There was one thing Sebastian definitely did well: He knew how to throw a wedding.

The chapel he'd chosen was religiously beautiful. Ivy raked around the sandstone walls outside, framing the oak wooden double doors in medieval fashion. Inside, the office — aka the bride's changing room — looked just as beautiful. A large oval shaped crystal mirror hung on one side of four white walls, most of which were decorated with iron crucifixes or gothic paintings.

Maeve sat on a small stool in front of the mirror, daisies braided into dark hair that flowed down her back. A white silk dress hugged her figure, perfectly tailored to complement her body. She looked hauntingly beautiful — yet another trait she'd given off to her son.

I closed the door behind me and entered the silence, with Maeve watching me through the mirror. Her usually strong nature appeared pale and hopeless in these surroundings, the white dress practically pulling all color from her face.

I took my position behind her, letting my hands rest on her tense shoulders.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," she said, her curious gaze wandering over my body.

"Thank you," I returned her smile and glanced at our portrait in the mirror: The only thing we had in common this day was the color of our hair, other than that, I was the exact opposite of Maeve. Literally black and white.

While Maeve's wedding dress basically turned her into an angel, I looked like I was here to bring her down to hell with me. In my black dress, dark boots, and hair loosely brushing over my shoulders, I seemed like a wild animal more than anything.

Not that I minded. If it'd gone my way, I'd have been here in my usual jeans and leather jacket, but Amara had insisted we had to look the part. You never know who could see you, she'd said.

Now she was the one hiding out in another room with the rest of our group.

"I'd tell you how beautiful you look, but I'm sure that's the last thing you want to hear right now," I addressed Maeve again, who was still watching me.

"No." She chuckled sadly and glanced down at her fingers, which wrapped around a tiny picture frame. Upon further inspection, I realized it was a polaroid picture of her and Phoenix, from when he must've been in his teens. He was giggling in her arms while she hugged him from behind, and both of them looked incredibly happy. At peace, almost.

"You were right." Maeve spoke up again.

"Right about what?"

"Both of you, you were right about everything." She looked at me through the mirror, the familiar green in her eyes stunning me momentarily. "You were right when you said I didn't allow him to make his own decisions. He was right when he said I haven't respected him enough..." A tear fell from the corner of her eye, but she caught it before it had the chance to roll down her cheek. "All I ever wanted was the best for my child. He is everything to me."

"He knows that."

"Does he, though?" Maeve turned in her seat, her teary gaze meeting mine. "He can't even stand to look at me, much less let me talk to him. He's not even—" A hand flew to her lips and she pressed her eyes closed, swallowing hard. "He's not even here."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I could feel the way it rose when she took rapid breaths, panic slowly invading her chest. My heart ached just watching her in this situation, a predicament she'd surely underestimated when she'd agreed to any of this. No one could've known just how bad Sebastian was. No wonder she was panicking now; the mere thought of getting married to a man like him would've crippled anyone with fear.

"Breathe with me." I squatted in front of Maeve and took her hands, allowing her to look at me. "Breathe in for four, hold it for seven, then exhale for eight." I modeled the rhythm until she'd picked up on it, and after a few moments, her demeanor seemed to calm.

Part of me sympathized with her. We may not have known each other for a long while, but something about Phoenix's mother made me feel like I'd known her for a decade. Probably because she reminded me so much of her son.

"What if I deserve this? Being married to this man..." she muttered.

"Stop. Don't even think that. No one would ever deserve a life with Sebastian Williams. Not even the woman who was blinded by the love for her son."

The faint smile on Maeve's lips told me she didn't believe me, though the sympathy in her eyes was genuine. "You're too kind."

I chuckled. "Oh, believe me, I'm pretty ruthless. I just know love makes us do stupid things. Phoenix will see that, too."

"You think he'll forgive me?"

"I do. He loves you a lot more than you give him credit for."

"And yet he isn't here..." The sigh from Maeve's lips might've as well been my own, since I'd been looking for him all day as well.

I'd never doubted him showing up today. I just wished it happened a little sooner.

"You haven't heard from him?" she asked, and I shook my head.

Need to take care of something. Will be back in time for the wedding. I love you.

That was the message I'd received shortly after Phoenix and Connor had disappeared out of our sight, followed by the roaring engine of a sports car. I hadn't known what their little road trip was about, but I knew it was important enough to have him out of touch for three whole days. It was unlike Phoenix to ghost me, but I also knew he had to process everything that'd happened. He wasn't ghosting. He was just working through it.

"And you're not angry at him?" Maeve inquired once more, raising a brow.

"Why would I be angry at him?"

The green in her eyes looked so much like Phoenix's that I had a hard time looking away from her, especially when it held so much intrigue that I practically felt the questions in her mind.

"I don't know, because he just left? He could've at least texted you or something. That's how I raised him, at least..."

I couldn't help but smile at her. "You raised him to not be overwhelmed when he learns the identity of his father, when he realizes he has a half-brother, and when his mom has been blackmailed for an entire decade?"

That stopped her for a second. I could practically feel the way realization dawned on her, how these past few weeks had been hell for Phoenix. People knew it wasn't easy, but none of them would've ever comprehended just how much damage had been done to everything Phoenix knew about his reality. His life had literally been flipped upside down.

"Phoenix has a right to process his feelings his own way. If going on a road trip with his half-brother is what he needs to figure things out, then I'm the last person to stop him. I know he'll come back to me. That's what matters," I assured her.

Was I disappointed that he hadn't texted me in three days? Maybe. But that was no one's business but ours, and we'd address it once he's back.

"You love him a lot." Maeve smiled at me with glassy eyes. It wasn't a question or assumption — it was a fact, spoken by someone who could see what was right in front of her.

"I do. That's why I'm here."

"Good." The smile on Maeve's lips would've fooled anyone, yet I couldn't help and see the doubt in her eyes. She didn't doubt my love for Phoenix, she didn't doubt my confidence to bring Sebastian Williams down... She just doubted she'd get out of it unscathed.

And I couldn't even blame her: This wasn't some low-scale criminal we were trying to catch. Sebastian Williams was an attempted murderer, assailant, specialist in both blackmail and fraud...

And fucking hell, he seemed to have been a mind reader, too.

Because as I thought of all the ways I wanted to make him pay for everything he did to me, my family, and Phoenix, as I relished in the hope that soon he'd be behind bars... the door burst open.

I couldn't even process what was happening before it slammed shut, revealing Sebastian Williams dressed in a clean, white tux. He wore that same ass-eating grin he'd always worn, the mere sight of it practically slapping reality into my face.

"Oh, look what we have here. Florence Nyx!" He clapped his hands together and cocked his head to the side, his perfectly gelled hair not moving an inch with the gesture. There had always been something about him that'd made my skin crawl, but today it was like I was facing the epitome of evil. Every awful thing Sebastian had ever done suddenly appeared right in front of me, like tendrils of a demon trying to burn my confidence.

Without thinking twice, I hoisted Maeve out of her chair and pushed her behind me. I trusted she was a strong woman, but she was Phoenix's mother and would thus not be put in any danger if I could help it.

Because the truth was, Sebastian Williams was terrifying in his own twisted way. I'd always looked down on him as a clown in an industry that simply tolerated him for financial reasons. Now that I knew what he was able to do, now that I knew about every fucking sin he'd ever committed... It was a whole different story.

Still. That wouldn't let me show weakness. That wasn't how I'd been raised, after all.

"Sebastian. Fancy seeing you here." I stood up straight, trying to cover as much of Maeve as possible.

"Well, it is my wedding, is it not?"

I nodded. "I'm afraid it is."

Maeve was holding on to the back of my dress, the coldness of her touch making me stiffen even more. "This isn't what we planned!" she whispered. "It isn't time yet."

I didn't even have time to shush her before Sebastian took another step toward us, still grinning widely as he got on his toes to get a glimpse of Maeve.

"I'd ask what you're doing here, Miss Nyx, but I'm much more interested in why you're hiding my bride from me."

"It's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony, isn't it?"

"Right." Sebastian laughed, and I hated the way the sound echoed in this unnecessarily large room. It sounded like when you were trying to stifle your laughter in church, only that Sebastian was no priest. He was the devil himself, horns and all.

"Is there a reason you're here?" I glanced at the wooden clock above the door. "It's ten minutes until the ceremony begins. You should be at the end of the aisle, shouldn't you?"

Once again, Sebastian conjured that god awful grin on his lips. The mere gesture turned my blood into lava, fiery hatred for this man now coursing through my veins.

"And you shouldn't be here. What would your father say if he saw you at a Williams' wedding?"

I shrugged. "He'd probably tell me to bring back a souvenir from hell."

"That's funny." Sebastian laughed, though this time his amusement lacked candor.

"Yeah. World champions have a great sense of humor. You wouldn't know, of course."

And just like that, I'd wiped that grin off his smug-ass face. Complacency filled every inch of my being, just watching him crumble and stutter in the face of his greatest rival's daughter. Sebastian was nowhere near as confident as he had made himself out to be.

"You better watch what you say," he sneered, stepping further toward me.

"Or what?" I approached him, raising a hand to my back to make sure Maeve stayed behind me. "Wanna rig my brakes? Blackmail my mother?"

Sebastian stopped in his tracks. His wide eyes scanned me warily, taking in every inch of me. There was a predatory will in his gaze that once again reminded me of who he was and what he was capable of doing.

But this time, it didn't stun me.

This time, I felt invincible. Suddenly, I remembered every moment I'd spent at my father's hospital bed. I remembered how tough my mother had acted through every setback, not once allowing anyone to see her pain. And most of all, I remembered just how many lives Sebastian had affected with his senseless and devious plan. It was ruthless in the most foolish of ways.

"You really are a spoiled little brat, aren't you?"

"I only see one brat in this room, and it's neither me nor Maeve."

Sebastian shook his head, jaw clenched as he took another step toward me. I mirrored the gesture, leaving him mere inches away from me as he defiantly tipped his chin up.

This wasn't how our plan was supposed to go, but that's besides the point; He was here now, and we had to get this show on the road, right?

"Who do you think you are?" he asked through gritted teeth, irritation rolling off of him in violent waves.

"Oh, I know exactly who I am, Sebastian." I grinned. "But, more importantly, I know exactly who you are."

He moved even further toward me, literally stepping right into my face. I was just an inch shorter than him, but with my heels I actually towered over his being like the insignificant toad he was. It was the best sight ever.

His hands balled into fists, and I could practically feel the way his fingers itched to touch me, to get his hands on his rival's daughter.

It didn't scare me, though. It was almost time.

"Do it, Sebastian," I teased him. "Lay a finger on me or Maeve. I know you want to."

He cocked his head to the side, brows furrowed as he tried to read my next move. There was something predatory about his posture, like he was assessing his victim with care. It creeped the hell out of me, and it didn't help that I could also smell his foul breath the closer he got to me.

"But remember who I am." I spoke with all the confidence I found in the depth of my being. "I'm Florence Nyx, and I'll make a damn good witness. Not that we need even more."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sebastian blinked a few times, now taking a step back from me.

That was all I needed. Confirmation he was scared.

"What it means, Sebastian, is that we're not having a wedding today. We're holding a funeral. Yours, to be exact." I took a deep breath to let my point come across, and enjoyed the shock on Sebastian's face as he blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation. "Or at least you'll wish you were dead once we're done with you, because I know everything about you." I approached him, and this time, he was the one stepping back. "About all the women you've groped without their consent, about the people you've blackmailed to bring success to you and your family... I know about the fraud, too. Very ballsy move to lie to the biggest team of a multi-billion dollar industry. Ballsy, but stupid."

Sebastian took heavy breaths, his hands clenched into fists as he shot me the ugliest glare I'd ever seen.

"Florence..." Maeve's warning came just a second short to what happened next.

Because while I was thinking of more ways to stall him, Sebastian was already charging toward me. I stepped backward the second his face was right in front of mine, sending me back toward Maeve, who I pushed behind me before we both hit the wall. I tried softening the blow on Maeve by pushing my palms off the wall, but still heard her wince as we came to a stop.

I didn't have time to ask if she was okay, though, because the look in Sebastian's eyes told me he was done negotiating — he was done listening to my speech, and now he was right in his element: Scaring women.

He propped his hands on the wall behind us, making me push deeper into Maeve while she tried to move away. I held her in place, with my hands on her wrists while Sebastian glared at me. Again, I used my physical advantage to make myself taller, to shield Maeve and to let this man feel just like he was: small and insignificant.

The Sebastian Williams facade our public had known and loved was nowhere to be seen. In front of me stood the reality of who he was: the ugly, greedy, sorry excuse of a person who would've achieved nothing without weaseling his way through life.

His obnoxious aftershave made me scrunch my nose as he moved his hand to my face, and I got ready to send my knee right into his groin. A very sick part of me wanted him to get closer, just so I'd have a reason to destroy his manhood, much like he shattered the world of so many people.

But before I even had the chance of doing so, the chapel bells rang. Their melody almost mocked this entire situation: A wedding that wasn't supposed to be, with a man who shouldn't be free.

Sebastian used the distraction to push himself closer to us, but just as I was about to fight back, I heard him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice stood loud and clear even with the echoing bells, its sound making me glance over Sebastian's shoulder.

Phoenix stood in the doorway, dressed in a white shirt and black jeans, gaze furious and ready to strike. My heart leaped just seeing him alive and well, knowing he did as I expected him to: He came back.

His gaze met mine for just a split second, the warmth in it disappearing the moment it landed on Sebastian. In an instant, he squared himself up to full height and approached us.

"Step away, Sebastian." His deep, commanding voice boomed through the room, its intensity echoing off the stone walls.

And to my surprise, Sebastian listened to him. Reluctantly, he pulled back from Maeve and me, turning to face Phoenix. He walked up to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled the fakest smile the world had ever seen.

"Didn't expect to see you here, son."

The entire room fell silent. Because, technically, Sebastian didn't know that we all knew about his relation to Phoenix. He didn't know Maeve conspired with us. Or at least so we'd thought...

And so, Maeve, Phoenix, and I shared a look that said one thing and one thing only.

Fuck.

Author's Note

Hey, folks!

Thanks for being patient with me. This chapter (and the following one) took ages to write, simply because bringing everything together was a hassle with this story, lol. That's the downside of writing such a long story with so many characters -- you have to tie up all ends.

I've also had to take care of some things, which left me little time to write and be creative. It's hard to find the momentum sometimes, especially when it's those kind of chapters that are waiting to be written, hah.

Part 2 will be up soon -- it just needs a thorough edit now.

Hope you're all okay and hanging in there, the world is a crazy place right now.

Take care of yourselves!

xx Jane