Chapter 2: The Company Nobody Had Heard Of
“Dad, put the paper down.””
Daniel's voice was no longer embarrassed.
It was frightened.
I looked at him.
“Why?””
He glanced at Vanessa.
She was standing near the stage, gripping the sides of her wedding dress.
“Because this isn't the time.””
I almost laughed.
“Your mother was pushed into a flowerbed in front of two hundred people. Apparently, that was the right time for you to stay silent.””
“That's not what I meant.””
“Then tell me what you meant.””
Daniel opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I unfolded the document completely.
The ballroom became so quiet I could hear the soft clinking of ice inside someone's abandoned champagne glass.
“My attorney discovered that several payments connected to this wedding were made to a company called Vantage Event Solutions.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“That's a vendor.””
“Interesting. According to the state business registry, Vantage Event Solutions was established only eleven months ago.””
“So?””
I looked down at the paper.
“The registered owner is Vanessa Cole.””
Celeste nearly dropped her champagne.
“That is ridiculous!””
I turned toward her.
“Is it?””
“Yes! Vanessa has worked with event planners for years. She knows people in the industry.””
“Then perhaps you can explain why the company has no listed office, no employees, and no verifiable business history.””
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Richard, you're making accusations without understanding anything.””
I held up another page.
“Three invoices. One for floral arrangements. One for transportation. One for event coordination.””
She nodded quickly.
“Exactly. Services we paid for.””
“Except the wedding planner's actual company already billed me for those services.””
Monica, who had been standing near the stage, looked up sharply.
“What?””
I turned toward her.
“Did your company receive these three payments?””
Monica shook her head.
“No, Mr. Bennett. We billed you directly. I don't know anything about Vantage Event Solutions.””
Vanessa's face changed.
For the first time that afternoon, she looked genuinely afraid.
“Monica, don't get involved.””
Monica frowned.
“I am involved. Those are invoices carrying my company's name.””
I passed her the copies.
She examined them carefully.
“These aren't ours.””
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“What is he talking about?””
Vanessa turned toward him.
“Baby, please. Your father is upset because of what happened outside. He's trying to humiliate me.””
I looked at my son.
“Daniel, do you know what Vantage Event Solutions is?””
He swallowed.
“No.””
“Have you ever heard the name?””
“No.””
Vanessa grabbed his arm.
“Don't answer him!””
That single sentence told me more than the entire stack of paperwork.
Daniel pulled his arm away.
“Vanessa, what's going on?””
She stared at him.
“Not now.””
“Tell me!””
Celeste rushed between them.
“This is a family matter. We are not discussing business in front of strangers.””
I looked at her.
“Two hundred people became witnesses when your daughter pushed my wife. You don't get to decide who hears the truth.””
Celeste's cheeks turned red.
“You're an old man with too much money and too much time.””
I nodded slowly.
“And you're a woman who thinks money can buy respect.””
Her mouth tightened.
Before she could respond, Monica approached me.
“Mr. Bennett, I need to tell you something.””
“What is it?””
She lowered her voice.
“Some of these invoices were submitted to our office last month. Someone contacted us claiming to represent your family and requested copies of our vendor records.””
“Who?””
Monica glanced at Vanessa.
“She did.””
Vanessa immediately shouted.
“That's a lie!””
Monica stepped back.
“I have the emails.””
I looked at the bride.
“Why were you requesting copies of invoices from a company you supposedly weren't involved with?””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
Not the quiet, embarrassed tears of someone caught doing something wrong.
These were angry tears.
“You've never accepted me!”” she cried.
“From the beginning, you've treated me like I wasn't good enough for your family!””
I looked at Elaine.
My wife was still sitting near the ballroom entrance.
She had cleaned some of the mud from her face, but dark stains remained across the front of her dress.
She wasn't watching the argument.
She was looking at Daniel.
Waiting for him to do something.
I returned my attention to Vanessa.
“Being part of this family never required you to be perfect. It required you to be decent.””
“You have no idea what I've had to deal with!””
“What have you had to deal with?””
She pointed toward me.
“You controlled everything! The money, the venue, the decisions! You made me feel like I was begging for permission!””
I stared at her.
“You asked me to pay for the wedding.””
“You offered!””
“And you accepted.””
Celeste stepped forward.
“Richard, this has gone far enough.””
“No. It hasn't.””
I turned toward Monica.
“Please make copies of every invoice and preserve the original records. My attorney will contact you.””
Monica nodded.
Then I faced Daniel.
“Son, I want you to come with me.””
He looked toward Vanessa.
“Where?””
“Somewhere we can speak without an audience.””
Vanessa immediately grabbed his hand.
“He's trying to turn you against me.””
Daniel didn't answer.
I watched him struggle.
A part of me wanted to walk over and pull him away from her.
But he was thirty-five.
He had a choice.
Finally, he looked at me.
“Give me five minutes.””
I nodded.
“Five minutes.””
He walked toward Vanessa and whispered something.
She shook her head.
Then she slapped his arm.
“Don't you dare leave me alone with them!””
Several guests gasped.
Daniel stepped back.
“Vanessa, stop.””
She stared at him as though she'd never heard those words before.
Then she turned toward me.
“Fine. You want to know the truth? Let's talk about your money.””
She reached into the small purse hanging from her wrist.
And pulled out her phone.
“Because if we're going to expose secrets, Richard, perhaps everyone should know what your son has been doing behind your back.””
Daniel went completely still.
“Vanessa,” he whispered.
She smiled.
And pressed the screen.
A photograph appeared on the large presentation screen behind the wedding stage.
It showed Daniel standing outside a downtown hotel.
Beside him was a woman in a red coat.
He was holding her hand.
The date beneath the photograph was six weeks earlier.
Elaine slowly rose from her chair.
I looked at my son.
He didn't deny it.
May you like
Vanessa lifted her phone.
“Would you like me to show everyone the other pictures?””
