Chapter 10
"No!" Isabella screamed, a primal, ear-piercing sound that shattered the remaining tension in the room. "I will not let you take this from me! This is my wedding! This is my day!"
She spun around wildly, her eyes locking onto the heavy silver steak knife resting next to the Father's uneaten filet mignon. Before anyone could react, Isabella lunged across the table, her manicured fingers wrapping around the serrated handle. She ripped it from the table, sending plates crashing to the floor, and spun back to face the crowd.
"Nobody moves!" she shrieked, pointing the blade wildly at the terrified guests, then at Elias, and finally at Caroline. "I am the heir! I am the CEO! I won't go to prison in a dirty orange jumpsuit while you sit in my corner office!"
"Put the knife down, Isabella," Elias said, stepping smoothly in front of Caroline, shielding her scarred body with his own. His hand reached beneath his dark grey suit jacket, resting on the grip of a concealed firearm. "You are making this exponentially worse."
"It can't get worse!" Isabella cried, tears of mascara staining her cheeks black. "I lost! But I won't let her win! If I'm going down, she's coming with me!"
She tightened her grip on the knife, her muscles tensing to charge. Elias drew his weapon, leveling the black barrel squarely at the center of her white wedding dress. The crowd screamed, scattering toward the walls, abandoning the head table completely. The Father fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands, weeping openly at the destruction of his family.
"Take one step," Elias warned, his voice dead of all emotion. "Just one."
Suddenly, the wail of police sirens pierced the night, echoing through the heavy oak doors, growing louder by the second. Red and blue lights began to flash wildly through the high, arched windows of the ballroom, painting the crystal chandeliers in chaotic colors.
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Isabella hesitated, her eyes darting toward the flashing lights. In that fraction of a second, the heavy oak doors burst open for a third time, and a shadow fell across the threshold.
Caroline peaked around Elias’s shoulder, her breath catching in her throat as she saw who had just walked in.
