"Hi, Lawrence. You look great," Audrey greeted her date as she let him into the apartment.
"So do you."
"Thanks," she smiled. "Just let me grab my purse and we'll go." When she noticed Justin come into the room, she made the introductions. "Oh, have you two met? Lawrence, this is my brother, Justin. Justin, this is Lawrence Arrendale."
The men exchanged greetings, but had nothing else to say to each other.
"Ok, I'm ready," Audrey said, returning from her bedroom. "Are you sure you don't want to come to the wedding, Justin?"
"I'm sure," he said firmly.
Audrey shrugged sadly and said goodbye. As they left, Justin crossed over to the window and stared out. "Everything I intend to do has already been done."
At the chapel, Chloe and Eileen were in the bridal room, helping a nervous Lucy prepare for her wedding.
"Oh my gosh. I can't believe this is it," Lucy said as she studied herself in the mirror. "What time is it?"
"12:55," Chloe answered with a smile. "Only 5 more minutes and you'll be walking down that aisle."
"Oh my gosh," Lucy repeated. Her hands shook as she nervously adjusted her hair and veil. She stood up from the vanity and started to pace the room.
"Lucy," Eileen said sharply, stepping in front of her. "Relax. You're going to be fine. You look beautiful and so does the church. Everything's set. All you have to do is walk down the aisle and say 'I do.' There's nothing to worry about."
Lucy took a deep breath, "You're right. I'm fine."
"Good. Now we're going to grab our bouquets and we'll see you at the end of the aisle in just a few minutes."
"Thank you. I don't think I could have done this without the both of you," Lucy said, exchanging hugs with both of her bridesmaids before they left the room.
As Eileen and Chloe were on their way out, a messenger came in with a note for Lucy. She thanked him and then opened the envelope.
Dear Miss Stuart,
I hope you don't think my sending this note to you on your wedding day is inappropriate, but I since I won't be attending the service, I couldn't let the occasion go by unacknowledged. I just wanted to tell you that I think you are an extraordinary woman and Mr. Sexton is a lucky man to have you for his bride. I wish you a long and successful marriage and all the happiness in the world, you deserve nothing less.
Yours sincerely,
Justin Jordan
Lucy let the letter slip from her fingers and fall to the floor as tears came to her eyes. Unable to hold back her emotions, Lucy covered her face with both hands and started to cry.
In the sanctuary, Chloe and Eileen walked down the aisle and took their places at the altar. As the organist started to play "Here comes the bride" the entire congregation turned to the back of the church to watch the bride enter. They waited, but Lucy didn't appear. The room grew tense and the guests started to mumble to each other, wondering where she could be.
Before anyone could decide to act, Lucy appeared in the doorway. The entire room breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way down the aisle.
Craig smiled and reached out to her as she approached and took her hands in his own. When the music faded away, the minister began the service.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two, Craig and Lucy, in holy matrimony. Marriage is the sacred joining of two lives not only in love, but in total partnership. It is a promise to stand by each other for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, to face together whatever may lie ahead for the rest of your lives."
As the minister continued on, talking about love and devotion, Eileen's turned away briefly to look across the crowd. Her eyes paused on Lawrence.
Only fragments of the minister's words reached her as her mind started to drift into daydream. The moment was broken when Eileen saw Audrey lean over to whisper something into Lawrence's ear. Embarrassed, Eileen quickly looked away and focused on the ceremony.
"Therefore marriage is an institution that is not to be entered into lightly. If anyone here knows of any reason these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."
To Lucy the minister's pause seemed deafening and the slightest sounds in the sanctuary magnified. The minister took a breath, about to continue, when the echoing thud of the front door being slammed resonated through the hall and quick footsteps raced towards them.
Lucy's heart began to beat faster. With effort she turned around to see who had entered, afraid that she would look up to see Jordan standing at the other end of the aisle. When she saw that it wasn't him, she was shocked and even somewhat disappointed. But she didn't have time to analyze her feelings. She was currently concerned with who had burst in on her wedding, Hector Burgess. She frowned. What was he doing crashing her wedding?
Hector, now the center of attention, searched the church frantically. When he finally saw Arthur seated in the front row, he ran towards the altar.
"Mr. Townsend. We have a problem!"
Arthur rose from his pew and stood face to face with Hector. "What's wrong?"
"Jerry Keller just called me. He's been trying to get a hold of you. There are rumors going around that the company's financial records have been falsified. Our stock value is dropping fast and they're talking about an in-depth investigation."
Arthur gasped, his face turning a sickly pale, "No." His mind was racing. If Clifford's embezzlement and the following coverup got out, the company would be ruined. They had to do something quickly to fix this. He just had to clear his head and come up with a plan of action, but at the moment it was hard enough just to breathe. His head was pounding and a wave of heat rushed over his skin. Then the world seemed to go dim.
Veronica stepped forward and took a hold of her husband's arm, "Arthur, honey, I think you need to sit down." She tried to guide him back to the pew, but his arm went limp under her grip and he collapsed to the floor.
A collective gasp carried through the church. Veronica quickly knelt down at his side and tried to revive him. When he showed no response she called out, "Somebody call an ambulance. He needs a doctor right now."
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