Chapter 4 - The Unexpected Guest
Heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed off the vaulted ceilings of the church.
The unexpected guest was walking down the aisle behind me.
I turned my head slightly and saw him.
General Arthur Sterling.
He was in his late seventies but stood as straight as a spear, wearing his own heavily decorated dress uniform.
Four silver stars gleamed on his shoulders.
The murmur in the crowd turned into a collective gasp of respect.
My father looked past me, and all the blood drained from his face.
Frank had spent the last year begging the Sterling firm for an extension on his massive business loans.
He had relied on Tyler's false accounting to hide the company's failures, hoping to use my marriage to Ethan as leverage.
General Sterling stopped right next to me.
He didn't look at my father. He looked directly at me and offered a sharp, perfect salute.
I returned the salute instantly, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Captain," the General said, his voice carrying effortlessly through the quiet church.
"General Sterling, sir," I replied.
"You look exemplary today," he said warmly. "A true credit to the uniform."
"Thank you, sir."
Then, the General slowly turned his head to look at my father.
Frank was visibly shaking, his hands gripping the wood of the pew.
"Mr. Frank Davis, I presume?" the General asked, his tone dropping thirty degrees.
"Y-yes, General. It is an honor," my father stammered, attempting to stand up.
"Sit down," the General commanded softly.
It wasn't a request. It was an order.
My father collapsed back into the pew as if his legs had given out.
"I have read the financial reports your son submitted to my firm," General Sterling said, glancing at a terrified Tyler.
Tyler swallowed hard, shrinking back into his seat.
"We will discuss your fraudulent accounting at the reception," the General stated clearly.
He turned back to me and offered his arm.
"May I have the honor of walking you the rest of the way to my grandson, Captain?"
May you like
"It would be my privilege, sir," I smiled.
I looped my arm through his, leaving my family sitting in a prison of their own making.
