Chapter 2

Half an hour later, the convoy pulled up at the oldest red-brick banquet hall in Gray Harbor.

It had once been a shipping exchange. The Kane family had booked the East Hall, and the West Hall had originally been reserved for a Morris family reception for shipowners. Because the two families just happened to book the same building, Arthur Morris was able to use the banquet and band he'd already arranged to put together a wedding as soon as I texted him. The entrance was crowded with bodyguards in dark coats, but nobody thought anything of it.

The car had barely stopped when I saw Vivian.

She was standing at the entrance to the East Hall in a pearl-white wedding dress that was clearly a size too big for her. The skirt was embroidered with fine silver thread. It was the dress I'd spent three months perfecting with the seamstress. She was even wearing my short veil, smiling as sweetly as could be.

When she saw me step out of the Morris family's car, her smile froze for a second, but she hurried over. "Erin, why did you come by yourself? Victor said he was going back to get you."

She paused on purpose, as if she'd let something slip by accident. "Sorry, that's not what I meant. Please don't get the wrong idea."

Lucy stepped in front of me. "What are you wearing? That's the dress Erin had made for her own wedding. Do you have any shame at all?"

Vivian lowered her head and fiddled with the skirt. "I spilled a drink in the car and got my clothes dirty. Victor didn't want me to embarrass myself, so he let me borrow this for now. I'll change right away, really. I'm not trying to take anything."

As she spoke, she reached for the laces at her back, but she took her time, letting everyone at the entrance see the dress.

Someone whispered, "The wedding car picked her up first, and she got to wear the wedding dress first too. I thought they'd switched brides."

Someone else sneered, "Erin chased after him with her own convoy. Guess she can't stand to lose her shot at marrying a Kane."

I ignored them and watched Victor come through the door. The moment he saw Vivian swaying on her feet, he rushed over to hold her up, and only then did he turn to me. "This is on me. I should've planned things better. Don't take it out on her."

And for one pathetic moment, I actually let myself hope.

Once, after I'd spent two straight nights handling a crisis for the Kane family when a smuggled shipment was seized, he'd stood at my office door until dawn just to take me home to sleep. It wasn't that he'd never cared for me. But Vivian could push me out of his thoughts without even trying.

Nestled in the crook of his arm, Vivian said softly, "It's all because of my poor health. Don't blame Victor. I'm the one who insisted on riding in his car. Oh, and Aunt Margaret asked me to remind Erin that before she goes into the East Hall, she has to go through the Kane family's initiation rites."

I looked up.

Margaret Kane was Victor's mother. She liked that I could make money, but she'd always thought I wasn't obedient enough.

Vivian smiled even more sweetly. "First you hand over access rights to the three docks you manage to the Kane family for safekeeping. Then you wait outside the entrance for two hours until each of the elders gives his approval. After the wedding starts, you have to toast every uncle who runs a territory and sit through his lecture before you can take your seat at the head table. Aunt Margaret says that out there, your word is law, so once you marry in, you need to learn to respect your elders even more."

Lucy was so angry she almost laughed. "Erin earned those three docks on her own! And look at you all. First you take her groom, then you take her keys, and you still want the bride to stand outside for two hours. Victor, are you getting a wife or hiring help?"

A few of the Kane family elders nearby didn't say anything, but someone gloated, "Should've set rules long ago. Otherwise a woman marries in and forgets who's in charge."

I clenched my fingers, and the wound that had been stitched last night throbbed.

My phone buzzed in my palm.

Arthur had texted me. The man who attacked me last night had been found. It wasn't a random attack, and they had leads on the person who took the money and the person who gave the order. Whoever it was seemed to have something else planned, and he warned me not to leave the guarded area on my own.

I looked up at Vivian. She kept sneaking glances at the clock down the hall, and the smugness she couldn't quite hide finally made sense.

She didn't just want to see me humiliated. She was buying time for someone to get to the venue.

I showed Lucy the message and said quietly, "Let her talk. Let's see what else she's got."

Sure enough, Vivian kept going. "There's one more thing. Aunt Margaret says you have to swear in front of all the guests that from now on, the Kane family's decisions come before your own business. Since Erin wants to marry into the family, she shouldn't mind, right?"

"I do mind," I said calmly. "I'm not marrying into the Kane family."

Victor finally frowned, but the first thing he did was help Vivian away from the doorway to get some air. "All right, forget Mom's old rules. With everyone packed in here, Vivian's going to feel sick again any minute."

Someone in the crowd jeered that he was already henpecked before the wedding.

At first I'd thought he was getting me out of a tight spot. When I heard that, I finally understood. Even when he scrapped those humiliating rules, it wasn't for me.

Vivian blushed and tugged at his sleeve. "Stop, don't talk about me. Mr. Morris is having a wedding in the West Hall too. We really shouldn't be blocking the way."

Victor reached out to touch my face. "Erin, don't look so serious. You're getting married today. In a little while, I'll make sure you walk into the East Hall happy."

I dodged his hand. "Victor, keep your hands to yourself. I really am getting married today, but not to you."

"You're still mad?" He gave a resigned laugh. "Fine. After the ceremony, you can yell at me all you want."

I took Lucy by the arm and headed straight for the stairs to the West Hall. I'd already given him all the time I could.

Hurried footsteps suddenly came up behind me.

"Erin, wait!"