that moment.
But guilt had answered for her.
“You planned the dress,” I said.
Lucy looked at Noah.
That was answer number two.
I turned toward him.
“You knew?”
Noah ran a hand through his hair.
“It was supposed to be funny.”
“Funny to whom?”
“Lucy was upset.”
“Why?”
Nobody answered.
I looked at Lucy.
“Why were you upset on my wedding day?”
She stared at the floor.
Noah stepped forward.
“Kate, this is getting out of control.”
“No. This is the first time I’ve had control.”
Something shifted in Lucy’s expression.
Fear.
Not shame.
Fear.
Ryan noticed too.
“What aren’t you telling her?” he asked.
Noah turned.
“Stay out of it.”
Ryan ignored him.
“Lucy.”
Her throat moved.
Noah’s voice hardened.
“Lucy.”
She flinched.
That tiny movement told me more than anything else.
I walked toward her.
“What happened?”
Lucy shook her head.
“Nothing.”
“Why did you wear that dress?”
“I told you.”
“No.”
I lowered my voice.
“Tell me the real reason.”
She looked at Noah again.
His stare was a warning.
Then Marissa knocked urgently.
“Ms. Ellis?”
I opened the door.
She held my phone.
“I think you need to take this.”
“Who is it?”
“Your office.”
My stomach dropped.
I took the phone.
My business partner, Serena Park, spoke before I could say hello.
“Kate, where are you?”
“At Hawthorne.”
“I know. Are you alone?”
I looked around the room.
“No.”
“Get somewhere you can talk.”
I walked into the adjoining bedroom.
Ryan followed only after I nodded.
“What happened?”
Serena inhaled.
“The Harbor Point committee just called.”
Every thought of Noah vanished for one second.
Harbor Point was the largest contract my firm had ever competed for.
A $180 million restoration and redevelopment project on Boston Harbor.
We had worked eleven months on the bid.
“What did they say?”
“They’re suspending our proposal.”
My knees nearly gave out.
“Why?”
“They believe proprietary details from another bidder may have appeared in our submission.”
“What?”
Ryan’s expression changed.
Serena continued rapidly.
“They said there may have been unauthorized access to the bid exchange server. Kate, they’re talking about a formal investigation.”
“That’s impossible.”
“I know.”
“We developed every plan ourselves.”
“I know.”
“Who is the other bidder?”
Silence.
“Serena.”
“Harper Urban Development.”
I looked at Ryan.
He heard.
His face went completely still.
Harper Urban was a subsidiary of Harper Freight Group.
Noah had been lobbying his father to expand into waterfront real estate for two years.
I suddenly remembered dozens of nights.
Noah sitting at my kitchen island while I worked.
Noah borrowing my laptop to order dinner.
Noah asking harmless questions about Harbor Point.
Who are you competing against?
How much would a project like that be worth?
Do clients actually own your drawings before the contract is signed?
My skin went cold.
“Serena,” I whispered, “lock every account.”
“What?”
“Every company account. Reset passwords. Disable remote access.”
Ryan was already pulling out his phone.
“Kate?”
“Do it now.”
I ended the call.
Ryan dialed someone.
“Who are you calling?”
“Harper compliance.”
Noah appeared in the doorway.
“What’s going on?”
I turned slowly.
“Harbor Point.”
For the first time all day, Noah looked genuinely afraid.
Not embarrassed.
Not angry.
Afraid.
Ryan saw it.
So did I.
Noah recovered quickly.
“What about it?”
“My firm has been accused of accessing proprietary material from Harper Urban.”
His eyes flickered.
Barely.
Enough.
Ryan lowered his phone.
“Did you access Kate’s company systems?”
Noah laughed.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“This is insane.”
I stared at him.
“You knew my passwords.”
“So?”
“You used my laptop.”
“So?”
“Did you access Ellis Design?”
“No.”
Too fast.
Ryan stepped closer.
“Think carefully.”
Noah’s face hardened.
“You’re not interrogating me.”
“No,” Ryan said. “Corporate compliance will.”
Grant entered behind him.
“What is happening?”
Ryan looked at his father.
“Harper Urban may be involved in a trade-secret breach connected to Kate’s firm.”
Grant’s expression disappeared.
Noah raised both hands.
“This has nothing to do with me.”
Then Lucy spoke.
So quietly that at first I thought I had imagined it.
“Yes, it does.”
Every person in the room turned toward her.
Noah’s face went white.
“Lucy.”
She looked at me.
Tears finally ruined her mascara.
“I’m sorry.”
Noah moved toward her.
Ryan stepped between them.
Lucy’s hands began shaking.
“I thought it was only files.”
My heartbeat stopped.
“What files?”
She pressed both hands against her mouth.
Noah’s voice became dangerously soft.
“Do not say another word.”
Ryan looked at him.
“You should leave.”
“This is my wedding.”
“No,” I said.
Noah turned toward me.
I held his gaze.
“It was your wedding.”
Lucy began crying.
“I didn’t know what he was going to do with them.”
I stepped closer.
“What files, Lucy?”
She closed her eyes.
Then destroyed whatever remained of the life Noah thought he was returning to.
“Your Harbor Point drawings.”
Nobody moved.
Outside the sitting room, the reception band began playing the song that was supposed to have been our first dance.
Inside, I looked at the man I had nearly married and understood that the photographs beneath the wedding arch had not been the betrayal.
May you like
They had only been the invitation to look deeper.
---
Related Stories
