Page 45 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
As I walked up the marble steps toward the hall where the gala was to take place, I noticed the same hostile stares I’d been getting all day. But I ignored it and presented my invitation to the guard posted at the gala entrance.
He barely glanced at it. Then frowned.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. You’re not on the list.”
I blinked. “That can’t be right. Check again. I was personally invited by Mr. Vaughn.”
He checked the tablet again, more out of politeness than belief. “Your name was removed from the list this morning.”
Removed?
My stomach dropped. “There has to be a mistake. I work here. Luca—Mr. Vaughn—he—”
“You’ll need to step aside, miss.”
“No,” I said firmly, ignoring the guests who stopped to watch the scene unfold. “There has been a mistake somewhere. Could you—”
“There’s no mistake, ma’am,” the guard cut me off, irritation in his voice. “Mr. Vaughn personally ordered for your name to be removed.”
My forehead creased with confusion. Why would Luca do that? What is going on?
Before I could form another word, a hush fell over the entryway.Something shifted in the air, and I didn’t need to turn around to know who had arrived.
He strode toward us with that slow, deliberate elegance that made the world step back. Black tux. Black tie.
I turned to him, relief crashing through me like a wave. “Luca, thank God. They won’t let me in. There’s been some sort of mix-up, I—”
The expression on his face made the words die in his throat. He stopped just a few feet away, jaw hard, voice like carved ice.
“Traitors aren’t welcome at my gala,” he said.
The words hit like a slap.
I stood frozen. “What are you talking about?”
“Leave.”
I tried to reach for him. “Luca, what is going—”
“I said—leave,” he flinched away from my grasp. “Now. Or I’ll have security escort you out.”
I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Luca, please. What’s happening? Why are you—”
“You really want to do this here?” His voice was low, deadly. “You really want to stand in front of all these people and pretend like you don’t know?”
My heart twisted. “Know what?”
He laughed then. Cold. Flat. It cracked across the marble entry like a gunshot, drawing glances from the nearest guests.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “You stole from me. From my company. Over two million dollars gone—and all of it traced back to your credentials.”
I stared at him, stunned. “What are you talking about? I didn’t—Luca, I didn’t take anything.”
“Save it,” he snapped, voice sharper now. “If you’re going to lie, at least don’t insult my intelligence.”
“I’m not lying.” The words came out broken, panicked. “I would never—I would never do that to you. To us.”
Luca’s jaw tensed. His eyes were ice.
