Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
"But… well,” she started. “Okay. I know it’s a big deal, but does that really impact the wedding? So Marcus is broke, but Lily does well, and her business is only going to grow with the way the last few months have gone.”
“That’s the thing… Richard and Dick want to leverage Lily’s success once she’s ‘part of the family.’”
Emma sank onto the edge of the bed, pushing papers aside. "How do you know?"
I handed her a transcript of a conversation I'd recorded between Richard and Dick. With the time the two of them spent at the bar, hiding a few small listening devices wasn’t difficult. The fact that they always chose the same seat even saved me the time of screening through dozens of other conversations to find theirs.
Either way, their words were damning—talking about how they could "milk the celebrity angle" and use Lily's business as collateral for loans. They also mentioned how they still had access to one of their powerful family lawyers, a man they believed could manage to make it all happen with the slightest, dubious consent from Marcus, which they believed they could get.
“Wait,” Emma said. “This makes it sound like they don’t know if they can convince Marcus to betray Lily. Does that mean he’s not in on all of this?”
I folded my arms, considering. “He has to at least know about the financial ruin. I’ll admit I have nothing connecting him to the plot to take advantage of Lily’s business. And the debt wouldn’t be his, either. He may feel less desperate and driven.”
"But yes. Marcus knows," I said. "He's been helping them hide their financial situation. For what it’s worth, I do think he genuinely loves her. But he's trapped between that love and his family's manipulation." I sat beside her, careful to leave space between us. "I think he's probably ashamed. Embarrassed that his family isn't what everyone thinks. And afraid that if Lily knew the truth..."
"She wouldn't want him anymore," Emma finished. She picked up a photo of Marcus and Lily, studying it. "She wouldn't care, you know. About the money. She'd probably offer to help them."
"That's what I'm afraid of. Richard and Dick would take everything she offered and still want more. Worse, they might convince her or Marcus to sign over something dangerous to their control. Maybe they’d convince her they could help, but all they want is to dig themselves out of one of many holes. If they have to destroy her business to do it, I think they will."
Emma was quiet for a long moment, looking through the evidence I'd gathered. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I needed to be sure. I couldn't risk ruining another wedding for you without absolute proof."
“I appreciate that much. But I’m not convinced this is enough. Are you?”
“I don’t know anymore,” I admitted. “I actually wanted to show you because you’re her sister. I thought about what you said—about how I’ve been making myself judge and executioner all these years. So I’m asking you, Em. What do you think I should do here?”
“This money thing… it’s a huge violation of trust,” Emma said slowly.
“I agree. Normally, I’d say it’s too big an obstacle. I’d say it was worth wrecking the wedding.”
“Normally? You feel differently this time?”
“This time… I was just thinking about how maybe if people are really right for each other, they can find a way to work through obstacles. Even… really big ones,” I added, lifting my eyes to meet hers.
There were a hundred things I wanted to say, but some cowardly part of me decided to change the subject. “So it’s a plan?” I asked.
Emma looked somewhat startled, then nodded and smiled. “Yes. Okay. It’s a plan.”
“Good.”
“Great,” Emma said, reaching to tuck a hair behind her ear awkwardly. “So let’s figure out our little plan. Professionally,” she added.
I quirked a brow. “Sure. Professionally. Let’s get to it.”
Even if she still felt like she was one wrong move from running away, I felt like something was on the verge of changing between us. Something was about to shift, or maybe it already had. And once we helped her sister and Marcus resolve their problem, I wondered if it would be our turn.
27
EMMA
"Are you sure about this?" I asked, smoothing my dress for the tenth time. The rehearsal dinner would start in twenty minutes, and my stomach was already in knots.
"The dress looks amazing, Em,”James said, adjusting his tie in the mirror.
“Thank you, but I mean the plan… are you sure we should be doing this?”
"We're not forcing anything. Just... creating an opportunity."
Our plan was simple. I'd already modified the rehearsal dinner seating to put Marcus between Lily and a famous client of hers who just arrived this morning—a social media influencer who'd helped launch Pawsh Pets into viral fame. According to Lily, this particular celebrity was obsessed with business strategy, and hadn’t stopped offering to help give her advice on expanding and “maxing your biz, girl.”