THE FIVE-HOUR WEDDING

PART 2 — THE PRICE OF HUMILIATION

By the time Alena reached her family’s Moscow estate, the story of her canceled wedding had spread across every major news outlet.

Her photograph was everywhere.

The bride who had waited five hours outside a luxury hotel before walking away from a billionaire’s son.

Some people praised her courage. Others accused her of destroying a business alliance over wounded pride.

Alena didn’t care.

She had changed out of her wedding gown and was sitting in her father’s private study when her phone rang.

“Alena, what happened today?” her father, Viktor Seversky, asked.

He had been attending an international business conference in Geneva and had only just learned what happened.

“He deliberately left me outside for five hours, Father. He was inside drinking champagne with Lika.”

Silence followed.

Then Viktor spoke coldly.

“Did you hear him say anything about the three hundred million?”

Alena looked up.

“He said I wouldn’t dare leave because of the money.”

Her father gave a humorless laugh.

“Then he has made a very expensive mistake.”

Viktor had never liked Kirill. He had accepted the engagement because the Voronovs possessed valuable connections in several industries. But he had always warned his daughter that business partnerships and marriage required different kinds of trust.

“Listen carefully,” he continued. “The investment agreement has been suspended. Our legal team is already reviewing every document. Don’t sign anything. Don’t answer Kirill’s calls.”

“I won’t.”

An hour later, the first unexpected visitor arrived.

Kirill’s mother, Elena Voronova.

She entered the estate wearing an elegant cream suit, accompanied by two lawyers.

“Alena, darling,” she said, forcing a smile. “This entire situation has become unnecessarily dramatic.”

Alena remained seated.

“Is that what you call leaving a bride outside her own wedding?”

Elena’s smile disappeared.

“Kirill made a mistake. Men sometimes behave foolishly. You should understand that a marriage requires compromise.”

“Then perhaps you should ask your son to compromise with his bank.”

The older woman stiffened.

“Your father is destroying an alliance that took months to build. Surely you don’t want to be responsible for ruining two powerful families?”

Alena stood.

“I didn’t ruin anything. Your son showed me exactly what kind of husband he would be.”

Elena placed a document on the desk.

“Kirill wants you to sign this. It confirms that the wedding was postponed rather than canceled. That would protect both families from unnecessary legal complications.”

Alena glanced at the paper.

Then she noticed something.

The document contained a clause transferring management rights over several investment assets to a company controlled by the Voronovs.

She almost laughed.

Even now, they were trying to take what they couldn’t obtain through marriage.

“Dasha,” she called.

Her assistant entered immediately.

“Please escort Mrs. Voronova and her lawyers out.”

Elena’s face turned crimson.

“You’ll regret humiliating this family!”

Alena calmly returned to her chair.

“Then your family should stop giving me reasons to do it.”

That evening, Kirill finally appeared at the Seversky estate.

He arrived without an appointment, shouting at the security guards until they allowed him into the reception hall.

Alena came downstairs wearing a black silk dress.

Kirill approached her immediately.

“You’ve gone too far.”

“Good evening to you too.”

“Do you understand what you’ve done? My father has been on the phone with the bank all afternoon!”

“Perhaps he should have raised a better son.”

His jaw tightened.

“You think you’re clever? You think you can walk away and destroy everything?”

Alena looked directly into his eyes.

“I didn’t destroy your family, Kirill. I simply stopped financing it.”

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he lowered his voice.

“Lika means nothing to me. I was only entertaining her.”

“That’s unfortunate. She seemed to believe she was marrying you next.”

Kirill grabbed her wrist.

“Stop playing games!”

Before Alena could respond, a security guard stepped forward.

“Release Miss Severskaya.”

Kirill let go.

Alena adjusted her sleeve.

“You have ten seconds to leave my house.”

His expression changed.

“You’ll come crawling back.”

“No, Kirill. The only person who will be crawling is the one who has just lost a three-hundred-million-dollar investment.”

He left.

But Alena knew he wouldn’t give up easily.

And she was right.

Because the following morning, her lawyers discovered that someone had leaked confidential information about her family’s business.

Someone inside the Voronov organization had begun a campaign against the Severskays.

Kirill had chosen war.

Alena was ready to finish it.