Chapter 2
I didn't ask. I walked straight out of that church, past the photographer, past the flower arrangements I'd spent three months choosing, past the four-tier cake that now felt like a monument to my own stupidity.
My phone was buzzing before I even reached the parking lot.
Mom. Dad. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Amber.
I declined every call.
The one person who did reach me was my best friend, Harper, who came sprinting out in her heels, nearly breaking an ankle on the gravel.
"Serena! Holy shit. Are you okay?"
"Never better," I said, and meant it.
She stared at me, breathless. "You just walked out of your own wedding."
"I walked out of his wedding," I corrected. "I was just the placeholder."
Harper grabbed my arm. "Where are you going? Your car's blocked in by the catering van."
I looked around. She was right. The entire circular driveway was packed with vehicles for the reception that was supposed to follow.
That's when a black Maybach pulled up. Smooth. Silent. Like it had been waiting.
The back window rolled down, and there he was. The man from the last pew.
"Need a ride?" he asked.
Harper's grip on my arm tightened. "Serena, do you know him?"
"No."
"Then you're not getting in that car."
The man opened the door and stepped out. Up close, he was even more striking. Sharp cheekbones, silver cufflinks that probably cost more than Dylan's car, and eyes that held something between amusement and interest.
"My name is Callum Reed," he said. "I was invited as a guest of the Lawson family. Business associate."
Harper's eyes went wide. She leaned into my ear.
"Serena. Callum Reed. As in Reed Global. As in Dylan's boss's boss's boss. As in net worth in the billions."
I blinked.
"I know who he is," I lied.
Callum's lips twitched like he knew I was lying.
"Let me take you somewhere that isn't here," he said. "No strings."
Behind us, the church doors burst open. Dylan came stumbling out, his tie loose, face red.
"Serena! Get back inside! You're humiliating my family!"
I didn't turn around.
Instead, I looked at Callum Reed.
"Does this car have champagne?"
"Always," he said.
I climbed in.
Dylan's shout followed us as the Maybach pulled away, but the soundproofing swallowed it whole.
Inside, the car smelled like leather and sandalwood. A bottle of Dom Pérignon sat chilled in a side compartment. Callum poured two glasses without asking.
"To walking away," he said, raising his.
I clinked mine against his. "To walking away."
We drank in silence for a moment. The city blurred past the tinted windows.
"So," I finally said. "Why were you sitting in the last pew at my ex-fiancé's wedding?"
"I told you. Business."
"And the comment when I walked past?"
He set his glass down. Looked at me directly.
"I've been watching Dylan Lawson for six months," he said. "He's been embezzling from a project we co-funded with his family. I came to the wedding to confirm something."
My stomach dropped.
"Confirm what?"
"Whether you knew about it." His gaze didn't waver. "You don't. That much is clear."
I set my own glass down, harder than I meant to.
"What happens to the Lawsons now?"
"That depends." Callum leaned back against the seat. "On what you want to happen."
Before I could answer, my phone lit up. A text from Dylan.
[You'll come crawling back. No one else will want you after this. You just destroyed everything your family built with mine.]
I stared at the screen.
Then I looked up at Callum.
"I want them to burn."
He smiled like he'd been hoping I'd say that.
"Then marry me."
My phone was buzzing before I even reached the parking lot.
Mom. Dad. Dylan. Dylan. Dylan. Amber.
I declined every call.
The one person who did reach me was my best friend, Harper, who came sprinting out in her heels, nearly breaking an ankle on the gravel.
"Serena! Holy shit. Are you okay?"
"Never better," I said, and meant it.
She stared at me, breathless. "You just walked out of your own wedding."
"I walked out of his wedding," I corrected. "I was just the placeholder."
Harper grabbed my arm. "Where are you going? Your car's blocked in by the catering van."
I looked around. She was right. The entire circular driveway was packed with vehicles for the reception that was supposed to follow.
That's when a black Maybach pulled up. Smooth. Silent. Like it had been waiting.
The back window rolled down, and there he was. The man from the last pew.
"Need a ride?" he asked.
Harper's grip on my arm tightened. "Serena, do you know him?"
"No."
"Then you're not getting in that car."
The man opened the door and stepped out. Up close, he was even more striking. Sharp cheekbones, silver cufflinks that probably cost more than Dylan's car, and eyes that held something between amusement and interest.
"My name is Callum Reed," he said. "I was invited as a guest of the Lawson family. Business associate."
Harper's eyes went wide. She leaned into my ear.
"Serena. Callum Reed. As in Reed Global. As in Dylan's boss's boss's boss. As in net worth in the billions."
I blinked.
"I know who he is," I lied.
Callum's lips twitched like he knew I was lying.
"Let me take you somewhere that isn't here," he said. "No strings."
Behind us, the church doors burst open. Dylan came stumbling out, his tie loose, face red.
"Serena! Get back inside! You're humiliating my family!"
I didn't turn around.
Instead, I looked at Callum Reed.
"Does this car have champagne?"
"Always," he said.
I climbed in.
Dylan's shout followed us as the Maybach pulled away, but the soundproofing swallowed it whole.
Inside, the car smelled like leather and sandalwood. A bottle of Dom Pérignon sat chilled in a side compartment. Callum poured two glasses without asking.
"To walking away," he said, raising his.
I clinked mine against his. "To walking away."
We drank in silence for a moment. The city blurred past the tinted windows.
"So," I finally said. "Why were you sitting in the last pew at my ex-fiancé's wedding?"
"I told you. Business."
"And the comment when I walked past?"
He set his glass down. Looked at me directly.
"I've been watching Dylan Lawson for six months," he said. "He's been embezzling from a project we co-funded with his family. I came to the wedding to confirm something."
My stomach dropped.
"Confirm what?"
"Whether you knew about it." His gaze didn't waver. "You don't. That much is clear."
I set my own glass down, harder than I meant to.
"What happens to the Lawsons now?"
"That depends." Callum leaned back against the seat. "On what you want to happen."
Before I could answer, my phone lit up. A text from Dylan.
[You'll come crawling back. No one else will want you after this. You just destroyed everything your family built with mine.]
I stared at the screen.
Then I looked up at Callum.
"I want them to burn."
He smiled like he'd been hoping I'd say that.
"Then marry me."