CHAPTER 5
“Jada!” Maya’s voice was sugary sweet as she stepped into the bridal suite, her silk gown flowing like she owned the place. “You look… radiant.”
I glanced up from the mirror where my stylist had just finished pinning the veil. “Thank you.”
Maya walked closer, her hands brushing along the bodice of my wedding dress. “Oh wow, it’s s delicate. This fabric must be hard to move in.”
Before I could stop her, I heard it.
Riiiiip.
The seam tore open down the side of the dress.
Maya gasped, hand covering her mouth in feigned shock. “Oh no! I didn’t mean to-It just.. caught on my ring. I’m so sorry, Jada.”
She wasn’t sorry.
It’s fine.” My voice was calm as I reached for scissors on the table and ripped it even more. Maya’s mouth opened in shock, and then her face morphed into anger when she saw that th Iress wasn’t ruined. Instead, I’d made it look like the split was intentional.
The show must go on.”
Maya tilted her head. “Maybe it’s a sign. Maybe you’re not ready for Mattie after all. You’re no eady to be a wife. You don’t deserve to be his wife.”
smiled back, a perfect imitation of her fake sweetness. “Don’t worry, dear cousin. I’m alway: eady for what’s mine.”
Minutes later, the music swelled as I stepped into the aisle- alone.
asps rippled through the crowd. My dress was imperfectly perfect, and my head was held high Cameras flashed like a million fireflies.
Matt stood at the altar, grinning like the happiest man alive. He had no idea this was about to be is worst day on earth.
At the altar, the officiator’s voice droned on, but my focus was sharp. I glanced around to mak
ure all the press I needed had made it. They had. They had their cameras and laptops ready to be the first to update the world on the marriage between the billionaire heiress and her darling
iancé.
Matt went first with his vows- sweet, rehearsed and utterly fake. “Jada, you’re my everything. promise to cherish you for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to build our future together.”
He smiled at me like I was the fool of the century.
smiled back and began my vow. “My dear Matt, I’ve known you since we were teenagers, I know you better than you can even imagine. So I vow to give you exactly what you’ve given me. I vow to give you exactly what you deserve.”
Our guests cooed and ‘awwed’. I bet none of them understood the underlying truth in my words. “Do you, Matt Bennett, take Jada Sinclair to be your wife, to have and to hold, until death do you part?”
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12:11 pm A
“I do.” Matt answered immediately.
I smiled.
“And do you, Jada Sinclair, take Matt Bennett to be your husband, to have and to hold, until death do you part?”
I waited for a couple seconds, long enough for our guests to start murmuring and giving each other confused looks. Then with so much grace and poise, I took the microphone from the officiator and turned to the crowd.
The cameras were flashing faster than ever now. It was perfect- just what I wanted.
“No, I do not.” I said clearly.
Gasps erupted in the hall.
“Before I leave, I want to tell everyone a little story about Matt Bennett.”
I turned to the side and winked at my videographer, giving him the go ahead to play the tape had prepared on the large projector screen behind us. It was a video of Matt and Maya kissing on the balcony in my penthouse.
After that, a video recording of Uncle Henry and Matt plotting was played for everyone to hear.
Chaos erupted. Reporters leaned forward with cameras rolling as I continued:
“The man standing beside me has been sleeping with my cousin Maya Sinclair for months, or even years before I finally caught them. Together, with my uncle Henry, they’ve been plotting to steal everything my father left me.”
“They left me to die on a yacht less than two weeks ago. But I survived. Matt, my uncle, and his daughter have been nothing but emotionally abusive, and a danger to my life. They never cared about me. All they cared about was the amount of money they would gain from me.”
Maya stood up and ran to the screen as the video of her and Matt kept rolling over and over “Liar! She’s a liar! She’s crazy!”
Her father, on the other hand, looked like fumes would start coming out of his ears at any time.
Matt kept trying to pull the microphone out of my hands. I ignored all of them and kept talking.
“And I stand here today, in the dress Maya ripped moments ago, to tell you all- Matt Bennett will never own me. Not my company. Not my name. And certainly not my heart.”
I signaled to my lawyer in the audience and he walked up with files in his hand. One by one, he handed each to three of them.
“What the hell is this?” Matt asked.
“Eviction notices,” my lawyer answered. “You’re all to leave my client’s house by 2pm today or risk getting arrested”
“Don’t worry,” I added. “I hired people to pack all your things for you. They’ll be in the garage when you get there.”
“Jada, what the fuck is wrong with you? You can’t do this. It’s our wedding day.”
I turned to him with a big smile on my face. “Oh honey, I think I just did.”
I dropped my bouquet at his feet and turned my back on him.
I could already imagine all the headlines.
CHAPTER 5
12:11 pm S
“Billionaire heiress, Jada Sinclair reveals shocking secrets at the altar… walks away from long
time fiancé Matt Bennett.”
I didn’t care anymore. It was not my problem to deal with anymore.
Right now, I had a new life to walk towards. And with that thought, I broke into a sprint all the way out of the gates to the shiny Rolls Royce where Asher was waiting for me.
12:11 pm &
