Chapter 10: The Aftermath of Ruins
Inside the grand banquet hall,the heavy silence gave way to an unsettling tide of murmurs and rustling silk as guests hastily gathered their belongings. Thetowering stained-glass windows cast long, skewed shadows across the polished white marble floor, illuminating the scattered floral arrangements and the solitary, glitteringremnants of a shattered champagne glass near the center aisle. Brandon remained rooted to the dais, his tuxedo feeling suddenly restrictive as themagnitude of his catastrophe settled over him. The elite circle of financiers, executives, and old-money peers who had filledthe velvet chairs only minutes earlier were now streaming toward the exit, their expressions carefully neutral as they distanced themselves from the implosion of the family name.
Chloe knelt upon the hem of her elaborate wedding gown, her mascara smudged andher diamond tiara askew as she clutched frantically at Brandon’s sleeve. "You have to fix this, Brandon,"she sobbed, her voice cracking with sudden panic as she realized the golden future she had schemed for was evaporating.Brandon pulled his arm away with a sharp, violent jerk, his dark eyes hollow and bloodshot. He stared down at her notwith love or even anger, but with a cold, terrifying realization. Every single luxury, every corporate alliance, and every socialdoor that had ever opened for him had just slammed shut because of the malicious web she had spun. He didn't uttera single word in response; the silence between them spoke of an unbridgeable chasm built on lies and shattered entirelyby the truth.
