Chapter 5 - The Desperate Ploy
We planned the wedding in exactly thirty days. Since the trust funded it, we didn't have to cut corners, but we chose to keep it deeply intimate. We selected a beautiful botanical garden on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by blooming cherry blossoms and old-growth oak trees. The guest list was small—Daniel’s family, a few close friends who had stood by me when my family tried to paint me as the unstable one, and my father. Mom and Vanessa were explicitly banned, and I hired private security to ensure they wouldn't ruin the day.
But cornered animals are the most dangerous.
Two days before the wedding, I was at the estate finalizing the catering menu when my phone buzzed. It was an unknown number. Against my better judgment, I answered it.
“Claire, please don’t hang up,” Vanessa’s voice came through the speaker, frantic and breathless. She sounded completely unhinged.
“Vanessa, you aren't supposed to be contacting me. My lawyers made that very clear,” I said, keeping my voice dangerously calm.
“You’re ruining my life!” she screamed, dropping the pleading act instantly. “Mom is a wreck, Dad won’t even look at me, and I’m about to be evicted from my apartment! You have forty million dollars! All you have to do is sign over a fraction of it, and we will leave you alone forever. If you don’t, I swear to God, Claire, I will go to the press. I will tell them you manipulated Grandma’s will. I will make your life a living hell.”
I let out a slow, dark laugh. The sound surprised even me. “Vanessa, you really haven’t learned a single thing, have you? Go to the press. Please. Because the moment you do, Mr. Harris will release the audio tapes of you and Mom conspiring to commit fraud. He’ll release the security footage of you throwing yourself at Daniel at the lake house. You think you’re a social pariah now? Try doing it on the front page of the city paper.”
Silence hung heavily on the line.
“You’re a monster,” she whispered venomously.
“No,” I replied softly. “I’m just Evelyn Whitaker’s granddaughter. Do not contact me again, or my next call is to the police.” I hung up and blocked the number.
When I told Daniel about the call later that evening, he didn't look worried; he looked furious. “She’s not going to stop until she’s forced to,” he said, pacing the living room. “I’ll double the security for the ceremony. No one is getting past the gates without ID.”
“I’m not afraid of her anymore, Daniel,” I said, walking over and placing my hands on his chest. “She has no power over me. All her life, her power came from my silence and my compliance. I’m not playing her game anymore.”
He looked down at me, his eyes dark with intensity. “I just want you to have the perfect day. You deserve the perfect day.”
May you like
“As long as you are at the end of the aisle,” I told him, “it will be.”
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