Chapter 3 - The Total Ruin of the Wedding
"You framed me," Vivienne said, her voice cutting through the humiliation that Chloe had tried to inflict on her. "You deliberately hid your own ring just to have an excuse to strip-search me and ruin my dignity in front of everyone."
"Vivienne, please!" Dominic threw himself forward, falling to his knees in front of her. He reached out to grab the hem of her dress, but Alexander’s security team immediately stepped in, forcing him back. "Vivienne, I didn't know! I swear I didn't know they did this! I was just trying to avoid a scene! Please, think about our baby!"
"Do not speak about my grandchild," Alexander Vance roared, his patience completely depleted. "You stood by and watched your mother rip her clothes off. You watched your sister humiliate an eight-month pregnant woman. You are a coward, Dominic. And your family is finished."
Alexander looked at Julianne, his chief counsel. "Execute the clauses. Immediately."
"Yes, Mr. Vance," Julianne replied calmly. She stepped up to the microphone on the stage, displacing the terrified DJ.
"Attention all guests," Julianne announced. "As of five minutes ago, the Vance Group has terminated the venue contract for this wedding due to a gross violation of safety, assault on an executive family member, and illegal activity. This ballroom is officially closed. You have exactly ten minutes to vacate the premises before local law enforcement arrives to process the assault charges against Mrs. Eleanor Montgomery and the fraud charges against Mrs. Chloe Montgomery-Smith."
Chaos erupted.
The caterers immediately stopped serving. The bar staff began locking away the alcohol. The lights in the ballroom shifted from warm, romantic gold to harsh, bright security white, exposing every flawed detail of the room.
"You can't do this!" Chloe’s new husband, a man from a prominent old-money family, yelled as he looked at Chloe with disgust. "My family paid half a million dollars for this reception!"
"Your family paid the Vance Group," Julianne replied without missing a beat. "And per the terms and conditions of our luxury event contracts, any illegal activity or assault on our premises results in an immediate forfeiture of the deposit and zero refund. Furthermore, the Vance Group will be releasing the security footage to the press in exactly thirty minutes."
"The press?!" Eleanor shrieked, clutching her chest. "Our family business! Our reputation!"
"Your business is already gone," Alexander Vance said coldly. "Richard, your logistics company relies entirely on shipping lanes and warehouse leases owned by Vance Maritime. By 9:00 AM tomorrow, every single one of your leases is revoked. You are blacklisted from every major port in the country."
Richard fell backward into a chair, his face grey. He looked at his daughter Chloe, then at his wife Eleanor, and finally at his silent, cowardly son Dominic. "You fools," Richard whispered, tears streaming down his face. "You brought down an empire because you wanted to bully an innocent woman."
Vivienne looked at Dominic one last time. He was staring at her, begging with his eyes, but she felt absolutely nothing. The love that had survived three years of subtle emotional abuse had died the moment the fabric of her dress tore, and he told her to just comply.
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"Let's go home, Dad," Vivienne said softly.
"Of course, my beautiful girl," Alexander said, shielding her from the flashing cameras of the guests who were now recording the downfall of the Montgomery family.
