The Wedding He Stole Was My Great Escape novel · Chapter 7 of 24

Chapter 7: I'm the Individual

On Wednesday morning Ackerly Hotels held a press conference in the lobby of the Grand to announce the new Midtown wing.

Forty reporters sat in folding chairs under the chandelier.

Preston stood at the podium in a navy suit, and Lorna stood one step behind him in cream.

Mr. Ackerly sat in the front row with his hands crossed on his cane.

He was a tall, silver man who had never once raised his voice in front of me.

I came in through the side door with Greta on my left and the limousine driver on my right.

Jasper came in last and stayed against the back wall.

"We are proud to celebrate a family milestone," Preston was saying. "This hotel has always stood for new beginnings."

Lorna smiled up at him with wet, shining eyes.

The reporters were more interested in her than in the wing.

"Mr. Ackerly," a woman called from the second row. "Any comment on the audio circulating online? The one where the Fairbanks family appears to discuss locking the bride in a car?"

"The audio is a fabrication," Preston said smoothly. "We are pursuing the individual responsible."

"I'm the individual," I said.

I walked up the center aisle.

Every camera swung around.

Greta stayed right behind me with the driver at her shoulder.

"Mireille," Preston said, and his smile stayed where it was. "This is a private event."

"It's a press conference," I said. "I'm press."

A few people laughed.

I turned to face the chairs.

"My name is Mireille Fairbanks," I said. "On Saturday I was locked in a limousine for four hours so my fiancé could marry another woman on Instagram Live."

I held up the folded schedule.

"My brother wrote this timeline. Somebody else paid for it."

I nodded to the driver.

He stepped into the aisle with his white envelope in both hands.

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