Chapter 7

Becki is stunned. Nicole – Marcus's date? The universe has to be playing some kind of sick joke on her. She stands staring at Marcus, open mouthed with disbelief.

Lucky for the family, Darlene is a bit quicker on the uptake. She grabs Becki's arm and steers her a few steps away while Paul, who had arrived behind them all unnoticed, smoothly beelined up to Marcus and started making apologies.

"It's my daughter, she's been under a lot of stress recently, clearly made a mistake, bit on edge, you know how these young girls are…" Becki can hear Paul soothing and chuckling.

Boy, does that piss her off. She breaks free of Darlene's grip and shoulders her way back over to the little trio, glaring at Nicole's serene, glowing face as she glanced up at Marcus, still tucked protectively into his side.

"What is going on here?" Becki shouts, louder than she'd intended to. "Why is this – this tramp here as Marcus's date? Charles promised me that he'd introduce me to the Alpha's son. This is so unfair."

Marcus gives Becki an odd look. Darlene is furious, digging her fingernails into Becki's wrist as she seizes her again and drags her away.

"You are making a scene, you little idiot," Darlene spits into Becki's ear under her breath. "Shut up before you get us kicked out of here altogether."

Darlene looks up at Marcus, her face quickly shifting to a mask of calm and control.

"You'll have to forgive my daughter, sir," she says. "She's just worried, you see, because Nicole hasn't given up on trying to contact Charles since he broke off their engagement. We were all just a little alarmed, for your family of course, at seeing her here."

Nicole snorts and rolls her eyes, causing Marcus to glance down at her in concern and then look back up at Darlene, Paul, and Becki.

Nicole still hasn't actually said anything; she just leans into Marcus's side and watches her family without comment. Marcus himself is watching them all silently, as if weighing them up. Finally, he speaks.

"Look, I don't know what's going on here," he says in a firm but measured voice. "But this is my sister's wedding, and Nicole is my date. She's never been anything but perfectly professional and polite around me."

"Oh, my god," Becki starts, but is cut off by another pinch from Darlene.

"I don't know what's going on," Marcus repeats, "but these outbursts, and this name-calling and foot-stomping and hollering in the middle of the hotel, are incredibly out of line." Darlene winces. He's right – that's the worst part.

"I'm going to have to ask you all to either pull yourselves together, or leave the wedding," Marcus finishes. He gives them a cool nod and tightens his arm around Nicole, turning her away from her family.

"Come on," Darlene hears him say to Nicole. "Let me introduce you to a few of my soldiers, the ones you treated when we came to your hospital. I know they'll be glad to see you again."

The pair of them glide off, looking like movie stars against the glittering backdrop of The Plaza. Darlene eyes Nicole's dress – didn't she buy that for her, ages ago? What a bold little wretch, showing up here in it today.

Darlene realizes that she's still standing in the middle of the lobby, clutching her daughter's arm. People are starting to shoot them strange looks.

It's probably best to fade into the background at this point, Darlene thinks, before Becki's big mouth can do any more damage. Darlene tugs at her daughter, murmuring an automatic apology at Marcus's back that of course he doesn't hear.

She hauls Becki off across the lobby, embarrassed and annoyed and hoping Paul has the basic sense to follow them so that they can regroup. Darlene needs to figure out some damage control.

Paul seems lost in thought when Darlene glances at him over her shoulder, but he shakes himself and hastens after his wife and stepdaughter. The three of them reconvene around the champagne table.

"Do you think she's told the Alpha's son anything?" Paul worries to Darlene in a low voice.

"There's no evidence of that," Darlene replies, equally low. "Let's not borrow trouble. We have enough to worry about as it is."

"I need to warn Charles that his ex-con ex-fiancé has gatecrashed his wedding!" Becki says, again too loudly. Darlene squeezes her wrist again.

"Becki, for the last time, keep your voice down. Nicole is here as Marcus's guest, and he's already shown that he'll defend her. If you disrupt this wedding – any further than you already have – Marcus will probably be the first to act."

Becki pouts, but she finally shuts up. She grabs a glass of champagne and downs it in two gulps. Darlene nods and motions for Becki to pass over another glass.

Charles is in the little dressing room provided by the hotel, putting on his few finishing touches of makeup. It feels a little weird, being a man doing his wedding makeup, but the Alpha family's PR agent told him that it would be necessary for the photographs.

Everything is going swimmingly, but Charles still feels slightly uneasy. He can't put a finger on why – everything has fallen into place, every step of his plan has gone off without a hitch. There isn't anything to worry about.

Well – he is maybe a little worried about Nicole. She's just gotten out of prison and discovered that he's getting married to someone else. She was bound to get pissed off about that.

But he's bought off her family and whatever friends she had left, and there's no way she can find her way around security to crash the wedding, or get into his office, or approach the Alphas, or anything like that. He's safe.

He has nothing to worry about. It's her word against his, and no one would believe a drug peddling ex-con over the newest member of the Alpha family and business.

The wedding was beautiful, if Charles did say so himself. He's standing in the reception line with his new bride, beaming joyfully at all those beautiful, beautiful new business associates and money-making opportunities who come by to wish him congratulations.

Charles loops an absent arm around Daisy, his new wife. She's easy enough to keep happy, thankfully; she shouldn't be more trouble than she's worth. She just needs someone to put on a good show of listening to her endless chatter, someone to pay attention to her.

And she's valuable. Boy, is she valuable. Charles can feel himself smiling wider at the thought of it. Not only is she unbelievably rich, she's got business connections that Charles once could only have dreamed of. Worth her weight in gold, his new wife.

Charles is so busy patting himself on the back, basking in the glow of his success, that he almost misses them. But here they are – in the midst of the Alpha family, the rest of whom are squealing and jumping around Daisy.

Until he saw Marcus and the woman in his arm. The woman who's in possession of his scandal and who should never have been here.

Nicole.

Charles feels the blood drain from his face. Nicole smiles sweetly and leans in to whisper in his ear.

"Don't worry, Charles," she says with a voice softer than silk. "I'd never miss your wedding."