Chapter 3
The cinematic lighting of the garden caught the sudden, sharp movement of Sloane’s chest as she breathed in deeply, enraged by the housemaid’s interference. As she shifted her weight, the plunging neckline of her luxurious engagement gown moved, exposing a heavy gold chain resting against her fair, rosy skin.
Dangling from the center of that necklace, catching the gentle golden highlights of the afternoon sun, was a second ring. It was a delicate, vintage diamond band, shimmering with an unmistakable, brilliant clarity.
Alden’s eyes dropped from Callista’s worried face to the necklace resting against Sloane’s chest.
For a single, agonizing heartbeat, time seemed to stop entirely. The ambient noise of the fifty guests, the rustling of the silk flower garlands, the distant clinking of champagne glasses—it all faded into a deafening silence within Alden’s mind. He stared at the diamond band. He knew every facet of that stone, every scratch on the gold band. It had belonged to his wife, the woman he had mourned every single day for the past twelve months.
"Where did you get that?" Alden asked, his deep voice suddenly dropping to a hoarse, quiet whisper.
"Get what?" Sloane snapped, her hand instinctively reaching up to touch her collarbone.
"That was my wife’s wedding ring," Alden said, his voice shaken, the words tearing through his throat with a raw, bleeding edge.
The color drained entirely from Sloane’s face. For a moment, genuine panic flashed in her eyes. But her pride, fueled by the audience of her father’s loyalists, quickly overrode her fear.
"You must be mistaken," Sloane spat, her grip on his necktie tightening. "It’s a family heirloom. Now, tell your miserable maid to back away before I make her bleed."
"Did you desecrate her grave, Sloane?" Alden asked, the measured calm returning to his voice, though it now carried a lethal, terrifying weight.
"I told you to shut up!" Sloane screamed, losing her composure entirely. She released his tie, raising her hand high into the air, her diamond engagement ring catching the light as she prepared to violently strike him across the face a second time.
The two bodyguards braced their grip on Alden’s arms, holding him steady for the blow.
But Callista moved first.
The housemaid, standing just inches from Alden, saw the hand rising. She didn't think; she merely reacted. Callista stepped sharply to the side, positioning herself perfectly beside Sloane. With incredible speed and precision, Callista swept her right leg forward, delivering ONE forceful, perfectly executed leg sweep directly against the back of Sloane’s ankles.
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Sloane shrieked as her feet were violently kicked out from under her. She flew backward, completely airborne for a fraction of a second. She crashed heavily against one of the structural pillars of the lightweight engagement arch.
The arch groaned under her weight and immediately gave way. The entire structure collapsed backward, sending a cascade of white silk flowers, sheer ribbons, and wooden lattice tumbling down onto the manicured lawn. Sloane landed hard on the grass, instantly buried beneath the debris of her own ruined ceremony.
