Chapter 2 - The Setup
The silence in the room was suffocating as Cassandra reached down to grab Vanessa’s black clutch, intending to open it and display the stolen diamond to the cameras. But Vanessa was faster.
She dropped to her knees, her perfectly toned arms moving with lightning speed. She scooped up the clutch before Cassandra's manicured fingers could touch it. Standing back up, she popped the clasp open. Inside, resting on top of her lipstick, was a small, high-tech recording device and a smartphone, its screen glowing with an active, ongoing phone call.
Vanessa held the phone up to her ear, a cold, dazzling smile spreading across her lips as she looked at Eleanor and Cassandra.
"Dad," Vanessa said into the phone, her voice carrying clearly through the silent ballroom. "It’s time."
From the back of the ballroom, the heavy double doors swung open with a resounding bang. A man in a sharp, understated grey suit walked in, flanked by four men in dark jackets with "Federal Bureau of Investigation" clearly printed across the back. The man leading them was Thomas Vance, a legendary former federal prosecutor and Vanessa's father.
The Sterlings had spent months investigating Vanessa, but they had only looked at her current tax returns and her small fitness studio chain. They had completely failed to realize that her father was the man who had spent the last five years building a federal corruption case against Sterling Enterprises.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Eleanor demanded, her aristocratic voice shaking slightly as she recognized Thomas Vance. "This is a private family matter! Get these people out of my wedding!"
"It’s not your wedding anymore, Eleanor," Thomas said, his voice calm and unyielding as he walked down the aisle, his eyes softening only when he looked at his daughter. "And it’s certainly not a private matter. Ten minutes ago, your head of security, whom you paid half a million dollars to plant that diamond in my daughter's bridal suite, turned himself in to federal authorities. He handed over the encrypted text messages you sent him instructing him to frame Vanessa for grand larceny."
Cassandra’s face drained of all color, her hands dropping the remnants of Vanessa’s bridal dress. Dominic looked like he was about to faint, his eyes darting frantically between his mother and the federal agents.
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"Vanessa, please," Dominic begged, taking a step toward her, his hands extended. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know they were going to do this!"
"But you let them tear my dress, Dominic," Vanessa said, her voice dripping with absolute scorn as she stepped away from him. "You stood there and told me to let them check. You chose your mother’s money over your wife. Now, you get to watch what happens when that money disappears."
