"Groom Flees 2 Hours Before the Wedding. The Abandoned Bride Stays, Orders All 5 Courses, and Makes Everyone Regret It."

Eli tossed the cheap plastic name tag onto the table next to the filet mignon. He looked at Connor, then at Frank, and finally at Maddie.

“My name isn't Eli, well, it is, but it’s Elias. Elias Sterling,” he said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. “And I’m not exactly a waiter.”

Frank frowned. “Sterling? As in Sterling Hospitality? The conglomerate that owns White Oak Manor?”

“And five other luxury venues, three private jet charters, and a corporate security firm,” Elias confirmed, tapping rapidly on his screen. “My father insists that every Sterling heir spend six months working the floor of our venues incognito to ‘understand the blood and sweat of the industry.’ Tonight was my last shift.”

Maddie’s jaw dropped. The quiet, observant waiter who had been serving her soup was a billionaire hospitality heir.

“You own this place?” she whispered.

“Technically, my family does,” Elias said, looking up from his phone with a sharp, predatory smile that looked entirely out of place on a waiter. “But more importantly, my family owns Sterling Aviation. Which operates out of O’Hare’s private terminals. If your ex-fiancé is trying to slip out of the country undetected with a fake passport and a mistress, he’s not flying commercial.”

Connor’s eyes went wide. “He mentioned Jessica had connections for a private charter. Something about bypassing standard TSA!”

“Exactly.” Elias held the phone to his ear. “My security teams run those private terminals. If he’s flying out of Chicago tonight on a private charter, he’s walking through my doors.”

Maddie watched as Elias spoke rapid-fire into the phone, his demeanor completely shifting from a submissive server to a commanding executive. He ordered a total lockdown on all outbound international charters from O'Hare, giving Tyler and Jessica's descriptions.

“Done,” Elias said, hanging up. “They are flagged. The moment he steps into the terminal, my private security will detain him and hand him directly over to the federal authorities.”

Frank sank back into his chair, breathing heavily, tears of relief pooling in his eyes.

Elias turned to Maddie. “I promised you five courses, Miss Price. But I think we can skip the salad and go straight to dessert. Shall we?”

Maddie looked at the man who had just saved her father's life, her ruined wedding dress trailing on the floor, the remnants of her shattered life scattered on the table.