Chapter 4: The Chairwoman Speaks
“KILL THE MUSIC! LIGHTS UP! NOW!”
Marcus’s voice boomed over the PA system, overriding the band.
Instantly, the jazz music died with a screech of feedback. The romantic, dim mood lighting flooded into stark, blinding white floodlights, illuminating every corner of the terrace.
The guests shielded their eyes. The atmosphere shattered.
“What the hell is going on?” Sarah shrieked, stomping her foot. “Who turned on the work lights? Turn them off! It’s too bright!”
“Security!” my father bellowed. “Get down there and throw that woman and her brat off the island! They are disrupting the event!”
Six massive security guards, dressed in tactical black uniforms, emerged from the shadows. They moved with a speed that made the guests gasp. They marched onto the upper terrace.
“Finally!” Sarah yelled. “Get her out of here!”
The guards walked right past the stairs leading down to me. They walked right past the guests. They walked straight up to the head table.
Two guards grabbed my father by the arms. Two guards grabbed my mother. And two guards leveled tasers directly at Sarah and Greg.
“Hey!” my father roared, struggling against the grip of a man twice his size. “Unhand me! Do you know who I am? I am the father of the bride! Greg paid two million dollars for this island! I will have your jobs!”
“Apologies,” Marcus said. His voice was calm, amplified by the sudden silence. He walked to the edge of the balcony and looked down at me. “Ma’am? What are your orders?”
“Ma’am?” Sarah laughed, a high, hysterical sound. “Why are you asking her? She’s a nobody! She’s a broke secretary!”
I climbed the stone stairs. I didn’t run. I walked. I was covered in dirt and my daughter’s blood. My hair was wild. I looked like a banshee.
I walked onto the dance floor. The crowd parted for me like the Red Sea.
I walked up to the bandstand and grabbed the microphone.
I turned to face my family.
“This wedding,” I said, my voice echoing across the atoll, cold and hard as a diamond, “is cancelled.”
“You can’t cancel it!” Sarah screamed, trying to lunge at me, but the guard held her back. “It’s my wedding! Greg paid for it!”
I turned to Greg. He was shaking so hard his teeth were chattering. He looked like he was about to vomit.
“Tell them, Greg,” I commanded.
“I…” Greg squeaked.
“TELL THEM!” I roared into the microphone. The sound made everyone jump.
Greg collapsed into a chair, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t have the money,” he sobbed. “I never had the money. I’m broke. Elena… Elena paid. She paid for everything.”
My mother’s face went slack. “What?”
“I own the Sapphire Atoll,” I said, addressing the stunned guests. “I bought it three years ago. I run Aurora Ventures. The hedge fund you all think is a ‘little accounting job’ manages four billion dollars in assets.”
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
I walked over to Sarah. She looked small now, trapped in her ridiculous, stained dress.
“I paid for the lace you dragged on the floor,” I said, pointing at the hem. “I paid for the altar where you stood and lied. I even paid for the diamonds around your neck.”
I leaned in close, letting her see the fire in my eyes.
“You called me a ‘bitter spinster.’ You called me a ‘failure.’ But you didn’t know you were drinking my wine, standing on my island, and dancing on my dime.”
I turned back to Marcus.
“My daughter needs a medevac helicopter immediately. As for these people…” I gestured to my parents and Sarah. “They are trespassers. Remove them from the VIP area.”
“Elena!” my mother gasped, reaching for me. “You… you’re a billionaire?”
“I am,” I said. “And you are finished.”
