Chapter 4 - Cassandra’s wedding
Cassandra had planned the wedding for sixteen months.
She worked in luxury event marketing.
Presentation mattered to her.
That is not a crime.
The wedding cost roughly $148,000.
Too much, in my opinion.
But the funding was transparent at first.
Ellen and I contributed $45,000.
Cassandra’s parents contributed $35,000.
Michael and Cassandra said they would cover the rest.
They upgraded constantly.
Custom floral installation.
Imported champagne.
Second photographer.
Designer table linens.
Late-night oyster service that hardly anyone ate.
Ellen complained privately to me.
Never to Cassandra.
At least not until the final month.
Then vendor invoices began arriving at Ellen’s email because she had been listed as a backup payer on one floral contract.
One invoice showed an unpaid balance of $19,700.
Ellen called Michael.
He said:
“Handled.”
It was not.
A week later Cassandra told Ellen:
“Please stop monitoring the wedding like an auditor.”
Ellen backed off.
Mostly.
The wedding became a stage for a conflict that had already been building around money, status, and who had authority to ask questions.
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But none of that explained a slap.
And none explained why Michael chose Cassandra’s side physically.
