Chapter 5 - Fix My Wedding Now
The bridal suite was chaos wrapped in luxury.
Makeup artists stood frozen near the mirrors.
A bridesmaid whispered into her phone.
The florist’s assistant was on the verge of tears beside a dismantled bouquet.
Elaine paced near the bedroom, repeating, “This cannot be happening,” as if panic could pay invoices.
Robert sat in a chair, staring at his phone.
Vanessa stood in the center of it all in her wedding gown, breathing hard.
The second Mara stepped onto the balcony for air, Vanessa followed.
“What did you do?” Vanessa demanded.
Mara turned.
“What did I do?”
“The florist is taking down the arch. The catering manager says they need authorization. The venue says the reception can’t proceed.”
“That’s what happens when people don’t pay.”
Vanessa’s face twisted.
“You guaranteed it.”
“Temporarily.”
“You said you would fix it.”
“No, Vanessa. I said I would prevent cancellation while final payments were arranged.”
Elaine appeared at the glass door.
“Mara, please. There are guests downstairs.”
Mara looked at her mother.
“There were guests downstairs when Vanessa told me not to come.”
Elaine flinched.
Vanessa’s eyes flashed.
“Don’t make yourself the victim.”
Mara stared at her.
Something in that sentence finally emptied the last bit of sisterly obligation.
Vanessa lunged forward and ripped the phone from Mara’s hand.
The phone hit the balcony floor and slid.
“Fix my wedding now!”
That was the moment everyone saw.
The groom.
The parents.
The vendors outside.
The venue manager approaching with security.
The moment Vanessa stopped pretending this was about love and revealed it was about control.
Mara did not move.
She let the silence grow.
Then she said, “You told me not to come.”
Vanessa’s face crumpled with rage.
“I was upset.”
“No. You were confident.”
Mara picked up the phone.
The screen was cracked now, but still working.
A line of missed calls and emails filled it.
Venue.
Florist.
Catering.
Lighting.
Transportation.
Legal.
She wiped the screen with her thumb and walked inside.
Kaleo Kealoha entered with security behind him.
He went directly to Mara.
“Ms. Ellison, we need a decision.”
Vanessa snapped, “I’m the bride.”
Kaleo looked at her.
“Yes, ma’am. But every guarantee is under her name.”
The words landed like a slap.
Adrian turned to Vanessa.
“You told me your parents signed the contracts.”
Vanessa’s mouth opened.
Elaine whispered, “Mara, don’t do this.”
Mara looked at her mother.
“Do what? Stop being responsible for contracts I didn’t approve?”
Robert finally stood.
“We can resolve this.”
Mara looked at him.
“You had six months.”
Robert’s face reddened.
“I had liquidity issues.”
“You had truth issues.”
Kaleo placed the unpaid invoice stack on the table.
“The resort requires payment or authorized continuation under Ms. Ellison’s guarantee. Without either, we begin breakdown of all unpaid installations.”
Vanessa looked at Mara, desperate now.
“You wouldn’t embarrass me like this.”
Mara almost smiled.
“Not for fun.”
Then she turned to Kaleo.
“Ask the bride to pay.”
Kaleo nodded once.
Outside the suite, staff began removing white orchids from the hallway arch.
Vanessa made a sound like the world had betrayed her personally.
Adrian slowly picked up the forged authorization form from the table.
His voice was quiet.
“What is this?”
Vanessa turned pale.
Mara looked at her sister.
May you like
“That,” she said, “is why I’m not fixing anything until everyone tells the truth.”
👉 The wedding flowers were coming down, but the forged authorization was about to bring down more than the ceremony.
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