"I'm not here to cause a scene." His gaze flickered to Adrian.
"Not unless you make me."
Adrian's lips curled into a smirk-dangerous, calculated. "You already did."
Elena's pulse pounded. This couldn't be happening. Not today. Not now.
"Liam," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you here?"
His blue eyes softened. "Because you deserve to know the truth before you marry him."
Adrian's grip tightened on Elena's hand. "That's enough," he said, his voice laced with quiet authority.
Liam ignored him. "Elena, he's lying to you. There's something you don't
know about Adrian Blackwood."
A sharp gasp spread through the guests. The press leaned forward, eager for their next headline.
Elena's heart thundered in her chest.
"What are you talking about?"
Liam stepped forward, his gaze unwavering. "The deal with your father's company. Adrian didn't just buy it—he destroyed it on purpose."
The room spun.
Elena yanked her hand from Adrian's grasp, her fingers trembling. "That's not true."
Liam's jaw tightened. "Yes, it is. You think Adrian's your savior, but he's the reason your family lost everything."
Her stomach twisted. She turned to Adrian, searching his face for denial, for outrage. But he only stared at Liam, his smirk never faltering.
"Liam," Adrian said smoothly, "you're interrupting a wedding. If you wanted a business discussion, you should have booked an appointment."
Liam's fists clenched. "I don't need an appointment to expose a fraud."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Then, Adrian turned to Elena, his voice low enough that only she could hear.
"If you walk away now, you lose everything."
Elena's breath caught.
Everything.
Her family's company. The security this marriage promised. The chance to rebuild.
She looked back at Liam, his face filled with desperation, sincerity.
And then at Adrian-composed, unreadable, powerful.
Her choice was standing right in front of her.
Her past... or her future?
Her heart... or her survival?
"Elena," Liam said, his voice a plea.
"Please."
She swallowed hard, her decision teetering on the edge.
And then, finally-
She made her choice.
Elena lifts her gaze, her answer lingering on her lips. But before she can speak, a loud gunshot rings out in the ballroom.
"Elena," Liam said, his voice a plea.
"Please."
She swallowed hard, her decision teetering on the edge.
And then, finally-
She made her choice.
Elena lifts her gaze, her answer lingering on her lips. But before she can speak, a loud gunshot rings out in the ballroom.
The guests scream. Chaos erupts.
And when Elena turns, she sees Adrian clutching his side-blood seeping through his suit.
Someone just tried to kill the man she was about to marry.
And she has no idea who pulled the trigger.
Screams erupted.
The sharp, deafening crack of the gunshot still echoed in the grand ballroom, sending guests scrambling for cover. Glass shattered. Chairs screeched against the marble floor.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Elena's breath caught as she watched Adrian Blackwood stagger back, his hand pressing against the dark stain blooming across his crisp white shirt.
Blood.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
Someone just tried to kill him.
Liam moved first, shoving through the chaos, his gaze locked on her. "Elena, get away from him!"
But she couldn't move. Her legs felt like lead, her entire body frozen as her mind tried to process what had just happened.
Who would try to kill Adrian? And why?
Adrian's security detail rushed forward, guns drawn, their sharp
voices cutting through the screams.
"Get him out of here!" one of them barked.
Elena barely had time to react before a firm hand gripped her wrist.
