Chapter 9 - The Bride Reads the Numbers
Madison stepped into a quiet alcove beside the lobby and opened the folder.
The original wedding budget was $118,900.
The final total was more than $286,000.
Grant had approved imported flowers, designer furniture, a fireworks display, and a private whiskey lounge for selected guests.
He had told Madison that Eleanor requested every upgrade.
He had told Eleanor that Madison requested them.
Both stories were false.
The altered contracts contained initials beside several changes.
E.W.
Eleanor’s initials.
But the strokes were uneven.
Madison had seen Eleanor sign birthday cards and bridal shower notes.
These initials were an imitation.
“Did he forge this?” Madison whispered.
“I did not sign it.”
Eleanor’s voice was calm, but her eyes were wet.
Madison turned another page.
It was an email from Grant to Vivian.
Don’t tell Madison the total. Once the trust transition is complete, none of this will matter.
Madison’s face lost its color.
“What transition?”
“We don’t know.”
“Why would my mother hide this?”
“That is a question only she can answer.”
Madison looked back toward the ballroom.
Vivian stood beside Grant, speaking urgently.
They looked less like a mother helping a frightened groom and more like business partners protecting a deal.
Madison closed the folder.
“I need to confront them.”
Eleanor caught her hand.
“Do not let either of them separate you from the documents.”
Madison nodded.
For the first time that day, she looked less like a bride and more like a woman who feared she had walked into a trap.
As she returned toward the ballroom, Rachel, the wedding planner, hurried past her carrying a laptop.
Rachel’s face was pale.
She stopped when she saw the folder.
“Where did you get that?”
“Eleanor.”
Rachel glanced toward Grant.
Then she whispered, “There are more emails.”
“What kind of emails?”
May you like
“The kind I should have shown someone days ago.”
👉 Rachel had followed Grant’s instructions because she believed Eleanor was ill—until one message revealed exactly what he wanted the wedding cameras to capture.
