Chapter 4 - The Crimson Invitation
The dress was delivered to my small apartment at 4 PM.
It was a deep,
velvet crimson,
the color of a heart that refused to be silenced.
Along with it was a pair of diamond earrings and a simple note:
Wear these. Be brave. I’m coming for you.
I spent an hour in front of the mirror,
hardly recognizing the woman looking back at me.
The girl who pushed salad around her plate was gone,
replaced by someone who looked like she belonged in a palace.
Harper came over to help me with my hair,
her hands shaking as she pinned the dark curls.
"This is insane, Maya,"
she whispered,
spraying a cloud of hairspray.
"You’re going into the lion’s den wearing red."
"Maybe the lion should be afraid of me,"
I said,
though my stomach was doing somersaults.
A black town car arrived at 7,
the driver holding the door open with practiced silence.
The ride to the Carter estate felt like a journey to another planet.
Manicured lawns stretched for miles,
and the mansion itself was a fortress of limestone and light.
I stepped out of the car,
the heels of my shoes clicking on the gravel like a countdown.
Inside,
the air was thick with the scent of lilies and expensive perfume.
Men in tuxedos and women in silk moved like schools of predatory fish.
I saw Nathan across the room,
standing next to a beautiful woman in a white gown.
That must be her,
I thought,
my chest tightening with a sharp,
sudden jealousy.
Clarissa Vance,
the shipping heiress.
She looked perfect,
polished,
and entirely cold.
Nathan saw me then,
and for a moment,
the entire room seemed to disappear.
He didn't care about the cameras,
or the board members,
or his father’s watchful eye.
He started walking toward me,
cutting through the crowd like a knife through silk.
When he reached me,
he didn't say a word.
He simply took my hand and kissed my knuckles,
a gesture that sent a shockwave of silence through the ballroom.
"You look magnificent,"
he whispered.
"And you look like you’re about to start a riot,"
I replied,
noticing the way Elias Carter was turning purple in the distance.
"I’m about to do something much worse,"
Nathan said,
a dangerous glint in his eye.
"I’m about to tell the truth."
He led me to the center of the room,
just as the orchestra stopped playing.
The silence was heavy,
expectant,
and terrifying.
Elias Carter stepped onto the small stage,
tapping a microphone that echoed through the hall.
"Friends, colleagues,"
the old man began,
his voice booming.
"Tonight, we celebrate the future of Northstar and the union of two great families."
"I give you my son, Nathan, and his future bride, Clarissa."
The room erupted in polite applause,
but Nathan didn't move toward the stage.
He stayed right by my side,
his hand gripping mine so hard his knuckles were white.
"I think there has been a mistake,"
Nathan said,
his voice unamplified but carrying to every corner of the room.
The applause died instantly,
replaced by a collective gasp.
"I am not marrying Clarissa Vance,"
he announced,
looking directly at his father.
"Because I have already found the woman who holds my heart."
He turned to me,
May you like
and in that moment,
I knew there was no going back.
