Chapter 3 - Facing the Ghost from the Past
David marched down the stone stairs, his tuxedo suddenly feeling several sizes too small and painfully constrictive around his neck. He tried to muster the arrogant sneer that had carried him through boardrooms, but his eyes kept darting nervously to the three identical gazes watching him from below. "Emily," he spat out, trying to sound dismissive enough to satisfy the ears of the surrounding socialites. "I see you spent your entire year's savings renting a stretch car and hiring actors to play your entourage just to make a scene at my wedding. Desperation never looked so cheap." Emily didn't flinch. She didn't raise her voice, nor did she retreat into the timid shell he remembered from their cramped kitchen arguments. Instead, she took off her oversized dark sunglasses, revealing eyes that held the hard-won brilliance of forged steel. "I don’t rent anything, David," she said smoothly, her tone carrying an easy clarity that rang out over the silent crowd. "And you sent an invitation to my office with a request for attendance. It seemed only polite to drop by and see the man who once claimed he couldn't afford twenty dollars for baby formula." At those words, the crowd gasped audibly. Olivia had followed David down the stairs, her veil fluttering in the wind, her face pale with fury and confusion. "Baby formula?" Olivia demanded, rounding on David. "You told my father you had no living dependents! You swore your ex-wife was an infertile freeloader who signed a clean release!" David’s eyes flashed with blind panic as he waved his hands wildly. "She’s lying! She’s an opportunist trying to shake me down on our special day!"
