CHAPTER 6: A Wedding Built on Borrowed Power

The Vale family had chosen the Grand Aurelia because the ballroom photographed like legacy.
They wanted marble, chandeliers, antique chairs, a white fireplace, and staff trained to move like shadows around them.
What they did not want was accountability.
In the week before the wedding, Margaret had demanded free upgrades, threatened junior coordinators, dismissed two florists, and told a banquet server that people in uniforms should be grateful for wealthy mistakes.
Sophia had learned the language perfectly.
She complained about accents. About posture. About speed. About smiles that were too bright or not bright enough.
Every report had reached Elena's desk.
She could have canceled the event by email.
Instead, she came in person because cruelty always looks smaller when forced to stand in front of the person it tried to erase.
Margaret swallowed. "This is a private wedding."
"No," Elena said. "It is a contracted event in my hotel. And that contract includes conduct standards for guests."
Sophia glanced at the silent crowd.
Suddenly, everyone had become a witness.