CHAPTER ONE – THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY

The soft tinkle of crystal glasses mingled with the gentle murmurs of conversation as Charlotte smoothed her hands over the sleek navy blue silk of her cocktail dress. Her eyes scanned the elegantly appointed dining room, taking in the crisply folded napkins and gleaming silverware arrayed around the long mahogany table. Candles flickered in the low light, casting a warm glow over the intimate gathering of her and Alexander's closest family members. Charlotte's gaze landed on her fiancé, Alexander, as he laughed at something his father said. Even in his tailored suit, he had a casual, almost rakish air about him - the confident heir standing to inherit the sprawling Montgomery business empire and all its trappings of wealth and prestige. A small smile played across her lips. She couldn't quite believe this striking, charismatic man had chosen her. "Everything looks simply exquisite, darling." Charlotte's mother appeared at her side, pressing a manicured hand to the small of her back. Lillian Jones' blonde coiffure was perfectly styled, not a hair out of place. "The tablescape is divine." "Don't give me too much credit," Charlotte said with a self-deprecating laugh. "I just approved what the event planners put together." "Well, it's marvelous. As marvelous as this whole engagement!" Lillian beamed, looping her arm through Charlotte's. "I'm thrilled about bringing the Montgomery family into ours. Such an impressive lineage." Charlotte opened her mouth to respond, but her father's voice boomed out first. "Is everyone ready for some remarks and a toast?" "Oh, Richard, must we go through all that fuss?" Lillian gave a tinkling laugh, waving a hand airily. "Let's just enjoy our evening." Charlotte's eldest brother Patrick spoke up from where he lounged in an armchair. "I, for one, would love to hear what Dad has to say." His dark eyes glinted with mischief. "It's not every day the baby of the family gets hitched." "You hush, you," Lillian chided, swatting him lightly on the arm as the other Jones siblings laughed. Even Charlotte had to bite back an undignified snort of amusement. On the other side of the table, Alexander's father Henry cleared his throat loudly, effortlessly commanding the room's attention in that way only a centuries-old legacy of power and influence could permit. "If I may..." He raised his glass, the deep crimson wine sloshing slightly. "When the Montgomery family looks to unite with another through marriage, we adhere to a strict code. Pedigree, status, honor - these are the tenets we value above all else. Which is why I couldn't be more pleased about my son's choice of partner." Alexander shifted almost imperceptibly beside Charlotte, the barest tightening around his eyes. Charlotte kept her expression carefully neutral as Henry continued. "The Jones family uphold these same principles that have guided our family's illustrious history. We can trace their lineage back to the colonial founding of this very city. Old New York money to its core." A low chuckle rippled through the Montgomery side of the table. "I know Alexander will continue to elevate our family's reputation through this union." Charlotte's cheeks flushed hot. Was that meant as some backhand comment about her own credentials? Before she could react further, her father stepped forward, cigar in hand. "Here, here. The Montgomerys and the Joneses have been part of New York City's elite for longer than any of us can recall." Richard Jones took a long puff, smoke curling up towards the ornate ceiling. "Our families built this metropolis, quite literally, from the ground up. I have no doubt this marriage will continue upholding our legacies for generations more." As her father and future father-in-law clinked glasses, exchanging cordial nods, Charlotte couldn't shake a nagging sense of unease. She loved Alexander with every fiber of her being. But why did this feel more like a business transaction between cutting corporate merger? Alexander must have sensed her tension. He caught her eye for the briefest moment, giving her a reassuring smile and wink that made her heart skip a beat despite everything. Then his hand Found hers under the table, giving it a squeeze. Yes, this would all be worth it to spend the rest of her days with Alexander by her side. After tonight's obligatory speeches and stodgy family rituals, they could focus on their future - a future of their own making rather than beholden to dusty legacies. After the overly formal toasts concluded, the wait staff began circulating with appetizer plates of delicate crab cakes and bite-sized beef wellingtons. Charlotte picked at hers, her stomach in knots despite the delicious aromas wafting from the dainty portions. Alexander leaned over, his breath warm against her ear. "You okay? You seem...tense." She managed a tight smile. "I'm fine. Just my family being...well, my family." "I know how you feel," he murmured, giving her hand another reassuring squeeze under the table cover. On the other side of the table, Charlotte's brother Marcus had struck up a conversation with Alexander's younger sister, Francesca. "So you're studying art history at Columbia this fall? A fine institution, though I can't help feeling it may have been overshadowed by my alma mater." Francesca arched a perfected plucked eyebrow. "You went to Harvard, didn't you Marcus?" "The one and only," he replied with a self-satisfied smirk. "Followed by Stanford Law, of course." "Of course," Francesca echoed in a tone that could generously be described as unimpressed. Charlotte hid a grin behind her water glass. Nearby, Charlotte's mother and Alexander's mother Diane were feigning politeness through tightly clenched smiles. "This is simply a lovely affair you've put together, Lillian," Diane said in her cultivated upper-crust accent, smoothing her hands over her emerald green skirt suit. "Though I must say, I was surprised by the somewhat...understated floral arrangements." Lillian's perfectly coiffed blonde curls seemed to quiver ever so slightly. "Well, not all of us prefer to be quite so ostentatious, Diane dear. Sometimes subtlety is key." "If you insist," Diane replied with a practiced laugh that didn't quite meet her eyes. At the far end of the table, Charlotte's father and Alexander's father Henry had predictably become engrossed in some intense conversation about corporate acquisitions and Q3 earnings reports. Numbers and firm names were tossed back and forth with the same vigor as if they were collegiate rowing teammates recounting an epic regatta. Patrick, never one to resist an opportunity to stir the pot, piped up from Charlotte's other side. "You know, I used to work at Montgomery Capital for a stint after Princeton. It was before Henry's time, but the culture was absolutely brutal. 100-hour weeks, bomb-sniffing dogs for the executive wing after those anthrax scares..." Henry's head whipped up, his patrician features instantly transformed into an icy glare. "I don't recall asking for commentary about my firm from the discount brokerage division, young man." Dead silence fell over the table. Charlotte's grip tightened around her fork until her knuckles turned white. She opened her mouth, desperate to defuse the growing tension, but her father beat her to it. "Now, now, there's no need for that kind of talk," Richard blustered in his hearty baritone, stabbing the air with his cigar. "We're all one big happy family here tonight, isn't that right?" Charlotte was fairly certain she was the only one who caught Alexander's subtle eye roll towards the ceiling.