Chapter 4: Twenty-Nine Days
891 Words
Chapter 4: Twenty-Nine Days
Amelia barely slept.
She spent the night in a hotel overlooking the river, staring at the city lights while Alexander Blackwood's words replayed endlessly in her mind.
Tomorrow morning, you'll discover you don't have many choices left.
The certainty in his voice bothered her more than the proposal itself.
It was as if he already knew exactly what would happen.
At seven o'clock, her phone began ringing.
Amelia groaned and reached for it.
Mr. Lewis.
Again.
A sense of dread settled over her.
She answered immediately.
"What happened?"
"Miss Hart, you need to come to the office."
His voice sounded strained.
Worse than yesterday.
Amelia sat upright.
"What is it?"
"The bank froze two company accounts this morning."
Her stomach dropped.
"What?"
"They claim it's a precautionary measure."
A precautionary measure.
Everyone knew what that meant.
Pressure.
They were squeezing Hart Industries.
Hard.
"I'll be there in an hour."
She ended the call and quickly dressed.
The wedding gown was gone.
The bride was gone.
Today she wore a navy business suit and tied her hair into a neat ponytail.
The woman staring back from the mirror looked exhausted.
But she also looked angry.
And anger was easier to live with than heartbreak.
By nine o'clock, Amelia walked into Hart Industries.
The headquarters stood thirty stories tall in the center of downtown.
Her mother had once called it a monument to hard work.
Today it looked more like a monument to lies.
Employees filled the lobby.
Conversations immediately stopped when she entered.
Everyone had seen the news.
The runaway bride.
The scandal.
The humiliation.
Amelia ignored the stares and headed straight for the elevator.
The boardroom was already occupied when she arrived.
Her father sat at the head of the table.
Vanessa sat beside him.
Ethan sat beside Vanessa.
Amelia stopped walking.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then her father stood.
"You're finally here."
No apology.
No explanation.
Exactly as expected.
Amelia entered the room and took a seat.
Across from them.
Not beside them.
The distinction wasn't lost on anyone.
Her father cleared his throat.
"We need to discuss yesterday."
"Do we?"
His jaw tightened.
"This family has suffered enough embarrassment."
Amelia laughed.
The sound echoed sharply through the room.
Vanessa shifted uncomfortably.
Ethan looked away.
Her father frowned.
"What is so funny?"
Amelia met his eyes.
"You still think yesterday embarrassed you."
Silence.
Cold.
Heavy.
Her father straightened.
"You walked out of your own wedding."
"After discovering my fiancé was sleeping with my sister."
Vanessa visibly flinched.
Good.
Amelia continued.
"The same affair you've apparently known about for months."
Nobody denied it.
That hurt more than any argument.
No denial.
No outrage.
No shock.
Just silence.
Because it was true.
Her father rubbed his forehead.
"It wasn't supposed to happen this way."
There it was.
The closest thing to an admission.
Amelia felt something inside her finally break.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Quietly.
Like a thread snapping after years of strain.
"What was supposed to happen?"
Nobody answered.
Her eyes moved to Vanessa.
Then Ethan.
Then back to her father.
Understanding suddenly settled over her.
"You planned to replace me."
Vanessa looked down.
Her father's silence was answer enough.
Amelia smiled.
A small, bitter smile.
"Incredible."
Her father stood.
"This is bigger than personal feelings."
"There it is."
"The company is in trouble."
"There it is again."
"Vanessa and Ethan's marriage would strengthen important relationships."
Amelia stared at him.
Not believing what she was hearing.
The wedding wasn't a betrayal.
It was a business strategy.
A calculated decision.
One they had all made without her.
"You sold me."
Her father slammed his hand on the table.
"Enough."
The room shook.
But Amelia no longer cared.
"You sold me."
"I did what was necessary."
The words hung in the air.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone knew he had just confessed.
Amelia slowly stood.
Her chair scraped against the floor.
"You know what's funny?"
Her father frowned.
"What?"
"For years I thought Vanessa was your favorite."
Vanessa looked up.
Amelia's eyes were bright now.
Not with tears.
With disappointment.
"But this was never about favorites."
Nobody moved.
"You don't love either of us."
Her father froze.
"You only love whatever keeps this company alive."
The words hit harder than shouting ever could.
For the first time, guilt appeared on his face.
Just for a second.
Then it disappeared.
A knock interrupted the silence.
The boardroom doors opened.
Mr. Lewis hurried inside.
He looked pale.
Very pale.
Amelia immediately knew something was wrong.
"What happened?"
Mr. Lewis swallowed.
Then looked directly at her father.
"The bank has accelerated the repayment schedule."
The room went still.
"Effective immediately."
Her father's face drained of color.
Vanessa gasped.
Ethan cursed under his breath.
Amelia's pulse quickened.
"How much time do we have?"
Mr. Lewis looked miserable.
Then he answered.
"Seven days."
The room exploded.
Seven days.
Not twenty-nine.
Not thirty.
Seven.
Amelia felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Then, slowly, she remembered Alexander Blackwood.
The folder.
The proposal.
The certainty.
As though he had known this would happen.
As though he had been waiting for it.
Her phone vibrated inside her pocket.
One new message.
Unknown number.
Amelia already knew who it was.
She opened it.
Only one sentence appeared on the screen.
Good morning, Amelia.
Have you reconsidered my proposal?
- Writer
