"I told you not to wear it out. You insisted, and now look at this mess. Happy now?"
I was so furious I almost laughed.
"Happy? Oh, I'm thrilled."
"Marlin, don't forget. You just got that promotion. The seat isn't even warm yet."
"Who gave you the nerve to talk to me like that?"
Marlin's bravado deflated, but his aunt wasn't about to let it go.
"My nephew earned that promotion on his own merit. Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty?" Vera jabbed a finger at me. "I was this close to letting you through that door. But now? No. First, you get on your knees and knock your forehead on the ground three times."
"Then you kneel to Marlin and beg his forgiveness."
I smiled. I pulled out my phone, typed a quick text, and sent it. Then I looked up at Vera, that absolute clown of a woman, with a smile still playing on my lips.
At this point, there wasn't a chance in hell Marlin didn't know exactly what was going on. On the surface, it was all his aunt making a scene, but the money and the credit would land squarely in Marlin's lap. He just hid behind her, playing the nice guy without getting his hands dirty.
"Anything else?"
I'd already decided this wedding was off. Might as well play along and let her put on a good show.
"And then you go get me another necklace just like the one you broke. A gift. To show your respect."
"Aunt Vera."
Marlin finally stepped in to rein in his greedy aunt, his voice gentle. "We're in a rush today. Cash equivalent will do."
"Fine. For your sake, cash works."
"I don't think so."
I picked up the broken diamonds from the floor, one by one. My mother's voice still echoed in my ears, her warm wishes for my wedding day.
"I'll give you the necklace right now."
Under Vera's bewildered stare, my expression didn't shift a fraction. I grabbed her arm and dragged her to the wall.
I eyeballed the right spot on her neck, then pressed the diamond shards into the fat folds of her skin, one by one.
"You love necklaces so much, this one stays on. No taking it off. Sound fair, Auntie?"
The confusion in Vera's eyes finally gave way to raw terror. Her voice came out shaking.
"You wouldn't dare! Do you have any idea who I am?"
"You're Vera Lawrence. Marlin's aunt."
I kept talking. My hands never stopped.
Marlin had been frozen in place, too shocked to move. He finally snapped out of it and grabbed his best friend to come pull me off. His relatives and guests clearly knew the score. Not a single one stepped forward, terrified they'd get caught in the crossfire.
My family had been sent to the hotel. Of course. Marlin had planned that from the start.
"Freya, have you lost your mind? Let go of her!"
"What, you want to put the necklace on her yourself?"
Vera was shaking so hard that a diamond shard popped loose, trailing thin threads of blood.
"Aunt Vera isn't like us! You treat her like this, you're not afraid she'll come after you?"
Marlin gripped my arm, his tone heavy with false concern.
"Let go first. We'll go to her place together afterward and apologize. Then we put this whole thing behind us."
"No."
"No!"
Vera and I refused at the same time.
Her neck was locked in my grip. She thrashed on the ground, arms and legs flailing.
"Freya Sullivan! Just you wait. I'm calling my brother-in-law right now!"
I paused, rubbing my ear where her shrieking had left it ringing.
"Your brother-in-law? Then call him. I'd love to see what kind of big shot he is."
"And you."
I turned to look at Marlin, who was frantically dialing for backup.
"The wedding is off."
"Absolutely not!"
Marlin lowered his phone and stormed over to me.
"The money's been spent, the guests are here. You cancel the wedding now, where does that leave me? How am I supposed to show my face?"
I was busy figuring out the best angle to embed the necklace when I heard him. A mocking laugh escaped my lips.
"You still think you have dignity?"
His phone buzzed. Marlin glanced at it, and his eyes did a quick, calculating roll. The weaselly expression was a carbon copy of his aunt's.
"Fine, we can call off the engagement. But first, you transfer me the money for the wedding, plus travel expenses, hotel, meals, and lost wages for all my relatives who came out here."
"That's two hundred and eighty thousand."
"Plus the engagement dowry. One hundred and eighty-eight thousand."
"Altogether, that's four hundred and sixty-eight thousand. And with all the miscellaneous costs on top of that, let's round it up. You give me a million dollars, and I'll agree to break it off."
"Otherwise, my uncle-in-law will be here any minute, and trust me, he'll make sure you regret this."
The well-meaning neighbors who'd been watching from the sidelines immediately chimed in.
"Sweetheart, just pay them off and save yourself the trouble."
"She's right. His eldest sister's husband is the most powerful one in the family. A while back, his aunt beat someone up, and in the end, the victim was the one who had to pay."
Ha.
I couldn't have cared less.
It had been years since anyone tried to threaten me like this. It was almost refreshing.
My phone rang. I freed a hand to answer.
Director Calloway's voice came through, sharp and serious.
"Corey Lyons says your heart rate is spiking. What's going on?"
"Ran into the in-laws from hell. They're even threatening to send someone over to teach me a lesson."
"Director, I didn't start this. You can't blame me."
The thought of finally getting to cut loose made a grin tug at the corners of my mouth.
The Director's tone turned urgent.
"Keep your cool. I'm sending people right now!"
The very next second, a convoy of vehicles rolled in from the distance.
