Chapter 6: The Bride Who Vanished Six Years Ago
The sound of breaking glass silenced the ballroom.
Philippa stared at the shattered pieces near her shoes. A hotel employee hurried toward her with a towel, but she waved him away so sharply that he nearly stumbled.
Then she looked directly at me.
For the first time since I'd met her, Philippa Ashworth appeared afraid of something she couldn't control.
I held my phone at my side.
I didn't show her the message.
I didn't have to.
She already knew the name.
“Dad,” I whispered, “Evelyn Brooks.””
His expression changed.
“You know her?””
“Not personally.””
“Then how—”
“Lavinia heard Sebastian and Philippa discussing old records. She said someone named Evelyn kept copies.””
Dad's jaw tightened.
He looked toward the ballroom doors.
“Mr. Osgood, would you please ask hotel security to ensure everyone can leave freely?””
“Of course, sir.””
“And ask them to preserve any available footage of the corridor outside the bridal suite.””
Osgood nodded and walked away.
Dad turned back to me.
“We're going to verify this before we do anything else.””
“Who was she?””
“I don't know the full story.””
“But you know something.””
He was silent for a moment.
“Six years ago, Evelyn Brooks was engaged to Sebastian. The engagement ended suddenly. The Ashworth family said she had become unreliable and that Sebastian had discovered serious differences between them.””
“What kind of differences?””
“They never explained.””
I stared at him.
“Why didn't I know about her?””
“Because the Ashworths rarely discussed her, and the engagement was over long before I met Sebastian through business.””
I looked down at the message.
Ask why the Ashworths paid her to disappear.
“Did you ever hear that they paid her?””
“No.””
“Then we need to find her.””
Dad nodded slowly.
“If the message is genuine, we'll find a lawful way to contact her. But we won't assume the sender is telling the truth.””
I knew he was right.
Still, something about the timing frightened me. Whoever was sending the messages knew what had happened in the bridal suite, what Philippa had said in the ballroom, and what Lavinia had overheard.
This wasn't a random stranger stumbling across a canceled engagement.
Someone had been waiting for today.
A hotel security manager approached us.
“Mr. Winslow, the ballroom doors are open. Guests may leave whenever they wish.””
“Thank you.””
The manager lowered his voice.
“There's another matter. Mrs. Ashworth has requested that we remove a guest who claims to have a personal dispute with the family. She says the woman is disrupting the event.””
Dad's eyes narrowed.
“Who is the woman?””
“Evelyn Brooks.””
My breath caught.
Dad glanced at me.
“Where is she?””
“Near the east entrance. She refused to enter the ballroom until she spoke with you.””
I felt my pulse racing.
“Bring her here,” I said.
Dad held up a hand.
“Ask whether she's comfortable meeting us privately. She doesn't owe us an explanation.””
The manager nodded and left.
Across the room, Philippa began moving toward us.
She walked quickly, her gold gown sweeping across the floor. Her face had regained some of its composure, but the fingers gripping her clutch were white around the edges.
“Harlan,” she said, “I need to speak with you.””
“About what?””
“This situation has become deeply inappropriate.””
“Then perhaps you should have considered that before trying to control who could leave the ballroom.””
Her nostrils flared.
“You are making decisions based on gossip.””
“I haven't made any decisions.””
“You withdrew your support.””
“I declined to sign an unsigned agreement.””
Philippa glanced toward me.
“And now you're entertaining stories from a disgruntled former fiancée?””
The words escaped too quickly.
I noticed.
So did Dad.
“You seem remarkably familiar with the woman we're discussing,” he said.
Philippa's lips parted.
Then she smiled, thin and brittle.
“Everyone in our social circle knew about Evelyn.””
“Then you'll have no objection to speaking with her.””
Her expression collapsed.
For half a second, I saw the woman beneath the diamonds. Not the commanding society matriarch who could silence a room with a raised eyebrow, but someone trying desperately to keep a locked door from opening.
“Evelyn has no place here,” she said.
“That's not your decision,” I replied.
Philippa turned on me.
“You have already caused enough damage today.””
I looked at the torn veil hanging over my arm.
“You caused the damage when you decided I was disposable.””
She took a step closer.
“Do you understand what you are threatening? This family employs hundreds of people. We have obligations you couldn't possibly comprehend.””
“My father employs thousands.””
“That is precisely why he should understand.””
“He does understand. That's why he brought an unsigned contract.””
Her eyes flashed.
“Your father has no idea what will happen if those records become public.””
Dad stepped between us.
“Then perhaps you should explain the records.””
Philippa's face drained of color.
For a moment, none of us spoke.
Then Sebastian approached from behind her.
“Mother, stop talking.””
The sharpness of his voice surprised me.
Philippa turned.
“Don't tell me what to do.””
“Not here.””
“There it is again,” I said quietly.
“Not here. Not now. Not in front of people.””
Sebastian looked at me.
“You don't know what you're interfering with.””
“I know that you cheated on me, stole my grandmother's bracelet, and left me on the floor in front of three hundred guests.””
His expression hardened.
“I didn't leave you on the floor.””
“You walked away.””
“You fell because you pulled away from me.””
“You grabbed my arm.””
“I was trying to stop you from making a scene.””
“You tore my veil.””
“It caught on my cufflink.””
“And then you left me there.””
He glanced at the guests who were still nearby.
“I'm not going to argue about this.””
“Of course not. You only argue when you think you can control the outcome.””
He leaned closer.
“You think your father can protect you from everything?””
Dad stepped forward.
“That's enough.””
Sebastian straightened.
For a moment, I thought he might challenge him.
Instead, he looked toward Philippa and spoke through clenched teeth.
“We need to leave.””
“I'm not leaving,” his mother snapped.
“Mother, the lenders are already calling.””
The sentence slipped out before he could stop himself.
Philippa went rigid.
Dad's attention sharpened.
“Which lenders?””
Sebastian's face changed.
“I misspoke.””
“No,” Dad said.
“You spoke clearly.””
Philippa seized her son's arm.
“Sebastian.””
He pulled away.
“What do you want me to do? Pretend nothing is happening?””
She lowered her voice, but I heard every word.
“You will do exactly what I tell you. If the records surface, everything your father built will be gone.””
Sebastian looked at her.
“And what about what you promised me?””
Philippa's face went white.
I stepped closer.
“What did she promise you?””
Neither answered.
Before I could ask again, a woman appeared at the edge of the group.
She was in her early thirties, Black, with close-cropped natural hair and a tailored navy suit. She carried a plain leather folder against her chest. Her posture was straight, but her eyes moved constantly, taking in the security officers, the open ballroom doors, and the Ashworths.
When she saw Philippa, she stopped.
Philippa whispered, “No.””
The woman looked at her.
“Hello, Philippa.””
Sebastian took a step backward.
The woman turned toward Dad.
“Mr. Winslow. My name is Evelyn Brooks.””
Her voice was steady.
“I understand your company has been investigating financial irregularities involving Ashworth Heritage Holdings.””
Dad didn't confirm or deny it.
“What makes you believe that?””
Evelyn placed the folder on a nearby table.
“Because six years ago, I was engaged to Sebastian Ashworth, and I discovered that his family had been using my name to authorize transactions I knew nothing about.””
My mouth went dry.
Evelyn continued.
“When I confronted them, Philippa offered me money to sign a statement saying I had misunderstood the records. When I refused, she threatened to destroy my reputation.””
Philippa's voice rose.
“That's a lie.””
Evelyn didn't look at her.
“I kept copies.””
She opened the folder.
Inside were neatly arranged documents, dated letters, and printed financial records. I couldn't make out the details from where I stood, but the first page bore the name Ashworth Heritage Holdings.
Dad approached the table.
“Have these records been independently verified?””
“Some have. Others still need examination. I brought them because I heard about the wedding and realized the same arrangement might be happening again.””
I stared at her.
“Why contact me anonymously?””
Evelyn finally looked at me.
“Because I didn't know whether you were involved. I didn't know whether you knew anything. And I didn't know whether the Ashworths were monitoring your communications.””
The room seemed to grow colder.
“You thought I was part of it?””
“I thought you might be another person being used.””
She paused.
“Then I saw what happened to you today.””
I looked at the folder.
“What exactly did they do six years ago?””
Evelyn drew a slow breath.
“They didn't just end my engagement. They used the announcement of our wedding to reassure their investors, secure a credit facility, and persuade my father's company to guarantee a loan.””
Dad's expression became stone.
“Was the guarantee signed?””
“No. My father discovered the discrepancies before the final documents were completed.””
I thought of the blank signature page.
Of Sebastian's frantic search.
Of Philippa's terror.
Evelyn continued.
“But the money had already been moved through several accounts. When the lenders began asking questions, the Ashworths blamed me. They said I'd misrepresented my family's finances and sabotaged the deal.””
“What happened to you?”” I asked.
“My father lost his company. I spent years clearing my name.””
She touched the folder.
“I kept the records because I knew one day they would try it again.””
Philippa lunged toward the table.
“Those documents are stolen property!””
Evelyn pulled the folder back.
“They're copies of documents I lawfully retained.””
“You have no idea what you're talking about.””
“I know exactly what I'm talking about. I have the original correspondence from your office, the dates of the transfers, and the name of the accountant who prepared the reports.””
Sebastian stared at her.
“You said you destroyed everything.””
Evelyn's face went still.
There it was.
Not a denial.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
I watched Sebastian realize he'd spoken too freely.
My father closed the folder without removing anything.
“Evelyn, I want my legal team to review these materials. If they support what you've described, we'll make sure the relevant authorities receive the evidence.””
She nodded.
“That is all I want.””
Philippa looked around the ballroom. Guests who had remained to collect their belongings were now openly watching her.
She turned toward Sebastian.
“Say something.””
He didn't.
“Sebastian!””
He finally looked at her.
“What do you want me to say?””
“Tell them she's lying.””
He glanced at the folder.
Then at the blank contract in my father's hand.
For the first time, my former fiancé looked like a man who had run out of explanations.
Evelyn closed her folder.
“There's one more thing you should know,” she said to my father.
Dad looked up.
“What is it?””
“The records I brought today aren't complete. I only kept copies of the transactions I could prove were connected to my engagement.””
She reached into her bag and removed a single sealed envelope.
“The original files were maintained by the Ashworth family's former accountant. He contacted me last week.””
My father took the envelope.
“Why?””
Evelyn's eyes shifted toward Sebastian.
“Because he's dying, and he doesn't want to take the truth with him.””
She turned back to Dad.
“He says the wedding contract was never the real objective.””
I felt my heart pounding.
“What was?””
Evelyn looked directly at me.
“Your father's company.””
She paused.
“Six years ago, they tried to secure my family's assets. Today, they intended to secure yours. But there's something in the original files that makes your father's signature much more valuable than either of us realized.””
Dad examined the envelope without opening it.
Across the ballroom, Philippa sank into a chair.
Sebastian stood beside her, motionless.
Then Evelyn delivered the final blow.
“Mr. Winslow, the accountant says your company was targeted long before Genevieve met Sebastian.””
My father slowly raised his eyes.
“How long?””
Evelyn's voice dropped.
“According to his records, the Ashworths began planning the acquisition of Winslow Logistics nine years ago.””
I turned toward Dad.
Nine years ago, I had been seventeen.
Sebastian hadn't known me then.
Our families hadn't even met.
Yet someone had already decided that my father's company belonged in Ashworth hands.
And as my father broke the seal on the envelope, Evelyn looked at me with an expression that made my blood run cold.
May you like
“There's one more name in those files,” she whispered.
“Yours.””
