The message arrived at 9:17 p.m., the night before my wedding. I remember the time because I had been staring at my phone, rereading Adrian's last text—Sleep early. Tomorrow you become my wife. There had been no emoji, no softness, but that was how he loved: steady, certain, unquestionable.
When my screen lit up again with an unknown number, I almost ignored it. Almost. Instead, I opened it and felt the blood drain from my face. If you want your father's company to survive the morning, come to Suite 2806. Alone. Do not tell Adrian. If you do, everything goes public tonight.
Beneath the message was an attachment. I tapped it with trembling fingers. It was a document I recognized instantly—internal financial statements from my father's company, records that were never meant to leave private servers. Out of context, they looked illegal. Dangerous. Criminal. My pulse began to pound.
If these were leaked before the wedding, it wouldn't just embarrass my family. It would destroy them. And Adrian would never knowingly tie his empire to scandal.
I called my father immediately. No answer. I tried again. Voicemail. I texted him urgently, but there was no reply. Another message came seconds later. Clock is ticking. Suite 2806 was located inside the Grand Meridian Hotel—the same hotel where some of our wedding guests were staying.
The coincidence felt intentional. I stared at the screen, my thoughts racing. If this was a bluff, I could ignore it. If it wasn't, my father's company would collapse before sunrise. I should have told Adrian. I should have walked straight to him and handed him the phone. But love makes you protective in foolish ways. I didn't want him thinking my family was a liability. I didn't want him questioning the merger. And I didn't want to look weak the night before becoming his wife. So I made the worst decision of my life.
I went alone.
The hallway outside my bridal suite was quiet as I slipped out in a simple coat over my silk robe. I told myself it would take ten minutes. I would listen, resolve it, and return before anyone noticed. The elevator ride felt suffocating. When I reached the twenty-eighth floor, the corridor was dim and silent. I hesitated only once before knocking.
The door opened almost immediately. Victor Lang stood there, relaxed, composed, as if he had been expecting me. Adrian's biggest competitor. The only man bold enough to challenge Vale Group publicly. "I was wondering how long it would take you," he said with a faint smile. "What do you want?" I asked without stepping inside. He tilted his head. "You're not even curious how I got those documents?" My silence answered him. He stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter. After a moment's hesitation, I did.
The suite lights were low, the city glowing beyond the glass windows. There were no scattered files or dramatic evidence laid out on tables. Just Victor, perfectly at ease.
"Your father's company has irregularities," he said smoothly. "Minor, but damaging in the right light." "They're not illegal," I replied. "That depends on who tells the story."
He poured himself a drink and continued, "All I want is a delay. Convince Adrian to postpone the merger. A few months. That's all." I stared at him. "You think he would agree without reason?" "Then give him one," Victor said calmly. The implication settled heavily between us. "You want me to sabotage my own wedding."
"I want you to protect your family," he corrected. My heart pounded. "If Adrian finds out—" "He won't," Victor interrupted.
"Unless you force my hand."
His confidence unsettled me. "You planned this," I said quietly. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I plan everything." Before I could respond, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it briefly, then looked at me with something that resembled satisfaction.
"You should go," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because timing," he replied, "is everything." A cold feeling crept up my spine. I didn't argue. I turned and walked out of the suite, my thoughts spinning. The hallway suddenly felt longer, heavier. My phone vibrated before I reached the elevator. Another message from the unknown number. My breath caught as I opened it. Attached was a photo. Me. Inside Suite 2806.
The angle was deliberate—suggestive. Damaging. Intimate enough to imply betrayal. The timestamp was seconds old. My pulse roared in my ears. This had never been about negotiation. It had been about evidence. About creating a narrative Adrian couldn't ignore.
A final message appeared beneath the photo. Thank you for cooperating. My fingers went numb around the phone. I understood it then. The delay Victor requested was irrelevant. The damage was already done. Even if I told Adrian now, the proof would surface. The story would spread. And the only version anyone would believe was the one that made the most sense: the bride meeting her fiancé's rival the night before the wedding. I leaned against the cold elevator wall as it descended, my reflection pale and shaken in the mirrored surface. I had walked into the suite thinking I was protecting my family. Instead, I had handed someone the weapon that would destroy everything.
By the time I stepped back into my bridal suite, the silence felt different. Heavy. Final. I stared at my phone, knowing the photo would reach Adrian sooner or later. And when it did, no explanation would ever sound convincing enough.
And that was the moment I realized the truth.
Tomorrow wasn't going to be a wedding.
It was going to be an execution.