Page 114 of The Bridesmaid
Holly chews at her lip piercing uncertainly, then speaks.
‘He didn’t want you to see,’ she says. ‘But he loved you, Adrianna. Right until the end. That’s more than a lot of us can say about their dads,’ she adds wryly.
I don’t know how long I sit sobbing, but I’m suddenly aware of Holly kneeling at my side. She picks up the hem of my big dress, and holds it out for me to wipe away the tears. Using a couture gown as a handkerchief is such a Holly thing to do, I actually laugh. Wipe at my eyes with the silken material. Guess it doesn’t really matter anymore.
‘For what it’s worth,’ says Holly, ‘I think it was your dad’s final gift to you.’
I dab at my face, swallow hot tears. ‘How?’ I demand.
‘If your dad shot Petra,’ she says, ‘then the crime dies with him.’
I open my mouth and shut it again. A weird laugh comes out. But actually, she has a point. Ophelia will agree to anything I ask her. Georgia’s version of the truth has always been based on whatlooks good in the popular press. Mark … Mark didn’t see, did he? It’s a good plan, were it not for one obvious issue: Holly.
‘You’re not about to saythatto the police, are you?’ I say, finally.
She considers. ‘Simone always thought perception and truth were two sides of the same coin.’ Holly moves to the edge of the pool. ‘Maybe he slipped,’ she says. ‘Slipped and fell.’
I stand, shakily, the dress resisting my movements. Walk thoughtfully to the edge of the pool. Water begins soaking into the hem of my skirts. The morning sun throws purple and pink shades onto the clouds. Elysium always did get the most beautiful mornings. I never quite appreciated that until now.
‘Dad would have wanted a very dramatic death,’ I decide. ‘A clifftop tussle with his long-term mistress. Maybe even pushed to his doom by one of my bridesmaids.’ My eyes track to Holly. ‘That would fit the family brand, wouldn’t it?’
Holly doesn’t reply.
I wipe a tear. ‘I’m glad he didn’t go that way,’ I say. ‘I’m glad it was just a tragic accident. We can have a peaceful life now. Less drama.’
Chapter Ninety-four
HOLLY
As Adrianna and I get down to the beach, Fitzwilliam runs toward us, closely followed by two security guards. He slows to a halt and stares. I guess we must look a sight. I’m helping Adrianna with the ragged remains of her huge gown, ripped from where she ran through the jungle, and bloodstained from Petra’s bleeding body. Her famous face is bloated with tears, the blue eyes swollen almost shut, airbrushed wedding make-up running in rivulets down her cheeks.
‘Holly,’ says Fitzwilliam. ‘Thank God.’ His eyes switch to Adrianna. ‘What the hell happened?’ he says finally. ‘Where’s Leopold?’
‘I’ll fill you in later,’ I say, as security clusters around Adrianna.
He nods. ‘Georgia put in a call to the mainland for a medic. Holly, Petra is OK.’
‘She is?’
‘Yeah. Strangest thing,’ he adds. ‘The bullet seems to have been slowed down somehow. It hit Petra in the chest, but only lodged a quarter inch deep. Enough to lodge in her rib cartilage and spill a lot of blood. She must have passed out from shock and pain.’
A lot of emotions cross over Adrianna’s face.
‘I need Mark,’ she says finally.
Chapter Ninety-five
The New York Times
Adrianna Kensington Weds
Heiress Adrianna Kensington and Tech Millionaire Mark Li married in a small private ceremony this week. After what an inside source referred to as ‘a series of distressing and personal incidents’ Adrianna Kensington and her fiancé, Mark Li, decided against a lavish wedding and refused official photography. The power couple elected to eschew a two-million-dollar sponsorship deal, to marry privately, on the Kensingtons’ family island, which will be sold to an undisclosed buyer next month. The handful of family and friends in attendance praised the famous heiress for her dressed-down wedding, and practical approach to the latest wave of Kensington family traumas. Sources close to the heiress claim she intends to step back from the nightclub business, and concentrate on technology business ventures.
Petra Morka Nudes Sell for Millions
Images of Petra Morka’s youthful indiscretions with an unnamed schoolgirl sold for $2.2 million last night. This makes them the most expensive set ever sold at a photography auction. The eight-figure sum was paid by the Saatchi Gallery, who described the pictures as beautiful and haunting. They plan on showcasing them for a duration of eight months in an upcoming New Yorkexhibition. Designer Ophelia Mills-Herd is slated to curate the exhibition, having won recent acclaim for her kitsch and unsettling interior design projects.
During the heated bidding war, Max Sutton, editor ofTitan Magazine, walked out in fury. He claimed to have been tricked into bidding by Morka, in order to inflate the bid. When asked about this tactic, in an interview, Morka was typically candid and unapologetic.
