All Chapters of The Don’s Wedding Betrayal: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

If I practiced late, I told Declan I wasn’t unhappy. I simply couldn’t get one passage right.Sometimes he couldn’t make sense of the sheet music I sent.But the next morning, he would ask, “Was that section any better?”The first time a classmate invited me for coffee, I automatically checked the time, calculating whether I could get home.“Do you have plans tonight?” she asked.I paused.No.No one expected me home at a particular hour.No one would turn cold because they couldn’t find me.I put my phone away.“No. Let’s go.”That afternoon, listening to two students argue about a composer’s late work, I realized I hadn’t thought about Julian in hours.My life had room for other things again.But returning to school didn’t magically repair Carter business.Six people attended our first formal video conference.At first, everyone was polite.They asked about my injuries and whether I had settled in. Someone mentioned my mother’s performances.The atmosphere changed when the attorney e

We met at the law firm.The conference table was long. Through the windows, I could see the street below.Everyone attending had been registered beforehand.Declan sat beside me. Leon stayed outside.Julian arrived early.He stood when he saw me.I didn’t greet him by name. I simply took my assigned seat.A moment later, the door opened again.Sienna entered.No dramatic gown this time. A gray suit, very little makeup.I frowned.“I wasn’t told she would be here.”My attorney checked the email.“She needs to explain herself,” Julian said.“You arranged this?”“I found out what happened.”He pushed a folder toward me.It contained emails, staff statements, and footage from a fixed camera in the adjoining room.There was no sound.There didn’t need to be.Sienna held the jewelry box. As I approached, she removed the necklace and suddenly pulled backward.The pendant struck the table.I reached for it.She let go.I could almost hear that small, terrible crack again.Julian watched me urg

When the door closed, only a few of us remained.I looked at Julian.He had once indulged Sienna, believing that proved his love.Now he wanted to take everything away from her to prove his remorse.But as long as everyone competed for his favor, he never had to answer for himself.I gathered my mother’s documents.“Now let’s talk about you.”Julian leaned forward.“You can hit me.”Declan placed his hand on the table, stopping him from coming closer.Julian kept looking at me.“You did before. That night at the dinner—”“That isn’t a memory I want to keep.”He stopped.“You think that if I’m angry enough to hit you, it means I still care.”His breathing became uneven.“No.”“Then why do you keep asking me to punish you?”Julian lowered his head.After a long silence, he said hoarsely, “Because I don’t know what else to do.”I said nothing.He covered his eyes.I had never seen him like that.He had always known how to sit, how to speak, how to make someone else lower their head first.

“I didn’t send him,” Declan said.“I know.”“I’ll speak to him.”I looked at him.“I need to speak to you too.”He stopped.“I can’t leave one family that expects me to sacrifice my reputation for it and move into another that does the same.”The silence lasted a long time.I was more nervous than I had been with Enzo.Because Declan’s answer mattered more.“You’re right,” he finally said.“But saying that isn’t enough.”That evening, he met with the people responsible for external partnerships.I didn’t attend the entire meeting.Afterward, he brought me the decisions involving me.Any communication concerning Carter assets, the foundation, or my personal affairs had to go through me or an authorized representative.Our marriage gave no one permission to make commitments on my behalf.The instructions went to the people expected to follow them.Enzo called the next day.His tone was stiff, but his words were clear.“Some of what I said yesterday crossed a line.”I held the phone.“Tha

The investigation soon reached beyond Sienna.Victor, Volkov’s project manager, had ties to a group that had long wanted influence over the Carter docks.Charity partnerships gave them a way in.With me gone and Julian outside New York, they hoped to secure a stronger position.Then the attorneys withdrew authorizations.My father’s former employees began reporting to me again.Arrangements that had been ready to proceed stalled.Some people lost money.Others feared what an inquiry might uncover.The first anonymous email contained only a photograph.I was leaving school, looking down as I adjusted my scarf.The image was blurred. My face was unclear.But I recognized my clothes.Declan didn’t tell me to delete it.He didn’t take away the computer.“We need to adjust the next few days.”“What about school?”“We’ll speak to them first.”I looked at him.“Not stop going forever,” he added.That night, we discussed everything.Which activities to postpone. Which work could move online. H