Chapter 4 - The Unedited Truth
Briany burst into tears. The pressure of holding a secret that could destroy a wealthy family's illusion of perfection finally shattered her resolve. With trembling fingers, she tapped her screen and handed her phone to Vesper, who immediately plugged a portable casting dongle into the lobby's massive digital concierge display.
Instantly, the high-definition video of the rehearsal night flashed onto the screen in front of fifty stunned wedding guests.
The footage was crystal clear. It showed me descending the marble staircase carefully, using my crutch and leaning on a groomsman. Then it showed Sutton deliberately rushing past me, shouting about flowers, locking her stiletto heel against my good ankle, and slamming her shoulder directly into my upper back.
Worse still, the audio captured Sutton’s exact words clear as day: “Let's see how much attention she gets with two broken legs.”
Gasps echoed through the lobby. Several prominent guests took a sharp step backward, staring at Sutton as if she were a stranger.
Althia rushed forward, her hands flying to her mouth. ""That's... that's a deepfake! Fallon hired someone to frame her sister! It's AI-generated!""
""It's not AI, Althia,"" a deep, calm voice interrupted from the entrance.
Alden stepped forward, holding up his own tablet. ""I was standing right behind the floral arrangement. I didn't just see her push Fallon down those stairs—I heard her laugh while Fallon was screaming in agony. And then, when I walked out to call an ambulance myself, I checked the resort’s security log.""
Alden turned his tablet toward the crowd, displaying a formal resort incident report.
""Sutton didn't just assault her sister,"" Alden continued, his voice shaking with restrained fury. ""She also forged my signature on a separate contract to bill our honeymoon suite upgrades directly to Fallon’s business account without permission. Financial fraud, physical assault, and deliberate bodily harm.""
Sutton gripped the wooden banister of the staircase, her face turning a mottled, furious red. ""You're all turning against me! She's a manipulative cripple who ruined everything! Alden, you're marrying me! We have a multi-million-dollar prenup and a guest list of five hundred people tomorrow!""
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""There is no wedding, Sutton,"" Alden said quietly, pulling a heavy platinum band from his finger and dropping it onto the marble floor where it clicked loudly. ""Our engagement is over. And my father’s law firm will be handling the dissolution of every joint venture between our families.""
Althia let out a piercing shriek and collapsed dramatically into the arms of my father, Stellin, who stood frozen like a statue, realizing in real-time that his entire social and financial standing had just imploded.
