The heavy mahogany doors of the Volkov boardroom slammed shut behind us, sealing us inside.
"Your sister humiliated this family, Aria," an older man with silver hair stated from the head of the long table. "And we believe you helped her coordinate with the Rusks."
I sat in the leather chair, gripping the edge of the table. Enzo sat three seats down, refusing to meet my gaze.
"I had no part in her leaving," I said.
"Is that so?" Enzo finally spoke, his tone sharp. "You have envied Sienna since you were children. You always wanted what she had. Perhaps you pushed her out the door to take her place."
I stared at my father. He was throwing me to the wolves to save his own skin.
"You think I wanted to stand at that altar?" I asked, keeping my voice level. "You forced me into that dress, Enzo."
"You could have said no," Enzo shot back. "But you saw an opportunity to elevate yourself."
I reached into my bag and pulled out my heavy leather ledger. I dropped it onto the polished wood. The thud silenced the room.
"Page forty-two," I said, pushing the book toward the silver-haired elder. "Three months ago, I paid thirty thousand dollars to a private club to cover Sienna's debt. Page fifty-six shows I funded the imported white roses for yesterday's ceremony. Page sixty lists the emergency loan I took out to cover my father's missed mortgage payment."
The elder adjusted his glasses, scanning the columns of numbers.
"I spent the last year keeping my family from drowning," I added. "I did not profit from her disappearance. I paid for it."
Nikolai sat beside me, his posture relaxed. He did not offer a single word of defense. He simply let them read the proof. I realized then he was not going to play the savior. He was forcing them to recognize my authority.
The committee called a ten-minute recess. A staff member carried a massive floral basket into the room, setting it on the sideboard near the window.
"This arrived at the gate," the staff member said. "Addressed to Sienna."
I walked over and pulled the small card from the ribbon. The cursive handwriting was sharp and jagged.
For the real bride.
I reached to toss the arrangement into the trash bin, but my hand stopped. A large black orchid sat in the center of the white lilies. The stem was rigid, unnaturally straight.
"Who arranged this?" I asked.
"A local courier dropped it off," Mikhail answered from the doorway.
I pinched the base of the orchid. Instead of standard floral tape and hidden wire, a thick metal ring clamped the petals to the calyx. I dug my thumbnail under the metal, snapping it backward. The sharp edge sliced my index finger, but I ignored the sting. I peeled the petals apart.
A small, black metallic disc sat nestled against the stamen.
"Lock the doors," I said, dropping the flower onto the table. "It is a transmitter."
Mikhail moved instantly, securing the exit. He pulled a scanner from his jacket and swept the walls, rushing into the adjoining lounge. A minute later, he returned holding a matching receiver.
"If they heard the inheritance vote, the Rusks would know exactly which casino accounts to target," Mikhail told Nikolai.
Nikolai picked up the transmitter. He looked at the ruined orchid, then at me.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out Sienna's second phone, and placed it directly into my palm.
"From now on, we share all original evidence regarding your sister," Nikolai addressed the room, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the elders. "Aria holds the physical copies. We hold the digital. She is not a suspect. She is my wife."
The silver-haired elder opened his mouth to object, but Nikolai shot him a freezing glare that shut the man down immediately.
By three in the afternoon, the glass walls of the estate greenhouse trapped the humid air. I flipped through the stack of carbon-copy receipts from my shop, searching for the black orchid order.
"Here," I said, sliding the yellow paper across the potting bench. "D. Rusk. The date matches the rehearsal dinner."
Nikolai looked at the signature. Damian Rusk had walked right into my shop.
Nikolai reached across the table and took my hand. He held my wrist steady, pressing a small bandage over the cut on my index finger.
I pulled my hand back the second the adhesive stuck to my skin.
"Do not confuse possessiveness with trust just because I found a bug for you," I said.
He dropped his hands to his sides. "I do not want a compliant wife. I want someone who tells me when I am lying."
"Then why do you hide the most important half of the truth?" I asked, crossing my arms. "You knew she was talking to the Rusks."
"I suspected it," Nikolai corrected. "I saw a transfer log two weeks ago. But I had no proof she would actually run, and if I confronted your father, Enzo would have panicked and tipped off Damian."
"You let the wedding proceed knowing she might bolt," I said, piecing it together. "You wanted her to make the first move so you could justify taking the Eastside Casino."
"I needed a reason to break the Rusk territory lines," he admitted. "Sienna gave me that reason."
"So when exactly did you decide that any Bellini daughter would do?" I asked.
Before he could answer, the phone in my pocket vibrated. A sharp chime echoed in the quiet greenhouse.
I pulled it out. A new voice memo sat on the screen.
I tapped play.
Sienna's voice filled the space between us, light and mocking.
"Oh, Aria. Did you really think he wanted you? Nikolai just needed a Bellini standing at the altar to secure the truce. You are wearing my dress, sleeping in my room, and you actually think you are special."
I kept the phone flat on my palm, letting Nikolai hear every word.
"Is she right?" I asked.
Nikolai held my gaze. "Part of that is true. But there is a second half you need to hear from me."
Before he could speak another word, the screen lit up again.
A text message replaced the audio file.
I am coming home tonight, little sister, stop sleeping in my room.
