Vanessa followed me.
“Wait.”
I kept walking.
“Miss Rivera!”
Her voice cracked slightly.
That was new.
I climbed the marble steps beside the wedding altar.
The city glittered behind me.
White roses cascaded from golden arches.
Hundreds of candles reflected in mirrored tables.
And directly beneath the stage sat the Mercer family.
Julian’s father looked like he had seen a ghost.
Because unlike Vanessa, he knew exactly who I was.
I removed my phone from my clutch.
Three unread messages waited.
One from my attorney.
One from the hotel’s security director.
And one from a woman sitting at Table Twelve.
A woman Julian had insisted was “just an old family friend.”
I looked toward her.
She met my eyes.
Then gave me one small nod.
Everything was ready.
Vanessa climbed onto the stage.
“You hijacked my wedding?”
“No.”
I looked toward the giant screen.
“I protected myself from what your family planned to do after it.”
Julian’s head snapped toward me.
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“What are you talking about?”
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I walked to the microphone.
Three hundred guests stared at me.
Dozens of phones were streaming live now.
The number of viewers on one influencer’s screen had already crossed fifty thousand.
Julian stepped forward.
“Elena.”
That was the first time he had said my name.
Vanessa noticed.
Her face changed.
“You know her?”
He said nothing.
She turned back to me.
“What does my husband have to do with you?”
I looked at Julian.
His confident expression was gone.
Then I looked at Vanessa.
“You should ask him why he spent Tuesday night deleting emails from a private server.”
Julian went completely still.
His father stood abruptly.
“Turn those screens off.”
The wedding coordinator didn’t move.
Vanessa stared between them.
“What emails?”
I tapped my phone.
A folder appeared across the massive LED wall.
MERCER ACQUISITION — CONFIDENTIAL EVIDENCE
Gasps erupted across the rooftop.
Julian rushed toward me.
“Don’t.”
I stepped back.
Two security officers immediately moved between us.
Vanessa’s voice trembled.
“What is that?”
I reached into my clutch again.
This time, I removed a small silver flash drive.
Julian stared at it.
His face drained of color.
Because he recognized it.
He had seen it before.
Just not in my possession.
I turned toward Vanessa.
“You wanted me removed because you thought I didn’t belong at your wedding.”
Then I looked toward the screens as the first encrypted video file appeared.
“But before I leave, I think your guests deserve to see what your husband, your father, and one person sitting at Table Twelve were doing seventy-two hours before you walked down the aisle.”
Vanessa slowly turned toward Table Twelve.
The woman seated there stood.
Julian whispered,
“Oh God.”
I lifted the flash drive toward the control booth.
The technician placed his hand over the PLAY button.
And Vanessa screamed—
“DON’T YOU DARE!”
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