Chapter 3 - The Rehearsal Dinner War
By seven o'clock the following evening, the private dining room at The Grand Mariner—Port Mercy’s most exclusive waterfront restaurant—was filled with ninety guests.
The air was thick with expensive perfume, crystal stemware clinking, and the low, aristocratic hum of New England society gossip.
Emma’s mother, Eleanor Bennett, swept through the room in a floor-length emerald silk gown, holding a glass of vintage champagne, beaming as she accepted congratulations from local politicians and judges.
"Oh, thank you, Sarah!" Eleanor gushed to a woman in pearls. "Yes, Emma and Cole are just a match made in heaven. And of course, having the Marston family as in-laws... well, it’s what every mother dreams of!"
Near the back of the room, standing beside a floral arrangement of white orchids, stood Tessa.
Tessa looked pale and nervous beneath her heavy makeup. She wore a tight red lace dress, her eyes frantically scanning the entrance every time the heavy oak doors opened. She had texted Cole forty times since the previous night, but his phone remained completely switched off.
"Where is he, Tessa?" Eleanor whispered fiercely, slipping beside her younger daughter near the champagne tower. "The dinner was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago! And where is Emma? Why aren't they answering their phones?"
"I don't know, Mom!" Tessa snapped nervously, taking a quick gulp from her glass. "Cole had... some business at the docks to finish."
"On his rehearsal dinner night?" Eleanor scoffed, adjusting her diamond necklace. "Honestly, that boy is just like his father. Work, work, work. But where is your sister? She should be here greeting the Marston cousins!"
Before Tessa could answer, the double doors of the grand dining room swung open.
The room fell completely silent.
Emma stepped through the doorway.
She didn't look like a heartbroken, betrayed bride. She looked breathtaking.
She wore a sleek, midnight-blue silk slip dress that hugged her slender frame, paired with high silver heels and a vintage sapphire necklace that had belonged to the Marston family for three generations—a necklace Marion Marston had personally fastened around Emma’s neck two hours earlier. Her dark hair was swept up in an elegant, modern style, revealing her neck and sharp jawline.
Beside her walked Adrian Marston.
He was clad in a flawless black tuxedo, his imposing six-foot-three frame radiating power, composure, and dangerous authority. His hand was resting lightly, possessively, against the small of Emma’s back as he guided her into the room.
Gasps echoed across the dining hall.
Eleanor Bennett stood frozen, her champagne glass hovering near her lips, her eyes wide in absolute confusion.
Tessa’s face turned as white as paper. Her hand shook so violently that champagne spilled over the rim of her glass, staining her red dress.
"Emma?" Eleanor hurried forward, her heels clicking loudly against the marble floor. "Emma, what is the meaning of this? Why are you dressed in blue? Where is your wedding gown for the rehearsal? And why are you arriving with... with Adrian?"
Emma stopped in the center of the room, right beneath the crystal chandelier, ensuring every single guest could hear her.
"Good evening, everyone," Emma said, her voice carrying smoothly, effortlessly across the silent room. "Thank you all so much for coming to Port Mercy tonight."
She turned her gaze toward her mother, and then slowly shifted her eyes to fixate entirely on Tessa.
"I have an important announcement to make regarding tomorrow's ceremony," Emma continued, her tone light, polite, and horrifyingly serene. "There will be no wedding tomorrow."
A loud, collective gasp went up from the ninety guests.
"Emma!" Eleanor shrieked softly, stepping closer. "Have you lost your mind?! What are you talking about?!"
"I am canceling the wedding," Emma stated, looking directly into her mother’s panicked eyes. "Because three days ago, I walked into the Harbor Crown Hotel and found my fiancé, Cole, sleeping with my sister, Tessa."
The room erupted into utter chaos.
Plates rattled as people gasped. Several older women covered their mouths in shock. City Councilman Vance dropped his wine glass onto the carpet.
"WHAT?!" Eleanor screamed, her eyes darting between Emma and Tessa. "Tessa?! Is this true?!"
Tessa backed away, her hands shaking, tears bursting from her eyes as every wealthy eye in Port Mercy turned toward her with disgust and horror. "Mom... Mom, it wasn't like that! He loved me! He said he was going to break it off with her!"
"Five months, mother," Emma added calmly, her voice cutting through Tessa’s hysterical cries. "They’ve been having an affair for five months. While Tessa was helping me pick out my flowers, she was sleeping with Cole in his loft."
"You wicked, shameless girl!" Eleanor gasped, turning on Tessa, her face contorted in rage and embarrassment. "In front of the entire city?! You ruined everything!"
"Me?!" Tessa screamed back, her facade completely shattering into pathetic, ugly sobs. "You always favored Emma! You always acted like she was the good daughter! Cole wanted me! He chose me!"
"He didn't choose you, Tessa," a deep, dark voice boomed through the room.
Adrian stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Tessa with cold contempt.
"Cole was stripped of his executive position at Marston Maritime last night," Adrian revealed publicly, ensuring every business leader in the room heard every word. "He has been evicted from family properties and removed from the trust for gross personal and professional misconduct. He currently has no job, no money, and no standing in this city."
Adrian looked at the stunned, whispering crowd.
"The Marston family deeply regrets the actions of Cole Marston," Adrian announced smoothly. "All vendor expenses for this weekend have been covered in full by my office. Please, enjoy the food and drink tonight as my personal guests. But know that Cole Marston no longer represents this family in any capacity."
Eleanor Bennett looked like she was about to faint. The Marston alliance—the social triumph she had been bragging about for three years—had evaporated into a humiliating nightmare in front of her highest-ranking friends.
Tessa sobbed hysterically, covering her face as she turned and sprinted out of the dining room through the service doors, unable to bear the burning glares of the crowd.
Eleanor grabbed Emma’s arm, her voice desperate. "Emma! You can't let this end like this! Talk to Adrian! Maybe... maybe Cole can apologize! Maybe we can save the family reputation!"
Emma looked down at her mother’s hand on her arm, feeling a profound, liberating sense of detachment.
She gently pulled her arm free from her mother’s grip.
"My reputation is fine, mother," Emma said softly. "Yours, however, is your own problem."
Emma turned away from her mother and looked up at Adrian.
He was looking down at her, a rare, brilliant smile touching the corners of his hard lips. He held out his arm to her.
"Ready to leave, Miss Bennett?" Adrian asked gently.
May you like
Emma slid her hand into the crook of his elbow, feeling the immense, unshakeable strength of the man beside her.
"Yes, Adrian," Emma said, her heart beating with a strange, thrilling new rhythm. "Take me home."
