Chapter 2 - The Arrival at St. Simons
The autumn sky over St. Simons Island was a brilliant, cloudless azure on the afternoon of the wedding. The Carrington Coastal Resort was a sprawling masterpiece of Spanish-revoverride architecture, featuring white stucco walls, terracotta roofs, and pristine fountains surrounding a lush lawn that sloped down toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Valet attendants in crisp white uniforms rushed around luxury sedans, sports cars, and private shuttle vans delivering the elite of Georgia society. Senators, real estate moguls, legacy families, and high-court judges walked along the stone pavers in designer tuxedos and pastel silk gowns.
Inside the grand bridal suite overlooking the ocean, Lenora Carrington stood before a full-length gilded mirror, adjusting her lavender silk jacket. Her hair was styled in a flawless silver chignon, and a three-strand pearl necklace sat tightly against her collarbone.
"Everything is perfection, Lenora," murmured her social secretary, checking a clipboard. "The press has been positioned strictly behind the velvet ropes at the gates. The governor's party has just been seated in the second row."
Lenora smiled, a cool, satisfied expression. "And Victoria?"
"She is stunning. The Ashworth family brought their private security detail, of course. The diamonds she is wearing belonged to her great-grandmother."
"Good," Lenora said, touching her pearls. "An Ashworth is what this family required. Real substance. Real lineage. Not some mechanic's daughter who thought a charity degree made her worthy of my son."
Lenora paused, looking toward the window. "Did we get confirmation on the delivery of the guest registry?"
"Yes, ma'am. And... the invitation you personally requested to be mailed to Augusta was marked as delivered four days ago."
Lenora’s smile widened slightly. "Excellent. If she has an ounce of pride left, she won't dare show her face. But if she does, she will see what Harrison was truly born to achieve."
Downstairs, in the groom's holding room, Harrison Carrington stood staring out the French doors toward the ocean. He wore a custom-tailored black tuxedo, his cufflink shining under the chandelier light.
At thirty-two, Harrison looked older than his years. There were light lines around his eyes, and his shoulders held a subtle, perpetual tension. To the outside world, he had everything: he was now chief operating officer of Carrington Enterprises, his name appeared on every major real estate venture in Savannah, and he was about to marry Victoria Ashworth, consolidating two of the state's largest land empires.
Yet, inside, Harrison felt a strange, hollow numbness that had settled into his chest five years ago and had never truly left.
The door opened, and his best man, Julian, walked in carrying two glasses of scotch. "Ten minutes to showtime, Harrison. You look like you're walking toward a firing squad instead of an altar."
Harrison took the glass, taking a small sip without tasting it. "Just nerves, Julian."
"Right. Nerves about marrying the daughter of a shipping magnate," Julian chuckled, leaning against the mahogany desk. "Your mother is walking around out there like a queen who just conquered Europe. She’s been bragging about this union for six months."
Harrison looked down at his glass. "My mother gets what she wants."
"Hey," Julian said, his voice dropping slightly, becoming serious. "I know you think about Evelyn sometimes. But that was five years ago, man. She walked away. She didn't fight for you."
Harrison turned his head back toward the ocean, his grip tightening on the crystal glass. She didn't walk away because she didn't care, he thought silently, though he didn't say the words out loud. She walked away because I didn't say a single word when my mother tore her to pieces.
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"It's time, Harrison," his mother's voice called from the doorway. Lenora stood there, her eyes sharp and commanding. "The string quartet has begun the prelude. Walk out there and make this family proud."
Harrison swallowed the rest of his drink, set the glass on the table, and followed his mother out into the sunlight.
