Chapter 2
Three days later, at the Plands Hotel in Tymands.
The marriage between the Waters Group and the Knight Group was the talk of the town, with nearly half the business elite showing up.
The sign-in table was packed with VIP name tags, making it clear just how big this event was.
I stood in the café across from the hotel, watching the brightly lit building through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
My phone rang.
"Georgette, your flight's in four hours. Are you really not leaving?" Gabrielle Fairbank sounded anxious on the other end.
I stirred my coffee.
"I canceled my flight," I said.
"Are you crazy? If Zach finds out you stayed..."
"He won't know," I cut her off.
I hung up.
A news notification popped up on my screen. [Tymands business world celebrates. Waters Group CEO Zach Waters marries Knight Group heiress Lulu today.]
The photo showed the two of them posing together on the red carpet.
Lulu was wearing a luxury wedding dress, with an emerald necklace around her neck.
My mom passed the necklace down to me.
I flipped my phone over and set it face down on the table.
The waiter walked over. "Miss, do you want your order packed up?"
"No," I said.
I stood up and picked up the inconspicuous brown paper bag beside me.
Inside was a document.
It was my "big gift."
As I walked out of the café, a black Maybach was parked by the curb.
The window rolled down, revealing a stranger's face.
"Miss Perry?" he asked.
I didn't move.
"Mr. Stevenson sent me to pick you up," he said.
I frowned. "I don't know any Mr. Stevenson."
"Mr. Stevenson said you'd need a pass to get into the wedding," he replied.
He handed me a gold-embossed invitation.
I took it and glanced at it.
It read: [Special Guest. Mr. Morton Stevenson, plus one.]
In Tymands, Morton was legendary among business circles.
No one had ever seen his face, but everyone knew he held the reins to half of Shiensmoor's financial world.
"Why would he help me?" I asked.
The driver smiled. "Mr. Stevenson said he just wants to see the show."