Chapter 3 Poisoned Truths
# Chapter 3: Poisoned Truths
"You're hurting me," I said quietly, looking pointedly at where Gideon's fingers pressed into my wrist.
Something shifted in his expression—the coldness retreating, replaced by his familiar charming smile. He released me immediately.
"I'm sorry," he said, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. "I'm just concerned. Finding you here, today of all days..."
I forced a smile, rubbing my wrist. "I needed to feel close to him one last time before starting our new chapter."
The lie tasted bitter, but Gideon seemed to accept it. He glanced around the apartment again, eyes lingering on the laptop.
"We should go," he said finally. "Bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony, right?"
"Right. Just give me a moment?"
When he hesitated, I added, "I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes."
After he left, I quickly closed Emmett's laptop and slipped the USB drive deeper into my pocket. My hands were shaking as I took one last look around my brother's apartment, wondering if I'd ever be back.
In the hallway, waiting for the elevator, I texted Talia: "We need to talk. Don't call. Gideon found me at Emmett's."
The response came immediately: "Wedding still on? What happened?"
I didn't reply. Couldn't risk it, not with Gideon waiting downstairs. When the elevator doors opened, I took a deep breath and stepped inside, descending to face the man I now feared.
---
"I'll drop you at Talia's," Gideon said as we drove through downtown Boston. "Your dress is there, right?"
I nodded, keeping my eyes on the passing buildings. The USB drive felt like a live grenade in my pocket.
"Maren." His voice was soft, coaxing me to look at him. When I did, his eyes were warm, concerned. "Are you having second thoughts?"
For a moment, I almost broke—almost told him everything. But then I remembered the cold calculation in his eyes at Emmett's apartment, the bruise forming on my wrist, my brother's desperate warning.
"Of course not," I lied. "Just wedding jitters, like you said."
His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Good. Because nothing should stand in the way of our happiness."
The words hung in the air between us, layered with meaning. As we pulled up to Talia's building, he leaned over and kissed me—a possessive, claiming kiss that made my skin crawl.
"See you at the altar," he said, his thumb tracing my lower lip.
I managed a nod before escaping the car.
---
"Jesus Christ, Maren!" Talia hissed as she pulled me into her apartment. "What the hell is going on?"
My composure finally cracked. I sank onto her couch, hands trembling as I pulled out the USB drive.
"Emmett left this for me. It's all true, Talia. Everything he warned about."
I connected the drive to her laptop and played the recording. Talia's expression darkened with each word from my brother.
"He knew," she whispered when it finished. "Emmett figured it out and they killed him for it."
"I think so," I said, my voice barely audible. "And in three hours, I'm supposed to marry him."
Talia paced the living room, her bridesmaid dress still in plastic hanging on her closet door. "You can't go through with it. We need to go to the police."
"With what? An audio file where Emmett makes accusations but provides no proof? Gideon would have the best lawyers in Boston dismiss it before we left the station."
"Then we run," Talia suggested. "Get out of town until we can figure this out."
I shook my head. "And let him know we're onto him? No. I need to find out what Emmett discovered—the actual proof."
My phone buzzed with a text from the wedding planner: "Hair and makeup arriving in 30 minutes! Getting excited!!!"
I showed it to Talia, who cursed under her breath.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
I stared at the wedding dress hanging on her bedroom door—a $15,000 designer gown that now seemed like a shroud.
"I'm going to get ready for my wedding," I said slowly. "And I'm going to find out exactly what my fiancé is hiding."
---
The bridal suite at the Four Seasons was a flurry of activity. My mother flitted around nervously, adjusting my veil and tearing up every few minutes. The photographer captured "candid" moments while my bridesmaids sipped champagne.
Through it all, I moved mechanically, a perfect automaton bride. The USB drive was secure in Talia's possession, copied onto three separate devices hidden throughout her apartment.
"You look stunning," my mother said, squeezing my hands. "Your father would have been so proud."
I smiled tightly, thinking of both my father and Emmett—gone, unable to protect me from what was coming.
"Five minutes, everyone!" the wedding planner called, her clipboard clutched to her chest. "Places, please!"
As the room emptied, Talia lingered behind.
"Last chance to run," she murmured, adjusting my veil.
"I need to know the truth," I replied. "For Emmett."
She nodded, understanding in her eyes. "I've got your back. Always."
The wedding march began, echoing through the hotel's grand ballroom. Two hundred guests rose to their feet as the doors opened. At the end of the aisle, Gideon waited, resplendent in his tuxedo, a picture-perfect groom.
Each step toward him felt like moving through quicksand. His smile widened as I approached, but I now saw what I'd been missing—the calculation behind his eyes, the predatory satisfaction in his gaze.
The ceremony passed in a blur. I spoke my vows on autopilot, the words hollow and meaningless. When Gideon slipped the platinum band onto my finger, his touch lingered, possessive and cold.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiant declared. "You may kiss the bride."
Gideon's lips met mine, and I forced myself to respond, to play the part of the blissful new wife. The crowd applauded, unaware of the horror unfolding before them.
---
The reception was elegant perfection—crystal chandeliers, cascading flowers, a string quartet playing softly as guests mingled. I moved through it all like a ghost, accepting congratulations with a practiced smile.
"Mrs. Blackwood," a smooth voice said behind me. I turned to find Cameron Westfield, Gideon's CFO, holding two champagne flutes. "A toast to the beautiful bride?"
I accepted the glass, studying his sharp features. Was he part of it too? How deep did this conspiracy go?
"Thank you for coming, Cameron," I said carefully. "Gideon values your... partnership."
Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, perhaps, at my choice of words.
"The partnership is mutually beneficial," he replied, his tone measured. "Though some ventures are riskier than others."
Before I could respond, Gideon appeared at my side, his arm sliding possessively around my waist.
"Discussing business at my wedding, Cameron?" he asked lightly, though his eyes were hard.
Cameron smiled thinly. "Merely congratulating your bride. She's quite... perceptive."
The tension between the men was palpable. I sipped my champagne, mind racing.
"If you'll excuse us," Gideon said, guiding me away. "My wife and I should greet our other guests."
As we moved through the crowd, his grip on my waist tightened. "What did Cameron say to you?" he asked, his smile never faltering.
"Nothing important," I replied. "Just wedding pleasantries."
Gideon's eyes searched my face. "Remember, Maren, we're a team now. No secrets between us."
The irony of his words made me want to scream.
---
I escaped to the powder room, needing a moment alone. Leaning against the marble counter, I stared at my reflection—the perfect bride with terror in her eyes.
My phone buzzed in my beaded clutch. A text from Talia: "Meet me in the service corridor by the kitchens. Now."
I slipped out of the reception, following the signs to the hotel kitchen. Talia was waiting, her bridesmaid dress swapped for a hotel staff uniform.
"What are you doing?" I hissed.
"I did some digging," she whispered, pulling me deeper into the corridor. "Emmett had a contact at Blackwood Tech—someone named Alex. I found his email on Emmett's cloud backup."
My heart raced. "Did you contact him?"
"Better. He's here—working security for the wedding. Gideon hired his firm without realizing the connection." She handed me a small earpiece. "Put this in. He's going to try to talk to you during the first dance."
I stared at the tiny device. "This is insane, Talia. If Gideon catches me—"
"If you don't find out what's happening, you'll be married to your brother's murderer," she cut in sharply. "Forever."
I inserted the earpiece, carefully arranging my hair to hide it. "How will I know who Alex is?"
"He'll find you. Just act normal."
Normal. As if anything about this day was normal.
---
"There you are," Gideon said when I returned. "I was beginning to worry."
"Just freshening up," I replied, forcing a smile.
The wedding planner approached, clipboard in hand. "Time for your first dance, Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood!"
The dance floor cleared as Gideon led me to the center. His hand settled on my waist, the other clasping mine as the music began—"At Last," the song we'd chosen months ago when I still believed in our love story.
"Happy, Mrs. Blackwood?" he murmured, pulling me closer.
I looked up into his handsome face, searching for any trace of the man I thought I'd known. "It's like a dream," I said truthfully, though not in the way he assumed.
"Everything I've worked for," he whispered, his lips brushing my ear. "Finally mine."
A static crackle sounded in my hidden earpiece, then a low voice: "Mrs. Blackwood, don't react. This is Alex. I worked with your brother."
I kept my expression neutral as Gideon twirled me under the spotlights.
"Emmett discovered Blackwood was using Reed Cybersecurity's government contracts to access classified systems," Alex continued in my ear. "The merger isn't about business—it's about national security breaches."
My step faltered slightly, but Gideon steadied me, his smile never wavering.
"Emmett had proof—financial transactions, communications with foreign entities. He was going to expose everything."
"You're exquisite tonight," Gideon murmured, unaware of the conversation happening literally under his nose. "Every man here envies me."
"The file is in your brother's apartment," Alex continued. "Hidden in the—"
Suddenly, the earpiece went silent. Across the room, I saw a security guard—presumably Alex—being approached by Cameron, who leaned in to whisper something. The guard's expression changed, and he immediately left the ballroom.
"Is something wrong?" Gideon asked, noticing my distraction.
Before I could answer, my phone buzzed. Pulling it from my clutch while still dancing, I glanced at the screen.
An unknown number had sent a text: "Stop looking or join your brother. We're watching."
Attached was a photo taken less than an hour ago—me in the service corridor with Talia.
I looked up at Gideon, my blood turning to ice. His smile had changed, no longer charming but victorious.
"No secrets between us, remember?" he said softly, his grip tightening painfully on my waist. "I warned you not to dig, Maren. Now we'll both have to live with the consequences."
