Chapter 3 - The Invitation

Five years after I walked away from Beverly Hills, Ryan Montgomery announced his high-society wedding to Vanessa Carter at the grand St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles.

The wedding was intended to be the social event of the decade—a desperate attempt by the Montgomery family to project wealth and stability to investors, despite rumors that their logistics company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

On the morning of the wedding, Ryan stood in the groom's suite, adjusting his silk bowtie in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror. His mother, Rebecca, stood nearby, adjusting her signature pearl necklace.

"Everything is set, Ryan," Rebecca boasted, a triumphant smile on her face. "The press is outside, the mayor has arrived, and Vanessa’s family has invited the city's top executives. Today, the Montgomery name is restored."

"I just need the Sterling Global contract signed, Mother," Ryan sighed, looking tired. Dark circles sat under his eyes. "If their representative doesn't sign the merger agreement today, the bank forecloses on our primary operations hub by Monday."

"Don't worry," Rebecca scoffed gently. "The Sterling Group sent word this morning that their CEO will personally attend the reception to finalize the paperwork. Everything is falling into place."

A heavy knock sounded on the suite door. An assistant walked in, holding an elegant black velvet box.

"Mr. Montgomery," the assistant said nervously. "A courier just delivered this for you from the Sterling Global executive suite. They requested you open it before stepping down the aisle."

Ryan frowned, taking the box. He opened the silver latch and lifted the lid.

Inside rested a single pair of tiny, white baby shoes, accompanied by a small, gold-embossed card.

Ryan picked up the card, his brow furrowing as he read the handwritten message aloud:

“Eleven years of waiting. Five years of truth. See you at table one.”

May you like

My parents missed the funeral of my husband and two children because it...

The hospital chapel smelled of floor wax, wilted carnations, and cold stone. It was a sterile, narrow room tucked away near the lo...

Please hurry… my dad and his friend are drunk, and they’re doing it to m...

At exactly 11:47 p.m., while heavy rain pounded against the windows of our small house outside Portland, I hid inside the bedroom...

Twelve Nannies Quit His Screaming Twins… Then a Poor Maid’s Two-Year-Old...

The iron gates of the Kwon estate swung open with a heavy, mechanical hum, revealing a world that Maya Brooks had only ever seen f...

Ryan’s face paled slightly. "What is this? Who sent this?"

"Probably a practical joke from one of your fraternity brothers," Rebecca snapped dismissively, grabbing the box and throwing it into the trash. "Ignore it, Ryan. You have a wedding to get through."