Chapter 2 - THE SHATTERED ALTAR
The silence in the grand hall was deafening. Arthur Sterling’s piercing blue eyes remained locked on the trembling waitress, entirely ignoring the frantic screams of his bride. Vanessa lunged forward, her $40,000 silk gown tearing as she tried to slap the envelope from Emily’s hands. Arthur intercepted her wrist effortlessly. "Enough," he growled, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. He turned back to Emily, his thumb gently brushing the tarnished silver ring on her finger. He remembered the day he bought it in a dusty antique shop in Paris for his first wife, Sarah. "The wedding is canceled," Arthur announced to the gasping crowd of elites. "Clear the island."
