Chapter 4

No sooner had they stormed out than I received a text from Chloe, the manager of the bridal boutique.

[Ellie, a girl named Amber Reed just came in, demanding to try on your wedding dress – the one we just finished altering for you! We're about to call the police.]

[No, don't. Let her try it. Make sure she's well 'served'.]

Chloe is the daughter of one of my father's oldest, most trusted friends. She was probably in on the whole 'stunt,' but we had to play the part perfectly. When my father 'left,' he'd repeatedly warned me not to let anyone suspect a thing. If this plan succeeded, the Vance family would be untouchable, securing the top spot among the country's wealthiest families for the next three decades. This was no time for me to slip up.

Thinking this, I also dismissed the idea of calling someone to clean up. I started to pick up the mess on the table myself, piece by piece. Halfway through, Liam called.

"Get to the bridal boutique. Be here in 20 minutes."

When I arrived at the bridal boutique, I immediately spotted Chloe, her face a mask of furious indignation. Following her gaze, I saw Amber already wearing the wedding dress that had just been altered for me. She was much shorter than me, so the long train of the dress dragged ludicrously on the floor, looking quite comical.

"Do you have any concept of time?! I told you to be here in twenty minutes! Look how late you are! Eighteen whole minutes!"

To keep up appearances, all my premium credit cards had been frozen. A cab from our mansion would have cost hundreds of dollars. I'd taken buses and subways to get here.

"What are you gawking at?! Can't you see the dress is dragging on the floor? Go help Amber hold it up!"

"Hey! What's wrong with you?! This is Ellie's dress! It's one thing for Ellie to be generous enough to let her wear it, but you're making Ellie serve her?! Are you out of your mind?!" Chloe furiously defended me.

Liam sprang from his seat and aimed a slap at Chloe's face. "You're the crazy one! Her dad's dead! You still think she's some pampered heiress?!"

I instantly stepped in front of Chloe and took the full force of the slap right across my left cheek. Perhaps the incident with the knife still rattled Liam, because when he saw he'd hit me, he didn't say another word. My face swelled up instantly. Chloe looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears and guilt. I patted her hand, giving her a look that said I was okay. Then, I knelt down to help Amber hold up the train of the wedding dress.

In the mirror, Amber looked at me, a highly provocative and mocking smile playing on her lips. Then, she deliberately leaned back, her fifteen-centimeter heel grinding directly into the back of my hand. Excruciating pain instantly shot from my fingertips, through my hand, and up my arm. Before I could even make a sound, Amber shrieked in a high-pitched voice, "Ellie, if you're upset I'm wearing your dress, just say so! Why would you push me? I have a baby in here!"

Seeing this, Liam immediately stepped forward, and a slap landed squarely on my face. "Eleanor Vance, how could I have never seen how evil you truly are?! I knew something was up when you suddenly became so agreeable, doing whatever you were told! You've been plotting something wicked all along, haven't you?!"

"Stop making a scene and embarrassing everyone! Get out of here and go home!"

Unable to afford a cab, I had to take the bus. The moment I boarded, I became the center of attention.

"Isn't that the fallen heiress from the Vance family? I just saw her get slapped at the bridal shop! Look, you can still see the marks on her face!"

"Right? If she doesn't serve Mrs. Harrison well, she'll get even more beatings later!"

"Serves her right! She's had it good for too long, it's about time she got a taste of hardship!"

Amidst the cacophony of cruel whispers and insults, I received a text from Chloe.

[Ellie, just hang in there a little longer. My dad just sent a message. In three days, everything will turn around.]