Chapter 3 - The Frozen Kingdom
Back in the garden,
Marlowe was in the middle of a toast,
holding a fresh glass of champagne aloft.
"To the future!"
she cried out,
her voice ringing with a false sincerity that made the older guests cringe.
"To the union of two great families and the growth of our legacy!"
Julian smiled,
though his eyes kept darting toward the manor,
worrying about his mother.
He tried to pull his phone from his pocket to check on her,
but Marlowe placed a hand over his.
"Don't worry about her,
darling,"
she whispered.
"She’s fine.
Let’s just enjoy our night."
But the enjoyment was about to hit an icy wall.
At the open bar,
a prominent senator tried to order a vintage scotch,
but the server looked confused as he stared at the tablet in front of him.
"I’m sorry,
sir,"
the server said,
his brow furrowed.
"The account associated with the bar has been flagged.
I can’t process any more orders."
Nearby,
the wedding planner,
a woman who prided herself on perfection,
approached Marlowe with a frantic expression.
"Marlowe,
we have a problem.
The florist and the catering lead just messaged me.
Their final payment transfers were just reversed by the bank.
They’re threatening to stop the service."
Marlowe laughed,
thinking it was a clerical error.
"That’s impossible.
Use the emergency corporate card I gave you."
The planner pulled out the card and swiped it on her mobile terminal.
A bright red light flashed.
DECLINED.
Marlowe’s heart skipped a beat.
"Try it again."
DECLINED.
Suddenly,
Julian’s phone began to vibrate uncontrollably in his pocket.
He pulled it out and stared at the screen.
Dozens of alerts were flooding in from the Pembroke Trust.
Account Access Revoked.
Asset Liquidity Frozen.
Security Clearance Terminated.
"Marlowe,"
Julian said,
his voice low and urgent.
"What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!"
she snapped,
her composure beginning to fray at the edges.
"It’s probably just your mother being dramatic.
She probably called the bank because of that stupid dress."
"My mother doesn't have the power to freeze the entire trust on a whim,"
Julian said,
his suspicion finally beginning to take root.
"Unless there’s a legal breach.
Marlowe,
why is there a notification about a pending sale of Foxglove Manor on my screen?"
The color drained from Marlowe's face,
leaving her ivory skin looking like wax.
The lights in the garden flickered,
and the music stopped abruptly.
The silence that followed was heavy,
May you like
suffocating,
and filled with the realization that the golden girl’s world was cracking wide open.
