21. Laurene
CHAPTER 21
Laurene
WEDDING DAY…
“This is it,” Noelle announced as she stepped into the room. The heavy oak door closed behind her, muffling the faint strains of a string quartet drifting up from the courtyard below.
I turned from the floor-to-ceiling windows to a suite that was a masterpiece of gilded mirrors, cream silk drapes, and fresh peonies spilling out of crystal vases did little to calm me.
I smoothed the lace of my gown, the intricate beadwork catching the soft light like tiny stars. Gigi had come through with the best wedding gown possible, and finally, it was time to complete my contract with Mama.
Reese.
Every step of this journey had led me here, and yet, standing in this moment, I felt untethered, like I was floating between two worlds.
“How are you feeling?” Noelle’s hand on mine broke my thoughts.
I hesitated. The answer sat heavy in my chest, too tangled to express. “I don’t know, Noelle. I really don’t.”
She sank onto the plush velvet chaise beside me, lacing her fingers through mine. The diamonds on her wrist caught the light, sparkling like the chandeliers above .
“It’s okay not to know,” she said softly. “This is your day, but it doesn’t mean you have to have all the answers right now.”
The hum of voices and laughter beyond the door seemed to grow louder, a reminder of the hundreds of eyes waiting for me downstairs.
“But one thing I do know”—Noelle tilted her head, studying me—“is that Reese looks at you like you’re the only thing that matters. He always has.”
I glanced back out the window. The terrace stretched endlessly, and somewhere down there, Reese was waiting.
“I told him I love him.”
She gasped. “What?”
“I know I shouldn’t have. I came back home just get through this ?—”
Noelle leaned forward. “You love him again. Isn’t that enough? Or are you really still doing this for the inheritance and planning to leave again?”
“Yes, I love him. But I still want my gallery and my inheritance.”
“Why can’t you have both?”
“You know how Mama works. Even after I marry Reese, she could find a way to twist things, to delay the inheritance, to make me jump through hoops I haven’t even seen yet. Loving Reese doesn’t protect me from her games.”
Noelle’s expression darkened. “That’s bullshit, Laurene. Outsmart her! You’re still making excuses because you love him.”
I flinched. “Don’t.”
“Lu, you’ve changed. You’re not alone in Paris anymore. Haven’t you learned from these last six years?” Noelle shot back.
I turned away.
“Power isn’t enough. Love is. Or maybe you are your mother.”
I recoiled at her words. “I’m nothing like her.”
“You’re making decisions out of fear, out of obligation, just like her. The difference is, Laurene, you know better. You’ve seen what that kind of life does to people. Let the old you that had to survive rest. Return to the Lu we love. No sabotaging your mother. No revenge. Be better.”
I swallowed hard.
“Money fades, businesses crumble, but love? The kind you and Reese have? That’s something people spend their whole lives looking for. Some of us can’t be with the one we want. Don’t throw him away.”
I blinked, a tear slipping down my cheek, and the door to the bridal suite swung open, and Mama stepped in.
“Am I interrupting something?”
“No, Ms. King. I’m actually gonna join Serena and Gigi down by the terrace.” Noelle released my hand, giving me a sharp look, and left, leaving me alone.
“How do you feel?”
That made me scoff.
Noelle was right. No more cold feet. This time, I was going to fight for what I wanted.
“This wedding is exactly what we need. King Enterprises has just secured a deal with Devereux International. All thanks to you. Did you get the information I need on Dante? I would like to end him sooner than later. At least so he can see other companies are practically begging for our partnership again. We may even bring back the investment company if you would like?—”
“No.”
Mama blinked, and frowned. “You had one job.”
“I don’t care about any of that.” I cut her off. “I don’t care about your damn deal or King Enterprises.”
If I was marrying Reese, it had to be done my way.
“I love Reese.”
“Love?” She looked visibly ill.
“Yes, love. He’s the man I’ve always wanted to marry. When we went into the interrogation room back then, I lied. I’d been having an affair with Reese. For about two years when you wanted me to marry his brother. He’s always been the one for me. Never Conrad.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“The boating accident… You don’t know the whole story.”
Mama’s brows furrowed, her focus sharpening.
“There was a mess, a lot of things I should’ve told you. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t let you know that I’d been living a lie just to please you. That you were selling me off to a man who cared about titles just like you. Conrad grabbed me. Who knows what else he would have done to me? I couldn’t even tell my own parents about my fiancé because you would have told me to suck it up. What if things had escalated?”
“You’re telling me this now? Before one of the biggest moments of our lives?”
“This may have orchestrated this, but you don’t win. What I’ve been missing… It’s not the money and diamonds. I’m marrying someone who loves me, and I’m finally standing and choosing him. I can appreciate my legacy, but not being a slave to it.”
“I gave you everything. I made you who you are. And this is how you repay me?” Mama was visibly shaking, like a rabid dog.
“Love isn’t fleeting. It’s something that endures, Mama. Not business deals, not feuds, not the rules you keep trying to force. Love is Reese. Love is Erik helping me and bearing the brunt of you for years without complaint. It’s me understanding my sisters, listening to them. It’s Daddy, quietly helping me behind your back because he understood that I needed a choice, not an ultimatum.”
Her face tightened, her eyes narrowing as the words hit their mark.
“Love is Noelle calling me out that I was slowly letting myself turn into you, and I’ll be damned if I do that,” I added, my voice steady. “Look, Mama… Grandpa got sick, and I know that hurt. But you need to grieve, honestly. Not planning business expansions, horsewhipping us, or escaping to Bali. Sit with someone and talk about why you think and feel the way you do. I’m not here to be praised when I’m doing what you want and discarded when I don’t fit into your plan. I’m done being the obedient daughter, and I’m done being the one you mold into your perfect image out of fear.”
I saw her lips purse, chest heaving.
“You can have the theatrics of today. The gown, the guests, the media coverage, everything you want. But I’m marrying the man I’ve loved forever and your manipulations couldn’t destroy us. If you don’t change, Mama, you’re gonna lose your family. Then what’s the point of all your hard work?”
Her lips twitched into a scowl.
I turned toward the door, pausing before I left, my voice sharp as I looked over my shoulder. “If you must be in my wedding photos, Mama, smile or move to the back.”
Her gaze burned into my back, but I didn’t turn. Slamming the door felt good, and I made my way down the hall. I found my sisters waiting for me—Noelle, Gigi, Serena—and I realized something in that moment. I was choosing this life.
I smiled, my chest light, and walked forward. I could see Reese through the glass door, standing at the end of the aisle.
Gigi started the procession, followed by Serena and Noelle. I stood waiting for my cue when I heard, “I can’t believe my little girl is getting married.”
Daddy stood, waiting for me, looking handsome though his tie was slightly askew, as if he’d tugged at it one too many times.
“Daddy.”
He smiled, a mixture of pride and sadness. “Seems like just yesterday you were running around the backyard making me put up that garden for you.” He reached out, brushing a stray curl from my face. “And now, look at you.”
The warm, salty breeze tinged with the faint scent of coconut oil and sun-warmed orchids blew past us .
“You have nothing to worry about. You’ll fulfill your obligation, and all will be well.”
“Mama still doesn’t care, after all this time, you know.”
He didn’t deny it, but his eyes softened as he searched my face. “Your mother is…complicated.”
I crossed my arms. “Was this like it was when you both got married?”
“I thought I understood her when we first got married. But your mother is driven by something different. I’m not saying what she did was right. But it’s not as simple as you think it is.”
I shook my head, the frustration building again. “You’re okay with this, with everything being about her plan, her game?”
Daddy hesitated, looking down for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “Laurene, I love your mother. I’ve always loved her. I’ll tell you that like I told your grandfather when I asked him for her hand. She’s your mother, but she’s my Yvonne, and our relationship isn’t your business to understand.”
“It is when we’re affected. Daddy, for years we’ve watched you adhere to Mama’s plans. All the times you could have stood up for us, you didn’t.”
He swallowed and blinked. “Loving someone doesn’t mean agreeing with everything they do. Sometimes you have to accept the parts of them you don’t understand. And sometimes, to survive, you have to make sacrifices.”
“You’re telling me you sacrificed your happiness to survive with her?” My voice shook, the bitterness cutting through.
“Never. I saw her goal. I always hoped she’d see things my way when it came to y’all, and sometimes she did. But not always, and I accepted that.”
Daddy’s face held a rawness I hadn’t seen from him in years. “Your mother has been scared for a long time. You gotta understand, baby, we’re the exception. I should have said something, I see that now. But you don’t see her like I do.”
The music began to swell faintly beyond the terrace doors, pulling me back to the moment. Daddy offered me his arm .
“That’s not enough.” I looked at his arm. “You’ve been standing by her side, but where’s the support for me? Where’s the support for Erik and Serena and Gigi? Why didn’t you ever fight harder for us against her?”
He let out a soft, regretful sigh. “You’re right. I haven’t been the best father?—”
“You’ve been the worst. A sorry isn’t going to fix this.” I shook my head. “I deserve a full apology. As well as Erik, Serena, and Gigi. You need to state why and you need to make a change. Starting today.”
Daddy’s eyes widened and I kept going.
“I refuse to have anyone in my life not serving me well. That includes you. So what’s your decision?”
They were waiting for us, but I didn’t care. I focused on Daddy and I felt the beating of my own heart.
“I apologize, Laurene. For everything I didn’t do. For letting your mom run things instead of this marriage being a partnership. I know my words aren’t enough, but I vow to you, baby. I’ll fix things. For all of us moving forward.”
I swallowed, and Daddy placed a kiss on my cheek and smiled at me.
“Don’t mention this to your siblings—especially Gigi—but you’re the brightest of my kids, Laurene. You’re a leader.” He paused, his gaze steady on mine. “But what I hope you’ll learn—and maybe even do better than me—is how to balance that vision with what’s in here.”
He tapped a finger lightly against my chest.
“I don’t feel like a leader,” I muttered.
“Leaders don’t always feel like leaders, Laurene. They just lead and sometimes they do it scared. Do what’s in your heart.” He offered me his arm. “Let’s focus on you, sweetheart. The rest, we’ll figure out in time.”
I nodded, gripping his arm.
This is it.
The doors open. Together, we stepped forward. A sea of faces turning toward me.
Daddy’s arm was my anchor, the only thing keeping me tethered to anything real. But it wasn’t the music that filled my mind. It was him .
Reese.
There he was, standing at the end of the aisle. My first love. My past. My unfinished story. My future.
The one person in the world meant for me.
Every step felt like a reckoning, like I was moving toward a choice that I couldn’t take back. This was it. I finally chose Laurene. We were finally getting what we deserved. I stopped in front of Reese, and for a split second, everything else disappeared.
The crowd. The noise. The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
My father placed my trembling hand into Reese’s.
“You take my breath away, Laurie.” Reese’s voice was almost a whisper, and I smiled at him, brighter than sun, and tightened my grip.
Mama won’t win this. The blackmailer won’t either.
The officiant’s voice was calm and practiced. I could hardly make out what he was saying, until finally, he signaled for the rings. Reese slipped one onto my finger.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
When his lips finally touched mine, it was an explosion of heat. The taste of him, sharp and familiar, filled my mouth, and my fingers curled into his jacket, pulling him closer.
“I love you,” I said, breaking the kiss.
A light shone in Reese’s eyes.
In his arms, I was home.