Chương 6
Then Victoria appeared beside him.
She placed a hand gently on his arm.
The gesture was meant to look affectionate.
Instead, it looked possessive.
"Genevieve," she said.
Her voice was polite.
Too polite.
"I've heard so much about you."
I smiled.
"I doubt that."
Her expression tightened.
Julian noticed.
"Let's not make today uncomfortable."
I looked at him.
"Today was already uncomfortable the moment you called me from a hospital room."
His face changed slightly.
Victoria looked between us.
"What are you talking about?"
Julian answered too quickly.
"Nothing."
That single word told me more than a confession could have.
Because Victoria didn't know everything.
And Julian was afraid of what she might learn.
Victoria looked at Julian again.
The question in her eyes was small, but I noticed it.
She had the expression of someone who had just discovered a sentence was missing from a story she thought she understood.
"Nothing," Julian repeated.
His voice was softer this time.
A warning disguised as reassurance.
Victoria nodded, but she didn't look convinced.
Before she could ask anything else, the wedding coordinator approached them and announced that guests should begin moving outside for the ceremony.
Julian offered Victoria his arm.
She took it.
But when they walked away, she looked back at me.
Not with anger.
With curiosity.
That was the first crack.
The ceremony itself was beautiful in the way expensive things often were.
Every detail had been arranged perfectly.
The flowers matched the ocean.
The music rose at exactly the right moments.
The guests smiled at the right times.
Julian stood beneath the white arch looking like a man who had finally reached the life he believed he deserved.
I sat beside Claire near the back.
Not because I wanted to hide.
Because I didn't want to become part of the performance.
Halfway through the vows, my phone vibrated.
I ignored it.
A few seconds later, it vibrated again.
Claire glanced at me.
"Who is it?"
I looked down.
Rachel Porter.
My stomach tightened.
I stepped away quietly and answered.
"Rachel?"
Her breathing was uneven.
"Are you at the wedding?"
"Yes."
"Leave."
The urgency in her voice made me stop walking.
"What happened?"
"Someone knows."
I looked back toward the ceremony.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Rachel."
"Genevieve, I found something else."
I moved farther from the guests.
"What?"
"The documents I gave you weren't the only copies."
"Where are the others?"
"Julian has them."
My heart sank.
"How do you know?"
"Because I saw him with them this morning."
I lowered my voice.
"Rachel, that doesn't make sense."
"I know."
She sounded frustrated.
"I thought I was wrong too."
"Then why are you calling me?"
"Because the file he had was labeled with your name."
The sound of the waves filled the silence between us.
"What exactly did you see?"
"I couldn't read everything."
"Rachel."
"I saw one sentence."
She paused.
"What sentence?"
Her voice dropped.
"Genevieve Sterling will remain unaware until final transfer completion."
My hand went cold.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
"Final transfer of what?"
"I don't know."
"Rachel, where are you now?"
Another pause.
Too long.
"Rachel?"
"I shouldn't have called."
The line went dead.
I immediately called back.
No answer.
I called again.
Nothing.
I returned to Claire.
She saw my face before I said anything.
"What happened?"
I told her.
She didn't panic.
That was what made me afraid.
Claire only became quiet when something was serious.
"We need to leave," she said.
"No."
She looked at me.
"Genevieve."
"If I leave now, Julian knows something happened."
"Maybe he already knows."
I looked toward the ceremony.
Julian was still standing beneath the arch.
He smiled as Victoria said something to him.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
"I need to know what he thinks he knows."
Claire studied me.
Then she nodded slowly.
"Stay close to me."
The ceremony ended twenty minutes later.
Guests applauded.
Julian kissed Victoria.
Everyone stood.
Everyone smiled.
Everyone acted like nothing in the world was wrong.
That was when I realized something uncomfortable.
The people closest to Julian were not unaware.
They were choosing what version of reality they wanted.
During the reception, I watched him move through the crowd.
He shook hands.
He accepted congratulations.
He laughed with investors and business partners.
He was good at this.
Better than I wanted to admit.
Julian had never been careless with strangers.
Only with people who loved him.
A waiter passed by with champagne.
I took a glass even though I didn't drink.
I needed something in my hand.
Something normal.
"Still pretending everything is fine?"
Eleanor appeared beside me.
I looked at her.
"Isn't that what everyone is doing?"
Her mouth tightened.
"You shouldn't be here."
The honesty surprised me.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"Earlier you wanted me to leave."
"I want to avoid unnecessary damage."
"To who?"
She looked away.
That hesitation mattered.
"Julian made mistakes."
I watched her carefully.
"Mistakes?"
"Everyone does."
"Using my family's name?"
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
"You know."
It wasn't a question.
"I know some things."
Eleanor looked toward the dance floor.
"Genevieve, you need to understand something."
"I've been trying to understand for months."
"Julian is not the only person involved."
I stayed silent.
She noticed.
"You already knew."
"Who else?"
She didn't answer.
"Who else, Eleanor?"
Her fingers tightened around her purse.
"I cannot have this conversation here."
"Why?"
"Because there are too many people listening."
The answer confirmed what I already suspected.
The wedding was not just a celebration.
It was a gathering of people connected to a secret.
Before I could press her further, Julian approached.
"What are you two talking about?"
Eleanor immediately smiled.
"Nothing important."
Julian looked between us.
He knew his mother.
He knew when she was lying.
"Mom?"
"Congratulations," she said quickly.
Then she walked away.
Julian watched her leave.
For the first time that day, he looked uncertain.
"She shouldn't have spoken to you."
I looked at him.
May you like
"Why?"
"Because she doesn't know the whole situation."
