I turned to leave. Hester grabbed my arm.
Following the line of her cold smile, I saw a staff member walking toward me.
Cradling a rooster.
My brow furrowed. I wrenched my arm free of Hester's grip.
"What exactly are you trying to pull?"
Hester beamed, all sweetness and venom.
"Mr. Delgado can't make it back in time, so why don't you just go through the ceremony with this instead?"
I stared at her in disbelief.
"You want me to exchange vows with a rooster? Have you lost your mind?"
A collective gasp rippled through the guests.
"Oh my God, Mr. Delgado adores Secretary Pruitt. She actually dared insult her? Does she have a death wish?"
"The last person who crossed Secretary Pruitt lost everything. Fiancée or not, she's done for."
"What a clueless hick. A rooster means good luck. Doesn't she know that? Secretary Pruitt was being generous."
Hester lifted her chin, triumph radiating from every pore, and shot the staff member a look.
The woman shoved the rooster into my arms. Before I could react, she knotted the red cord tied to the rooster's leg around my wrist, pulling it tight into a dead knot.
I let go on instinct. The rooster dangled from my wrist, shrieking and thrashing midair, feathers flying.
The ballroom erupted in laughter.
Fury blazed through me. I fixed Hester with a glare that could cut glass.
"Take this off. Now."
Hester acted as though she hadn't heard a word. She leaned into the microphone and announced, bright and clear, that the ceremony would begin.
"Come on, Miss Summers. Be a good sport. Don't hold up dinner for everyone."
"We'll skip the officiant's speech. The ring probably won't fit anyway. Let's jump straight to the wedding toast and the kiss."
The crowd below the stage roared with jeering laughter.
Someone grabbed the rooster and shoved it in my face.
"Don't you dare!"
"Hester Pruitt, if you humiliate me today, forget you—even Scott Delgado won't be able to handle the consequences!"
Hester swept her arm across the long display table, sending my dowry crashing to the floor. Porcelain shattered. Jade splintered. The sound cut through the hall like a scream.
I lunged forward and seized her wrist. "Stop!"
Those were antiques, every last piece irreplaceable. My parents had sent them specifically to give me standing at this wedding.