Chapter 2 - THE PENTHOUSE SUMMONS

The Grand Sterling Estate was a sprawling, Gothic masterpiece located in the Hudson Valley, fifty miles north of Manhattan. It was the chosen venue for the "Wedding of the Decade," as the society papers were calling it. The estate featured sweeping manicured lawns, stone gargoyles, and a massive ballroom that looked like it belonged in Versailles.

I arrived on Friday evening for the rehearsal dinner, driving my ten-year-old sedan through gates that were flanked by armed security and paparazzi. I felt like I was driving a pumpkin into a royal carriage line.

I wore a simple black wrap dress I had bought on clearance years ago. It was elegant but screamed "middle class" next to the sea of Valentino, Gucci, and Chanel swarming the estate. I didn't care. My only job tonight was to keep Betty and Maria safe, feed them dinner, and get them back to the hotel before the real heavy drinking began.

The girls, however, were entirely in their element. They wore beautiful velvet dresses, holding hands as they stared in awe at the string quartet playing in the corner of the grand dining hall.

Daniel was standing across the room, surrounded by a swarm of executives, politicians, and socialites. He looked devastatingly handsome in a bespoke tuxedo, but his eyes were completely empty. Ever since our conversation in the bridal boutique hallway two days ago, a dangerous shift had occurred within him. He was a man holding a lit match in a room full of gasoline, just waiting for the right moment to drop it.

His eyes found mine across the crowded room. He didn't smile, but the intensity of his gaze made my breath catch. He excused himself from the group of billionaires and began making his way toward me.

Before he could reach us, however, an imposing figure stepped into my path. It was Richard Sanders, Amanda’s father. He was a barrel-chested man with a red face, a booming laugh, and eyes like a shark. He held a glass of scotch and looked me up and down with blatant disgust.

"Well, well," Richard boomed, his voice carrying over the string quartet. "If it isn't the little office mouse from eight years ago. I must say, I'm shocked Daniel allowed you back into the building, let alone to my daughter's wedding. I thought we made it perfectly clear your services were no longer required, Ms. Monroe. Or is it Chen now?"

My grip on Maria's hand tightened. My heart hammered, but the anger bubbling in my chest overrode my fear. This was the man who had intercepted my calls. This was the man who had stolen my daughters' father from them.

"I'm here for my children, Mr. Sanders," I said, keeping my voice cold and level. "Daniel requested them."

Richard sneered, leaning in close so I could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Yes, his little PR stunt. Let me give you some advice, little girl. Once the vows are said tomorrow and the merger is finalized, those brats will be sent back to Queens where they belong. Amanda will not tolerate reminders of Daniel’s past indiscretions. Take your payout and disappear again. You’re good at that."

"Step away from her, Richard."

The voice cut through the air like a serrated blade. Daniel stood directly behind Richard Sanders. He wasn't yelling, but the lethal quietness of his tone made several guests nearby turn and stare.

Richard turned, putting on a jovial, fake smile. "Daniel, my boy! I was just having a chat with your... charity coordinator here."

"If you ever speak to her like that again," Daniel said, his blue eyes flashing with a predatory light, "I will ensure that Sanders Shipping is dismantled piece by piece, and I will personally bankrupt you. Do we understand each other?"

Richard’s smile vanished. The color drained from his ruddy face. He looked at Daniel, realizing instantly that this was not an idle threat. It was a promise.

"Now, Daniel, let's not let the stress of the wedding—"

"Walk away, Richard," Daniel commanded.

Richard swallowed hard, shot me a venomous look, and scurried away into the crowd.

Daniel turned to me, his chest heaving slightly under his tuxedo. He looked down at Betty and Maria, who were watching the exchange with wide eyes. "Girls, the caterers have set up a dessert station in the next room with a chocolate fountain. Why don't you go see if you can find some strawberries?"

The girls cheered and scurried off, leaving Daniel and me alone in the corner of the massive, opulent room.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said softly, the harshness leaving his face the moment he looked at me. "I shouldn't have put you in a room with these vultures."

"It's fine," I lied, my hands trembling slightly. "I'm used to being the help."

"Don't say that," he pleaded, stepping closer. He reached out, his fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. The touch was so tender, so incredibly familiar, that it shattered the walls I had spent eight years building. "You were never the help, Rachel. You were the only real thing in my entire godforsaken life. And they stole you from me."

"Daniel, you're getting married tomorrow," I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. "You can't do this. You can't look at me like that."

"Come with me," he said abruptly, grabbing my hand.

Before I could protest, he pulled me out of the grand hall, down a long, dimly lit corridor lined with oil paintings, and out a set of French doors into the estate’s massive rose garden. The night air was cool, the moon hidden behind thick, dark clouds.

He pulled me into the shadows of a stone trellis, away from the prying eyes of the guests, the cameras, and his fiancé.

"I've spent the last forty-eight hours ripping my company apart from the inside," Daniel confessed, his hands gripping my shoulders. His eyes were wild, desperate. "I fired my executive team. I hired private investigators. You were right, Rachel. Richard Sanders orchestrated the whole thing. When he found out we were involved, he knew it would jeopardize the merger. He paid off my assistants. He intercepted your calls. He made me believe you took a payout from a competitor and vanished."

I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. "Oh my god."

"I spent years hating you," Daniel whispered, his voice breaking. He dropped his forehead against mine, his breath mingling with mine. "I spent years drinking myself to sleep, trying to figure out why I wasn't enough for you to stay. And all this time, you were raising my children in Queens, thinking I abandoned you."

"We can't change the past, Daniel," I cried softly, the tears finally falling. "We lost eight years. And tomorrow, you're marrying his daughter."

Daniel pulled back, his hands cupping my face. His thumbs wiped away my tears. "Do you honestly think I could stand at an altar and pledge my life to that family after what they did to us? Do you think I care about the company, the merger, or the money anymore?"