Chapter 2 - The Wedding Nobody Was Supposed to Know About
By 7:15 that morning, Harper had been transformed into a woman she barely recognized.
Vincent’s private attorney, Marcus Hale, had arrived at her apartment with a team of assistants, paperwork, and two garment bags.
Harper was still sitting at the tiny kitchen table wearing diner sneakers when Marcus placed a marriage license in front of her.
“Sign here.”
Harper stared at the document.
“This is happening too fast.”
Marcus glanced at the clock.
“The judge is at nine.”
Harper signed.
Twenty minutes later, she was wearing a simple ivory dress that had apparently been selected by someone who knew her exact size.
“Who measured me?”
Vincent appeared in the doorway.
Harper nearly jumped.
“You.”
“I what?”
“You knew my size.”
“No.”
He looked at his assistant.
The young woman immediately stepped forward.
“Your employer keeps personnel records,” she explained. “Mr. Romano asked me to estimate.”
Harper stared at Vincent.
“You have personnel records on me?”
“I had you investigated.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Excuse me?”
“You cannot enter my life without me knowing who you are.”
“You could have told me.”
“You would have asked whether I trusted you.”
“I would have.”
“And I would have said no.”
Harper folded her arms.
At least he was consistent.
The wedding took place in a private municipal office.
No flowers.
No guests.
No photographers.
Just the judge, Marcus, two witnesses, and Vincent standing beside Harper in a black suit.
When the judge asked whether she wanted to proceed, Harper looked at Lily’s photo on her phone.
It showed her sister missing one front tooth and smiling through a mouthful of blue frosting.
“Yes.”
Vincent said the same.
Their signatures dried on the certificate.
And just like that, Harper became Harper Romano.
She expected to feel sick.
Instead she felt numb.
Outside the building, Vincent opened the passenger door of a black SUV.
Harper stopped.
“Where are we going?”
“Court.”
Her stomach dropped.
“You mean I have twenty minutes?”
“Twenty-four.”
“You are remarkably calm.”
“I have been to worse places.”
“That does not make me feel better.”
“It should.”
She entered the vehicle.
The drive to court passed in silence.
At nine sharp, Harper entered the courtroom holding Vincent’s hand.
Richard was already there.
His face shifted when he saw her.
Then his eyes landed on Vincent.
His expression changed completely.
“What the hell is this?”
Harper had never seen fear move so visibly across Richard’s face.
The judge entered.
Everyone stood.
Richard’s lawyer immediately requested a recess.
The request was denied.
Harper sat beside Vincent.
The judge adjusted her glasses.
“Ms. Harper Ellis?”
“Romano, Your Honor.”
Richard stared.
The judge noticed the ring on Harper’s finger.
“Are you married?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
The judge looked over her glasses.
“This morning?”
“Yes.”
“And your husband is?”
Vincent stood.
“Vincent Romano.”
A murmur went through the courtroom.
The judge’s face tightened.
“You are Mr. Romano?”
“Yes.”
She leaned back.
“You understand you are currently named in a federal indictment?”
Vincent nodded.
“I am aware.”
Harper’s heart stopped.
He had not told her the indictment was public.
Richard’s attorney immediately jumped in.
“Your Honor, this marriage was clearly manufactured for financial purposes.”
Vincent spoke calmly.
“I have no financial interest in obtaining custody of Lily Ellis.”
The judge looked at Harper.
“Mrs. Romano, why did you marry Mr. Romano?”
Harper felt the room watching her.
She could lie.
She could repeat the prepared statement Marcus had given her.
Instead she remembered Vincent’s one strange rule.
Never lie to me about Lily.
She looked directly at the judge.
“Because my sister needs me.”
Her voice shook.
“But because I am young and poor, everyone assumes that means I cannot take care of her.”
The judge said nothing.
Harper continued.
“I work two jobs. I pay our rent. I take Lily to school. I make sure she takes her medication when she’s sick. I sit beside her when she wakes up crying. I am not wealthy. I am not perfect. But Lily knows she is safe with me.”
Richard scoffed.
“She’s twenty-four!”
“And you’re sixty-one,” Harper snapped. “But you asked how much the casket cost.”
The courtroom went silent.
Richard’s face reddened.
Vincent slowly turned his head toward Harper.
There was something in his eyes she could not read.
The judge requested evidence.
Marcus presented bank records showing a trust account established for Lily.
Vincent had transferred a legally protected bond into a separate family account without touching Lily’s inheritance.
The judge examined the documentation.
Then she asked whether Harper had stable housing.
Vincent answered.
“My wife and her sister will live at my residence.”
Richard protested.
The judge raised a hand.
“Mr. Ellis, you will wait your turn.”
The hearing continued for nearly forty minutes.
When it ended, the judge issued a temporary custody order keeping Lily with Harper pending a full review.
Richard stormed from the courtroom.
Harper stood frozen.
She had won time.
Not forever.
But time.
Vincent leaned toward her.
“Breathe.”
She realized she was holding her breath.
She exhaled.
Then she did something she had not planned.
She hugged him.
Vincent froze.
His arms remained at his sides.
Harper released him immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
He looked down at her.
“You don’t have to apologize for surviving.”
She stared at him.
That sentence did not sound like something a dangerous man was supposed to say.
Before she could answer, a camera flash erupted outside.
Then another.
Marcus went pale.
“That’s not good.”
Vincent’s expression hardened.
A dozen reporters crowded near the courthouse steps.
Someone shouted.
“Mr. Romano, did you marry your waitress to influence the court?”
Another shouted.
“Is your new wife part of your defense strategy?”
Harper looked at Vincent.
“This was supposed to stay private.”
“It was.”
“Then who leaked it?”
Vincent’s eyes moved through the crowd.
He noticed one man standing apart.
Gray coat.
Black umbrella.
No camera.
Just watching.
Vincent’s face went cold.
“Inside.”
“What?”
“Now.”
He grabbed Harper’s hand and pulled her back toward the courthouse.
She stumbled.
“What’s happening?”
His voice dropped.
“That man is not a reporter.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I buried three men who worked for him.”
Harper stopped walking.
Vincent pulled her behind him.
“Stay close.”
“Who is he?”
“Dario Vescari.”
The name meant nothing to Harper.
But the fear in Marcus’s eyes told her it should.
Vincent looked toward the courthouse doors.
“Someone told him about our marriage before we left the ceremony.”
Harper whispered, “Maybe the press found out.”
Vincent shook his head.
“No.”
His eyes returned to the gray coat.
“They knew about you before last night.”
Harper’s blood ran cold.
“Why?”
Vincent’s answer was barely audible.
“That is what I’m going to find out.”
They reached the armored SUV.
Before Vincent entered, he turned to Harper.
“I need you to understand something.”
She looked at him.
“Our contract is fake.”
He touched the ring on her finger.
“But the threat against you might not be.”
May you like
The vehicle doors slammed shut.
And Harper realized the marriage she thought was an escape plan had just made her a target.
