or Hale was already at work. He didn't need to be at the church to be present; his influence was a silent guest, already seated in the front row. The first sign of trouble didn't come

ctor just pulled the permits for the Riverside project. All of them. They'

"It doesn't matter," Mark said, his voice dropping. "The bank saw the notice. They've frozen the construction

ke. Back at the suite, Collette's phone buzzed on the vanity. It wasn't Ian. It wasn't h

irmenough to save his career and the livelihoods of his twenty employees. At the bo

wasn't a bridesmaid. It was her mothe

s, Collette," E

o?

erson before you... make a mistake." Collette gathered her silk train and marched into the garden, the white fabric trail

watch. "The inspectors have already l

rembling with a mixture of rage and disbel

are easily crushed by the weight of a world they don't understand. If you marry him today, you marry his debt. You marry his failure. By

ny. I will give him a contract that ensures he never has to worry again. An

he'll bel

him the truth, I'll ensure he never

in the distance. She could hear the fai

this love,

. "And I've never seen a more beautiful as

is life's work and the woman about to walk through the doors. He

oors

asn't th

a single, heavy cream envel