Prologue

The doors swung open, and everyone stood. But Alexander Reed didn’t move.

His eyes were locked on the woman walking toward him.

Ava.

She held a small bouquet, her fingers tight around the stems, but her face… it was calm, glowing, like she was walking straight out of a dream. Her white dress floated gently around her legs. No lace overload, no heavy jewels…just clean lines that hugged her softly and made her look like the kind of woman angels would envy.

Alexander exhaled, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

She looked up, caught his gaze…and smiled back.

Damn.

For a man used to running multi-million dollar projects, giving orders that made buildings rise from dirt, nothing had ever made him feel this unsteady.

Except her.

When she reached him, he reached out for her hand…didn’t even think. Just touched her. Warm. Real. His.

The ceremony began, but Alexander wasn’t hearing much. He watched her mouth move as she recited her vows, and all he could think about was how lucky he was. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was soft-hearted, funny in that quiet way, and stronger than most people gave her credit for. She made him feel like more than just a man with a title.

When it was his turn, he looked her straight in the eyes. “I do,” he said, without a blink.

Then came the kiss.

He leaned in, one hand on her waist, the other curling gently around the back of her neck. He kissed her slow, but sure…like the kind of man who knew exactly what he wanted.

Applause broke out, but neither of them reacted.

Ava looked up at him, cheeks flushed. “You’re really mine now.”

Alexander chuckled. “No, sweetheart. I’ve always been yours.”

He tucked her hand into his as they walked down the aisle, eyes on nothing and no one else.

Everyone cheered, snapped pictures, but Alexander didn’t care.

This wasn’t for the crowd.

This was for him.

And her.

And the kind of forever they’d just promised each other.

…

The hall sparkled with golden lights, laughter, and music. Champagne flowed, cutleries clinked, and the scent of roses filled the air.

But in the far corner of the reception, seated at a round table dressed in white, Deirdre Reed sipped her wine like it was poison…and her eyes never left the dance floor.

Her lips curled as she watched Ava in her son’s arms, the bride giggling as Alexander spun her gently, his hand firm on her waist. He leaned in, whispering something, and Ava threw her head back in laughter.

“Oh, please,” Deirdre muttered.

Beside her, Hilda clicked her tongue. “You’d think she’d won the lottery.”

“She did,” Deirdre said coldly, setting her glass down with a sharp tap. “A schoolteacher from the suburbs marries the most sought-after architect in the city? Darling, that’s the definition of a jackpot.”

The women around her chuckled, all of them dressed in expensive gowns and filled with diamonds. But Deirdre didn’t laugh. Her jaw was tight. Her eyes, colder than the champagne.

“She doesn’t belong here,” she continued, her voice was low and sharp like the edge of a knife. “Look at her. Smiling like she earned this. Like she deserves him.”

“She’s pretty,” Hilda offered with a lazy shrug.

“Pretty fades,” Deirdre snapped. “And kindness won’t hold up when Alexander gets tired of playing house with a woman who clips coupons.”

On the dance floor, Alexander pulled Ava closer, resting his forehead against hers, completely lost in her. He didn’t care who was watching. His world had narrowed down to her…and only her.

Deirdre’s nails dug into the side of her chair.

She watched her son press a kiss to Ava’s temple. The softness in his eyes, the way he looked at her like she was the only star in the sky…it made Deirdre’s skin crawl.

She couldn’t breathe.

Not because of the wine.

Because of the woman in white.

Ava.

The sweet little teacher who walked into her son's life and ruined everything.

Deirdre leaned forward, voice like venom. “She won’t last. I swear it. She can wear the dress, smile for the cameras, dance all she wants…but she will never be part of this family. Not while I’m alive.”

She picked up her glass again, but this time she didn't drink.

She just watched.

And waited.

Because this wedding?

It was only the beginning.