Chapter 4 - The Ripple Effect
The wedding reception, which was supposed to be the crowning achievement of Nicholas’s social climbing, turned into a slow-motion disaster.
Within thirty minutes of Emmett's announcement, the atmosphere in the room shifted entirely. The investors who had been laughing loudly with my brother suddenly found reasons to check their phones and slip away toward the exits. The CEO of Vanguard Holdings, the very man Nicholas had bragged about hosting, quietly left after realizing that associating with Nicholas meant risking his relationship with Emmett Stewart.
I didn't stay to watch the cake cutting. Emmett and I walked out of the ballroom together, leaving behind the whispers, the shattered pride of my family, and the expensive Italian espresso machine that Nicholas had so carelessly dismissed.
As we stepped out into the crisp, cool Vermont night air, Emmett looked down at me with a soft smile. "I hope I didn't ruin your family dynamics too permanently."
"You didn't ruin anything, Emmett," I laughed, a real, free sound that echoed against the stone facade of the estate. "You just forced them to look at the balance sheet. They’ve been living on a deficit of respect for years."
"Well, your balance sheet is about to look very different," he said, opening the door to his sleek black sedan. "Let's get back to the city. We have a press release to draft for the new CCO, and I think you should write it yourself. In your old sweatpants, if you prefer."
May you like
"Only if I can eat instant noodles while doing it," I smiled, climbing into the passenger seat.
Behind us, the lights of the luxury estate glowed through the trees, a perfect, expensive lie that had finally been exposed to the truth. My brother had wanted to keep me hidden away in the corner, but by trying to push me down, he had given me the exact stage I needed to finally rise above them all.
