The Papers Beside the Champagne
Chapter 03 - The Papers Beside the Champagne
The folder was supposed to be in Daniel's leather briefcase, beneath the sweetheart table. Jonah found the case moved into the staff office. Daniel had ordered two security guards to collect it and escort the bride's mother out of the building for "causing a disturbance."
Mom was the registered trustee of the conservatory. The guards looked relieved when I told them to stand down.
I had never felt less like a bride. My shoes were sticky with chocolate. My hair was coming loose. Guests whispered near the doors, pretending not to listen.
"Where's Daniel?" I asked.
"Making calls," Jonah said.
"Of course he is."
Inside the briefcase were ordinary contracts, property maps, and an unsigned instruction authorizing a sale of trust-held land. Another packet contained a proposed amendment appointing Daniel as an additional trustee after our marriage. Attached was a cover note urging signature before the end of the weekend.
I read it twice. Dad's property had been placed in a trust to protect it from exactly this kind of pressure. Mom and I were its trustees. Daniel had offered to manage a renovation loan, not to assume authority over our family's land.
An older guest approached the office doorway. It was Daniel's aunt, Teresa Hale. She had invited me to lunch before the wedding and spent half the meal asking how much the conservatory would be worth as oceanfront condominiums.
"Sweetheart," she said, "you mustn't overreact. Business paperwork is complicated."
"Then it can wait."
Teresa's pleasant expression sharpened. "The investors have already made commitments."
"Investors in what?"
She glanced at the documents on the desk. "Your future."
I almost laughed. I had spent years worrying whether I deserved this family. Now I wondered whether they had wanted me at all, or merely the land beneath the flowers.
"There is no wedding tonight," I said.
Teresa stared. "Audrey, be sensible."
"I am being sensible. That's why I'm not signing."
When she left, Mom sat in the chair beside me. For the first time, I noticed that her hands were shaking. She had poured cake over a young woman in front of everyone, but now the anger drained away and fear took its place.
"Did I make things worse?" she asked.
I took her hands. "You made it impossible for them to pretend nothing was happening."
She gave a tired laugh. "Your father would have hated wasting a cake."
"He would've saved a slice first."
For a moment we both smiled.
Then I called an attorney Dad had trusted: Miriam Cho, who had helped establish the trust. She answered on the third ring and listened without interrupting.
"Send me copies," she said. "Don't sign. Preserve the footage. Don't destroy any documents, and don't make public accusations you can't support."
It was the first calm advice I'd heard all evening.
Before I hung up, she added, "Audrey, ask whether the deed transfer was already submitted."
I looked at the papers spread before me.
May you like
My chest tightened. "Can someone do that without me?"
"Someone can attempt it. That doesn't make it valid."
