Chapter 2 - Shadows in the Registry
The silence in the bridal suite grew heavier, pressing against Elena’s eardrums like deep-sea pressure. Sarah dropped her arms to her sides, her usual sharp demeanor fracturing completely under the weight of Elena’s words. She took two tentative steps forward, her heels clicking softly against the hardwood floor.
"What do you mean, it wasn't in the valet lot?" Sarah whispered, her voice losing its edge, replaced by a genuine, rising dread. "I literally saw the keys on the counter last night during the rehearsal dinner. Julian parked it himself right before he went up to his room."
Elena shook her head slowly, the pearls in her hair catching the morning light. "That’s what he wanted everyone to believe. But the note says he took the service vehicle at two in the morning. The one with no GPS tracking."
"That’s insane," Sarah shot back, though her voice lacked its earlier conviction. She reached out, her fingers hovering inches from the folded paper. "Let me see it. Who could have even left a note in here? The door has been locked from the inside all morning. Security has the entire floor blocked off for your privacy."
"That's the part that doesn't make any sense," Elena replied, holding the paper just out of Sarah’s reach. Her eyes scanned the familiar handwriting once more, her stomach tightening into a painful knot. "It’s not just a note about a car, Sarah. It’s a ledger of accounts. Bank transfers made at three in the morning draining every cent from our joint enterprise fund into an overseas account registered under a shell corporation."
Sarah’s breath hitched. She grabbed the edge of the dressing table to steady herself, her eyes wide with shock. "An overseas account? But Julian’s architectural firm just secured that massive municipal contract. We’re financially secure for the next decade. Why would he liquidate everything the night before our wedding?"
"Because," Elena said, her voice barely a murmur as she lifted her gaze to meet her friend's terrified eyes, "the municipal contract was never awarded to his firm. I checked the public registry online using my phone five minutes ago. The contract went to a competitor owned by his ex-fiancée."
Before Sarah could process the devastating implication, a sharp, urgent knock echoed from the heavy oak door.
May you like
"Elena?" a deep, familiar voice called out from the hallway. "Darling, are you decent? We need to do the first-look photos before the rain starts."
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