The Ceremony Continues
Chapter 09 - The Ceremony Continues
The wedding began ninety minutes late.
Guests knew something had happened but not what.
Dakota entered the chapel wearing the simple ivory dress, no train, and her mother’s intact lace hidden inside one sleeve.
Charles walked beside her.
Halfway down the aisle, he stopped.
“Are you choosing this?”
“Yes.”
“Not the company?”
“Evan.”
Charles nodded.
They continued.
Victoria’s chair in the front row remained empty.
Serena sat beside Charles after the procession and cried quietly.
The ceremony contained no corporate announcement.
No trust language.
No public confrontation.
Dakota and Evan exchanged vows about ordinary things—patience, honesty, shared mornings, and the right to speak before resentment became silence.
After the signatures were witnessed, the brass key inside Eleanor’s envelope activated the independent archive council.
The Meridian sale froze automatically.
Phones began vibrating throughout the reception hall.
May you like
Dakota did not look at hers.
She danced with her husband first.
