Chapter 7 - Poison on the Microphone
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Daniel stared at me, dumbfounded. For his entire life, whenever a conflict arose, his mother had begged me to keep the peace, to let things go, to forgive Daniel’s mistakes for the sake of family harmony. He was fully expecting me to cave.
“You’re going to ruin my wedding night over a stupid chair?” Daniel hissed, his voice cracking.
“You ruined your own night the moment you forgot who raised you,” I said flatly, turning my back on him and walking back into the ballroom.
Twenty minutes later, Vanessa returned to the reception. She had changed into a secondary, tight-fitting silk reception dress. Her hair was restyled, and her face was heavily powdered to hide the tear tracks, but her eyes held the venom of a woman plotting absolute ruin.
She walked straight up to the head table, took the microphone from the MC’s stand, and tapped it loudly.
“Good evening, everyone,” Vanessa said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness as she scanned the crowd. “I apologize for the minor... technical difficulty earlier.”
The room quieted down, guests leaning in curious attention.
“You know,” Vanessa continued, striking a dramatic pose, “families are complicated. Some people support you when you climb to the top. Others become bitter and jealous when their children achieve a level of success they could never reach themselves.”
A subtle murmur rippled through the room. Several guests turned to look directly at Elena and me.
Elena lowered her head, her face pale, feeling the sting of the public accusation.
Vanessa smiled warmly down at Daniel, who was sitting beside her, staring blankly at his dinner plate.
“Fortunately,” Vanessa announced brightly into the microphone, “Daniel and I are starting completely fresh. We are moving into the historic Ridgemont estate next month, which Daniel’s father has generously agreed to transfer entirely into our names!”
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Elena gasped softly, turning toward me in shock.
I had permitted Daniel to rent the Ridgemont property at a discounted rate for one year. I had never, under any circumstances, agreed to transfer ownership of the five-million-dollar estate to him.
