Collateral Damage

Desmond's POV

The silence of the hospital alcove settled around me. Cleopatra Sander lay unconscious on the narrow emergency room bed, still wearing the white lace wedding dress that had suddenly become evidence of a shattered life.

Her veil rested on a metal table nearby, though a few tiny pearls still clung to her dark hair under the harsh fluorescent lights. Mascara streaked her pale cheeks like tear stains.

One of the nurses checked her pulse one last time before looking up at me. "She will wake up soon. It is just the result of extreme emotional shock."

I nodded once to acknowledge his words, my eyes remaining fixed on the woman on the bed. Shock was an understatement for the devastation I had unleashed upon her in front of hundreds of people.

Standing behind the clear glass window, I replayed the event inside the church. I saw Chris’s terrified face, the advance of the federal agents, and the exact moment Cleopatra had collapsed like a falling leaf into my arms.

My assault on Chris Cross had not been intended to play out in such a public manner. Months ago, I ordered Walton Global’s internal security to trace twelve million dollars that had vanished from our corporate accounts. Every single trail led directly to Chris, my financial manager.

Then came the personal betrayal. My security team uncovered photographs of Chris with Victoria Kessel, the daughter of my top investor. They found private messages, luxury vacation bookings, and a purchase receipt for an engagement ring.

Chris had not only stolen millions from my company, but he had also stolen my trust by sleeping with the woman I had planned to build a life with. I wanted to destroy him completely.

"You look terrible," a voice said beside me.

I didn't turn to look at Oliver, my legal counsel and closest friend. "I'm fine."

Oliver adjusted his glasses, looking through the glass at Cleopatra. "We had more than enough evidence to have the feds pick Chris up at his office yesterday. You didn't have to crash the wedding."

"Chris moved the remaining stolen funds forty-eight hours ago," I said, keeping my tone rigid. "If we had waited another day, he would have fled the country."

"Maybe," Oliver countered softly. "But you wanted him ruined publicly. You wanted Victoria to see it, too."

I stayed silent because he wasn't entirely wrong. I had wanted maximum damage. But I hadn't anticipated the collateral damage. I hadn't known Cleopatra was completely innocent of her fiancé’s crimes until today. My blind rage toward Chris had obscured the fact that an innocent woman was going to get caught in the crossfire.

"You know she's innocent now," Oliver added quietly.

Before I could answer, a subtle movement on the bed caught my attention. Cleopatra’s fingers twitched against the white sheets, and her eyelids fluttered open.

A nurse hurried over to check her vitals. "Miss Sander, can you hear me?" the nurse asked gently.

Cleopatra sat up so fast the heart monitor began to beep in protest. Her eyes darted frantically around the room.

"No..." she whispered, her voice laced with panic.

Her gaze swept past the nurse and locked onto me through the glass partition. In an instant, her confusion transformed into pure fury. She ripped the monitoring wires from her chest, ignoring the nurse's frantic protests.

"Please, you need to lie down!" the nurse urged.

Cleopatra ignored her completely. She swung her legs over the bed and stepped onto the floor barefoot. Her wrinkled wedding dress trailed behind her as she marched straight out of the room and opened the hallway door.

She stopped right in front of me, pointing a trembling finger at my chest. "You."

"Miss Sander, you should be resting—" I began.

"Don't tell me what I should be doing!" she snapped, her voice echoing down the corridor. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but her gaze was fierce. "You destroyed my life!"

"Chris destroyed your life," I corrected sternly. "I merely exposed what he was doing."

"You did it at my wedding!" she screamed, her voice cracking with emotion. "In front of my family! In front of everyone I know! You could have stopped him anywhere else, but you chose my wedding day!"

I was unable to offer a defense for my timing. She was right, and we both knew it.

"I wanted Chris to experience absolute public ruin," I admitted, looking directly into her tear-filled eyes. "My timing was cruel to you, but the truth remains. He was using you."

Cleopatra let out a bitter laugh. "And I suppose you expect me to thank you for enlightening me?"

"I don't expect your gratitude," I said smoothly. "But the man was lying to you, laundering money through your accounts, and engaged to another woman. You deserved to know the truth."

"You didn't care about giving me the truth," she whispered, stepping closer. Her voice dropped to a deadly, painful quiet. "You just wanted revenge, and you didn't care who you crushed to get it. You're a monster."

Before I could reply, she turned on her heel and walked toward the hospital exit.

"Cleopatra, wait," Oliver called out, but she ignored him.

As she pushed through the sliding glass doors, a wall of flashing cameras and shouting reporters exploded in the courtyard outside.

Microphones were shoved into her face as she tried to force her way through the aggressive crowd.

My phone vibrated violently in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out and answered.

"Sir, we have a problem," my executive assistant, Claire, said without greeting me. "The wedding incident is trending online."

I opened the news app on my phone. Front-page headlines were already live, accompanied by high-resolution photos of Cleopatra collapsing in my arms at the altar.

"The board of directors has called an emergency meeting," Claire continued, her tone anxious. "And Walton Global stock just dropped eight percent."

I closed the app and looked out the glass doors where Cleopatra was disappearing into a taxi, hounded by the press.

"Assemble the board," I ordered coldly. "I'm on my way."