Chapter 3 - No Mercy
"This wedding is over," Daniel announced, though he didn't mean the marriage itself—he meant the farce of a celebration with people who didn't respect us. "But before we depart, let's finalize the business at hand."
He looked back at Vivian. "Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, the police will arrive at your residence with a warrant for grand larceny, forgery, and corporate fraud. Furthermore, Cross Industries is calling in the full balance of the loans immediately. Since your company is bankrupt, we will be seizing all assets, including your home, your vehicles, and the boutique you bought for Clara."
"You can't do this!" Clara screamed, stepping forward, her entitlement overriding her fear. "Elena, please! We're family! You can't let him ruin our lives! Where are we supposed to go? What are we supposed to do?"
"You can do what I did for the last three years, Clara," I said softly, looking at my cousin who had spent her life mocking me. "You can learn what it's like to work for a living. You can learn what it's like when nobody looks at you with admiration. You can try surviving on your own."
Daniel didn't wait for another word. He gently took my hand, guiding me away from the head table. Marcus and a team of private security guards stepped forward, blocking Vivian and Clara from following us. As we walked down the aisle of the ballroom, the guests parted like the Red Sea. No one dared to look me in the eye; no one dared to snicker. The power dynamic had completely flipped.
We walked out of the hotel ballroom and into the crisp night air, where a sleek black limousine was waiting.
As soon as the car door closed behind us, cutting off the noise of the hotel, the tension left my body. I slumped against the leather seat, a deep exhale leaving my lungs. For three years, I had carried the weight of my scars like a punishment. Tonight, that weight was gone.
Daniel immediately wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. He kissed the top of my head, his hands gently cupping the right side of my face, then moving over to the left, his fingers tracing the rough, raised tissue beneath my jaw.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, his eyes filled with a deep, fierce tenderness that made everything else melt away.
"I'm better than okay," I said, a genuine smile breaking across my face. "For the first time in my life, I feel completely free."
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"This is just the beginning, Elena," Daniel promised, kissing my forehead. "They will never hurt you again. I swear it."
But as the limousine pulled away into the city lights, I knew that Vivian and Clara wouldn't go down without a fight. A cornered animal is always the most dangerous, and Vivian had too much pride to let a 'hideous' girl take away her empire without trying to burn everything down one last time.
