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.