Chapter 3

"You went too far tonight. Joanna lost her parents young and has lived on scholarships since she was sixteen. You have no idea what she's been through."

Joanna spoke softly from behind him, "Nathan, stop. It's all right. If Vivian hates me, I'll stay out of her way from now on."

I looked over at her. "You'd better mean that. My memory is short, and when somebody I hate keeps showing up, my hands get busy."

Joanna's eyes went redder.

Nathan moved her a little further behind him.

That one movement was hard to look at.

It wasn't because I still wanted him.

It was because I suddenly realized I had spent two years blind enough to think something like this was worth marrying for.

Nathan kept his eyes on me. "Don't make it sound so ugly. Joanna is a girl who has been hurt a lot. I looked after her because she stayed with me when I was at the bottom."

"Stayed with you?" I laughed. "Was the bottom when the Westside Project stalled, when the bank was about to pull your loan, or when you waited three hours under my building for a signature?"

His expression locked up.

I leaned forward a little and lowered my voice.

"Nathan, don't price your cheap tenderness so high. She has coffee with you twice and you hand her a place in the family. I filled a twenty-seven million dollar hole for you, and you gave away my spot."

His throat moved.

Joanna spoke up quietly. "Vivian, I never wanted to take anything from you. Nathan only wanted me to feel like somebody's family for once."

I took my phone out, pulled up the planning group chat, and held the screen where she could see it.

I said, "Look at it. The white dress, I ordered. The bouquet, I chose. The stage, I paid for. Before you walked up there, not one thing on it was yours."

The hurt look slipped off Joanna's face for a second.

She lowered her head fast. "I didn't know."

I took the phone back. "Of course you didn't. All you know is how to wear the right size, stand in the right light, and cry on time."

Nathan finally lost hold of his temper.

He snapped, "Vivian Young, that's enough. Joanna didn't grow up the way you did. She has no home and nobody behind her. She wanted a little warmth at Thanksgiving. You had to fight her for that?"

I looked at him and almost laughed. "I fought her?"

I pushed the door open and got out, and my heels barely made a sound on the marble at the hotel entrance.

Nathan was half a head taller than me, but he took a step back when I came closer.

I raised my hand and pointed toward the banquet hall.

"The engagement party, the bride's place, the stage, the dress, the bouquet, the whole floor of my future husband's family. Who did you think all of it was for?"

He said nothing.

I raised my hand and slapped him again.

That one landed harder than the first.

Joanna screamed, "Vivian."

I turned my head. "Be quiet. I didn't hit you because your makeup is thick enough to dirty my hand."

Joanna's tears stopped in her eyes.

Nathan held his face, and his eyes were frightening. "Are you done hitting me?"

"No." I looked at him. "But your face still has business value. Save it for the shareholders tomorrow."

He had nothing to say.

I took out my phone and messaged the wedding planner.

I sent: [Cancel everything after this. The venue, the dress, the favors, the invitations, and the photographer. All of it.]

The planner had been watching the show and wrote back fast: [Ms. Young, are you sure you want everything canceled?]

I wrote back: [I'm sure. List the Hall family costs separately and send the bill to him personally tonight.]

Nathan watched me and finally understood that I wasn't bluffing.

He reached for my phone.

I brought my knee up hard into his shin.

He grunted and bent over.

I stepped back and looked at him coldly. "Touch me again and I'll have security drag you back into that hall. Your relatives can watch Mr. Hall crawl around a floor on a holiday."

Nathan's face turned an ugly gray.

Joanna hurried to hold him up, and her voice shook. "Nathan, are you all right?"

He pushed her hand away, but his eyes stayed on my face.

"Vivian Young, cancel the wedding if you want, but you can't touch the Westside Project. It's the biggest thing Hall Corporation has this year. You know what it means to the family."

I let out a short laugh. "Of course I know. Why else would I touch it?"

His eyes widened. "You're using company business to settle a personal score."

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm in a bad mood today, and I can't stand watching freeloaders eat well."

Joanna's face lost more color.

Nathan's jaw set. "The Westside Project has already broken ground. If the Young family pulls out now, what will people say? Your father won't let you run wild like this."

I called my father right there.

It rang twice, and he picked up.

He asked, "What is it? Has the dinner started?"

I put him on speaker and kept my voice steady.

"Dad, the engagement is off. Nathan Hall put another woman on the stage during the ceremony. I had the stage torn down. I'm freezing the Westside investment."

The line went quiet for two seconds.

My father said, "Did you hit him?"

Nathan's face locked up.

I said, "Twice."

My father sounded honestly let down. "Not enough. Handle the project however you want, and don't let the Hall Family keep trading on our name."

The call ended.