Chapter 6 - The Unraveling
Preston Wellington’s hand trembled as he pulled a black American Express Centurion card from his alligator-skin wallet and laid it on the desk.
"Process the charge," Preston muttered, looking at the floor, completely defeated.
Michael Chin immediately took the card, swiped it through the terminal on the desk, and printed out the receipt. He handed the pen to Preston, who signed it without saying a single word.
"The balance is paid in full, Miss Campbell," Michael confirmed.
"Thank you, Michael," I said. "Please take fifty percent of that disputed fifty thousand dollars and distribute it directly as a staff bonus to Maria and the rest of the floor crew who worked this event."
Michael’s face broke into a broad, genuine smile. "Right away, ma'am."
Preston turned on his heel and rushed out of the executive office without looking back at his son or his new daughter-in-law.
Trevor stood in the center of the office, looking entirely lost. He glanced at Vanessa, then at me. "Maya... I... I didn't know—"
"Get out, Trevor," I said quietly. "Go back to your guests."
Trevor practically ran out the door, desperate to escape the suffocating weight of my presence.
That left Vanessa standing alone in the massive executive office. The white lace of her $12,000 designer gown, which she had bragged about all weekend, suddenly looked absurd against the understated luxury of my boardroom.
She stared at me, tears of pure humiliation brimming in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Why did you let us treat you like that all weekend? Why did you let Mom say those things to you?!"
I looked at my sister—the girl who had spent her entire life stepping on me to make herself feel tall.
"Because I wanted to see if any of you had changed, Vanessa," I said honestly. "I wanted to give you a chance to love me as your sister, regardless of what was in my bank account or what dress I was wearing. But you couldn't even let me stand in a family photograph because my dress was polyester."
Vanessa buried her face in her hands, letting out a ragged, sob. "Mom is going to lose her mind... Derek... oh God, Derek told you to leave..."
"Go back to your party, Vanessa," I said, turning my back to her and looking out the window at the ocean. "Your three-hundred-thousand-dollar wedding is waiting for you."
May you like
She stood there for another ten seconds, waiting for me to comfort her, to offer a forgiving smile, to fix the mess her arrogance had created.
When I didn't move, she turned and slowly walked out of the office, her heavy lace train dragging silently across the floorboards.
