My Cruel Groom Humiliated Me at the Altar Until My Real Father Walked In — Part 2

Previously: I thought I was marrying the love of my life, but at the altar, he whispered a cruel secret—unaware that my powerful, estranged father was about to walk through the doors.

A Father's Wrath

The cathedral fell into a stunned, breathless silence. Charlotte looked from Nathan’s trembling form to the powerful man standing before her. She had never met Raymond Vance in her life, yet as the billionaire drew closer, she saw tears glistening in his sharp grey eyes. He reached out, his hand gently touching the silver locket resting against her collarbone.

"Your mother wore this the day she disappeared," Raymond whispered, his voice thick with decades of suppressed grief. "I have spent twenty-five years searching for you, Charlotte. When my private investigators finally matched your DNA records last night, I knew I had to get here. I didn't realize I would be arriving just in time to save you from a monster."

Nathan’s mind raced as he tried to calculate a way out of the disaster. He took a desperate step forward, his hands shaking as he reached for Charlotte.

"Mr. Vance, please! This is all a huge misunderstanding," Nathan pleaded, his voice high-pitched and desperate. "I love Charlotte! I was just... I was just joking to calm her nerves. We belong together!"

Raymond turned his gaze toward Nathan, and the warmth in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by an icy, predatory glare. As the CEO of Vance Enterprises, Raymond was known for his ruthless business tactics, but this was personal.

"I heard every word you whispered to my daughter, Nathan," Raymond said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, quiet rumble. "You thought she was a penniless orphan you could discard after using her to climb my corporate ladder. You didn't realize that everything you have, and everything you hoped to become, belongs to me."

Raymond pulled out his phone, dialing a number without breaking eye contact with the terrified groom.

"Cancel the multi-million dollar merger Nathan was spearheading," Raymond ordered cold-bloodedly into the receiver. "Fire him immediately. Blacklist him from every financial institution in the country. And call the police—I want a full audit of his accounts. I suspect he's been embezzling from our firm."

Nathan collapsed to his knees on the marble altar, grasping at the hem of Charlotte’s dress as his entire life crumbled around him.