What do you mean they can’t pay? —I asked for.

«They thought Vivian’s father was going to pay the rest», Ethan said in a trembling voice. «His father says he has already paid what was agreed. Connor says Mom and Dad promised to take care of the rest. Mom says she only offered to pay for the rehearsal dinner. The store manager closed the bar and will not reopen it until someone transfers the money».

In the background, a woman shouted: “This is humiliating!”.

Vivian, I assumed.

Then a man blurted out, “You should have read the contract before you signed it”.

It was probably his father.

I took another bite of the pasta, chewing slowly. “And what role do I play in all this?”

Ethan hesitated, long enough to insult me again.

“Connor thinks… that maybe you could transfer the money. Only temporarily. We would return it to you.”

I laughed so hard that the couple at the next table turned to look at me.

“Do you call the wife you didn’t invite to ask for ransom money at the wedding I was too embarrassed to attend?”

“It is not like that.”

“It’s exactly like that.”

“Claire, please. Everyone is losing their minds.”

I could hear it. The music had stopped completely. The guests murmured. Staff moved discreetly and efficiently, as is often the case when trained to maintain composure in high-cost situations. I imagined Connor in his tuxedo, sweating profusely. I imagined Vivian, with impeccable makeup and a smile full of poison. The image almost made me want to order dessert.

Then Ethan lowered his voice.

“They say that if the debt is not paid off in the next twenty minutes, they will start closing everything (service, stations) and could call the local police if customers try to leave without signing the personal responsibility forms.”

I blinked. So this wasn’t just shame. This was a collapse.

—How much? —I asked for.

There was a pause.

“Seventy-eight thousand.”

I almost dropped my fork. “It can not be!”

—That’s not all —he was quick to say—. It’s the remaining balance, service charges, excess alcohol and a few extras Vivian approved this afternoon.

“Of course.”

“Claire—”

“No. Let me guess. Nobody wanted to talk about real numbers because everyone wanted to appear rich.”

Silence. That was answer enough.

I stood up and walked to the edge of the terrace, looking down at a narrow Roman street that shone with a golden glow under the lights. My anger had become cold, precise, almost useful.

“Put Connor.”

A few seconds later, my brother-in-law appeared, breathless and furious.

“Claire, I know this looks bad…”

“This doesn’t look bad, Connor. Yes it is wrong.”

“We just need help getting through tonight.”

“Do you mean you need help? It’s funny, considering that Vivian made it clear that she would ruin the aesthetic.”

He exhaled sharply. “She was wrong”.